Wiggles
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A while back we were discussing the Wiggles and various members of that troup
- before our Steve/Joe discussions. I just have to share a vaguely
unschooling/unfooding kind of story from this morning about the Wiggles.
Nathan (4.5) came downstairs to say goodbye to his father at 8:30 this
morning to show him a book of Leonard Bernsteins he had taped together from
his Dad's discarded homemade cd covers. After his dad left, I asked if he
was ready for breakfast and he said "Yes. And we could watch - (here he
carefully placed on the floor in front of him his comfort toys from sleeping:
two finger puppet ballerinas, the Leonard Bernstein book, two gingersnaps has
asked for before bed last night, his teddy and his well-worn, hole-y blue
blankie) - THE WIGGLES." He did the butt wiggling dance with the arms
jogging in front as he said Wiggles, then picked up all his stuff and dashed
off to the sun room to find the tape. They watched the tape once at
Christmas when they got it, this is their second time.
He just cracks me up sometimes. He can identify many conductors and
composers from pictures, knows more about classical music at his age than I
did at 20, enjoys snuggling with gingersnaps on his bedside and then eats
them for breakfast (with Cheerios and milk) in front of the Wiggles! I think
childhood is magical.
Elizabeth
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
- before our Steve/Joe discussions. I just have to share a vaguely
unschooling/unfooding kind of story from this morning about the Wiggles.
Nathan (4.5) came downstairs to say goodbye to his father at 8:30 this
morning to show him a book of Leonard Bernsteins he had taped together from
his Dad's discarded homemade cd covers. After his dad left, I asked if he
was ready for breakfast and he said "Yes. And we could watch - (here he
carefully placed on the floor in front of him his comfort toys from sleeping:
two finger puppet ballerinas, the Leonard Bernstein book, two gingersnaps has
asked for before bed last night, his teddy and his well-worn, hole-y blue
blankie) - THE WIGGLES." He did the butt wiggling dance with the arms
jogging in front as he said Wiggles, then picked up all his stuff and dashed
off to the sun room to find the tape. They watched the tape once at
Christmas when they got it, this is their second time.
He just cracks me up sometimes. He can identify many conductors and
composers from pictures, knows more about classical music at his age than I
did at 20, enjoys snuggling with gingersnaps on his bedside and then eats
them for breakfast (with Cheerios and milk) in front of the Wiggles! I think
childhood is magical.
Elizabeth
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected]
In a message dated 4/16/03 8:43:23 AM, ejcrewe@... writes:
<< He can identify many conductors and
composers from pictures, knows more about classical music at his age than I
did at 20, enjoys snuggling with gingersnaps on his bedside and then eats
them for breakfast (with Cheerios and milk) in front of the Wiggles! I think
childhood is magical. >>
That is so sweet!!
I love it when kids focus on what they want to focus on. Conductors or
whatever. When I got interesting collections of ideas going on as a kid, I
would hear from adults "You don't need to know that" and from kids "Why do
you care?" Or just simply "That's stupid."
I don't think my kids have ever heard those those put-downs, and I think
that's wonderful. I heard them regularly.
Sandra
<< He can identify many conductors and
composers from pictures, knows more about classical music at his age than I
did at 20, enjoys snuggling with gingersnaps on his bedside and then eats
them for breakfast (with Cheerios and milk) in front of the Wiggles! I think
childhood is magical. >>
That is so sweet!!
I love it when kids focus on what they want to focus on. Conductors or
whatever. When I got interesting collections of ideas going on as a kid, I
would hear from adults "You don't need to know that" and from kids "Why do
you care?" Or just simply "That's stupid."
I don't think my kids have ever heard those those put-downs, and I think
that's wonderful. I heard them regularly.
Sandra
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> When I got interesting collections of ideas going on as a kid, IExactly. I think my mother, in particular, was afraid to say "I don't know"
> would hear from adults "You don't need to know that" and from kids "Why do
> you care?" Or just simply "That's stupid."
>
in answer to our questions. We learned not to ask questions, and to be wary
of letting people know our interests. We is my brother and I, fifteen months
apart. We have two older sisters who were full of telling us how stupid we
were.
Now when I say "I don't know" and am in a place where we can't look it up, we
find another solution or save it for later. Yesterday I had a brain drain on
what the inside parts of a flower are called - stamen and pistol. The kids
picked tulips on our way to the Home Depot (yes, two came up by the bulbs)
and when I couldn't remember the answer they said "Let's call Daddy!" Mark
had easy access to google while I was driving and the kids were passing the
phone back and forth between them.
That's the whole magic of it really, isn't it? Have an interest, explore it.
Have a question, answer it. Nothing is impossible for them. They have
enormous self confidence. Really, the only trouble they seem to have is in
realting to schooled kids they are friends with.
I just love this life!
Elizabeth
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected]
In a message dated 4/16/03 1:43:15 PM, ejcrewe@... writes:
<< Nothing is impossible for them. They have
enormous self confidence. Really, the only trouble they seem to have is in
realting to schooled kids they are friends with.
So won't others call that "anti-social" and "doesn't relate well to agemates"?
Kirby's simple statement that he didn't want to go to the prom with his
girlfriend caused unprecedented (in HIS life, from his point of view) uproar.
When he deals with homeschooled friends and they ask him something, the
answer honestly can be a yes OR a no. But yet another brush with school kids
has added yet more evidence to his reasons to avoid brushes with schoolkids.
But won't the general view of that be that Kirby doesn't know how to act
right? <bwg>
It will be interesting to see, years down the line, how this shakes out, and
whether unschoolers are subsumed back into the population by marrying
schoolkids who insist on school, or whatever.
Sandra
<< Nothing is impossible for them. They have
enormous self confidence. Really, the only trouble they seem to have is in
realting to schooled kids they are friends with.
>>Bingo.
So won't others call that "anti-social" and "doesn't relate well to agemates"?
Kirby's simple statement that he didn't want to go to the prom with his
girlfriend caused unprecedented (in HIS life, from his point of view) uproar.
When he deals with homeschooled friends and they ask him something, the
answer honestly can be a yes OR a no. But yet another brush with school kids
has added yet more evidence to his reasons to avoid brushes with schoolkids.
But won't the general view of that be that Kirby doesn't know how to act
right? <bwg>
It will be interesting to see, years down the line, how this shakes out, and
whether unschoolers are subsumed back into the population by marrying
schoolkids who insist on school, or whatever.
Sandra