“BOO-tiful Word Play for Halloween”

Trick-or-Treat?  As a parent and educator I enjoyed a real treat this morning when my son played a delightful trick on me with words.  Yesterday, Max’s teacher told her third grade class to wear spooky t-shirts to school today for their Halloween party.  When Max came downstairs for breakfast this morning he we was wearing a Florida Gator t-shirt instead (his big sister is a senior at UF).  I reminded him it was spooky t-shirt day and instructed him to go change quickly or we’d be late for school. He replied, “But mmm-o-m, I am wearing a spooky shirt…have you seen the Gators play lately?  Instead of ‘boo!’ (waving his fingers like a ghost) it’s ‘booooo!’ (turning both thumbs down).”   Now that was laugh-out-loud funny to me!

Children can be such a delight!  We all should follow their lead and weave more fun in our daily lives.  And yes, I did let him wear the Gator shirt to school after all.   Right now I imagine he’s treating his classmates with his tricky word play as they innocently fall one-by-one into his well-laid trap that begins with the question… “Max, why aren’t you wearing a spooky shirt?” 

Have a ghost finger-waving kind of a BOO-tiful Halloween everybody! 

"Experience + Conversation = A Better Vocabulary"

My nine-year-old Max and I recently enjoyed a snorkeling trip together.  As we swam around the clear blue waters of the coral reefs, we spotted an incredible array of marine life in all the dazzling shades of the rainbow.  I recognized many of the species and knew their names so when we’d come up to clear our masks I’d say, “Can you believe how huge that sea anemone is?” or, “Did you spot that octopus camouflaged against that rock?”  Max sometimes asked me questions like, “Why are those thousands of little fish all swimming together?” And I’d explain how it was a strategy to protect themselves against larger prey and we refer to them as a “school” of fish.  We found it fascinating to dive into the school to watch the group react as if they were one large organism of a single mind.   Max reflected, “It’s like they’re a soccer team.”  We spotted sting rays, starfish, squid, sea turtles, eels, crabs, and Dori (“Yes Max, on the Disney screen that’s Dori, but it’s actually called a clown fish.”).  I recognized the more common species, but I admit I was clueless for the names of many.

That same afternoon we were in a tourist-trap shop and Max asked if we could buy a large laminated reference card that had labeled pictures of all the marine life that inhabited the area waters.  That evening he studied the card enthusiastically and the next day, you guessed it, the roles were reversed.  Max was now “in-the-know” and he reveled teaching me the names of species I had not known the day before such as cuttlefish, sea cucumbers, blood coral, etc.  I delighted in my son’s love of learning and played along trying to be a good student for him.   Max beamed with pride as I later recounted to the rest of our group on the beach all the different names of species Max had taught me.

Although children certainly pick up many new vocabulary words from reading or watching movies, “experience is the best teacher” as the saying goes.  It is the concrete real-world experiences in life that prove the most vivid and it is how we pick up the majority of the words we end up not only recalling but actually using on a regular basis.  Parents are children’s first and most influential teachers.  As parents we can capitalize on the time we spend with our children every day to boost their vocabularies by engaging them in rich conversations as we do so.  It doesn’t have to be anything as exotic as a snorkeling trip…it can be a trip to the grocery store, planting a small garden in the back yard, or a simple walk through the woods.

As we go through our daily lives we should strive to constantly engage our children in two-way conversations about what we’re seeing and experiencing together.  When you do this, make sure to give the proper labels for things and model how “smart people” extend learning experiences by seeking out more information from books, the internet, documentaries, etc.   So the next time you’re doing something seemingly ordinary like baking, invite your child in to the kitchen to help.  Your ordinary is extraordinary to a child who has only been walking on this planet a few short years.  Talk about what you’re doing so your child can take new words away from the first-hand experience.  Measure with teaspoons and tablespoons and show how each is represented by a “t” or a “T” on the recipe card.  Explain how yeast causes dough to rise.  Let your child actually do things like sifting and kneading and describe their actions using those terms.  Do this, and the next time your child is asked on a science test about the meaning of Fahrenheit, I guarantee he will recall the term from his experience of cooking with you in the kitchen and not from his homework assignment of copying the definition found in the back of his textbook three times.   

"What's in a Theme?"

I enthusiastically embrace the use of themes when creating workshops for families.  Name a theme, any fun theme… superheroes, magicians, astronauts, detectives, rock stars… you name it.  I’ve either done it or am eager to try it out in the future.  For our Readers of the Caribbean (RoC) workshops, the trainers and even the attending families dress up like pirates to go along with the workshop theme.  The costumes range from simple (a red bandana and eye patch) to elaborate, but the fantastic byproduct is positive energy that fuels the entire group’s learning experience.   One mom I met even painted a beard, moustache, and eye patch on her baby.  Move over Johnny Depp, this drooling pirate was too cute for words!    

One of the main reasons I believe in using themes for trainings is that themes tend to bring in the numbers. You can plan the best training in the world, but if no one shows up, what good does it do, right? 

A principal at a school where we did a RoC training recently was amazed to see over 300 participants show up for his school’s RoC night.  He told me his teachers had put an untold amount of time and energy the year before in preparing PowerPoint presentations to share effective tutoring strategies they use in their classroom with parents.  They were very disappointed when less than 25 total people showed up. 

Here was this same principal a year later scratching his head in wonder at the large crowd of pirate families waiting for the RoC event to start, but it was no mystery to me.  The land lubbing families were seeking some adventure in family night learning!

So what is it about a theme that attracts families to trainings at schools?  We could discuss a lot of plausible reasons why, but one is pretty obvious-- themes allude to trainings being fun.   And who doesn’t want to be entertained when learning? 

I think one of the more interesting reasons why themes bring in numbers is subtle yet simple: themes make the prospect of attending an educational training less intimidating for many parents.  If you think about it, school was not the most positive experience for many of the parents we are all trying to reach the most.  Why would adults with negative childhood memories of schooling want to return to the “scene of the crime?”

When I walk up to greet a family before a RoC workshop dressed to the nines in my pirate attire and big grin belting “Ahoy there me mateys!” it is amazing to me how quickly their defenses drop and we’re off to the races in establishing rapport.  Maybe it simply makes me more approachable because it is obvious even I’m not taking myself too seriously.

Blimey, what do ye’ think ye’ scurvy reader of me blog?  Do tell before me makes ye’ walk the plank!