the OTHER mother

Calling All Ninjas

by Carrie

Did you know that there’s a Ninja Class in Texas?

You might think this is a joke, but it’s a True Story! A girl that is 6 years old named Carrie started a Ninja Camp.

Now you might think that an adult is the leader of the camp, but you guys read half of the note and you know that the person doing it is 6. She knows how to be a Ninja.

She can walk quietly like in the olden days. She can spy on her moms. She is good at climbing trees. She can stand as still as a tree. She can balance as good as a cup.

If you want to learn Ninja skills, come to Carrie Chamberlain Reagler. Her phone number is 713-x82-78x9.

If your son or daughter wants to be like a Ninja, then you can come to Carrie’s house and celebrate your holiday here.

by Carrie, 

Runaway Cody: A Birthday V-Card for our Valentine

Marcia's birthday is on Valentine's Day. Pearl, Carrie, and Cody (with a special cameo by Finn) made this video in honor of the special occasion. Happy Birthday, sweetheart!

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

Pearl Has a Guardian Angel

Transcription: 

I have an Angel

with a song. She has a

butterfly. She trails thunder.

Panthers dart around

her. A velvet mask is

in her hand. Silver breezes

whisper around her. Inchworms

and lemons are swirling

around her too! Her skin is like

the moon shining above her.

Then she fainted! Crash!!!!

 

P.S. She hit the flower pot.

by Pearl, age 7

Where Do All the Bad Cats End Up?

Yes, you guessed it! Kitty Alcatraz.

No Dogs Allowed.

Eliza came to play with Pearl and Carrie this day, and I'm sure she's to blame. Surely!

Behind the Scenes

Last weekend we had a fun dinner with our cousins, Erin and Abner. Afterwards we got to watch a movie being made. It was about the Pony Express. It was a production by the one and only HorseyWorks Studios. Is everybodoy ready? Lights, Camera, Action!

Note to longterm readers: you may recognize these actors.

 

 

The Kids 'R' All Write

Both girls attended the WITS Summer Camp again this summer. Here's a poem by each of them.

Dragonfly

I see an orange dragonfly

Fluttering softly

Its big eyes bulging like

Punch-out eyes

Four wings, light and see-through,

To help support it

It flutters on many things,

Even my dog!

The dragonfly spins through

the morning sky and

never tells its secrets.

By Pearl, age 7

 

Horse Brown

I see horses playing.

I hear horses running in the river.

I taste brown marshmallows.

I smell chocolate.

I feel safe.

My color is horse brown.

by Carrie, age 5

 

Cousins, or A Care Package for Sarah

 
Carrie adores all her cousins, but she has an extra special love for her cousin Sarah. Carrie has the same birthday as Sarah which is perhaps why Carrie perceives a heightened connection between them. She oftens tells her stories that are her *memories* (fantasies, actually) of their many adventures together. In reality Sarah is 14 and Carrie, 5. In these tales, however, Carrie is 6 and Sarah is 5. Fancy that! 

This post is a e-care package for Sarah from Carrie. 

Carrie made three drawings for Sarah. They are rolled up like a scroll and tied with a "bow," a pastel tie-dyed string that reminds me of dental floss.

 
Carrie and Pearl did rescue a baby bird last week. Carrie and Marcia took it to an animal rescue center where it is being nursed back to health. In the picture, however, the heroes are Carrie and Sarah. The sign between the girls and the tree has one of those DON'T symbols on it. Nothing pleases Carrie more than doing things she's NOT supposed to do.

 

I was not given any explanation on this picture so I'm not sure what to say. Feel free to take a stab at it. 

Carrie is trying to learn to draw more skillfully so she models pictures after Pearl's. I love that the sky has both a sun and a moon in it.

So, Sarah, I hope you enjoy these. We miss you!

 

 

Vision + Quest, Grrrlville Style

Adventure with Dragons and Treasure by Pearl

Fairy Tale by Carrie

Autobiography, the Kid Way

Recently a friend asked me to help him help his daughter write an autobiography. As adults we have fairly set ideas about the format of a biography or autobiography. They are usually chronological and include set details such as birth, milestones, siblings, and so on.  Children, lacking familiarity with the format, often find other more interesting ways to tell about themselves.

For example, a child could tell her life story as a history of her teeth. From toothless baby to tooth fairy, to bobbing for apples (does anyone do that any more?) this might be a fun way to talk about one's life. By focusing the story on a particular slice of ones life, it might make for a more interesting story.

A book that could be used as a model is My Map Book by Sara Fanelli. Each page spread contains an unusual map.  This one (below) is labeled a map of my day, with the toothbrush at the left and the night sky on the right. Each strip contains an activity that make a typical day in the life.

At Writers in the Schools (WITS), the map of my heart is another popular model for creative writing that comes from Fanelli's map book.The young writer sketches a heart and fills it with all the things s/he cherishes most.Modeling the brainstorming phase is important.The child uses the sketch to write a story or poem.

If you try this idea at home, please let us know. Happy writing!

The Secret Kitty Cat Club

There's been a lot of whispering in Grrrville lately, but it's not me--I swear it! The Secret Kitty Cat Club is so secret that I haven't even been invited.

As you may recall, our cat Moriah died in December. She was 20 years old, and I got her when I first moved to Houston. The day she died, Carrie had an idea: let's get Baba a kitten! 

Marcia explained to Carrie and Pearl that when someone loses a loved one, you let them grieve for a while. You give them time. And they've been patiently waiting. A birthday kitten, maybe that would be the best way?

Well, the plot to buy Baba a kitten has definitely thickened. Pearl seems even more excited than Carrie. The whispering has become almost deafening! And my next birthday, Sept. 22, is not so far away.

The Secret Kitty Cat Club has meetings, minutes, everything. I imagine there's even a gavel and Robert's Rules, although I can't say for sure. According to these notes--which I "borrowed" from the kitchen counter for an hour or so--the big event is in the offing. But until then, I know nothing! And neither do you, okay?

 

Pearl at Writing Camp 2010

Carrie at Writing Camp 2010

¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

Yes, pals, it's time to ring in a new year. Happy 2010! Click here to check out the Holiday Sound Poem 2009. [time = 1:23] Remember it's audio, not video, so you won't see any pictures.

You can also check out a few of our previous holiday missives:

2008 holiday poem

with bonus grrrlville impossible video

2007

2006

If you miss the blog and want to keep up with our comings and goings, add Marcia and me as your friends on facebook. Hope it's a wondrous year for you and yours.

Grrrlville

Sneak Preview (Boo!)

Two somebodies discovered the trunk full of costumes this week.

Be not afeared, gentle reader. It's Carrie and Pearl!

The Day the Vikings Discovered Africa

two jaguars and an elephant were waiting on shore to welcome them. Who knew?

Question of the Day: Kindergarten

Since Pearl starts kindergarten next week, we've been thinking a lot about our early school experiences. What do you remember about kindergarten?

Pearl's Story Inspired by Tar

[dictation]

Once upon a time there was some animals from the Ice Age. A saber-toothed cat found some tar, but he didn't know what it was. He told the woolly mammoth and some other Ice Age animals what he had seen, but they didn't know what it was either. He told them it was black and bubbly and looked gooey, but they still didn't know what it was. They didn't this it was ice or water from the Ice Age. 

So one day he saw a woolly mammoth that he didn't know go inside the pit and sink. He thought it might be some kind of sinking sands so he told the other woolly mammoths and Ice Age animals. They agreed with his guess that it much be some kind of sinking sands. But, what kind?

He did 2 tests. First, he dropped something from his fangs into the tar. When he took it back out with his paws, it was hot, gooey, and bubbly. That's when he knew it was Tar!

The End

by Pearl (age 5)

after visiting the La Brea Tar Pits

illustration also by Pearl, ballpoint pen on paper towel

In the Jungle the Mighty Jungle the Lion and the Cheetah Fight!

In a previous post, I told you about how the girls like to dramatize their stories. Here are a few shots from tonight's tale. Carrie was acting scary; Pearl was on a whirl. Even the cat got into the act.

Don't be afraid, gentle readers, it's all pretend.

More About Storytelling for Preschoolers: Dictation

Last week I started writing about how, in our family, we like to act out favorite books. Another fun way to help your preschoolers enjoy storytelling is through dictation. Dictation works well with young children because often their ability to tell a story far exceeds their ability to physically write it down.

To start, we usually offer: "If you'd like to make up story, I'd be happy to write it down." Often they refuse. We don't pressure them. When they are interested in storytelling, we get down on their level and set it up so they can see the paper. We write as they talk.

Carrie likes to hold set up plastic animals and she moves them around as the story develops. Don't worry if the story makes little sense or if the child makes mistakes, saying, for example, that a cow laid an egg. Corrections often stop the story. In order to encourage a young storyteller, it's important to listen and, during pauses, ask questions.

Here is an example of a poem that Pearl "wrote" last week. Marcia let her choose a picture from a catalog or magazine that she liked. Pearl chose the one she liked best and pasted where she wanted it on the paper--she chose the color too.  Pearl told Marcia what to write.

The woman who can fly is very courageous. She shows people how brave she is by jumping off houseboats or ships. She soars through the air and is very courageous to be such a woman who can soar through the sky like a bird. Oh my, oh my, the woman who can fly!

by Pearl, age 5

Once the story is done, we read the story to the child, pointing to each word on the page. After each sentence we ask if we "got it right."  Let your child know that she can make changes, if she wants.

At first the words your child tells you may not be stories at all. It's possible you will get a list or random observations. Don't worry. Later, when the dictation process develops into stories, you can even invite the kids to act them out!

** The ideas reflected here come from my work with the Rice University School Literacy and Culture Project.

Drama for Preschoolers

Imaginative play is the favorite activity here in Grrrlville. It is even more popular than television (maybe because we have no cable or reception?!).

When Pearl and Carrie were toddlers they liked to "tell stories." At first they used plastic animals and human figures as characters. They would tell the stories, and we would all move our characters according to what they said. Papa Pig gives birth to baby T-Rex?  No problem. Little girl celebrates her birthday inside of a tea cup with Alice? Sure.

Their favorite stories when they were young were:

• character has a birthday
• character has to go to the doctor
• first day of preschool
• trips or adventures

We like to incorporate into the stories messages that our children might resist otherwise. Perhaps the mouse should try using his words before devouring that lion?  It also gives us a chance to help them expand their vocabularies and knowledge without actually instructing. As we run from the ottoman to the door, our characters "dash" or "flee" or  "gallop" or even "fly."

Now that they're older, Pearl and Carrie have graduated to "acts." We did not initiate the transition. Pearl started it, and of course Carrie followed close behind her. Many of these acts start with characters from books or movies that they know well. Instead of using the toy animals as the characters, they act out the parts.

A great way to start drama with your preschoolers is to offer them the chance to act out some favorite books. Let me warn you, however, that when it comes to acting, all books are not equal. Sometimes a favorite book is a real dud on the "stage." Our girls loved Time for Bed by Mem Fox when they were young, but it didn't work very well for acting because there's no plot.

This is how we do it. Read the book once. Ask "Who are the characters?" Once this is determined, reread the book.  Then ask, "What character would you like to be?"  Then reread the story pausing after each sentence or page so that your kids can act it out.

Here are a few books that have worked well for us:

Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin

Buster by Denise Fleming

Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman 

Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

For younger children or children who are hesitant about this kind of play, some good books might include:

From Head to Toe by Eric Carle

My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss

Here are a few guidelines that have worked well for us:

* no props or costumes unless they're made by your child

* let your child be the director and ask him/her where to stand and what to do

* instead of making suggestions, model

* no corrections from the parent, unless safety is involved

I learned the core elements of this activity from my work with Rice University's School Literacy and Culture Project. If you're interested in the pedagogy, it comes from books by Patsy Cooper and Vivian Paley.

Your feedback is welcome!

[illustrations are from Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats