RHYME TIME

Oct 022009
 

 by Esther Jantzen, guest poster

Kids and adults love rhyming words. Rhymes are in songs, in raps, in poems, in ads, in jump-rope games, and just about everywhere. This activity can be done any time, anywhere, and especially when you’re in a silly mood! It helps children learn that it is fun any time to play with words, sounds, and rhythms. It develops their attentiveness and their ability to hear sounds. It develops their vocabulary. Here are some ways to do this:

1) Think of a simple sentence that you say to your children frequently. Then make up a rhyme to match it. For example, with “It’s time to go to bed!” add, “So lay down your pretty head!” Or with “Sit down and eat your dinner,” add, “We don’t want you any thinner!” OR

 2) Think of a word or a simple statement such as, “I saw a puppy dog.” Then ask your child to tell you a word that rhymes with dog and like log, hog, fog, frog, bog. See how many you and your child can come up with. (For older children, try picking words that are more unusual.)

Then see if you and your child can put these words together in an easy little poem with several rhyming words. For example, “I saw a dog who sat on a log. He sniffed at a frog and then jumped in the bog.” If your child offers a nonsense word, that’s just fine. See who can come up with the silliest lines. Go for giggles here and for the fun of sounds. OR

3) Try for a question rhyme: Did you ever try to tickle a pickle? Did you ever try to hug a bug? Did you ever try to eat your feet? You might want to give a reward, like staying up an extra 20 minutes to read, for the special question rhymes. If you come up with rhymes or poems you like, write them down and save them.  That way you’ll get to enjoy them again.

 

Esther Jantzen, Ed.D, is a mother, an educator and the author of Plus It! How to Easily Turn Everyday Activities into Learning Adventures for Kids available at www.plusitbook.com and the Way to Go! Family Learning Journal available through www.jantzenbooks.com

Agent Orange Artist

Sep 222009
 
Mt Washington Perspective

Photo credit: DTWpuck

 

Growing up in the shadow of Mt Washington can make people tough and sometimes more than a little reserved.  And, if Keisha Luce is any indication, it can also make people creative and compassionate and adventurous.

As a graduate student at Dartmouth Keisha traveled to Viet Nam to undertake a project that many ‘experts’ said couldn’t be done.  In fact, during her preparation for the trip, some were so convinced that her project would fail that they didn’t bother to return calls or e-mails.

 Growing up in Franconia, New Hampshire, Keisha watched her father, a disabled Viet Nam veteran die of Agent Orange-related cancer.  He was 38 when he died.  His daughter was only ten years old. 

 “Somewhere along the line I realized that although his exposure to dioxin was relatively brief it killed him,” she says.  Finding estimates that 12,000,000 – 16,000,000 gallons of herbicide had been sprayed on Vietnam from 1961 – 1971, she became intensely curious about the impact on the Vietnamese people and on their lives. 

Early in 2009, she headed to Viet Nam with the goal of creating sculptural casts of Agent Orange victims and their offspring.  Three generations after the war children are still being born with horrific birth defects caused by the chemicals. 

Although Keisha and her project had university sponsorship, she was told that the Vietnamese people did not want to talk about the impact of the chemicals– especially to an American – and that they certainly would not consent to the body casts needed to create her documentary sculptures.

She discovered that there were many people who were eager to share their stories and participate in the project – far more than she was able to document on her first trip.  The finished pieces are incredibly moving and present people living with the long-term effects of war.  They are both beautiful and evocative – if you are able to travel to New Hampshire this fall – this should not be missed.

Sum & Parts, showed at the Barrows Rotunda at the Hopkins Center for the Arts at Dartmouth College from September 24 – October 20, 2009.

TREASURE HUNT

Sep 182009
 

1950s Children Playing Sign

Photo credits: www.roadtrafficsigns.com

by Esther Jantzen, guest poster

One great place in every community is the Children’s Section of the public library. Whether you have been to the library many times or are making your first visit, you can find treasures there!  Take a bag to carry home those treasures, the books you want to borrow.  If you or your children don’t have library cards, stop at the Information Desk and get a card.

Here’s what to look for.  Choose the ones that fit the age and interests of your child:

1) Look at the library walls for posters and pictures. Let your child find all those with animals.

2) Look at the book displays or showcases together. Find one thing that surprises you.

3) Find the section with picture books. Can you find a book by Richard Scarry there? Clue: Using the alphabet to guide you, find the section where the authors’ names begin with “S.”

4) Find the section with Easy Readers. Pick a book that you would like to read together with your family. Take it with you to the check out desk. Or sit right there and read it together.

5) Find the Junior Fiction section. See if you can find a book by Beverly Cleary, E. B. White, or Lulu Delacre. Or find one by a favorite author of yours.

6) Look for the section with Foreign Language books. How many languages do you see represented there? Do you know anyone who speaks those languages?

7) With your child, find out if your library has a story hour when someone reads to kids .

8) Go to the computer table and see if you can find out how many books by Dr. Seuss the library has. Ask the librarian if you need help to do this.

9) Find the non-fiction section. Can you find a book about something that interests you?

10) Ask the librarian for the library schedule or calendar of special events.

Look at all the things you can do before you even check out the books!

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Esther Jantzen, Ed.D, is a mother, an educator and the author of Plus It! How to Easily Turn Everyday Activities into Learning Adventures for Kids available at www.plusitbook.com and the Way to Go! Family Learning Journal available through www.jantzenbooks.com

 

 

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