Cross-culture

Cross-training. That's my James, making the most of every situation. January 2012.

I've mentioned before how James is in a French immersion program in school. I love it! For half of every school day he hears and speaks only French. His math instruction is in French, too. It's amazing how much the students know. I really believe studying another language or a musical instrument (the reading of music is, after all, its own language), expands a child's mind for greater learning.

The last few weeks I've been able to "help" in the French classroom. Yes, please pause now to take your hands off the mouse or phone or whatever you use to read this, and make gigantic, slow-motion air quotes. Got it? "Help." I use the term help ever so loosely, because beyond junior high and high school courses, my real-life French usage totals about 37 minutes when I visited a castle in Germany and took a French-speaking tour because the line for one in English was too long. But nonetheless James' teacher picked up during student conferences (in which she interacts solely in French) that I understood what was going on, and asked me if I could help listen to students read. I understand far more French than I can speak, but I'm doing my best to follow the no-English rule, too. So I'll call my increasing pantomime skills just another cross-training benefit, non?

I love the how the two different teachers, French and English, work together to cover concepts. And oddly, a cross-over French word is what I thought of first when James brought home this English grammar worksheet: 

Here the object was to examine the list of words and circle the letter in the left box if an "s" is added to become plural; the right letter if an "es" is added. The circled letters became part of a code for the next section. Pay attention to #9. Oops. No biggie. 

Here's the zinger:

James told me he didn't get it. Good thing. Risqué can wait. 

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Remember James' classroom roast?

I don't blame you if you don't; these blog posts of mine are few and far between, and rarely timely.  The sad way James reacted to his letter made me wonder if he just doesn't get how funny he is! The poor guy is already supplying me with new material. One Sunday afternoon I was getting ready for my brother and sister-in-law to come for dinner. On a lark I decided to pull out the china. "So your brother's coming, huh?" James said as he sauntered in. "Trying to impress him?"

Another time he popped into the laundry room to ask if he and Elise could take Samuel to the playground. Wait, I said, I'd like to come too. "Why? You want to feel young again?"

After posting my James letter I asked you to guess which incident was most embarrassing to him. Was it the diaper change exchange in which he shouted, "Don't touch me! You're not my doctor!"?? That's what most everyone guessed, and actually what I would have, too, even though its status as my very favorite anecdote meant I HAD to include it.

But no! Revealing the bite marks on the stick of butter was what pained James the most. Who would have guessed?

Perhaps all of you picked up on the deeper meaning of why James's mix-up of mushrooms and marshmallows was so funny, you just weren't brave enough to admit it! But Circe was! I'm sharing her comment because it made me snort-giggle:

I love it! James must have been mad about either the rocks in the toilet or the diaper story. I'm interested in the mushroom story. Maybe you WERE roasting shrooms and are just trying to cover up your drug use. LOL! The second graders would have loved that. Maybe it's more of a story for red ribbon week. hee hee. Anyway, I thought your letter was perfect and highly entertaining. You could make it up to James at Arctic Circle, I bet! Good luck!


By the way, it was marshmallows. All marshmallows, all the time. 

Preschool outline: Insects and reptiles, letter W

 Samuel was excited to find this ladybug March 9 but would not get any closer to it!

I'd like to thank Eric Carle for creating my preschool lessons this week. If you never have shared one of his books with a young child in your life, go to the library or bookstore TODAY. His works are brilliant.  His trademark style of vivid collages of textured paintings is engagingly simple, inspiring children with its "Hey-I-can-do-that-too" quality. But oh, the layers!

Take The Very Hungry Caterpillar, for instance. Embedded in the story of a munching caterpillar are the concepts of change, numbers, and days of the week. The Grouchy Ladybug teaches about time, sizes and the movement of the sun. Plus it's just hilarious! We love Eric Carle around here.

I want to help my neighborhood preschool group love him, too.

Monthly theme: Animals
Weekly topic: Insects and reptiles
Letter W, number 26

Tuesday

Gathering activity: Encourage children to find different insects in The Big Bug Search, illustrated by Ian Jackson.

Rug time: Show pictures in The Butterfly Alphabet. Author Kjell B. Sandved found a complete alphabet (some letters many times over) on the wings of butterflies. Fascinating.

Talk about letter W and its sound. Ask children to raise hands when they hear W words in The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Talk about how caterpillar became a butterfly, which is an insect. Teach briefly about certain insect characteristics: antennae, six legs, three-sectioned body etc. Read The Very Quiet Cricket, which showcases many different insects. Count number of legs on each. Ask children to pay close attention to how the artwork of these two books is similar. Do they think the same person made both books? Yes!

Teach about Eric Carle and his art style. Tell children we're going to make art just like his. Finger-paint. Get messy! Show children how to make texture with finger swirls or the tines of a fork. Tell children we will set paintings aside to make our collages next time.

Outdoor time: search for insects and their habitats.

Closing story: The Grouchy Ladybug

Thursday

Gathering activity: Roll play dough into long ropes (worms) and form into letter W.

Workbook time writing W, 2 and 6.

Teach about reptiles. Read The Mixed-Up Chameleon, by Eric Carle. In this story a chameleon wishes he had the traits of the different animals he sees at the zoo. He ends with antlers, fins and flamingo feet. What a mess!

Brainstorm as a group what would be a funny animal. Together cut our previously painted papers into the animal's features. Or, children can make individual projects.

Music: "Five Little Speckled Frogs," "Baby Bumblebee," and -- if I can find it -- a Sesame Street song I remember from my childhood with Bert bemoaning what would happen without the letter W. A waffle would be just ...

Review alphabet, noting that there are 26 letters, our number for the week.

Outdoor activity: I thought it would be fun to have the children form letters on the lawn with their bodies, and I'll take pictures. I wish I'd thought of this sooner, as this is my last time doing preschool, and I certainly won't have time to do all 26 letters. But I'm excited to at least do each child's initial.

Closing stories: The Very Clumsy Click Beetle and The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle.

I didn't ever form a written outline the last time I taught preschool, and boy did I falter. Lesson learned. 

One fun thing worth passing on is to read Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh. We mixed paint colors together like in the story. Ahead of time (read: while the children did a puzzle in the other room), I used a white crayon on white paper and drew three simple mouse shapes, like the cover of the book. Then the children painted with water colors to "discover" the mice. 

Sons of Thunder

Cool guys:  Kyle, 16, performed 8-year-old James' baptism on March 3, 2012.
(Kyle wants me to tell you he thinks he looks goofy, lest you think he always looks like this!)

This is the story of James' baptism this month, but really it's the story of Kyle's baptism eight years ago, the anticipation of Samuel's baptism less than four years from now, and the hopes and dreams of many more spiritual stories for our family to come. 

James was born Feb. 9, 2004, nine days after Kyle's baptism. We believe the age of 8 marks the age of accountability, when one can choose to be baptized into Christ's church. Kyle made such a decision and was baptized by his father on Jan. 31, 2004. (I searched and searched for photos of that day but couldn't find any. I'm so sad!) The service was beautiful, the spirit was strong. I remember telling someone soon afterward what a "pay day" it was as a parent. 

It was on that baptism day that I first dreamed of another, years away. I realized that the baby I was carrying (we wanted a surprise at delivery so didn't yet know it was a boy), would turn 8 right after Kyle turned 16. Age 16 marks another milestone in our church, when a young man can be ordained in the Aaronic Priesthood to the office of a priest with the authority to baptize. Wouldn't it be wonderful, I mused, if Kyle could baptize that sibling?

Kyle, 8, meets his new brother, James. Feb. 10, 2004.

I pledged to help Kyle learn and grow in the gospel. What I wanted more than anything, though, was for  him to have a good relationship with this new sibling.

So the brother came, which is what Kyle wanted most. Over the years they've shared rooms and camping trips, and thrown more baseballs than punches. (I hope!) A third brother came, who looks up to James and Kyle equally.

We taught James about Kyle's office in the priesthood, but we left the decision entirely up to him whether to have Kyle perform the baptism. I am so, so grateful that James gave Kyle this opportunity. Kyle has had some struggles, and we really wanted this experience for him. James' easy-going nature often comes across as "eh, whatever," but I think there are depths of maturity and understanding in that kid, and I truly felt he knew the spiritual import to both him and Kyle. 

All of our family took part in the service: Jeff spoke about baptism, Emma gave a talk on the Holy Ghost, Elise played "I Am a Child of God" on violin. Even Samuel was memorable, joining me at the piano and noisily pulling the front panel of the instrument off! Oops.

Many of the teenagers in our ward attended in an awesome show of support for Kyle. We also appreciate all our family who came.

He had been nervous, but Kyle performed the baptism with poise. I was so happy.

Jeff performed the confirmation and blessed James that he would be able to strongly feel and act on the promptings of the Holy Ghost all his life.

 Brothers James and Kyle with their father Jeff. 

A bishopric member, Br. Conrad, was last on the program. Based on many other baptisms I've attended, I expected him to welcome James as the newest member of the ward, to have him look at all who attended, to encourage him to record his feelings about the day, etc.

Instead Br. Conrad spoke about the apostles James and his brother John, whom Christ gave the surname Boanerges, or "the sons of thunder." Br. Conrad encouraged our James to forge strong ties with his brothers. I sat there on the front row with my three boys: James, looking down at the program he was folding; Kyle, staring at the wall ahead; Samuel, fidgeting on my lap, and hoped they knew how much this message mirrored their mother's desires.

The next day I turned to the scriptures to learn more about these sons of thunder. The Bible Dictionary relates that Christ gave James and John this name "probably on account of the intensity of their character." In Luke 9 Christ corrected James and John when they proposed dealing with people harshly. Yet James and John, along with Peter, were in Christ's inner circle chosen to be with Him at raising of the daughter of Jairus, the Transfiguration, and Gethsemane. (Source: Bible Dictionary).

As a mother, this is what I take from this scripture story: Although Christ had need to correct James and John, he valued them immensely and saw their potential. Surely he channeled their energy for good. That is precisely what I need to do with my own sons, whom I love dearly.

Sons of thunder.

My parents flank James, Samuel and me. I'm surprised I didn't start a fire with my glasses! I wish we had pictures of everyone who came, but they fled into the parking lot. It's like herding kittens, I tell you.

Right after James' baptism Samuel started talking about how Kyle will baptize him, too. I almost hate to disappoint the little guy. But ... well, Kyle will be 19 by then and, we urgently hope, serving a mission and teaching other people about baptism and coming unto Christ. We feel the charge to help prepare him.

This baptism story goes on.