Playing parts

So, I blog tonight, still in my pajamas. No, we are not sick, out of clean clothes or making fashion statements in the Schulton house. The little man is just in a state lately. Always an interactive child, he is like Chatty Kathy on Crack these days. Its true, returning from Wichita usually has a slightly bossy effect on him. He's used to all of the hub-bub at my mom's. People around all of the time. And if E or I are busy (doing what he has just told us to do:) and he wants yet another request satiated, well, he can always smile sweetly at Grams and get another geisha. Then we return to Brooklyn and he has.... Me. One mama, two arms and its just Not Enough. He talks of siblings to fill the void. When quizzed, what he would really like, could we please, just get him another Mama, for when you're busy, Mama???

Added to this ghee of need is a oversized portion of developmental angst. Story times can go on for hours. And then they must be "acted out." For several more hours. When I stop to grab snacks or water I am followed and chastised and peppered with, are you done yet? questions every half a second. During these spells, Thursdays are my breaking point. We get out of the house very little and by then my quota on moving small figures and vehicles with fake voices is filled beyond capacity. I suggest zany outings, promising fabulous snacks en route. Pirate ships at the pier, bury me at the beach, car rides at Coney Island. Anything to leave the floor behind, but nothing works except for following his heart and letting his learning stage find its own conclusion. So, broken, I stay stinky and jammy clad (showers Really piss him off) and suggest baking for breaks. Today I thought I had it nailed with molasses cookies. As I pull up his ladder and start yanking ingredients I look down and see that a dinosaur and Snow White have joined us. But now Snow White thinks the sifter is her bed and I'm to pour ingredients on her... And then she thinks the flour is her fluffy pillows and the next thing I know I'm doing funny voices, moving figures And measuring baking powder... The kid has a gift, truly.

So, after the tireless munchkin passed out tonight, I think to myself, science experiments. He needs projects, non literary input. I already know craft projects (gross examples of preschool curriculum that they are) turn both of our stomachs and art projects rarely last as long as the clean up, but I think the kid would dig something sciencey... So I start looking. This search leads to lots of "homeschool curriculum for preschoolers' sights. What the heck, I'll check them out. Seriously, I'd take a hint from George W if it'd spark P's non-figurine fire.

One of the sites sounds promising. Their curriculum is based on books. A possible bridge between book and project? Whatever book a child is interested in can be made into a cunning curriculum for the correct age. Really? So I select Cinderella. There's a puzzle inspired by the book and a science section dedicated to... pumpkins. Ok, well, iiiinteresting. I keep reading. The social studies section is as follows:

Social Studies

Human Relationships: Acting Like a Princess
Common characteristics associated with being a princess include the following:
Kind – Having a generous and compassionate nature; showing courtesy to someone
Smart – Clever; Intelligent and showing mental alertness
Caring – Showing concern for others
Brave – Having or showing courage, especially when faced with danger, difficulty or pain
Polite – Showing or possessing good manners and common courtesy; elegant

Ok. I remember this kind of stuff in school. Sitting there while the teacher asked leading questions with that upturned voice at the end. Looking around at the other kids wondering, Bueller? Bueller? And if it didn't go this dull direction in our home atmosphere it instead runs the risk of teaching a child to build boxes around characters and stereotypes around people. We're hoping for a bit more mobility in P's perceptions of people's personalities. After all, princesses can be loyal or backstabbing, sweet or bitchy...

There's a language section, vocabulary and words derived from French. Then there is the literary part of the study. You can help your kid understand the "genre" of "fairy tale." Because asking these questions would really help P hate, I mean, understand a story better:

Checklist/Questions for student:
Was there a moral message in Cinderella, and if so, what was it?
Did it contain the beginning words “Once Upon a Time” or the ending words “And they lived happily ever after?” (My personal favorite. I Love useless questions.)
Was there a good character?
Was/were there an evil character(s)?
Were royalty present in the story?
Was there magic in the story?
Did anything happen in “threes” or “sevens”?

And it hits me, yet again, that "HOMEschooling" isn't what we're after here. Breaking down the lit P loves into leading questions will help him do one thing, lose his love. Kill the magic. The final suggestion for this study plan describes the student dictating a Cinderella tale of his own to be written down and then read back to him.

And this brings it all home for me. This is what P is doing. Day in and day out, sans curriculum. We read Anatole (French story about a mouse that is too honorable to steal from houses and instead becomes a taste tester for a cheese factory). We read it again. We go to the co-op and P goes positively Crazy in the cheese section (thank Gawd there's such a small mark up! The co-op rocks!) and hurries home to play Chief Cheese Taste Tester. We lunch on bread and cheeses while we read the book again, P quoting his favorite parts and even pointing to the areas from which I should read. Then its floor time. He grabs me and his play mice and writes his own story. Anatole lives in his tree house. He tastes P's cheese and takes some home. There's a fire, a scary cat, a fire truck, a new home, more cheese and many, many discussions about the book's subtle nuances all framed through play. This, he could do 12 hours a day if I had the energy (and personal chef, laundress and house cleaner to make it possible :) The question and answer periods that break his books down? He could handle it for about 30 seconds.

So, another dramatic vote for unschooling. Nevertheless, the little trip around the internet proved time worthy. With better planning I can pick books myself that will lend themselves to science projects. He'll naturally want to see a volcano after a dinosaur book! He'll probably want to see what the ooze does to his dinos too, so he might even get messy enough to get clean that day.... Right there are two activities, post book, that provides a figurine break yet promises interest for P! Now if we can only segue this into leaving the house too...

Until that time, and in between floor time, he passes his time spinning and cookie eating...

Please don't think me evil for laughing at the end of this video..:)