I am so excited. I do not think that anyone has ever before thought of this particular Exciting Way to Promote Literacy! (I could be wrong)--start knocking down your house!
Yesterday we demolished a large piece of wall. The wretched people who lived in our 150 year-old house before us had build a cupboard blocking the way from the kitchen to the dining room; a box that stuck out a foot and a half into the dining room. Yuck. So we destroyed it. And then it was clear that they had committed other malfeasances...before we knew it, we were down to a large area of bare lathe.
The children were thrilled. Even more so when I suggested that they write letters to put in the walls (not that anyone would ever need to demolish our handiwork). So for half an hour they were busy writing--painless and pleasurable literacy practice.
And won't the people in the future be thrilled when they find little notes in the wall saying, "You are stupid!"
That's great, Charlotte. I remember when I was a kid, we were going to get our hall repainted (or maybe papered - I don't remember). Our parents let us write on the walls for a while beforehand. It was SO cool. Kudos to you for making literacy (and home renovation) fun.
ReplyDeleteCharlotte, I loved reading on Jen's page today about your wall writing experience and shared with her that I so vividly remember my sisters and I being floored when our parents handed us crayons and told us to go to work writing and drawing just prior to new wall paper being place in our kitchen...what a fun experience that I recall now over 50 years later. Jen and I think this would be a great picture book, you will have to join us!
ReplyDeleteHi there Charlotte...
ReplyDeleteI'm writing a book. I am going to donate a part of the profits to a charity that promotes literacy for children.
Do you know of any? If so, email me: dannyctrs "AT" hotmail "DOT" com