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[CCBC-Net] Old is New Again
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From: Leah Langby <langby>
Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2008 15:04:05 -0600
Well, sometimes we have a day where everyone is at home, and my 11-year-old writes on the daily calendar: "Blessed Nothing!" It seems like we are running around more than we really intend. Our daughters, who relish plenty of time to make art, climb trees, write plays, read, etc., could always use more time for these sorts of activities. TV isn't a big part of our life, I have a hard time imagining how we could squeeze in the time for it (if we didn't have to do dishes and math, we might be able to do it). I guess for all of us, it is more of a priority to have time to hang around and do goofy stuff than it is to be hooked in electronically.
It's sort of interesting, most of the kids we know who are homeschooled
(whether conservative or radical or somewhere in between) tend to have much more time for this sort of hanging around, doing their own thing, making art, putting on their own plays, digging around in streams and mud puddles, etc.
Both of my daughters somewhat appalled when I brought home the Dangerous Book for Boys, since they are both girls and they bristle at any hint of stereotypes...they were quite interested in several of the activities in the book, though. As for fiction, if the story is good and characters are interesting, they like any kind of book, "retro" or not, it doesn't really matter to them (like The Penderwicks).
What about "retro" looking books that are just retro and don't seem to have much in the way of redeeming value, catering to the nostalgia but not really satisfying? Can't think of any specific examples, of course.
Leah
******************************************** Leah Langby Library Development and Youth Services Coordinator Indianhead Federated Library System 1538 Truax Boulevard Eau Claire, WI 54703-1569 phone: 715-839-5082 ext.14 fax: 715-839-5151 email: langby at ifls.lib.wi.us www.ifls.lib.wi.us
********************************************
----- Original Message ----- From: "Steward, Celeste" <csteward at aclibrary.org> To: "James Elliott" <libraryjim at embarqmail.com>; "Jean Hildreth"
<jhildreth at luxcasco.k12.wi.us> Cc: <ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu> Sent: Tuesday, February 26, 2008 2:18 PM Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] Old is New Again
> Oh, I hear ya! Although...this past weekend my 8th grade daughter
> informed me that she just didn't want to do anything all day because she
> was wiped out from the week (so was mom--her chauffer extraordinaire).
> She watched a DVD, listened to the Ipod and IM'd the day away. At
> bedtime, I saw her reading a book. I have held the line with no TV in
> bedrooms. Consequently, both of my kids read themselves to sleep.
>
> I just did a quick catalog search in my library to see what the circ
> figures look like for books such as The Dangerous Book for Boys, The
> Daring Book for Girls and a title that I consider "retro" fiction--The
> Penderwicks. While these books are checking out, I wouldn't say they are
> flying off the shelves. Perhaps, the larger question for these retro
> books is how can we (parents, teachers, librarians) get them into kids
> hands?
>
> Celeste Steward,
> Collection Development Librarian
> Alameda County Library
> 2450 Stevenson Blvd.
> Fremont, CA 94538
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> [mailto:ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu] On Behalf Of James
> Elliott
> Sent: Tuesday, February 26, 2008 11:30 AM
> To: Jean Hildreth
> Cc: ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] Old is New Again
>
> My son asks me every weekend "What do we have planned for the weekend?"
>
> My response is usually something along the lines of:
> Why do we need anything planned? I'm so busy during the week with work
> that I just welcome the down-time of NOT having anything planned or
> anything to do.
>
> His next question:
> do you want to go to the movies?
>
> My response:
> Why do I want to sit in a dark theater for three hours on a beautiful
> day like today? Let's wait for the DVD, and then we can watch it while
> at home and then we can stop it when we want and start it up again if we
> are interrupted. Want to go to the park?
>
>
> He is at the age, I guess, where everything has to be planned out for
> every minute. Fortunately, he's also in Boy Scouts so he is used to
> taking long walks in the woods or just hanging out by the creek at the
> back of the neighborhood. He and a friend like to get out their
> 'scooters' and just take off in the neighborhood, and I encourage it
> (anything to get him away from the XBox).
>
>
> Jim Elliott
> North Florida
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Jean Hildreth <jhildreth at luxcasco.k12.wi.us>
> To: ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Sent: Tue, 26 Feb 2008 13:51:52 -0500 (EST)
> Subject: [CCBC-Net] Old is New Again
>
> A thought regarding these "old chestnuts" and the newer book versions of
> childhood activities from a more innocent time: Yes, they present a
> world of less structured, more child-created activities than many
> children are experiencing today. But equally important is the fact that
> they 1.) allow for unstructured time in the lives of our children, and
> 2.) nurture the natural imagination and creativity which allow a child
> to use that time to grow in an entirely different way, one seemingly
> incomprehensible to the average adult. (We used to call it having time
> "to watch the grass grow.") And the difference between the
> super-structured, lesson-oriented, plugged-in, turned-on, always "busy"
> kids and those with the "old chestnut" books and do-it-yourself
> creative ideas is often the difference between the kid who is "bored"
> when faced with free time and the kid who is delighted and entranced
> with some time and space to create his/her own diversions and learning.
>
> I say, "Bravo!" to books like "The Dangerous Book for Boys" and "The
> Daring Book for Girls." What might also be needed is some caring and
> wise adult who will take the time to read aloud even a chapter or so to
> a curious kid. Just to open the door...
>
>
> ~Jean Hildreth
> Luxemburg-Casco Middle School
>
> _______________________________________________
> CCBC-Net mailing list
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
> http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> CCBC-Net mailing list
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
> http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
> _______________________________________________
> CCBC-Net mailing list
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
> http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
Received on Tue 26 Feb 2008 03:04:05 PM CST
Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2008 15:04:05 -0600
Well, sometimes we have a day where everyone is at home, and my 11-year-old writes on the daily calendar: "Blessed Nothing!" It seems like we are running around more than we really intend. Our daughters, who relish plenty of time to make art, climb trees, write plays, read, etc., could always use more time for these sorts of activities. TV isn't a big part of our life, I have a hard time imagining how we could squeeze in the time for it (if we didn't have to do dishes and math, we might be able to do it). I guess for all of us, it is more of a priority to have time to hang around and do goofy stuff than it is to be hooked in electronically.
It's sort of interesting, most of the kids we know who are homeschooled
(whether conservative or radical or somewhere in between) tend to have much more time for this sort of hanging around, doing their own thing, making art, putting on their own plays, digging around in streams and mud puddles, etc.
Both of my daughters somewhat appalled when I brought home the Dangerous Book for Boys, since they are both girls and they bristle at any hint of stereotypes...they were quite interested in several of the activities in the book, though. As for fiction, if the story is good and characters are interesting, they like any kind of book, "retro" or not, it doesn't really matter to them (like The Penderwicks).
What about "retro" looking books that are just retro and don't seem to have much in the way of redeeming value, catering to the nostalgia but not really satisfying? Can't think of any specific examples, of course.
Leah
******************************************** Leah Langby Library Development and Youth Services Coordinator Indianhead Federated Library System 1538 Truax Boulevard Eau Claire, WI 54703-1569 phone: 715-839-5082 ext.14 fax: 715-839-5151 email: langby at ifls.lib.wi.us www.ifls.lib.wi.us
********************************************
----- Original Message ----- From: "Steward, Celeste" <csteward at aclibrary.org> To: "James Elliott" <libraryjim at embarqmail.com>; "Jean Hildreth"
<jhildreth at luxcasco.k12.wi.us> Cc: <ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu> Sent: Tuesday, February 26, 2008 2:18 PM Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] Old is New Again
> Oh, I hear ya! Although...this past weekend my 8th grade daughter
> informed me that she just didn't want to do anything all day because she
> was wiped out from the week (so was mom--her chauffer extraordinaire).
> She watched a DVD, listened to the Ipod and IM'd the day away. At
> bedtime, I saw her reading a book. I have held the line with no TV in
> bedrooms. Consequently, both of my kids read themselves to sleep.
>
> I just did a quick catalog search in my library to see what the circ
> figures look like for books such as The Dangerous Book for Boys, The
> Daring Book for Girls and a title that I consider "retro" fiction--The
> Penderwicks. While these books are checking out, I wouldn't say they are
> flying off the shelves. Perhaps, the larger question for these retro
> books is how can we (parents, teachers, librarians) get them into kids
> hands?
>
> Celeste Steward,
> Collection Development Librarian
> Alameda County Library
> 2450 Stevenson Blvd.
> Fremont, CA 94538
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> [mailto:ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu] On Behalf Of James
> Elliott
> Sent: Tuesday, February 26, 2008 11:30 AM
> To: Jean Hildreth
> Cc: ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] Old is New Again
>
> My son asks me every weekend "What do we have planned for the weekend?"
>
> My response is usually something along the lines of:
> Why do we need anything planned? I'm so busy during the week with work
> that I just welcome the down-time of NOT having anything planned or
> anything to do.
>
> His next question:
> do you want to go to the movies?
>
> My response:
> Why do I want to sit in a dark theater for three hours on a beautiful
> day like today? Let's wait for the DVD, and then we can watch it while
> at home and then we can stop it when we want and start it up again if we
> are interrupted. Want to go to the park?
>
>
> He is at the age, I guess, where everything has to be planned out for
> every minute. Fortunately, he's also in Boy Scouts so he is used to
> taking long walks in the woods or just hanging out by the creek at the
> back of the neighborhood. He and a friend like to get out their
> 'scooters' and just take off in the neighborhood, and I encourage it
> (anything to get him away from the XBox).
>
>
> Jim Elliott
> North Florida
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Jean Hildreth <jhildreth at luxcasco.k12.wi.us>
> To: ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Sent: Tue, 26 Feb 2008 13:51:52 -0500 (EST)
> Subject: [CCBC-Net] Old is New Again
>
> A thought regarding these "old chestnuts" and the newer book versions of
> childhood activities from a more innocent time: Yes, they present a
> world of less structured, more child-created activities than many
> children are experiencing today. But equally important is the fact that
> they 1.) allow for unstructured time in the lives of our children, and
> 2.) nurture the natural imagination and creativity which allow a child
> to use that time to grow in an entirely different way, one seemingly
> incomprehensible to the average adult. (We used to call it having time
> "to watch the grass grow.") And the difference between the
> super-structured, lesson-oriented, plugged-in, turned-on, always "busy"
> kids and those with the "old chestnut" books and do-it-yourself
> creative ideas is often the difference between the kid who is "bored"
> when faced with free time and the kid who is delighted and entranced
> with some time and space to create his/her own diversions and learning.
>
> I say, "Bravo!" to books like "The Dangerous Book for Boys" and "The
> Daring Book for Girls." What might also be needed is some caring and
> wise adult who will take the time to read aloud even a chapter or so to
> a curious kid. Just to open the door...
>
>
> ~Jean Hildreth
> Luxemburg-Casco Middle School
>
> _______________________________________________
> CCBC-Net mailing list
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
> http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> CCBC-Net mailing list
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
> http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
> _______________________________________________
> CCBC-Net mailing list
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
> http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
Received on Tue 26 Feb 2008 03:04:05 PM CST
