When I fold laundry, I like a little trash on my laptop screen. "Unsolved Mysteries," "Elsbeth": The show should have a formula that I can follow without mental effort. Also, if I leave the room, I have to be able to supply the "story beats" in my head, so no rewinding is required. (For example: Bathroom break. During this time, it will emerge that the victim had a relationship with a shady guy, and an investigation will occur. But talking heads will confirm that the shady guy was with friends, on another continent, at the time of the murder.)
My daughter is the same way. On a weekday, she just wants to stare at animated skeletons. The skeletons sing about brushing their teeth, or about Christmas traditions, or about general healthy living. Susie is transfixed. Hand her a bowl of Coco Puffs, and she is in heaven.
I recently tried something different. I walked my daughter to a screening of "Mufasa." But the formula was new, and the movie was bad, and Susie began loudly "animating" her handfuls of Sour Patch Kids. She took a red one and stuck it in my face. "Hello!" she said. "How are YOU today?"
We've had more luck with music class. Susie especially loves dancing with a colorful scarf, as if she were Esmeralda, in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." She asks to practice at home; she rehearses new moves.
We're reading "Little Bear," by Richard Jones; it's great. We've also taken an interest in "Elephant and Piggie." I'm actually not convinced that Mo Willems is doing something new; it seems to me he is borrowing from Arnold Lobel, but I'll try to reserve judgment for now.
Happy Monday.
Comments
Post a Comment