Saturday, March 07, 2009

you are seeing a person

If I remember correctly, it all started with sunscreen. Liv needed to keep covered from the sun. She despises the cold chill of sunscreen on her skin, especially her face.
At the farmer's market, a woman was selling bonnets like the ones they wore long ago....and on 'Little House on the Prairie'. Liv LOVED hers. She would wear it every chance she got.
After many comments about her hat and 'Little House', we started to read "Little House in the Big Woods". She was hooked. Everything having to do with how settlers managed to exist daily was absorbed and sought after. Their clothing. Their tools. Their homes. Their toys.
We soon started to read "Farmer Boy" without much success or interest because Liv wanted to get on to another book with Laura in it. So we began "Little House on the Prairie". She was entranced by the journey and the loss and return of Jack, the dog. She was intrigue by the building of the house and the digging of the well. But when the Natives were introduced, she was hooked. She was aghast at how Ma 'spoke' about these people. She would bring it up in the car drilling me about how Ma could feel that way and how the First Nations people had lived at this time. She wanted to know MORE. We read about Sacajawea and that night could hear drumming and singing coming from the reserve close to our house. She stayed up late listening at the window asking me to describe how the people were dancing , what they were wearing, what they were saying. We've now been reading books, building popsicle stick longhouses, doing crayon rubbings of the petroglyphs close to our home, learning about the symbols behind each of the animals, creating stories for our toilet paper roll totem poles, listening to music, and taking in anything that may possibly have some form of information about the Indigenous People of our area. She talks nonstop about how she wants to find a longhouse, how she thinks that the First Nations peoples have been treated unjustly and asks about the myths and reminds me "How Robin got his Redbreast" when we see one of the little birds hopping by.

I am so pleased that she is able to find what interests her. What lights her fire of learning and is free to let it burn. I see her growing into who SHE is meant to be and it is humbling to be able to watch her growth and the evolving person that she is.

7 comments:

Hallie said...

We are enjoying 'Little House too- the books, the dvds and the cookbook. I love the fact that we can watch a show that I grew up with and that she can watch something with values! We love the books and I can't wait to do more activities with them. I hope to go to one of the homesteads that they had in Kansas. I've been to the one in Missouri and it was fascinating! Enjoy the discovery!

Anonymous said...

what a smart, sweet, beautiful and thoughtful child you are raising!

Unknown said...

I loved "Little House" so much when I was a kid. They were the first books I remember that really sparked my desire to read by myself.

A previous commenter mentioned the cookbook. Its such a fun little supplement to the series and would be another great way to "live like Laura."

darcie said...

oh how I LOVED the book series as a kid...I still have the whole collection tucked away - I cannot wait to start reading them again with my little girl. I only hope she takes a fraction of the interest that Liv has!

Hawkfeather said...

my daughter couldn't stand little house- i was sorta sad.. growing up with the show- dreaming of that life-
but being the vegetarian type- the books had to much animal death in them for her..

she will still tell people- Yeah sure little house is a great *show*.. at least they aren't killing cougars and bears every episode..


One day (soon?) would you like to meet in the big city and take our kids to the UBC museum of Anthropology?
http://www.moa.ubc.ca/
that could rock..


I used to be in a drumming group that played traditional African songs- but we studied and performed a lot of wonderful first nations chants that have a special place in my tiny universe.

Anonymous said...

I was so disappointed when I had boys; they didn't have much interest in the LH books....I on the other hand devoured them and had the collection for many years; if I really looked around, I could find them again....I loved the maple sugar candy chapter and the dance.....the Long Winter...making butter etc.....I would have given anything to be a pioneer...I curse the day Michael Landon dorked up the story with his stupid series.....patooey...I am a Laura Ingalls Wilder purist....I was completed thrilled to go the the Museum in Missouri and see Pa's violin etc...yup...I am a dork....

Victoria said...

We've been reading the books too for a while now Jacky, they're my old ones from when I was Ella's age. I love them as much as I did first time around. Did you ever watch the tv show? Well we've got every series and it's something Ella and I do together, watch a single episode, on occasions where we have quiet just the two of us time. The only downside - every time Ella says " we won't watch it if you cry again mum ". They just get me - every time!!