To perk up your child on a ho-hum day, reach for the familiar.

by Babs Hadjusiewicz June 03, 2009

It's Wacky Wednesday, which takes my thoughts to tons of wonderful wackicobra picness last Friday with the Lilac Lizard parents and staff. dick-and-jane-pic31But first, I need to tell what happened when I got sent to the principal's office. I wasn't in trouble, was I? Sitting there, I found myself feeling right at home. Know why?

Because my eyes spotted something familiar! On Principal Shannon's desk lay the Storybook Treasury of Dick and Jane and Friends.

You can see here how that samMore books around my deske book sits near my desk. I didn't have anything to do with this book's writing, though. Actually, I was about to start school when Scott Foresman first published the original Dick and Jane stories. It's just that those Dick and Jane stories were my first reading successes. Thus, each story represents a treasured memory. And, as I shared in an earlier post, seeing that book on the principal's desk took my thoughts to California. But, wait a minute! I was in the principal's office...in California. WOW! Familiarity. It carries with it such a great sense of comfort. Such a sense of comfort is one of the reasons your child asks to hear you reread the same poems and stories. Or that same ol' book.Kiera & Me w/Welcome poster signed by Lilac students Indeed, familiarity and that accompanying comfort feel mighty good. Oh, a giraffe!Which brings us to today's Parenting 4 Literacy tip. Today's tip helps you score big with your child. WOW! Yes! Here's what you do the next time your child is not feeling up to par physically or emotionally. You bring on some favorite and oh-so-familiar books, songs, stories, and poems. And guess what! Your child will perk right up! Recognizing the power inherent in familiar print, I made sure as a teacher that I had in my hand or on my tongue a few known favorites before a new student crossed the threshold to enter my classroom. WOW! Familiarity and comfort...two basic needs each of us wants to get met when we're faced with a new or challenging situation. Okay. Back to Friday's wackiness at Lilac Elementary. That entire day, by the way, was more than "Kiera's Invited Babs the Author-Day." Kiera, twin Bridget, sisters Kelsey and Jadine, her parents, her grandmother, and me Friday was also Teacher Appreciation Day. And, oh, my! There was still more in store for us. Many students came dressed in their pajamas! And you could tell that some of Lilac's parents had dressed themselves that morning. They wore wild clothing! As in wild-animal-looking clothes. And those wild-animal-looking parents had painted faces that made them look more like wild animals than parents! Yes, even the principal was in disguise. WOW! No wonder I got sent to her office!Yikes! It's a jaguar! And no wonder if was such a wacky and wonderful day! Tomorrow is THINKing Thursday, so I hope I'll have done some thinking by then...enough to have thought up the correct animal names so I can show and tell about the real wild animals who dropped in on the Lilac Lizards and me last Friday.


Babs Hadjusiewicz
Babs Hadjusiewicz

Author

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