There is a drawback to having a child who is bright and creative and comes up with spelling-word sentences like, “I will not accept an excuse from someone who believes in antidisestablishmentarianism.”
What is the drawback? Blake’s imagination exceeds my abilities. Now that Thanksgiving is over (and my 34th birthday!), I am trying to plan his Harry Potter themed birthday party. But nothing I do matches the picture in his mind.
For example, he wants to play a game of Quittage (spelling?). He knows that he and his friends cannot possibly fly, no matter how great the broomsticks. He agrees to that. But he will not accept any other modification in the game. I have showed him revised versions of the game offered online; versions suitable for actual children. Not good enough. He wants to play it exactly as it is played in the movie. It is impossible. But he won’t accept that.
So, anyway, I am busy trying to squeeze a birthday party in between now and Christmas, while also preparing something for Trinity’s birthday. On New Year’s Eve.
If you never saw my article in HNN for last week, you can go here to read it.
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
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November 29th, 2006 @ 2:27 pm
That was a great HNN article! And that b&w photo of you is simply beautiful! I love how b&w can really bring out detail that in color would be missed. This is why I like watching classic b&w movies (mostly the romance kind), I think.
December 1st, 2006 @ 12:55 pm
quidditch
maybe you could have an independant player be the golden snitch (hide and sneak style? - or put it on a string and keep it moving?) and impose a freeze tag type penalty for getting hit by bludgers?
awfully good challenge!
Essential reading for the culturally literate! JKR is brilliant.
ps - you have to give us context for: antidisestablishmentarianism
December 1st, 2006 @ 2:56 pm
Ron, thanks for the ideas!
As for context, someone told Blake last year that antidisestablishmentarianism is the longest word in the dictionary. That so impressed him (he’s a word-dude, has always been a word-dude since before he was a year old) that he immediately learned its spelling and meaning and then begged his second grade teacher to give it to him as a spelling word (she individualized their spelling words to meet their own levels). She refused for a while but finally gave in. He’s been obsessed with the word ever since and uses it whenever possible.
December 1st, 2006 @ 7:14 pm
my long word was Endoplasmic Reticulum - - which isn’t one word at all… but I remember latching onto it the moment my biology teacher stumbled on its pronunciation, and we’ve been friends ever since.
I never thought about it as unusual until now - maybe Blake would like it!!
December 1st, 2006 @ 7:41 pm
Ron-I bet he will! What is it?
Okay, so tonight we were watching the Colbert Report and Blake and Aiden walked in just as one of his comedians yelled something like, “You don’t have any balls!”
Blake asked, “What did he say?”
My husband answered, “Nothing.”
And Aiden yelled out, “Balls!”
Yes, at three years old, balls is a word Aiden is very familiar with.
December 2nd, 2006 @ 8:20 am
Noell, I really liked your article in HNN. And your website too. Keep up the great writing.
Mattman, I really love B&W movies too! The more romantic the better. Could it be we have found yet another thing in common??
December 2nd, 2006 @ 1:47 pm
Noell, we did a couple of summers of Harry Potter for our kids at UU. They rode swimming noodles for the brooms and had a nerf football and some round nerf balls for the bludgers. If you are hit by a bludger, you had to freeze and count to 5. We outlined a playing field with poles at each end with 3 hoops attached to the sides for the goal posts. Two adults were on either side of the field throwing the golden snitch back and forth (they didn’t start that until the game had been going on for some time. The kids absolutely adored it.
There are some good harry potter recipes out there to try too. Dragon snot was a particular favorite of my kids (lime sherbet and 7-Up). It was amazingly easy to come up with fun activities for the various classes once we got in the groove. Have fun with it!
Jen
December 3rd, 2006 @ 2:46 pm
here is endoplasmic reticulum in wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endoplasmic_reticulum
December 3rd, 2006 @ 3:08 pm
Ron-after checking out the wikipedia article, I see now why you provided a link instead of just explaining it yourself! It is fun to say, isn’t it?
Jen–More wonderful ideas!!!! Thank you!
December 3rd, 2006 @ 10:06 pm
I feel for you as a mother of a fellow smart and by the book four year old.
December 4th, 2006 @ 11:49 am
Endoplasmic reticulum was my favorite big word too! It just rolls off the tongue.
Our UU church did Quidditch as well. We used a big jingle bell for the Snitch, and an adult would throw it into the field while the kids were playing. It was a lot of fun! I’m not sure how you could keep the Snitch moving. I keep picturing it on the end of a fishing line, getting cast out into the game (like fly fishing), but I’m afraid the string would be too big a hazard.
December 4th, 2006 @ 3:37 pm
Endoplasmic reticulum is actually the cells jailer . He has the keys that lock and unlock the cell wall.