#216 Nicknames
At breakfast,
Rousso is trying to fix the cuckoo clock that Wimzie likes.
Bo is chatting away and Rousso joyfully picks up on his
toddler versions of names. Bo likes his new nickname,"Big-a-bo,"
but Wimzie isn't so sure about "Wizzie." Her father says
it's perfect because she whizzes around. When her friends
tease her and tell her it is "goofy," she is unhappy. With
Loulou's support, Wimzie gets enough courage to tell her
father she doesn't like the name he loves to call her. Rousso
honors her request not to call her "Wizzie." Wimzie is relieved
and momentarily happy until she realizes that Rousso is
greatly saddened. Wimzie goes to Yaya for guidance. Yaya
explains nicknames are expressions of affection. Wimzie
is particularly distressed now. Then Rousso presents Wimzie
with her cuckoo clock that he has patiently restored. Wimzie
decides that in return for the clock, he can call her "Wizzie."
Meanwhile Jonas and Horace are busy bird-watching, convinced
there is a cuckoo bird somewhere around because they have
heard it!
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- Children will learn that a
nickname can be an affectionate term, based on something
the child likes or does.
- Children will learn you are
still the same person inside even if you have a nickname.
- Children will learn that it
is okay to say what you are feeling deep inside.
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Vocabulary: |
nickname
bird-watching |
Suggested Activities: |
| Before
you view: What is Wimzie's
new name and how does she feel about it? |
| While you view:
See suggestions in "How to use this guide" |
| After
you view: Go back to your
pre-viewing activity and have the children respond to the question.
(Answer: The new name is "Wizzie" and she doesn't like it.)
Talk about what you have seen and take some time to discuss
it. |
Extended Learning Activities |
Option 1:Choosing
a Nickname (Discussion Activity)
Materials required: Index cards and marker |
| Talk
about children's nicknames, if any. Ask them if anyone in their
family has given them special names that they use sometimes.
Does anyone want to choose a new nickname? If so, let's write
them down and you can have a nickname card to show people. Say
the letters as you write them down. |
Option 2: Bird-watching (Craft and Outdoor Activity)
Materials required: Toilet paper tubes, yarn, tape, markers |
|
To make binoculars put two tubes
side by side and tape them. Poke holes on either side and
tie a piece of yarn to make a carrying strap. Decorate.
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| Materials
required: Bird identification books, paper and crayons or markers |
| With
the new "binoculars" go out to a park or area with lots of trees
and see what you can find. Sit quietly and listen and look for
birds. Use the bird identification books to study what children
and you see. Children might want to draw birds too. Discuss
the colors of the birds and how some of them get their names
from their colors, such as blue jay, bluebird, red-winged blackbird,
blackbird. On the way home, practice "flying" like birds. |
Theme Related Books: |
Tikki
Tikki Tembo, Arlene Mosel.
NY: Scholastic.
More More More, Said the Baby, Vera Williams.
NY: Scholastic.
The Green Grass Grows All Around, Hilde Hoffman (illus.)
NY: Macmillan, 1968.
Who's Hiding Here?, Yoshi. Saxonville, MA: Picture Book
Studio, 1987.
Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters, John Steptoe. NY: Scholastic.
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Notes |
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