Storytime

How a Two-Year-Old Boy Tells a Story

Lately Chris has been taking John several times per week to drive along a construction road to see "dirt downs" (John's generic noun for construction vehicles because they scoop up dirt and put it down again). The road runs a mile along a watershed, so the boys see all manner of animals and water birds. John has a construction book that reads, "The bulldozer went trundle, trundle over the bumpy ground" so John now says of his forays with Daddy, "We went trundling and bumpling." Last night, I was privileged to be taken trundling and bumpling by the boys after our family went to an ice cream parlor. This morning I asked John to recount our adventure. (Envision John narrating at a shout.)

Mama: "What animals did we see when we went trundling?"

John: "We saw deer in bushes!"

Mama: "We saw three deer, one two, three."

John: "The deer ran away. Like this!" [John gallops in wild circles around the den.] "Hop, hop! Like a kangaroo!"

Mama: "What else did we see?"

John: "We saw a turtle!"

Mama: "He was sitting on a log."

John: "He was crawling, like this!" [John crawls rapidly in a circle around the room.] "He put his head inside."

Mama: "We also saw a crane."

John: "We saw a crane! He flew like this!" [John runs wildly around the den flapping his arms.] "Like a parrot! Caw, caw!"

John ended his narration (exhibition?) by grabbing a wooden truck and acting out at least half a dozen times that we had gone trundling and bumpling, saw some dirt downs, then had to drive "back home to our neighborhood."

His energy is immense, although I imagine normal for a two-year-old. I'm so curious how the grandparents in California will react since they're not often around grandchildren. The energy never stops! (The exception is when we allow John to watch a television show and then he becomes still and slack jawed, which is truly creepy.) Even up until the moment John falls asleep for nap or bedtime, he is leaping, bouncing, and pinging all over the place. (Then he enters what we call the "death spiral," becomes still, and is asleep within minutes.) I have a feeling Daddy and I will be taking John to the playground and for walks frequently to get him out of the house when we visit my family!

This reminds me that I have heard of two methods of teaching active children (read: typical primary school-aged boys). Boys do so much more poorly in regular school than do girls and I think a major reason (the main reason?) is that boys are expected to behave like girls. They are expected to be able to sit still for hours per day and focus. These two methods I've heard of involve major kinesthetic activity during the learning process. (I'm imagining doing jumping jacks to the rhythm of memorizing Latin declensions?) Those learning methods are on my list to research!