At the age of eleven, Holly has had very little exposure to the idea of what is kids' stuff and what is not, and so her television and movie tastes are personal and calm. She will watch Teletubbies on the same day she might watch Stand By Me or The Rocky Horror Picture Show. She likes music, she understands The Green Mile, and she's analytical about the messages various PBS children's shows intend to present, about school or self esteem or history or math. It's fun for me to watch her watch TV.
Seventeen years after that was written...
We have a toddler watching Teletubbies at our house sometimes now. Holly saw a sunrise that reminded her of the intro to that program, and sent it to me for
Just Add Light and Stir.
How Unschooled Kids Watch TV
photo by Holly Dodd, November 2019
The Teletubbies sunrise! That was my first thought when I opened this message. Thank you for sharing it with us, it brings back some great memories.
ReplyDeleteSomeone responded anonymously anonymously:
ReplyDelete"I love the validity you give to learning naturally where nothing is off limits."
Thanks, but "nothing is off limits" takes it too far. Lots of choices, yes; less fear than in some families, sure. Still, some advisement, and coaching, and awareness of how a child reacts to certains kinds of stories or images or music is part of the success. Being near enough and involved enough to answer questions or to distract and redirect sometimes also helped. :-)
Lots of input allows for more connections.