What if children wrote blogs?
As a way to spend more time with my siblings, who live 15 hours away, I had come up with an idea to ask them to write a weekly post challenge response with me. They have been very enthusiastic and we had lots of laugh doing this together. It’s also a great opportunity to help them articulate their thoughts and writing better as well as document the process to look back upon in the future. We had so much fun writing their first blog response that we decided to continue doing it!
I gave them the word and definition:
Exposed:
To make (something or someone) visible, typically by uncovering/revealing it.
“At low tide the sands are exposed” , “She exposed Batman’s true identity”
My brother, 3rd grader, wrote:
When my sister explained Exposed, I was about to do three things: explode, die, and suffer. In my head, I was thinking about throwing something at her. *Ahem..* I WANT TO THROW SOMETHING AT HER!!! AAAHHHHH!!! I was thinking that won’t go too well.
So all I did was hold it all in. Not like “hold it all in until I explode!!” Kinda thing. Chi Thanh and I thought that Chi and Chi Tam said, “EXPO” So don’t think we think about that now. The title is in capital letters and underlined in bold letters so don’t even think about it.
My thoughts on his response: I was at a loss when I read his answer, and how he associated “exposed” with explode, die, and suffer. When I called them to ask how he came up with his response, I learned that my sister Tam (sitting to my right in the picture above) had tried to explain in more detail what expose meant. In the process, my brother had felt like he was going to explode from suffering. His response has nothing to do with the definition of exposed, but it showed that what Tam has said affected how he felt about the word prompt. Since I told him to write whatever he felt, he just did what I asked.
My sister, 5th grader, wrote:
When my big sister chi told me the word expose, I thought she said expo- you know, the marker. After she corrected me, the first thing I think about when I hear the word “expose” is radiation. Like when you’re in a nuclear war. You are expoed with radiation *Ahem* “AHH!!!! I’M EXPOSED TO TOO MUCH RADIATION. AAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!” Heh. So funny.
Anyway, the second thing that comes into my mind when I hear “expose is showing something like “Oh no, I exposed my secret” or “I will expose the new medal of honor to you.” Wait or “Don’t EXPOSE your skin to the sun!” Wait, wait or “Don’t EXPOSE your answer to that person! Do You Get the idea? Come on, I just underlined and talked about it. Come on!!!!
My thoughts on her response: I never would have thought of EXPO markers when talking about “exposed.” It showed up in both their responses. For kids who don’t know more difficult words, they probably associate it with words that they know that is closest to it- work with what they know (which in this case is completely wrong). Props to them for trying though. My sister’s answer was definitely on the target with her radiation example. It’s hilarious that she used all caps to present the urgency of being exposed to something. She then proceeded to list several other examples with tons of caps and exclamation marks.
Overview:
Both my brother and my sister had used all caps and ended by making sure I knew that they knew they were responding to “exposed.” This led me to believe that they had collaborated on their response, maybe because unsure of what their writing about. My brother, who was distracted by Tam’s definitions, had gone off track with his response. To have their answers authentic, we will make sure not to affect the kid’s answers with our own definition. There is never a wrong answer with word prompts. Each of their responses had led me to understanding them a little more. In the end, the only important thing is for them to learn a little, spend some time together, and to had fun. <3
Thanks for reading!!! What are your thoughts on their response? On an end note, I will be visiting the kids in a few days. Yep, overnight bus for me. We’ve come up with a list of things to do at home, and I’m really excited!
A Blog Response to Daily Prompt: Exposed – Want to read more? Check out their blog response on “yarn” here!
So intriguing to hear how kids interpret things. It’s all good because you are communicating and that’s always a good thing!
Thaaaanks for the lovely compliment! Now that I don’t live at home 24/7, I have to put aside time to get in touch with them. <3 Family is always first, right?
It certainly is 💜👍🐻
These kids are darling!
Thanks for reading!! They’re the absolute best. Family is most important, right? 😀