More Little House obsessions…

After doing her “required reading” today, Naomi excitedly told me, “I want to write a story for you!”  She grabbed her “slate” and wrote the following Little House adventure (I’ve fixed the spellings – you can see the original at right): 

“Mommy,” said Mary.  “I want a pop.  Yes.  Oh, Mommy.”  The End.

Yes, a pop.  I have no idea what a “pop” is, but Mary wanted one. 

Last week, GZ started using the Fisher-Price “little people” mentschies to represent the Little House family:  Pa, Ma, Mary, Laura, Carrie and Jack (the family’s faithful dog).  He sticks them on each of his fingertips and waves them around giving them fantastical adventures. 

Naomi picked up on this idea, too, and hauled up the little people family house from the basement so it could be their new house that Pa built in our current book.  When she plays with them, she doesn’t just do the voices, like with her Barbies.  She adds all the text BETWEEN the voices, like she’ll say, “Pa laughed and climbed the ladder.  He told Laura and Mary, ‘Girls, come down now.’”  (this is just an example; I can’t remember her exact ones but they were very similar)

I LOVE hearing her imitate not only the stories, but the literary style of the books.

I love how the stories and characters not only inhabit but FILL every corner of their imaginations.  Naomi will sit in her room, just writing out numbers because one of goody-goody Mary’s hobbies was “working sums” on her slate. 

GZ pretends he doesn’t know what’s going on, and will ask me over and over again who Jack is, but then turn around and have rollicking adventures; eavesdropping on his dialogue proves he’s been listening, because it’s often something to do with the chapter we’ve just read.

I’m glad there are a lot of stories ahead of us, because they don’t seem to be showing any sign of getting sick of Little House anytime soon…