Ropes and lines

It's amazing what you notice when you look for it! Or perhaps, what you see when you hold up a particular lens.

After writing the post on Orla's schemas yesterday, I noticed her today pulling gleefully on the blinds, saying "Mummy why do ropes makes lines?"

The whole ropes/lines thing reminded me of my February observation. And of course, if you were interested in horizontals and verticals, then venetian blinds with vertical cords would be, well, interesting. Especially the effect of pulling on the vertical to make it longer.

When "person" is not personal

We are in a shop.

Orla, pointing: "There is a big, fat woman!"
"We don't make personal comments in public Orla, even if they are true or meant nicely. People's feelings can get hurt"
Pause.
Orla, pointing: "There is a big, fat, person!"

Vertical and horizontal

This post is a personal record for me of Orla's developing schemas. I've been meaning to write it up for ages, but....yeah, you get that.... I keep having ideas about it, but then I lose them again. I hope that if I at least get this much recorded, I can come back to it sometime.

Anyway, in February I began thinking a bit more about graphic schema. I suspected that Orla was most interested in vertical lines, with a bit of horizontal action as well. One day I observed her at home while the big two were at school and Ewan was sleeping. [Comments in square brackets were made by me]. She started by drawing a horizontal line, saying "This is a shower for everyone". She continued: "This is for you and Ewie. I'm chopping it this way so it can be nice. I cutted this one for Ewie".



She noticed my interest:"You take the photo of my pieces of paper! Funny!"

























She continued: "I'm chopping them into pieces. Look Mummy here! It's a piece of paper for you". She hands it to me. "Here Mummy. It's got drawing on it". [It has too!]
















"Do a "O" Mum. Do a "O" for me. An "O" goes like this. " She draws, with circular motions.













"I'm cutting all of it" [All of it]. "Yeah, all of it". [Look at that. You're cutting all the way across] "Yup".

"Little pieces and big pieces and little pieces. I cutted a baby half. Ha! Funny."


























"It hasn't got drawing on it. This has. I'm not going to give Baby James to Playcentre. Because I'm not going to. I found Baby James. And Baby James was awake already and we said that I am awake. I am Baby James's Mummy, Mummy. You're a Grandma Mummy".

Baby James is a Playcentre doll that Orla had taken a shine to (and has subsequently formally adopted).

"It's got drawing on it. It's like a present. For somebody to wrap up".

Orla continues cutting and making lines, saying things like:

"You need to hold the scissors with finger and thumb, finger and thumb".

"It's a rope".

"I need more Mummy!"

"O is for Orla! I'm doing a O is for Orla!".

"A boat Mummy! I'm going to make a big boat. I'm cutting this off. But I"m not going to cut my dress".

"Here Mummy. It's a rope. I'm going to cut the lines. Now I know where I'm going I'm going in the line of a spaceship. Look Mummy it's another rope! Look, I made a triangle!".


I noticed at her next session at Playcentre that she was focused on cutting a piece of paper so that she (deliberately and repeatedly) had made a series of vertical lines.

Here's a selection of her paint art from term one this year - vertical lines predominate. (And thanks to big brother for assisting with the photos!).









































So....what does all this mean? Of course, I'm still unsure. Whether or not it is fully reflected in the episodes I've recorded here, I have noticed a strong interest in vertical (in particular) and horizontal lines. The interest in "O is for Orla" is self-explanatory - however I have noticed an increased awareness of letters since Aidan has been spelling and doing formal literacy work at the table. She will say things like "Mummy, I can spell e-i-o-x-c". She is aware that letters can be joined up to mean things, and that the joining up is called spelling - but there are as yet a few missing links in that literacy chain!

In the first story, perhaps there was an interest in separation (chopping) and enveloping (the gift reference). The O is also an enclosure.

Planet disco

On Friday I took Isabelle and Aidan to the school disco. They have them about three times a year.

I was interested to see what all the children wore. Some were in what could be called Sunday best. Others wore dress ups (ballet tutus, superman outfits etc). I suspect most ensembles were carefully chosen.

My children's interpretations of "disco best" were as follows. Isabelle wore her ballet character shoes (that have little heels), black mini skirt with black leggings, a white top made by her cousin with matching scrunchie, and her new African butterfly hair clip.

Aidan wore his rugby shorts and his rugby top (turned inside out). I saw at least one other rugby top there.

The disco passed in a blur of sausages in bread, flashing lights, sugary treats, high-pitched screaming and whirring light sabres (the latter being glow sticks, but really, how could they not be light sabres?).

Unfortunately for me, already my children are too old to want to dance with their mother. So I had to do the YMCA all by myself, which was probably far more embarrassing for them.

Fortunately Susan and Ruth let me dance with them down the back at the end.