Diary of a Modern Gran | Learning A Thing Or Two
My grandchildren are very excited. They are going to school, dressed up as adjectives. Yes – you did hear me correctly!
“This might be a silly question,” I say to my daughter. “But why?”
“It’s all part of World Book Day which ties in with literacy,” she explains. “It helps them to learn that an adjective is a ‘describing’ word.’”
What a brilliant idea!
My mind goes back to dusty grammar lessons where we learned about the mysteries of pronouns and verbs and prepositions etc. Some of it went in and some didn’t.
This sounds a much cooler approach!
“Which adjective are you dressing up as?” I ask my granddaughter, intrigued.
“I’m going as ‘sparkly’,” trills seven-year-old Rose dancing around the selection of clothes which Mummy has laid out for her to choose from.
“Sparkly” is perfect for my granddaughter who loves dancing and singing and anything that’s… well, sparkly!
The only problem is, which of these outfits is she going to wear?
(If it was me, I’d present her with one outfit but nowadays it all seems to be about choice!)
“I want this one,” declares Rose, pointing to a sleeveless pale apricot dress with a taffeta skirt with sequins.
“The only problem,” says my daughter, “is that the weather has got cold since I put these out last night. How about this with a warm jumper?”
She indicates a black skirt which isn’t quite so glittery but hopefully won’t give her hypothermia.
In the end, my granddaughter wears a black sparkly jumpsuit and headband with colourful face paint, deftly applied by Mummy!
“I’m going as ‘sporty’,’’ says five-year-old George, bouncing up and down. This is perfect – not just because it fits his personality but also because he can go in a tracksuit. Easy peasy.
Wow. Schools are so imaginative these days, aren’t they? World Book Day really is a great way of teaching grammar as well as the love of reading. I’m constantly amazed by the innovative methods that teachers come up with.
Mind you, I wonder what will happen if they get to Verb Day? Run? Learn. Answer back? I’m being a bit naughty here…
“What adjective would you be, Gan Gan?” asks Rose.
Now that’s a question! “Busy” maybe. I’m one of those people who likes to be doing things all the time.
What about you? Which adjective would you pick for yourself? I’d love to hear! Do email us with ADJECTIVE in the subject heading at moderngran@dctmedia.co.uk
Talking of schools, like many families our routine went awry last Thursday because of the teachers’ strike.
This was a work day for my grandchildren’s parents but luckily my daughter was able to swap it for a non-work day instead. But this still caused a lot of rearranging. I felt bad because I couldn’t collect them from school on Friday because of a medical appointment which couldn’t be changed. (They’re like gold dust nowadays, aren’t they?) Luckily a friend offered to take them home until I could take over.
When I arrived, Rose came running up to me. “We learned two poems today!” she told me excitedly. “If I tell you what the words are, can you write them down?”
I was amazed at how good her memory is!
Again, the poetry is part of World Book Day. Apparently they performed their poems in front of the school. It reminded me of how important it is to learn rhymes by heart and also see what they look like on the written page. It’s both educational and fun – and it’s a good way for us grandparents to entertain our children if they’re keen on that sort of thing!
Meanwhile, I tried to entertain George.
“How about screen dancing?” he suggested.
“What’s that?” I asked.
Diving under the sofa, he brought out an interactive dance mat which his granny in Wales had bought them. (She is absolutely amazing at finding brilliant presents.) Somehow – don’t ask me for details because I don’t understand – it’s linked to the television screen.
“You have to dance on the arrows on the mat and get points,” he explained.
Although it came with music, I asked Alexa to play Crocodile Rock by Elton John – an old favourite of mine!
George and I had a fantastic time leaping around. The screen even said that I had burned off 76 calories! I promptly put them back on by eating some of the children’s left-over pizza…
Then it was time for bath and a bedtime story. What was this? A piece of paper had luttered out of the book. That writing looked familiar.
With a pang, I realised it was my father’s. It was dated 2017 when my dad had been 94 and was addressed to George who’d been really poorly at the time.
“I’m sorry you’ve been ill,” he wrote. “I’m sending you this fluffy animal called Tigger. He is the great grandson of my cat Tigger whom we’d had many years ago.”
My eyes misted with tears. Some of you might remember that my father passed away just before Christmas.
“Sorry Mum,” said my daughter giving me a warm cuddle. “We came across it the other day when I was tidying up their books and toys.”
I held the note close to my hear for a moment and breathed it in, then I put it back inside the book. One day, George or Rose will come across it. It’s a lovely way of keeping memories alive.
What do you think about the teachers’ strike?
Were you or your grandchildren or your children affected by the teachers’ strike? How do you feel about it? Do email us with your views at moderngran@dctmedia.co.uk.
Ask Agony Gran
“I know this might sound silly but I’m nervous about holding my new granddaughter. My daughter-in-law has just had her first baby and when I went round to see her, they asked if I wanted to hold her. She seemed so little that I said I’d rather not. I think I offended them and now I don’t know what to do.” Name withheld
Jane says:
It’s not silly at all. In fact, I wouldn’t mind betting that a lot of readers are nodding their heads at this one. Even if we’ve had children of our own, we often forget how tiny babies are until we hold one again. Having someone else’s baby in your arms is a big responsibility. I have a friend who didn’t hold her grandson until he was three months old because she was scared of dropping him.
If I were you, I’d tell your son and daughter-in-law about your worries. Maybe your family have read this the wrong way and think you’re not interested. There are lots of other ways you can be involved as a new granny such as putting your little finger in her small palm to ‘hold’ her hand and also humming or singing nursery rhymes. If you can, spend time with them so you get used to your granddaughter – and she to you. Meanwhile, your confidence will grow just as she will. Good luck.
If you’ve got a problem, you can share it with us anonymously. Email us at moderngran@dctmedia.co.uk.
Family News
Are your grandchildren always on social media?
TikTok is introducing a screen warning for under-18s after 60 minutes of use. Parents will also be able to set their own daily screen-time limit for children.
Your Feedback
My column on parents’ evenings brought back some of your memories!
“I’m a retired teacher but I used to dread parents’ evenings. Many parents didn’t like it if you tried to make constructive criticism. They only wanted to hear good things.” Jess, Wolverhampton
“I think it’s really helpful to have parents’ evenings at a young age. My son didn’t have any until he got to secondary school. It turned out that he had mild learning difficulties. If we’d had parents evenings earlier, we might have been able to investigate this when he was young. There’s nothing like a face to face meeting.” Name withheld
The Funny Things They Say
“My ten-year-old grandson is getting very excited because snow was predicted. But his eight-year-old brother is very dismissive. ‘It can’t be,’ he said. ‘It’s not Christmas for ages!’” Carol, Durham
We liked this, Carol. Mind you, there’s nothing like planning ahead!
If your grandchildren have done or said anything funny, please email us at moderngran@dctmedia.co.uk.
Where To Take The Grandchildren
Each week I’ll suggest a location for a great day out with the grandkids. If you have any ideas, too, email us at moderngran@dctmedia.co.uk.
This week we’re heading to Oxford and the Oxford Spy Mission Treasure Trail.
Follow the clues (by downloading the PDF or requesting a booklet by post) and learn about Oxford’s past. What a great idea!
For more details, ring 01872 263692 or visit their website here. It’s £9.99 a trail (not per person).
Children’s Book Of The Week
I’m Not Sleepy; Helping Toddlers to Sleep, Campbell Big Steps board book by Campbell Books. Illustrated by Marion Cocklico, £5.99
Ned can’t sleep. (Does that sound familiar?) This charming book has lots of bedtime tips for parents, grandparents and other carers.
Jane Corry is a journalist and author. Six of her novels have been Sunday Times top ten best-sellers. I MADE A MISTAKE is about a live-in granny who tries to save her daughter-in-law from making a mistake. For more details – and a free short story – see Jane’s website at www.janecorryauthor.com.
