Bibliotherapy

I think just about everyone who reads this little blog of ours knows that I recently graduated from library school. I'm particularly interested in is the topic of bibliotherapy and resiliency. The big idea is that if you expose children and young adults, in particular, to fiction in which characters deal with issues they may face in real life, it can give them a point of reference to fall back on when they may later encounter these issues.

For example, a teenage girl who cuts (or has a friend who does) may read Willow, a book in which the main character uses cutting to help her deal with other issues in her life, although through the course of the book she tries to find ways to overcome this challenge. This book is clearly a work of fiction, but the reader may relate to and learn from the experiences of the characters.

I remember in junior high reading a bunch of books about anorexia around the time a friend of mine was diagnosed with it.

The School Library Journal just came out with an article that talks about how reading fiction can help combat obesity. It's an interesting read.

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Harry Potter

Some weeks ago we decided to let the kids watch Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The kids weren't too interested in watching it at first, but soon grew really interested in it. So we let them watch the second and third movies. All three kids really liked them, but it was Chloe who seemed to like them best.

Why do I say that? Only because Chloe has been playing Harry Potter for the last month and a half. It's pretty funny actually. It goes something like this:

Chloe: Let's play Harry Potter. I'll be Ron Weasley. Camille, you can be Hermione. Caleb, you can be Harry Potter. Mom, you can be Moaning Myrtle. You say, "Harry, if you die, you can share my toilet."

Or like this:

Chloe: Do you want to play Harry Potter with me? I'll be baby Harry Potter. Mommy, you can be Hagrid. Hold me while we ride on Sirius Black's flying motorcycle.

It's particularly amusing to me when the other kids get into the game too. One day I caught the girls (Hermione and Ron Weasley, actually) with their wands (made from pencils) practicing their spells. Camille would point her wand at the door, give it a wave, say "Alohamora" and then open the door, turn around and proclaim, "See, it works!" Camille got so into it the other day, she busted out a pseudo-British accent and decided she was going to "talk like Hermione" the rest of the afternoon. It really lasted about 20 minutes, but it sure made me laugh!

Chloe, though, can turn anything into something Harry Potter related. One particular morning she got dressed by herself. She came down the stairs, so proud of herself and explained, "I'm Harry Potter. I have my purple pants and my orange shirt and even I have my glasses."

See for yourself. This picture was taken after "Harry" finished "swimming" on our front hall rug.

Camille

Cute Camille playing in the snow.

Sledding

We received nearly a foot of snow this week and I remembered to bring my camera outside while the girls were playing.

Here Chloe demonstrates how to sled.

First you put down your sled.

Then you think really hard about getting in.

Once you're sitting, wait to see if someone is going to give you a starter push.

When no one steps up to help, you make yourself go. Sometimes you tip over.

But then you get back on.

You may tip again, but it's okay. You're having fun now.

Especially when you see someone's there at the bottom waiting to catch you.

It's nice to have a sister to help you walk back up the hill.

Then you can sled down together.