KNIGHTS, PRINCESSES AND DASTARDLY DRAGONS....
On the weekend I had the experience of seeing Disney on Ice...not only with my daughter but with Little Miss. It was excitement overload. To add to the fun, daughter had bought Little Miss an outfit. We had heard that a lot of littlies would be dressed up and didn't want her to miss out on half the fun.
So dressed up as Snow White, minus the cat, we headed off to the city. We had a lovely lunch at Hopetoun Tearooms - which included Little Miss's first foray into pate, which she loved- then off to the show.
As you can imagine, there were a lot of children, a lot more boys than I had thought- and so many girls, both young and older, were dressed as princesses. There were a lot of Elsa's but also Ariel, Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty.
Little Miss loved the show, she sang, she danced, she threw herself into it body and soul. But it was a definite girls were princesses, boys were princes.
Coincidently, last week for the school holidays I did a Dastardly Dragons Storytime. I dressed as a knight (as you do- and in fact think I scared one little girl to tears :( ) complete with helmet, cape, sword, shield and of course dragons. Not one, but two (thanks to Addison and Emmy).
There were lots of dragon songs and books...and in the end we made either a knight's helmet or a princess hat.
So either a....
or a ...
However I stipulated that they could make whatever they wanted. Because I was dressed as a knight (those that know me realise I have very few princess qualities) I wanted the children to choose what they wanted to make.
It was very interesting...out of the 38 children, most were girls I admit....every girl made a princess hat. Complete with streamers and sparkly glitter, metallic hearts and flowers. They were gorgeous.
Quite a lot of the boys were in the older age group, five nearly six....and it was helmets for these. Complete with make believe, and nearly real, fighting afterwards.
But.....but.....two little boys made hats. They added streamers and glitter.....decorated with sparkling paper and feathers. They were beautiful...and I told them so.
I wish I had a dollar for every time a child chooses a book and a parent says 'no, that book is for a boy/ girl, put it back.' Books are for everyone.
If a boy wants to read about princesses and tea parties, or about fairies and ponies...let him. If a little girl wants to read about tractors and trucks, about soldiers and knights, cars and robots.....let her.
I really don't like how we put people into boxes, and more so how we put children into them.
We sometimes get told that we have more 'girl' programs than those for boys at the library. Unfortunately 80% are girls that attend but in saying this we strive for neutral gender programs. If we have a yucky slimy mud program one week, we strive for a more 'pretty' one the next.
This week I'm making kites.....wonder if there will be more boys or girls?
And whether a koi kite is considered more masculine than feminine?
Vicki
So dressed up as Snow White, minus the cat, we headed off to the city. We had a lovely lunch at Hopetoun Tearooms - which included Little Miss's first foray into pate, which she loved- then off to the show.
As you can imagine, there were a lot of children, a lot more boys than I had thought- and so many girls, both young and older, were dressed as princesses. There were a lot of Elsa's but also Ariel, Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty.
Little Miss loved the show, she sang, she danced, she threw herself into it body and soul. But it was a definite girls were princesses, boys were princes.
Coincidently, last week for the school holidays I did a Dastardly Dragons Storytime. I dressed as a knight (as you do- and in fact think I scared one little girl to tears :( ) complete with helmet, cape, sword, shield and of course dragons. Not one, but two (thanks to Addison and Emmy).
There were lots of dragon songs and books...and in the end we made either a knight's helmet or a princess hat.
So either a....
However I stipulated that they could make whatever they wanted. Because I was dressed as a knight (those that know me realise I have very few princess qualities) I wanted the children to choose what they wanted to make.
It was very interesting...out of the 38 children, most were girls I admit....every girl made a princess hat. Complete with streamers and sparkly glitter, metallic hearts and flowers. They were gorgeous.
Quite a lot of the boys were in the older age group, five nearly six....and it was helmets for these. Complete with make believe, and nearly real, fighting afterwards.
But.....but.....two little boys made hats. They added streamers and glitter.....decorated with sparkling paper and feathers. They were beautiful...and I told them so.
I wish I had a dollar for every time a child chooses a book and a parent says 'no, that book is for a boy/ girl, put it back.' Books are for everyone.
If a boy wants to read about princesses and tea parties, or about fairies and ponies...let him. If a little girl wants to read about tractors and trucks, about soldiers and knights, cars and robots.....let her.
I really don't like how we put people into boxes, and more so how we put children into them.
We sometimes get told that we have more 'girl' programs than those for boys at the library. Unfortunately 80% are girls that attend but in saying this we strive for neutral gender programs. If we have a yucky slimy mud program one week, we strive for a more 'pretty' one the next.
This week I'm making kites.....wonder if there will be more boys or girls?
And whether a koi kite is considered more masculine than feminine?
Vicki
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