18th Century vs. 20th Century... Children and Books

-evaluating my own consumerism as a parent, and as a future teacher

Where do I fit in the scheme of consumerism?  I am very guilty of perpetuating the ways of Corporations.  I have been captivated by toys that connect to books and movies.  As my children were growing up, I wanted them to have what others had...or even have more. (Ouch!  That hurts to admit, but it is true.)  

This week I read an article in Reading Research Quarterly from 2009, about branded fiction in children’s literature and new literacies.  This article pointed out the history of books for children, and how consumerism has changed the media children have access to use in their play.  This article specifically discussed tweens, children ages 8-12 year-olds or 3rd through 6th grade students.  Based on all the articles and books I have been exposed to in the past year about educating children, I realize that the influences on children start before 3rd grade.  With that in mind, I reflected back on my own consumerism as a parent, when my own two children were very young.  

Comparing the current century to the 18th century, there are so many more products available that are tied to books in the market place.  This article specifically focused on the American Girl, Hannah Montana, Harry Potter, Neo Pets, Disney (Mickey Mouse),  and Kewpie Doll brands.  It compared and contrasted their availability (in their popular time frame), their affordability, globalization...in terms of making media and distribution, and their access via the Internet.  More products are available to more people, which means there are new ways for children to ‘enter’ the story world.  Childhood is different too.  Middle class American’s have more disposable income.  Children are more capable of spending their parent’s money; mostly through mother-child relationships.  Children do not understand the difference between advertising and entertainment, but parents, who should, do not want their child to be left out of the latest fad or crazy. Here I will admit, I fell totally into that trap.  

When my children were very young, Disney’s Pocahontas...the movie, was popular.  I purchased the Disney book that retold the story, I purchased the Little Golden Book that retold the story, I read said stories to my children, I purchased the figurines for play, encouraged my extended family to purchase the “stuff” to accessorize play, and sadly...I took my children out to eat weekly just so they could collect the meal toys from MickeyD’s.  Oh my.  I have picture after picture of old toys: Pokémon, Ty Beanie Babies, Hamtaro, Polly Pockets, Legos, Jurassic Park, Barbie, Harry Potter, etc., that still reside in boxes in my spare closet.  Again, children do not understand the difference between advertising and entertainment.  Parents do.  Clearly, I did not. 

Children are immature, inexperienced and naïve.  This causes them to be easy to manipulate, especially by the marketers of brands.  As a parent, it is our job to step in and educate our children.  But, societal pressures to keep up with everyone else, especially if one happens to have enough disposable income to justify weekly dining out,

(No soapboxes on the health issues, please.  I have changed my ways, and I DO know better.) make it hard to say no.  

Literacy is no longer the ability to only communicate in ways that are bound in printed text.  Literacy truly has shifted to include communicating in ways that facilitate communities that enable people’s learning through new technologies.  In a word, the INTERNET...a wonderful source of entertainment, and advertisement.  

I am proud to admit that my husband and I read every single Harry Potter book aloud to our children as they were growing up.  Many conversations, filled with opinions, wonder, imagination, vocabulary lessons, and curiosity of what will happen next filled our family time.  

As a teacher, I see the benefits of play through branded fiction, or popular toy franchises.  I know not all children have the same access at home to interact with stories.  That may mean they are not exposed to the same books, toys, or Internet as their peers.  But I am also a book lover.  So, I will always try to encourage books first.  Everything else will be welcomed in my classroom, as long as it follows school policy of course, and as long as it adds to creating the reading and writing skills of my students.

Excuse me now...I need to go play with the Jurassic Park toys...they are calling me!  

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RA 5 of 5

Carver Sekeres, D., (2009) . The Market Child and Branded Fiction: A Synergism of Children’s Literature, Consumer Culture, and New Literacies. Reading Research Quarterly, 44(4), pp. 399-414. 

retrieved from: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25655466

And...Action! (Let's Make a Movie)

Over the past several weeks I have read the book Literacy Playshop, by Karen E. Wohlwend. It is no secret that play time has been replaced in the school day with "learning" time.  Many schools have eliminated or shortened recess time.  In Dr. Wohlwend's book, she describes the importance of play, especially for some, "Equitable access to play becomes a social justice issue when some children get opportunities to play in school while others do not."  Dr. Wohlwend continues, "Literacy play levels the field by giving children access to their cultural expertise and time to play the stories they know best, whether classic children's books or popular media."  In Literacy Playshop, popular media franchise toys are allowed in the play.  Through research, Dr. Wohlwend has found that when young children play with this media, they revisit themes together.  They improvise and create their own characters and revise scripts.  Also, in the end, children work through stereo types, by creating their own heroes, with characteristics that are more inline with themselves.  Most schools have a "commercial-free" policy which translates into 'no toys in school'.   Yet backpacks, lunch boxes, pencils, notebooks, folders, clothing, shoes, etc., easily slip past this rule.  Banning popular media can mean disadvantaging many children's background knowledge.  Children come to school having knowledge, yet most schools want students to "start fresh" with their knowledge.  The more background knowledge a student can connect concepts to, the deeper a student can explore a topic.

Armed with fresh information and thoughts on popular media in schools, as well as having finished reading Literacy Playshop, which has a "how to" framework in the second half of the book, I headed off to make a movie with a second grader.  I'll call my student Buddy (not his real name).  Buddy and I have been meeting once a week, all semester long.  I have worked with him on his reading skills, and his writing skills.  Honestly, he's a smart boy.  But, I sense his boredom set in when I want to do the same old thing with him.  "Let's read this book."  "Can you write about this character...?" He has ten more years of schooling, at least!  Two weeks ago when I came into his classroom, right away I said, "I have a bag of toys and I want you to help me make a movie with my iPad."  Buddy was curious.  He wanted to see inside my bag of goodies! We headed off to his school library and I displayed all my toys on the table in front of him.  I had both boy and girl toys...toys from McDonald's Happy Meals.*

In my collection were Sherman and Mr. Peabody, Smooth Smurf, a My Little Pony, some other pink, round creature, two fairies and my Lego key chain of Capt. Jack Sparrow.  Buddy knew immediately what our movie should be about.  It would be called Everyone Falls off a Cliff, and...everyone would fall off a cliff.  I asked what I should do and Buddy said I could hold the iPad, and film him.  There would be no talking in this movie.  When I asked if they were to all stay on the ground, Buddy said one of the fairies could rescue everyone.  I questioned why the fairy and not say, Capt. Sparrow?  Capt. Jack doesn't have wings.  That is a valid point. The end of the story didn't really end.  After the fairy saved Sherman, who was the original first guy

Buddy and I worked together.  I showed him what a storyboard was, and he sketched figures in the order they would appear:

NOTE: the eye of the Pony (3) and the key chain for Capt. Jack Sparrow (4).
Buddy had his own system for recalling who was in each picture.

Then I wrote out the story as he dictated it to me:

The end of the story didn't really end.  After the fairy saved Sherman, who was the original first guy to walk off the cliff, the silly boy walked right off the cliff again!

What did I learn from this project?

Immediately, I would have to say that Buddy was intensely engaged in working with me on this day.  Buddy knew what would make an appropriate story.  He knew who should be the hero, and what made sense.  In his mind, he knew what would make a good story.  He could easily and logically problem solve. He could create, and make meaning using the pop media Happy Meal toys.   He had fun not doing the same old thing, yet he didn't realize I was talking about stories anyway with him! Buddy really enjoyed seeing his finished work.  It was very rough though to watch.  My skills as a videographer need help!  I promised to edit his movie, and bring it back to him.  

I thought I might be done visiting with Buddy each week after I did this project.  But, I decided I wanted to work with him just one more time...so I went in again this week, and brought some different characters.  Last semester I made a children's book for a science methods class.  I took all my back drops, bases and figurines in for Buddy to use.  I read him my book first, and then he had a blast making up this weeks story.  Mario, Luigi, Yoshi ad Wario are timeless.  I can't wait to edit our second project and to share both movies with Buddy and his classmates.

The Mario Brothers and mischief maker Wario were the cast of our second movie adventure!

* Happy meal toys collected from my last L549 class.  We had used them in class and my fellow classmates didn't want their toys!