KidSpeak: Shaking the Tree

Me: When you were younger, I did everything for you.  I fed you, bounced you, changed your clothes.  Now that you're three, you can walk and run and feed your self.

3 year old: And shake a tree.

Me (stifling laugh): Yes, I suppose now you can shake a tree.

3 year old:  Can I shake that one?

Me: Well, that one is pretty big.  We would probably need to find one your size.

3 year old: Yes, that one touches the sky.  It probably touches all the way to California.

[Note: This conversation should not be confused with Peter Gabriel's fantastic album and song, also by the same title.]

Thursday Kidspeak: 8 year old on management

My 8 yo niece is fantastic.  A great older sister, a sweet and kind, sharing kid.  The other day, she was part of a group of students that got to go to a pro baseball game because they were good 'managers'.

Me: So what do you manage?
Kid: My books, my homework, my classroom.
Me: Your classroom? Wow.
Kid: Yeah, keep it neat.  That kind of thing.
Me: Do you manage other kids?
Kid: No.  I'm a self-manager.
Me: That's good.  Do you get a button or anything?
Kid:  A badge.
Me: Can I see it?
Kid: I forgot it at home.

KidSpeak: Three Year Olds on Ikebana

You can never spend too much time observing and mentally recording the dialogue of others when you're a writer.

Today, I got to overhear this delightful conversation from two three-year old girls.

Girl #1: Take a vase.
Girl #2: Take a vase.
Girl #1: Put the [Play]dough on the bottom.
Girl #2: Put the dough on the bottom.
Girl #1: Stick in the flowers.  Like this.
Girl #2: (takes a blue glittery egg attached to floral wire) Stick in like this.
Girl #1: NOoooo!  Take a flower.  A flower! (Attempts to takes the egg.)
Wrestling match ensues.  Small attempts at slapping.  Girl #2 lays on top of egg.
Mother of Girl #1: Let me go find another egg.
Girl #1: (manages to wriggle blue egg out)  You want another egg?  A green egg?  (returns with green egg)
Girl #2: Thanks.  (sticks egg in vase, adds in some flowers)  Doesn't it look pretty?