The Wharton Center is putting on a show for kids again this winter - Click Clack Moo. I went with my son's school last year and just loved it. This is a great thing to do as a family, or for some one-on-one time with one of your kids. More details from the site:
All day long Farmer Brown hears “click clack moo, clickety clackety moo...” The cows are typing and protesting their working conditions! Will Farmer Brown give in to the animals’ demands, in this hilariously “moo-ving” new musical about compromise? Based on the award-winning book by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin, Click Clack Moo is performed by Theatreworks USA, the same artistic team who brought you If You Give A Pig A Pancake. Book by Billy Aronson; lyrics by Kevin Del Aquila; music by Brad Alexander.
~Kelly
~Kelly
Thanks for letting us know about the Wharton show, Kelly!
ReplyDeleteMy family owns a copy of Click Clack Moo, my children love it, and we’ve laughed a lot as we’ve read it.
But…..apart from the laughs, I struggle a bit with what to make of the story. Is it a good message in that it introduces children to the importance of compromise and of providing for everyone’s food and shelter needs? Is it a bad message because kids are being led to question Farmer Brown’s authority, as well as his right to the milk and eggs? Or, because of the incongruity of the animals running the farm, is it just pure fun?
I would love to hear how other Trinity moms evaluate secular children’s books and present them to their children. For example, would you see a teachable moment in this story and guide your child to the preferred interpretation? Or, would you just enjoy the laughs?
This is an area where I struggle to find the right balance!
Marilyn,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing your thoughts here. I think we all need to be thinking about the issue you raised.
When I read my children Christian books (like Adam Racooon - have you ever seen that series? LOVE IT!!!) it was always easy to draw out the spiritual lessons. But I think secular books are good for that, too.
We can ask questions - Do you think that was a good thing for "X" to do? Why not? Is that the way God wants us to treat our parents? Why?
And the conversations resulting from those questions may just be better than those we get into after reading "Christian" books.
Surely, enjoy the laughs. But grab those teachable moments, too!
~Karen
Marilyn, you ask a GREAT question. Our two little girls LOVE Disney princess books and movies! A part of me enjoys seeing them so completely delighted yet another part wonders if too much princess stuff will cause them to live in a fantasy world..hoping to be swept away by a charming prince. I'm probably being paranoid and protective but that's what goes through my mind. But then my heart is completely warmed when we tuck them in at night and I hear one whisper to their daddy, "Can we play prince and princess tomorrow? You be the prince and I'll be the princess. I can't wait til tomorrow." I think it's all about balance, being involved and looking for opportunities.
ReplyDeleteSharina and Karen, your replies are so helpful!
ReplyDeleteSharina, thanks for the encouragement you give as you share your own experiences with secular materials. It's reassuring to hear that I'm not the only mom who sometimes struggles with how to apply "in the world, but not of the world" in a particular situation.
Karen, thanks so much for sharing some possible open-ended questions. Your response helped me see that it isn't necessary to preach - a better strategy is to begin a conversation. (Thanks, too, for the Adam Racoon recommendation.)