Stories are a HUGE part of everyday life around here. Will has always had a wonderful imagination for stories... about trains that is... always about trains. From around the time he turned4 up until and including now, he'd rather have had a story made up and told to him than have a book read; however, it must be about trains. Usually he will tell us which trains he wants in the story and if the story goes in the "wrong" direction (where he doesn't want it to go), he'll correct us and take over. Rarely does a story have a "The End". It's usually continued the next day or the next time we get in the car to go on a "journey".Here is an excerpt from a story I took the time to record one day. Will was 4 years 9 months old at the time. I help him along through the story, but now he's very self-sufficient in telling a 15-20 minute story all by himself!
Me: Who is the story about?
Will: Engines
Me: What kind of engines?
Will: Oliver & Molly
Me: Tell me about Oliver.Will: He has Toad the break van
Me: What color is he?
Will: Green
Me: Number?
Will: 11
Me: Where does he work?
Will: Coal yard
Me: Now, what about Molly?Will: She's a yellow engine with no number on her side
Me: What's something neat about Molly?
Will: She's a new engine with two big wheels. She collects some coal and gets all dusty from the trucks... the trucks pull her back into the coal hopper.
Me: What is a coal hopper?
Will: Something that shoots down coal.
Me: What do they use a coal for?
Will: To burn up their firebox.
Will: Molly got dusty and she got so dusty she was really mad and she coughed. She cleared out her funnel of dirt.
Me: How did she do that?
Will: "Ahh... Ahhh...Ahh-CHOOO! She blowed dust right into the air and covered the other engines.
Me: Who else was there?
Will: Oliver!
Me: What did he think about getting dirty?
W: I don't know; what did he say?
Me: Did he say, "Molly, you just sneezed on me!"?
Will as Molly: "I just needed to clear my funnel."
Me as Oliver: Well, you should look for other engines around you. We don't want to get dusty. We might sneeze too.
Will: Toad became covered up, too.Me: Who is Toad?
Will: He's a Brake van.
Me: What does he do?
Will: He just always gets coupled behind.
Me: Behind who?
Will: Behind Oliver's freight cars.
Me: How does he help?
Will: By watching behind what they ran over.
Me: Does he apply the brakes?
Will: Yeah, that's why he's the brake van.
Me: Oh, that makes sense.
Me: So, what did Oliver and Molly do? Did they get a wash-down? Where did they have to go?
Will: To the wash-down yard.
Me: What happened after they were clean & shiny?
Will: Oliver got a small tender that didn't get much heat.
Me: Tender? What's a tender?
Will: Something that engines pull behind them.
Will: Molly has a very small firebox and she didn't know what to do. Mom, what did Molly say to Oliver when she had a very small firebox and didn't know what to do?
Me as Molly: I think I might need some work done, my firebox is not working properly. Who would do some work on me?
Will as Oliver: I think some workmen and the workmen's yard.
Me as Molly: Will you come with me, Oliver?
Will as Oliver: Sure, but first I have to collect some cargo cars.
Me: What do cargo cars carry?
Will: They carry special stuff like hives. (bee hives)Me: Are you collecting hives today?
Will: Yeah.
Me: Be careful with beehives... you know what can happens with beehives...
Will: But cargo cars are built with heavy wood and they won't break.
Me: Just remember, James got stung by a bee on the nose!
Will: Don't worry, I will just "weesh" them away!
This story with Will goes on and on with twists and turns and finally a "The End"(with my persuasion). I need to record another one of his stories now that he can tell one by himself. It shouldn't be hard to come across a story, Will tells them at least 2- 3 times daily...
4 comments:
This is too cute. If I ever need information on trains I'll be sure to call Will. How precious are times like these where you get to read with your kids. Cherish it! My oldest would bring me book after book after book and we would spend most of our days reading. I must admit I didn't read as much with my second and I wish I would have. Because I read so much with my oldest, she was reading before she went to kindergarten. It was amazing! I credit all those special times when spent together simply reading. Now she's in 5th grade and we don't get to read together anymore, but I do still have the 1st grader and you have just encouraged me to go and read some books with her today.
By the way, I got the candle today. Smells great! Thanks!
My son would love that story considering he is a Thomas fanatic!!! They could get together and tell them to each other! ; )
How brilliant of you to put some of these tales in print. I wish I would have been more diligent about preserving all the "stinking hilarious" things the kids said in their pre-k years. It's more than worth the effort.
wow, i was always going to your recipe blog. you have some great stuff over here about the boys, i need to be coming here too! miles loves thomas. i'm gonna read some more on here to see all the fun times you are having with boys. i need some ideas!
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