Dear children of mine (and probably yours): there is a difference between HEARING and LISTENING.
Let's start with reading up on the difference, shall we?
Books
9780399186332
One winter morning, Lina wakes up to silence. It's the sound of snow - the kind that looks soft and glows bright in the winter sun. But as she walks to her grandmother's house to help make the family recipe for warak enab, she continues to listen.
As Lina walks past snowmen and across icy sidewalks, she discovers ten ways to pay attention to what might have otherwise gone unnoticed.
This book makes me just want to stay inside and cook all day! Warak enab would be a great choice, of course. This book does not include a recipe (opportunity lost!), but you can find one here.
Besides cooking, there are several possible story extensions:
- Explore onomatopoeia (when words sound like what they do), pointing out examples in the book and coming up with more.
- What does "habibti" mean? How about "yalla"? What other words in the text are new to you?
- The grape leaves are compared to cocoons, sleeping bags, and mustaches. Play around with metaphors and similes as you cook together.
Continue looking for onomatopoeia and seldom noticed sounds in:
978-1452145440
It's time for bed, but one little mouse just can't get to sleep—it's TOO QUIET! However, the night is actually full of sounds, from the croak of the bullfrog to the howl of a coyote on a distant hill. As the rhythmic symphony of nighttime noises build in this rollicking read-aloud, the mouse starts to wonder whether he wouldn't like a little MORE quiet.
Just maybe don't read it before bedtime, if your little ones are as adept at using stalling techniques as mine are!
Of course we can't forget these two classics:
978-0547215679
978-1328869296
Different kinds of quiet vs. different kinds of loud. Which one will your child enjoy more? You might be surprised! (There is also a Christmas Quiet Book if they really liked these!) Great opportunity to work on opposites and feelings!
9780593109694
"No. You can't," people said.
But Evelyn knew she could. She had found her own way to listen.
From the moment Evelyn Glennie heard her first note, music held her heart. She played the piano by ear at age eight, and the clarinet by age ten. But soon, the nerves in her ears began to deteriorate, and Evelyn was told that, as a deaf girl, she could never be a musician. What sounds Evelyn couldn't hear with her ears, though, she could feel resonate through her body as if she, herself, were a drum. And the music she created was extraordinary. Evelyn Glennie had learned how to listen in a new way. And soon the world was listening, too.
Evelyn Glennie is now known as Dame Evelyn, and you can see a video of her explaining how she enjoys and creates music here.
Science
1) Towards the end of Ten Ways to Hear the Snow, we discover that Lina's grandmother can not see, but she uses her sense of hearing to pick up clues. The dripping of snow melting off Lina's gloves and the muffled hush outside her window let her know it had snowed before Lina told her. Try a blindfolded walk around your home, neighborhood, or other familiar setting, and see what clues you can pick up by hearing what you cannot see.
2) Sound travels in waves. Drop something small in the center of a bowl of water to get a visual of how waves work. We can't see sound waves, but they operate in the same way. They travel differently through gasses (like the air) and solids (like, for example, a piece of string.) Try a simple experiment with a spoon tied to a string. Metal spoons will best covey the effect we are looking for, but you can compare with plastic or wood spoons as well.
To conduct the experiment, tap the spoon on any object in the room. Then hold one end of the string against your ear (as if you were plugging your ear) and let the dangling spoon tp against the same thing. Was the sound different? That's because you are hearing the waves as they travel through the string this time!
(I first encountered this experiment at a teacher/librarian workshop, where we were all waddling around the room, bent over, with spoons hanging from our ears, exclaiming excitedly. I can only imagine the picture that presented to anyone walking past!)
3) Make some noise! What objects in your home can produce sound, and how many ways can you find to produce it? Tapping, banging, rubbing, blowing?
Music
There are a myriad of ways to make your own instruments found all over the internet. Two of my favorites (mainly because they are cheap and fairly quiet) involve paint stirring sticks. You can decorate two and use them to tap out rhythms, or you can wrap one in colorful yarn and add a bell here and there. Use them to practice different rhythms. If your kids are really into it, try tapping or shaking out some old folk songs from this web site.
Explore Deaf culture (this is a good place to start) and discuss the difference between deaf and Deaf, as well as misconceptions hearing people may have about both.
Writing
Take a look at your community with fresh eyes as you go about your day. What barriers might a hearing impaired person face? What could be done to eliminate those barriers? Write a letter to your city leaders telling them what you have observed, and what suggestions you have!
Web Sites to Explore
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