October 30, 2013
A child is born a first time, and then, through the long and difficult process of constructing his identity, it is as if he is born again. In this process, he gives himself a face, a body, gestures, movement, speech, thought, feelings, imagination, fantasy; in short, the awareness of being and the means of expressing his “me-ness” which are absolutely essential for becoming autonomous and distinguishing ourselves from other people and things- people and things we live and interact with and from which, little by little, we draw most of the raw material with which we create our own identity. To recognize ourselves and to be recognized. But a child’s most sought-after goal is to recognize himself in others, and to find in others (objects and the natural world as well) parts of himself. –from “The Importance of Seeing Yourself Again,” The Hundred Languages of Children Narrative of the Possible, Projects by Children
Nayeli’s Little Red Riding Hood. “She is skipping, see? She has roses on her basket and candy bread inside her basket.”Nayeli: Tomorrow is Halloween day.
Daphne: And we’ve been waiting a long time.
Marie: People are thinking about wearing a costume to school tomorrow if they want to. Elias thinks he might be a station master, Nayeli says she will be Little Red Riding Hood.
Nayan: I will be a giraffe. A costume of a giraffe.
Elias (clarifying, awesome!) A costume of a station master.
Marie: And tell your grownups, bring extra clothes. Because maybe you want to be in your costume a long time or maybe you will want to change after a while.
The subject of what will you be Marie comes up.
Marie: You know, I am usually saying “oh my teacher says I have to be just Marie” (this came up a lot when kids would play pretend and ask me to be a ____, and I’ve felt it was important that Marie the teacher always be everyone’s Marie the teacher, though kids are welcome to pick whatever they wish to pretend themselves to be. Also with each other, kids always get to pick and be the suggested thing only if that is what they want to be. So hmmm, how to support all this on Halloween?)
Nayan: Just wear a little hat.
Daphne: Like with a headband. A headband and how about different shoes?
Marie: Will you still know that I am me?
Daphne: Wear the same clothes. Your usual clothes.
Marie: If someone is wearing different clothes, are they still the same person?
Daphne: I’ll know everyone because I have really good hearing and really good eyesight.
Nayan: We’ll know you by your talk. Or if you took off your shoes or your hat or your headband.
Nayeli: Marie could be a Marie for Halloween!
Daphne: You just need to put on the same things. If we could go upstairs and see them we could pick them out for you.
Elias: You have a double decker house. At night you go upstairs.
Marie: What if I wore a shirt that kids had not seen before, would that feel okay?
Kids: Yes! (And intrigued) One we haven’t ever seen before?
Marie (ah ha, I do have an idea now!) Yes. See, I have a new shirt that I just got but you haven’t seen it yet.
Daphne: Like your piano shirt? (Looking excitedly at the wall documentation with the making race shirts documentation, which did indeed kick off from a concert shirt I had on with a piano on it. Neat!)
Marie: Ah, a little bit like that, yes. But not a piano…
Later
Marie: So, we were talking about a costume for me and people said I should wear shoes, maybe a hat. Here are some different hats of mine.
Nayeli (recognizing my garden hat): This one we know already!
Marie: Yes, you know that one. (Picking up straw hat) This is a hat I like to wear when I go to Barton Springs. It gives me a lot of shade. Now here’s just regular me, right? And here’s me (putting in on my head) wearing my Barton Springs hat. Am I the same me, when I put on the Barton Springs hat?
Daphne: Yeah!
Nayan: Cause I see some of your hair.
Daphne: And I see your shoes. Those shoes that I know.
Marie: Ah, cause my shoes didn’t change. But you’ve never seen my Barton Springs hat, right? Okay.
Nayan: But I do still know your shoes and your hair.
Nayeli: I would know you even if those shoes were pink.
Nayan: I would still know it was you if your hat was green!
Nayeli: I would still know it was you if your shoes were pink, because (maybe part of the shoes would still be the same just a different color).
Daphne: I would know you if you were a giant! Because you’re pretty giant (tall).
Marie: What do you think, Elias, is it still me if I put on this hat?
Elias: Yes! It just has this (polka dots) around your hat.
Nayeli: Your face stays the same. (But) your face is bigger than ours. (Parts) of your face is bigger than ours.
Nayan: And my face is smaller than yours (Marie).
Daphne: And your hands are bigger than us (our hands). Because you’re older.
Marie: Am I the same Marie in my garden hat, in the hat you know?
Kids: Yes! Cause of your face and your shoes and the garden hat that we know.
Marie: Okay (taking hat off) And here’s just me again. This is my running hat.
Daphne: Oh now you look different!
Nayeli: Much different.
Marie: I’m different when I put on the running hat?
Nayeli: But you are the same Marie though.
Marie: I am the same Marie but I look different in my running hat.
Nayeli: (You look so different in the running hat) Because there’s no hair coming down.
Marie: My hair looks different when I put on my running hat, you can’t see my bangs.
Kids want to try on my hats.
Daphne: Right now I can’t see the white (underside of garden hat) because I’m wearing it.
Nayan (the Barton Springs hangs down over his eyes) Right now I can’t even see where I am going!
Daphne: And I can’t even see where I am going!
Nayan (laughing): Where am I? (The Barton Springs hat) kind of looks like a cowboy hat.
Marie: So, tomorrow on Halloween you’re going to see people you know but they might be wearing something different. I’ve never seen Nayeli in a Little Red Ridiing Hood costume.
Daphne: Have you ever seen me in a butterfly costume?
Marie: I have never seen you in a butterfly costume.
Nayan: Have you ever seen me in a giraffe costume?
Marie: I have never seen you in a giraffe costume.
Daphne: Or in any costume!
Marie: Elias I have never seen you in a station master costume.
Elias: No…
Marie: That is going to be different! Here’s a song I like to teach. (Holding the Barton Springs hat up over my face):
Who is underneath that hat, hat, hat?
Who is underneath that hat, hat, hat?
All together: Whooooo is it? Marie!
(Taking hat away) I see Marie underneath that hat
Marie is underneath that hat, hat, hat!
Nayeli: I know that song, I know that song!
Kids take multiple turns all around being the behind the hat hider.
