When children return home for the Lunar New Year, they can’t bring their pets with them, so they have to ask someone to take care of them. For example, if you entrust a small turtle to someone else’s care, what if they don’t know how to take care of it? You have to write a detailed instruction manual.
When raising a turtle yourself, you can just try your luck, observe, experiment, and care for it carefully. But if you’re entrusting it to someone else for a short period of time, and you’re not a professional turtle breeder, how can you be so demanding? You can only rely on a manual.
It is really difficult to write instructions. If it is too long, people will be impatient to read it. If it is too short, I am afraid of missing something. I can only write down the most important points.
To write this manual, I first carefully reviewed two books on turtle breeding to learn the general key points. Then I searched online for information, especially the experience of experts, as this experience is often closer to practical needs than the instructions in books. Finally, combined with my own experience raising turtles, the following “Turtle Breeding Instructions” was born:
http://landaishu.hi2net.com/home/upload20083/2010223182716318.jpg
Instructions posted on the wall (copy)
Following this method to raise my own turtle, I was able to spend the New Year safely ^_^
Why are the instructions in the photo carbon-copied? The story behind this is this: During winter vacation, a child was tasked with writing a diary entry every day. It was a good thing, but amidst the joy and excitement, the child eventually found it a chore. As he was preparing to write the instructions, he suddenly had an idea: “Today, I entrusted my turtle to someone to raise. When I delivered it, I also wrote an article titled ‘Turtle Raising Instructions’. The full text is as follows.” That way, he could complete the diary entry for the day, so why not? What’s more, if there was carbon paper underneath, he only had to write once, no need to copy it again! The handwriting on this instruction manual looked like it had been carved with a knife, O(∩_∩)O, haha~
[AFC A‑League Note] This is a small example of a strategy for creating “reading and writing events for children.” Professor Goodman of the Holistic Language School emphasizes that learners should learn language in a complete, authentic context. Frank Smith, whose book “Beyond Meaningless Reading,” which I recently read, seems to share Goodman’s sentiments on this point. He particularly emphasizes the “meaning”—often called “interesting”—of children’s learning about reading and writing, with practical relevance to their lives and understanding of the world. This “complete,” “authentic,” “meaningful,” and “practical” connection truly motivates children’s learning, and the key is that the participants themselves are completely unaware of it. This subtlety is similar to Eastern philosophy: when children perceive themselves as learning, they are often inefficient; when they are unaware and believe they are simply having fun, they are often most efficient. Therefore, when we try to “create reading and writing events for children,” we might as well approach it with a playful attitude and go for it.
【Continue the conversation】
Seven Seven:
This is a really good idea. My daughter Qiqi is worried about writing some essays. :)
Argentine Prime Minister replied:
If it’s a free-flowing composition, you could give Qiqi a few questions, such as: Common methods of siege in ancient times; Using the Three Kingdoms era as an example, compare the advantages and disadvantages of several common formations for marching; introduce several common weapons from the cold weapon era and compare their strengths and weaknesses; Using Zhuge Kongming’s tactics as an example, introduce several commonly used military strategies in ancient times… These questions might seem puzzling to many adults, but to a little boy who is familiar with the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, they seem like a piece of cake. O(∩_∩)O Haha~
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Ni Ni’s mother:
Haha, let me also introduce a few questions about the little girl~~
Argentine Prime Minister replied:
This is not an easy question. I dare to give Qiqi questions because I know that he is a fan of the Three Kingdoms and is very interested in it. He has a bunch of books, toys and discs about the Three Kingdoms, especially the “Century Three Kingdoms” series. These are exactly the materials needed to complete the questions, so the “reading” and “writing” events may occur.
I don’t know what Ni Ni’s current special interests are or what “collections” she has on hand, so it’s hard to come up with a question! As the saying goes, a good cook cannot cook without rice O(∩_∩)O~
You could temporarily borrow Xiaoyin and her classmates’ toys to create a game. Since many children these days are playing games like “Mole Manor,” “Seer,” and similar online games, I think some restrictions are needed, but there are some fun things you can use. For example (especially for little girls), design a similarly themed game with lots of props. The player can earn coins and buy props through the game. Then have the child write and draw about the props, label how to buy and sell them, and design the rules of the game. This way, while they can’t play games on the computer, it’s still fun, and they can still write and draw a lot. It barely counts as a game.
Ni Ni’s mother:
Thanks for your trouble, Ajia. Nini doesn’t play Mole Manor or Seer, but she seems to know a little bit about them because her classmates are all playing them.
Maybe I can try to get her to write about the route to school, what buildings she passes by, and she likes to play with Barbie dolls, so I can get her to write about her outfit combinations or something haha~~
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Huihui’s mother:
That’s a really good idea. You mentioned having children draw and sketch the toys from “Mole Manor” and “Seeker,” how to buy, sell, and compete for items, and how to design the rules of the game. Huihui and a little girl from the neighborhood are fascinated by this idea. They designed a notebook to resemble “Mole Manor,” complete with their friends’ rooms. The little girl, in particular, has decorated the notebook beautifully, and each room is quite interesting. Every time I see them taking out their treasures to draw and sketch in their free time, I think they’re obsessed and need more guidance. Little did I know, they’re actually learning through play.
Argentine Prime Minister replied:
In fact, this kind of game itself contains very rich and natural learning. It’s a pity that today’s online computer games are too commercialized. The main disadvantage is that they make the players (children) deal only with the machine (mainly to save costs), and deep down they are still tempting players to spend money, so in turn they become something like a “mental toxin.”
With just a few changes, they can become a particularly nutritious and natural way of learning. Simply put, there are only two key points: first, let children interact with real people; second, let children create or actively participate in this imaginary world, rather than passively accepting an established virtual world.
The devil and the immortal are only separated by a thought^_^
