Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Blogging Saves The Monkey

So I've mentioned before that the Monkey has lately become very interested in my blog. And when I say "interested," I mean "interested in providing creative direction." One day last week, he suggested a story I should tell about him...and how I should begin it!!

Tonight, he was reading (aloud) over my shoulder as I was finishing up the last post -- because crashed head stories are funny no matter how many times you've heard them -- and he asked if he could type in his name to show that he approved of the story. We talked briefly about how his name was a secret that we wouldn't share with the internet...but it gave me an (awesome, amazing, fantastic, brilliant) idea.

I asked the Monkey if he'd like to make his own blog. The sound, incidentally, that shattered your eardrums shortly after was his squeal of delight when he said yes!!! So I told the Monkey that he will, indeed, have his own blog...but there's a catch (because I'm the Mama...and Mamas always have catches): he has to hand-write his stories first.

We dug out the kindergarten writing practice pad that his pre-K program gave him when he graduated and I carefully wrote "[Monkey]'s Blog Book" on the front. I told him that whatever he wrote on the pages, we would type into a blog that he could see on the computer...and that I'd share with him any comments that he gets back from the people who read it.

He's already written two "stories" tonight. And he cross referenced what he wanted to say in the second story with his homework book to see how to spell one of the words!!
This is the most excited he's been since his first day of Kindergarten....complete with jumping around and clutching the book to his chest as if it were made of gold. I finally wrested it away from him because it was late and he was wearing thin.

Ohh, I am one happy, happy camper. If the interest holds, he'll be practicing both his writing and spelling without even realizing it...and maybe, just maybe, we'll start getting good reports from the teacher.

Who would have thought that blogging would be the thing to save both his grades and my sanity!?

7 comments:

towwas said...

Omg. Wow. That's a new level of bloginsanity.

MonkeyMom said...

Insanity? See, I thought it was pretty awesomely ingenious.

Hrm.

Unknown said...

That is SO fantastic! I wish I could capitalize "so" even capitalier (which I had to look up in my grad school vocab worksheet)

towwas said...

Bloginsanity in a good way. Sort of like we all have bloginsanity, only with that first-day-of-kindergarten level of insanity. I for one am psyched to read the monkey's blog.

MonkeyMom said...

I'll just give you fair warning though: Reading the Monkey's blog may be a little like finding yourself mentally in the middle of a Picasso sketch. I've read the early drafts and to call them "blocky and disorienting" might be generous.

But...oh, yeah. It's going to rock. Yay!!

Cheryl said...

The Monkey is highly creative - I anticipate this blog being very fun to read!

Annie said...

When is the blog coming out?? I have no idea who you are (linked here through TOWWAS/J. Bro but I am very intrigued by a Monkey Blog!