Teacher of the Day has been happening at our home for a few weeks now. We have had some great projects and the kids are getting better with each one they complete. So far we’ve seen Japan, The Great Wall of China, Dogs, Spongebob, and now Woody the Woodpecker. (My oldest two seem to comprise their themes together so we are seeing clusters within the topics.)
I know the topics have gotten a little silly lately, however, I believe it is important to let them truly be Teacher of the Day. If I start dictating the type of topic or theme, I am sure I am not going to receive such enthusiastic responses. So, right now, I am sitting back, allowing them to research whatever topic sparks their interest, and allowing them to have FUN while learning about whatever it is…
What Jasmine was trying to say in her presentation was:
That Woody the Woodpecker was created by Walter Lantz after he and his wife returned from their honeymoon. During their vacation, they had an experience with an annoying woodpecker that bored holes in the roof of their cabin. It is said that he wanted to shoot the bird, but his wife encouraged him to create the character instead. (What my daughter failed to find in her research was that this story is questioned because he and his wife were not married until after the cartoon debuted.)
She then began to quote a few dates:
The first appearance of the character was in the film Knock Knock on November 25, 1940;
It later appeared in The Hollywood Matador and Ace in the Hole in 1942 (These were the 4th and 5th films in which Woody appeared);
The “Woody the Woodpecker Song” was created in 1947, by musicians George Tibbles and Ramey Idriss;
The original cartoon ran until 1972 but was later syndicated in reruns. In 1999 he was back on television with a redesigned look until 2002. This is how my child discovered him because those episodes are now playing on Netflix.
I asked her why she decided to complete her project on Woody and she said she chose Woody the Woodpecker because his laugh is hilarious and she simply found the character so silly it was interesting.
One thing she failed to mention in her presentation was…”the laugh”:
Snack & Activity:
She actually didn’t have an activity for them except to watch an episode on Netflix while they eat cupcakes she made and decorated with gummy worms on the top. I was rather impressed as she made the cupcakes 100% by herself and rarely called me into the kitchen for advice – impressive.
Quick Links:
I hope those of you who have opted to try Teacher of the Day are enjoying it as much as my bunch. If nothing else, I am learning a lot about my children and what interests them – and we’re all having a little fun too!