Here, let us do a bit of "WTF?" type linkblogging...

[meganbmoore]

First up:  WTF?  HELLO!  EIGHT YEAR OLDS WITH LEGOS! NOT A NATIONAL CRISIS!  

Next:  China decides to essentially ban all U.S. children's entertainment except for Harry Potter.  Because HP is special.  At least we know there's more "WTF?" going on than Edison Chen...

Last: dangermousiediscovers a Vampire Knight spoiler that essentially negates the chances of my trying it again.  Because the character wasn't setting off my "EW! SQUICK! PEDOPHILE ALERT! PEDOPHILE ALERT! alarm enough as it was.

Comments

[melonfusion.livejournal.com]

I thought that lego article was fascinating! The ways kids absorb these big, adult concepts and ideas and then how they act them out with each other? I wish there had been an update of some sort to detail how they did once the legos were introduced, or whether the new ideas of community and equal access went beyond legos.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the absorption of the concepts and that application of adult economics to legos was very interesting. The problem is that the teachers decided it was a bad thing that they were absorbing and displaying it. Instead of watching the kids and learning from and with them and teaching them how to be fair with the economics, they basically went "ooo...adult concepts...how very interesting...must watch...WAIT! Now they're acting like normal kids with toys! This is bad! Must stop! Must confiscate toys! No acting your age!"

[melonfusion.livejournal.com]

They gave the legos back! So they weren't too mean!

I didn't read the article as the teachers being upset about them "acting like normal kids with toys" so much as them being troubled by the kids applying kind of toxic ideas about ownership, access, and privilege to the legos. I mean, some of those quotes from the kids are quite illustrating as far as how easily power and privilege are normalized to the point where people are unable/refuse to see their existence. So I liked the school's experiment of taking those toys away and then re-introducing them in a way that allows the kids to learn about and practice fairness and equity.