What to do while the kids are home from school

Things to do with kids during the long weekend

Other than shopping, I mean.

There are lots of possibilities:

1. Playing. Do you have family traditions for play during the holidays?

2. Reading. Can and do the kids you know read books? How about essays?

3. Movies and videos. For fun or education. Got suggestions?

4. Social Media. Utilizing the Dark Side to introduce some new viewpoints.

Got other ideas?

Playing

You're on your own. Comment away!

Reading

First, with today's schools, it's a good idea to check to make sure that the kids CAN read. Then, maybe introduce them to some of your favorite books. Check in with some recent AoSHQ Book Threads. Maybe read something fun to the little ones.

And maybe introduce some new ideas about acceptable reading materials:

When I first moved to New York in 1990, I knew a total of five people. They all had lives of their own--I couldn't just plop myself down and demand their attention--and so I signed up for a once a week class taught at the West Side YMCA, hoping I could make a friend or two there. "Writing Funny," the course was called, and it was taught by a British woman named Freda Garmaise who was maybe in her mid-sixties at the time, and had published several books.

"What are the rules of comedy writing?" she asked at the start of our first session.

I put my hand up. "You should never make fun of anyone who has less power than you."

Freda looked at me the way I deserved to be looked at, with a combination of disgust and pity. "Where on earth did you get that idea?" she asked.

I groped for an answer. "The Village Voice, maybe?"

"No, no, no," she said. "The only rule of comedy anything is that you always should be as tasteless as possible."

I think about that moment a lot, especially now when punching down, the phrase, has become ubiquitous--the worst crime a comic or humor writer can commit, at least according to the people who now decide such things, meaning people on Twitter who determine, based, I suppose, on your photo and a wild guess at your net worth, who you are and are not allowed to make jokes about.

Words, we are now regularly reminded, are violence. So too is silence. I read not long ago that capitalism is violence, as is misgendering someone. Ignoring someone is violence, but so too is paying them attention. A friend recently called on one of her assistants to deliver a statistic during a business meeting and was later charged with "casual violence." Apparently Deborah needed to give advance warning that she was going to ask a question, one that might possibly put her employee--someone who was well paid to know stuff and be able to spew it forth--on the spot.

Who are these hothouse flowers, all so easily and consistently wounded? People whose parents never hit them, that's who. . .

And then there's writing. Ever written something special to a kid?

Movies and Videos

For long weekends, the important thing is to share the experience, so kids can hear your point of view. And some of the older ones might learn something without your input, too. There may be an opportunity to introduce kids to some actual fun or inspiring movies, either old or (rare) new.

Not-so-fun movies might be in order for kids who are in danger of capture by the "successor ideology". Hotel Mumbai was mentioned last week. If someone reads a Land Acknowledgement, a screening of Apocalypto might be in order. Here's another idea:

Watched “The Fall of Minneapolis” yesterday. It is really about the fall of America!

Founding father John Adams risked his livelihood to defend British soldiers accused of murdering American patriots. Adams, a patriot himself, refused to sacrifice truth, no matter how… pic.twitter.com/4uFPTvkHY3

— Xi Van Fleet (@XVanFleet) November 24, 2023

Social Media.

Utilizing the Dark Side to introduce some new viewpoints.

Seen the news about the protests against violent immigrants in Ireland? How's our English language media doing?

So today we’ve seen The Guardian quote an Irish ex-diplomat saying it’s ‘freeing’ to have so few Jews in Ireland.

And Sky News suggesting Israel doesn’t value Palestinian life because Hamas are forcing them to release prisoners at a 3:1 ratio.

I am ashamed of British media.

— Heidi Bachram 🎗️ (@HeidiBachram) November 23, 2023

Press biased against Israel is not new. This was written in 2014. A former AP correspondent explains how and why reporters get Israel so wrong, and why it matters

The Zionist occupation army is destroying the tunnels that have been built by the hands of our children!

Over 160 children gave their lives building those tunnels. This is how they disrespect our children! 😡

— Gaza Ministry of Health (@GazaHealth) November 22, 2023

Thomas Jefferson must have been a time traveler, because his words could not have been more prescient:

"Man, once surrendering his reason, has no remaining guard against absurdities the most monstrous, and like a ship without rudder, is the sport of every wind. With such…

— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) November 23, 2023

Music

It's not too late for Thanksgiving Music.

Hope you have something nice planned for this long weekend.

This is the Thread before the Gardening Thread.

Last week's thread, November 18 Surprises from former "New Atheist" Ayaan Hirsi Ali and other current or former members of the left, which includes content about Christianity (including Finnish Christianity), the New Atheists, Wokeness and Critical Social Justice, Streaming Culture and affection for bin Laden, and more.

Comments are closed so you won't ban yourself by trying to comment on a week-old thread. But don't try it anyway.

posted by K.T. at 11:16 AM

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