Of Kittens and Their Wisdom
Some of you may remember this little fella from a previous post.***
I received an email from my sweet friend MJ over the weekend. She's a kindergarten teacher, and wanted to share a story with me. She used my Chinatown book in class for teaching her kids about the Chinese New Year. I was so thrilled!
Out of all the photos in the book, the kids fell in love with the Shy Kitten. (Which makes perfect sense to me.) It was their favorite photo out of the entire book.
I want to make a poster of the Shy Kitten for their classroom, and in doing so, was thinking about what words of wisdom the kitten might have for a group of five-year-olds, but I'm drawing a total blank.
***
If any of you have a idea for something I could print under the photo of the Shy Kitten, appropriate for a kindergarten class, please let me know and I'll love including your thoughts in the process, too.
Many heads are better than one, right? Mine's just all out of ideas right now.
;-)
25 comments:
Ok a couple of Chinese Proverbs come to mind.
A rat who gnaws at a cat's tail invites destruction.
or
Deep doubts, deep wisdom; small doubts, little wisdom.
or
If you don't want anyone to know, don't do it.
Maybe something like, "Want to be friends?" It seems to me that if the cat (or a child, or even an adult) didn't want contact with someone, it would run away (or walk away). Often people -- and cats? -- want affection from others but are afraid to make the first move, out of fear of rejection, or physical or emotional abuse. So they wait for your reaction to them, and perhaps stand cautiously a distance away at first. This reminds me of my favorite part of one of my very favorite books, "The Little Prince." The fox: "Please--tame me! ... You must be very patient. First you will sit down at a little distance from me... in the grass. I shall look at you out of the corner of my eye, and you will say nothing. Words are the source of misunderstandings. But you will sit a little closer to me, every day..."
Whatever you decide to call it, may I please have a copy of the poster? :)
It is a great photo :-)
No words of wisdom I'm afraid. My son often leaves me speechless when he gives me a smart ass response to requests from me, plus I've just finished work, I'm frazzled. *lol*
Peace
"Some days are like that..."
Get more info... ask your friend more details about what the kids said about the kitten. Maybe she can have the class write a story about the kitten and something from their story can be on the poster?
Play with Me!
Don't bother me, I'm watching a spider.
or
Got a sardine, cheese, anything?
I feel like it is only appropriate to consult Winnie the Pooh on this, because the picture kind of reminds me of Eeyore.
“You can't stay in your corner of the forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.”
though that may seem to harsh for itty bitty ones. Maybe something about reaching out, or loving unabashedly. Hmm, I'll keep thinking.
"Knowledge is the antidote to fear." Emerson
"Most of the shadows of this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine." Emerson
I love the shy kittie
Having a kindergartner (my third in 4 years) I can tell you that they are very very scared. This little kitty would be great if it said.
"Sometimes I get scared too."
That to me would be very fitting for such little ones
Peek-a-Boo! Meow are you?
I think the kitten is playing hide and seek...16,17,18,19...
or
acting in the video of Too Shy by Kajagoogoo ..."Too shy shy
Hush hush, eye to eye."
or something simple and to the point: Can I be your friend?
Sometimes schoo, can be scary.
School isn't always scary.
I like you, but I'm scared.
Thoughts from the mom of a cat and a kindy...
I think the suggestions you have already are pretty good. I like "Sometimes I get scared, too."
I'm the third person that likes "Sometimes I get scared, too" but here's some other suggestions:
When a cat shuts its eyes, you disappear.
- Leonard Michaels
“With the qualities of cleanliness, discretion, affection, patience, dignity and courage that cats have, how many of us, I ask you, would be capable of being cats?” Fernand Mery
here is my stab at it. i don't know how you are going to limit this down because there are great ones ahead of me, but here it goes.
"I can't see you.....but you can still see me"
My suggestion..."Yes, you!"
Even at 5 yrs. old, they know how they are perceived. I just think it would be "hopeful" for someone.
Loved your previous post too!
I'm in my little corner but I so want to come out. Will you please help me?
No? Well that was my first thought about the little kitty.
Little kitty, little kitty, will give a little cuddle?
Tangobaby, I posted a little blog love for you over at Oasis...and there is no work required! <3 xx
5, 4, 3, 2, 1! Ready or not, here I come!
Darn, I just read Pink Cowboy's; great minds think alike!
that's one of my favorites too, but no words come to me, i think because it says so much all by itself...
look ahead.
margie
...it's been a long morning....
maybe the kids themselves could come up with something... they could have a first draft poster and then the final one would include the selected quote.. it could be like a drawing from a hat..with all the quotes written down by the teacher and then you "pick a random one" from the hat. maybe they could get some help first on ideas or ways to think about metaphors.. for kindergartners of course.
you are incredibly generous sweetie.
Whoever you are, however you are, be yourself. You're wonderful as you are.
What wonderful ideas! MJ's and yours. That poster is going to be a hit for sure. I was reading your comments and trying to think of some kitten wisdom of my own, but it all sounded too much like Robert Fulghum. Then, I read Robin's idea. Yes. I think letting the kids write it is fantastic.
sometimes i'm scared to say how much i really want to play. how's that?
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