Annikah has become a teller of tales…This culture is definitely more oral than Western culture and talking and relating stories is quite important. And Miss Anni is fitting right in. One of her favorite things to do is lay in bed and make up stories together. I ask her for a place, a person, a name, “what did they see when they opened the door?” etc. She LOVES these mad-lib impromptu story telling sessions and has started making up her own stories. We will be driving in the car, at a friend’s house, or sitting at home and she will cock her head to side and ask “Mama, you want to hear a story?” said with an intonation as if what will follow will be life changing. Her characters are fairly constant: Mama, Papa, Bibi, Auntie Katy, her friends here, Cinderella, samaki (fish), her baby, Elmo, and the nameless but infamous “bad guys.” She sometimes even makes up languages for different characters and her excessive use of gestures really makes the story. She still does not quit grasp the whole need for a plot, exposition, sequence, climax, and resolution but her lack of literary expertise has not stopped her. Nor has it stopped us from loving listening to her weave many a tale around here. Here is a recent video….(it was Bibi & Katy’s last day and I think they were her inspiration):
http://i204.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid204.photobucket.com/albums/bb212/roxanne_engstrom/annitellsstory.flv