A lesson in child education - Part 2.

   It is just about a year since wrote about the two little girls I am systematically brainwashing in the most creative way possible.  The  coup de grace was when so called educators decided that cursive writing required too much precision and effort  and therefore should be dropped from the school curriculum. In the kakocracy in which we dwell, music and art and so- called culture has become aggressive, atonal, careless and chaotic, one has to search hard for some redeeming activities that can  re-introduce some appreciation for precision, order and beauty to our declining civilization.  When Omar Khayyam wrote, "The moving finger writes and then moves on ", he was not just stating a mechanical fact.  He was explaining that the brain is directly wired to the fingers and that the thoughts flow on to the paper or parchment or papyrus.  Any monkey can pound on a keyboard, but it takes a human to write, although ofttimes they may not make any more sense than the monkey does.   However, that's not the point of today's little story.  The point is that cursive writing is an exercise that develops manual dexterity, precision and artistic skills at the same time as it is developing the brain.  I freely confess that none of these ideas are evidence based, but I am free to opine and always right!
    My grand-nieces and their parents, who live in another  city, a long days drive away, usually visit us at this time of the year for the past three or four years.  I believe it was when I was showing my pen collection to their parents, the girls, about eight or nine at the time showed considerable  interest.  When they came to visit the following year, the first thing they wanted to do was to go down  to  the 'Pen Dungeon' to see all the pens I have in captivity.  (Most of them are quite tame, though a few of them show signs of restlessness and rebellion and look quite threatening.  I try make sure that there are 'safe spaces' in my pen boxes and that no one pulls off a screw cap or screws a pull cap).  So, I decided the time had come to continue the 'braining washing', which is another word for education.
   See my blog  "A Lesson In Child  Education" for the early session.
   As soon as they got here after a long drive, they wanted to go 'down to dungeon' .  They confided in me, a little apprehensively, that they didn't have time  to practice as much as they would have liked to and they hoped they would pass the test.   This is the certificate they got last year. 

     They are anxious to get the certificate of  'Advanced Achievement'  this year or perhaps even an 'Award of Merit'.
      They had certainly improved significantly.  The seriousness of the situation was somewhat impeded by two factors:
      1.  I have a slot machine in the work area adjoining the dungeon that they had already discovered during a previous visit.  The machine pays out, but is not adjusted to require insertion of a coin to work.  So the girls got a negative lesson, in that they now think you can gamble with only winnings and no losses.  I tried to explain this to them, but they refused to take it seriously until there were no coins left in the machine to pay out when they got a winning combination.  They now know what it is like to 'break the bank' but have no idea what it means to go bankrupt.  I don't think it registered when I tried to explain that one!  However, they have very intelligent parents and I am sure they will be successful where I have failed.
      2.    'Uncle'  Rick McDonald, of my Pen Club, kindly gave me some invisible ink pens, visible only in ultra violet light.  They were absolutely fascinated and after writing on various paper samples, soon discovered they could write on the arms and hands etc all invisibly.  Then, when my son David, always their favourite (they never hesitate to drop the 'old man' when Dave is around!) arrived, they set about decorating him.  I don't know how quickly it washed off, but I regret that I never got a chance to photograph him under ultra violet light.
       Thanks, 'Uncle' Rick, you contributed palpably to the fun.
       All in all, it was a fun few days and the important thing is that the girls are still enthusiastic about fountain pens and cursive writing.  And I am sure my niece Tanya, will be eternally grateful that I taught her daughters never to leave an ink bottle uncapped!

    Don't be afraid - feel free to make a comment!