So when my Clever Daughter started Reception and they said she had to do a Show and Tell presentation every Monday I thought it was an opportunity to really get her used to speaking in front of a group from a young age.
What we all do for Show and Tell is send our child in with a toy and say "Tell them about it" then wheelspin it out of there reassuring ourselves that it doesn't really matter anyway.
If I said to you "Tell me about your teacup?" You COULD launch into a very interesting speech about where it came from, how it was made and the labour costs vs the store price, but you will probably say something like "I got it on Mothers Day 3 years ago. It came with a small bear too."
My point is that it's not easy to have much to say about an object even for an adult. A child has a lot less to say usually. You may have tried to pry information out a child before, "Where did you get that screwdriver from?" "How did you get your pasta on TOP of the TV?" but they can be quite cagey when they aren't sure of details.
So began the Show and Tell Weekend Project.
Every weekend we do one interesting thing together and I take photos. Usually these projects are ideas from Pinterest, sometimes science sites sometimes we just ice cupcakes. Then on a Sunday evening I put the best of those photos onto an A4 or two, and Clever Daughter takes them to class AND KNOCKS THEIR SOCKS OFF.
At least that's what I am picturing.
But my visions are not unfounded, if a little overzealous: the teacher keeps telling me how they look forward to Jenny's Show and Tell presentations, and that she can talk for quite a while, referring to the photos and remembering the information as she goes. She also answers questions at the end with intelligence and accuracy.
That's my girl.
She's 4, turning 5 in a month, and she's preparing to be Awesome in the big bad world right now.
So it's all worthwhile, you see? Invest in your children's education and with faith, trust and pixie dust they'll find their way.
