Ted and Rose Cazier, Aubrey's great, great grandparents.
Closet letters are a perfect way for grandparents, other relatives or parents who are away from home to connect with children they love in a meaningful way. It is even fun to send them to your own children even if you are at home. Kids love mail. It is exciting to read and makes them feel special.
Closet letters can have a real impact on children. You can pass on your beliefs and values. You can share your likes and concerns and inspire them to know about new things. You can serve your children and grandchildren.
When you write your Closet letters try to tie them into your family, a holiday, a family tradition, your work or neighborhood or an event that is current. This makes the information more pertinent and interesting to a child.
Dear Aubrey,
A family tree
I am taking a fun class in church called “Family History”. It is all about finding your old grandma’s and grandpa’s, uncles and aunt’s and people like that. When you learn about people in your family that are dead it is called genealogy. After two classes I went to the big genealogy library in Salt Lake City. The people there know a lot about how to help you find your ancestors. People come from all over the world to work in this library. That night I was able to find 18 relatives. When I got home I was showing grandpa what I learned and we a found another one.
I was thinking about my grandma today. She would be your great, great grandma. Her name was Rozelia Wolfley Cazier. She used to say “a stitch in time saves nine”. Do you know what that means? When I was your age I just couldn’t figure it out. Now I know that it means that if something is torn and you fix it right away it will take less stitches than if you wait until the hole gets bigger. This is called a proverb. Do you know what a proverb is? There is a whole book in the Bible called Proverbs and there are many sayings like this one in it. A proverb is an old familiar saying that has been handed down over many years. So when you hear a proverb it is a bit like hearing advice from an ancestor.
There are many proverbs that aren’t in the bible. People just made them up as things happened. Here are some examples of proverbs with their meanings, “all’s well, that ends well”. That means that in any effort what matters is a good outcome. Here is another one, “Lightening never strikes twice in the same place”. That is a harder one. It means that good luck or bad luck never comes to the same person twice in exactly the same way. (In the real world lightening can really strike twice in the same place.)
I have a proverbs game for you. Here are some proverbs. See if you can figure out what they mean and then send me what you think.
An old proverb
1. The grass is always greener on the other side.
2. Haste makes waste.
3. If the shoe fits, wear it.
4. Mind your p’s and q’s.
5. A fool and his money are soon parted.
(For you reading the blog see the answers below)
I hope you share these proverbs with your familyand you all work together to figure them out. Ask your mom if there are some proverbs that you guys always say in your family and tell me what they are. I always say “better late than never” and “curiosity killed the cat”. My grandpa always said, “Don’t cut off your nose to spite your face”. That is a hard one too. He used to say that to me when I was mad at someone and wanted to get back at them. It means that you shouldn’t take some action in anger that will hurt you more than the person you are mad at.
Well, Aubrey I love you very much. I love you to the “moon and back”. Hmmm another proverb, of sorts. Let me know what you think about the proverbs.
Love,
Grandma
Since I mentioned family history, here is how to inspire children to read and write with family histories.
1. The grass is always greener on the other side. (It means that no matter what you have in life, what someone else has always looks better. Think The Three Billy Goats Gruff!)
2. Haste makes waste. (If you try to do something quickly, without planning it, you’re likely to end up spending more time, money, etc, doing it. By the way, this is actually an idiom. A topic for another Closet letter. : )
3. If the shoe fits, wear it. (If it applies, take it to heart. For example: Nobody likes a tattle tail. Are you calling me a tattle tail? If the shoe fits wear it.)
4. Mind your p’s and q’s. (Be on your best behaviour; be careful of your language.)
5. A fool and his money are soon parted. People who aren’t careful with their money spend it quickly.)
Possibly Related Posts:
- Ways to Become the Best Grandparent Ever
- A Spark Station letter – What is an onomatopoeia and using the mail to inspire
- A Spark Station Letter about Nelson Mandela and the Poem “Invictus”
- A Spark Station Letter – Remember what you read using commonplace books
- A lovely Valentine Letter from Grandparents
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
What a great idea, I bet my kids’ grandparents would love to do something like this.
Sarah, I they write any especially good ones please share them with me. : )