Do you have questions about the frog? Don’t we all! Here are some answers to common questions.
If you’re just looking for a brief synopsis of the frog, check out the first post here!
Why did you develop the Festive Frog?
I want to do something extra special for my kids this holiday season because everything has been so hard and confusing this year. I was thinking about the Elf on the Shelf, but I just can’t get over the “someone is always watching you” panopticon element of it. Over the last few months (Years? Decades? Centuries?) I’ve also felt like American selfishness has been on full display, and it breaks my heart daily. I wanted to do something that would emphasize that this is a season for generosity, but also that generosity and empathy should be a routine part of our lives. I’ve decided that for the month of December the “Festive Frog” will be joining our house, popping up every morning in a new hiding place, with an empathy building gift, exercise, or activity for my children.
OK, maybe I’ll join in. What’s your plan? How much work will this be for me?
I’m planning to post all of my daily plans here. I’ll post them a few days in advance so you have time to plan things out and making any adaptations you want to. Each post will include:
a) A fun rhyming prompt for the froggy to write out for the kids, introducing that day’s fun. I will also make these printable.
b) A supply list, but my goal is to keep supplies extremely minimal.
c) Links to supplementary resources and activities, if applicable.
d) A rationale, explaining the scaffolding and research that led to this prompt or activity. I’ll explain what theoretical foundation undergirds each exercise, and why experts think this might help foster empathy in children.
I’ll also post a full suggested supply list with links in the coming days. I’ll probably wind up making the frog his own Instagram, too, so I can share his antics. Should we do a hashtag? #FestiveFrog2020!
Why a frog?
Honestly, I found a frog that I fell in love with. I needed a figure that was cute and poseable and vaguely cozy. But I also think the frog is nice because I wanted this project to be detached from Christmas and open to anyone, of any religion or without any religion. This frog’s only religion is long rambles by the river, bespoke clothing, kindness, and a comforting mug of herbal tea around 4 p.m. You are welcome to choose any figure you want for this, but I am planning to use the word “frog” in some of the rhyming prompts.
What’s the timeline?
The whole month of December. I want this to be disentangled from any one specific holiday, so ending it on Christmas doesn’t make much sense. I also think it leads into the new year nicely, and I’ll have my kids plan some goals for the year based on the things they are most invested in from this project.
Will the frog be political?
Yes, but in a way that shouldn’t be political. The frog is explicitly antiracist and pro-environment, and some of the activities over the course of the month will be about those things. The frog is confident that it can introduce these concepts in a way that is appropriate and encouraging for children of all ages. The frog firmly believes that climate justice is social justice, and social justice is racial justice, and that we need to radically re-envision a more egalitarian society if we want life to improve for all living things. Also, the frog is antifa. He’s not scary, he just hates fascism, because it is antithetical to the spirit of giving.
Just who do you think you are?
My undergraduate degree is in education, and I’ve used that degree in a wide variety of ways. I taught literature and writing in high schools and middle schools for several years before returning to school to earn my Master’s Degree in English. During that time I worked as an event host at a large independent book store, organizing educational events with authors including Mo Willems and Jon Scieszka, and I also taught creative writing in a federal prison to help inmates share their stories. I earned my PhD in English with a focus on decolonization, world literatures, and environmental rhetoric. I’ve been teaching at the University of Oregon since 2012, and while I teach a wide variety of classes, they are all filtered through the lens of social and environmental justice.
Are you hoping to profit from this?
No, I’m not. I want to do something very festive for my kids this year, and I love the exuberance of the Elf on the Shelf, but I just can’t get past the thought that I want my kids to be kind, empathetic humans not because someone is watching them, but because that is simply who they see themselves to be. I’m doing all this preparation anyway, and I’m sharing it because I think the world needs more empathetic people and parents need as much help as we can get these days. I love well-designed and complete curricula and activities, and I just thought some of you might, too. I also worry that my kids will get to school and find out that other families do the elf and feel left out, and I would love it if a fleet of families did the Festive Frog instead!
What ages will this be appropriate for?
My kids are 4 and 2, so it will be aimed at preschoolers. That said, it is my intention to make these exercises easily adaptable, so don’t be discouraged if your kids are older.
Thanks for reading. And, please, if you feel like it, join us! I’d love the company.