Learning, growth and fun are three words not often used in the same breath.This site aims to promote language growth through learning, all the while having fun.Hence the name PedaGrowFun. It consists of pedagogical materials designed to help in the development of language skills, and also contains the Christian and Corinne series of adventure stories of a young boy and his little sister,and their marvelous MAGIC TELEVISION. The adventure begins with the April 22, 2008 story.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

DODO 3 WELCOME!

Dodo 2 was posted on June 2, 2009.


“ Christian, Caleb- what are those funny creatures over there who are pointing their torches and who seem to want us to land in that circle of rocks? ”

“ S-h-h-h- Corinne. Maybe they can hear us. You know Papa doesn’t like it when we say things about the way people look. That’s not the way to measure people, he says.”

“ Yes Christian, but he never tells us what he means exactly by these words, only to remember them and that someday we will understand. Me- I’m still waiting! ”

“ S-h-h-h- please, Corinne. This is not the time. Silence, please! ”

Upon arrival in the circle of rocks where they had piloted the TELEVISION, Christian pushed the appropriate button and the screen opened. The three adventurers stepped out and could not believe their eyes.

Standing before them, holding torches full of light, were about a dozen strangers who looked like cashews or the moon in its quarter phase. At the bottom point where their feet should have been, the children could barely see tiny clogs. At the uppermost point, where, normally, at least for humans, is found the head, they glimpsed, and this only by focusing all their attention, that which might pass for ears, eyes, nose, mouth… These strangers are really different thought the children, not at all like us.

Suddenly, one of them started to walk towards them, his free hand extended in a gesture of welcome.

“ Greetings little ones. Welcome to Rockmoon. We are the inhabitants of this valley. We are called Rockmooners. ” And with what seemed like a smile where it seemed his mouth was and a twinkle where it seemed his eyes were, he added, “And I don’t want to hear you say - that Rocks! ”

Failing to understand his valiant attempt at humor to calm their fears, Corinne blurted out, “ But where are the Easter Bunnies? We’ve been told that they’re the ones who live on the dark side of the moon.”

“ Ah! I understand your astonishment at seeing before you walking, talking rocks instead of bunnies. On this side of the moon there are many life forms. In certain valleys, forbidden and almost inaccessible, there are even dragons and trolls, dinosaurs and serpents, warlocks and witches, ladies and knights…”

He looked at the children, and seeing that he still had their undivided attention, continued, “ We are the ones, however, who live in this valley. If you would have come here next week instead of now you would have seen before you a being that looked like a half rather than a quarter moon. Why? Because it is in our nature to be transformed into the four major phases of the moon as seen from your planet. Bizarre, is it not? Our forms imitate the moon in its principle phases. The form we prefer is that of the full moon. It is a lot easier for us to go from place to place when we are rounded balls. All we have to do is tuck in our tiny feet and arms and roll wherever it is we want to go.”

Christian, Corinne and Caleb, eyes as big as saucers, could now hear their heart beating loudly in their chest. Things seemed to be getting weirder by the minute…

“ The Easter Bunnies that you make mention of inhabit the neighboring valley. It is there that they make all those candies that they hide in your homes at Easter, allowing you to hunt their tasty delicacies on Easter morning to your heart’s, and stomach’s, content.”

The three children could not take their eyes off the leader, so surprised, stupefied, even mesmerized, were they by his words.

In an even voice he continued, saying, “ We, in this valley, we specialize in the fabrication of, and this next word he said with as much emphasis as he could muster: DOLLS. That is why we are called THE COUNTRY OF THE DOLLS. At present, we are putting all our efforts in what we believe is going to be the doll of the century. We are convinced that all worlds where we are going to deliver this doll, including yours, Earth, are ready for it. Only time will tell if we were right or not.”

Then, staring hard at the three children, he added, almost as an after thought, “ Would you like to visit our installations little friends? Would you like to meet some of our new dolls? ”

Quick as lightening, Corinne was the first to respond to the invitation, and this, with so much enthusiasm, that it drew a smile from the almost imperceptible lips of the Rockmooners. “Yes! A BIG! BIG! YES! Me, I adore dolls! Then, she turned her attention to Christian and Caleb, supplicating them with her eyes to make her vote unanimous.

In turn, they looked at each other, shrugged, and as if they too were not dying of curiosity, nodded yes in unison. “ But,” added Christian, “ we mustn’t loiter too much. It won’t be long before our parents start asking themselves where we’ve gone.”

The other Rockmooners there approached slowly and three of them extended a hand to each of the three children. Their leader in front, they turned towards the huge valley. Before them, about 300 feet away, they saw an immense door, open wide, through which they first had to pass before they could reach an equally immense building in the form of a lozenge about the same distance behind.

It was all very interesting, marvelous even. Each child, in his child’s head was asking himself, “What exactly awaits us there? Perhaps we would be better off with Papa and Maman, at a place like Disney World? But, and this is what gave them confidence, their magnificent MAGIC TELEVISION was at their side and it had promised to always protect them from their very first adventure, a promise always kept…


DODO 4 ON THE WAY TO THE DOLL FACTORY... TO BE CONTINUED DURING THE FALL OF 2009

Hold on! Hold on! There are scores more surprises on the way...