ML Interest Tag: definition

How to Talk Like a Sailor (without Swearing)

by Amber Guetebier

Your little skippers will be ready for a high-seas adventure after learning a few fun words and phrases and their nautical origins. And if you like these, check out our pirate dictionary. You never know, one of these terms just might bale you out of the doldrums in just a couple of shakes. Read on!

photo: andreas160578 via pixabay

Adrift: Evolved from the word ‘drift’ or float, it became a way of describing a ship moved by wind and tides. It is now used to describe anything that is lost, as in, “Her matching sock were adrift among the piles of laundry.”

Bale/bale out: To remove water from a vessel, this phrase now means to help someone out of a sticky situation. (Note: alternate, Old nautical English spelling of bail).

Becalm: To cut off the wind from the sails of a ship. Can be used interchangeably with sooth, as in, “The mother was able to becalm her child temporarily with the promise of a cookie.”

Booby: A fearless little sea bird that is known for being easy to catch. The term booby or boob is sometimes used to describe someone who may not be that bright.

Bumboat: A privately owned boat that sells goods or merchandise. Fun to say.

Caboose: Sure, you know it as the little red car at the end of a train but a ship has a caboose too! It’s the kitchen or galley on a small ship.

Cats paws: A term to describe small waves produced by light, variable winds on otherwise calm waters.

Chew (chewing) the fat: Salt pork or fatty, jerky-like meat was common food on sailing vessels as it lasted a long time without rotting. Sailors would complain about the food while gnawing away at the fat, thus the term became synonymous with gabbing, casual conversation or gossip.

Cranky: A crank was an unstable ship or vessel, now a term to describe a toddler who hasn’t napped.

Cringle: Not to be confused with Kris Kringle or the delicious pastry, kringle, this nautical term describes a rope loop at the corner of a sail for fixing the sail to the spar (see definition of spar below).

Dinghy: A dinghy can be a small boat carried or towed by a larger ship, often inflatable and used as a life raft; a type of racing yacht; or a rowboat.

Dog watch: A short watch period (for sailors on deck) from 4–6 p.m. or 6–8 p.m. it can also refer to any night shift, most often the last shift. As in, “Tonight Dad was on dogwatch for the little one’s feeding so mom could get some much-needed sleep.”

Doldrums: An area in the equatorial region of the Atlantic Ocean with calms, sudden storms and unpredictable but light winds. Because of the variable weather ships would get stuck in the doldrums. Now we use it as a term to describe being stuck or stagnant. As in, “Our nightly dinner routine is in the doldrums.”

Dolphin: A man-made structure in the sea or river used as a marker.

Earings: Nope, not (earrings) the kind with bling. These are the small lines that secure the upper corners of the largest sail to the yardarms. (See below for yardarms definition).

Fore and aft: From stem to stern or lengthwise of a ship. “Please vacuum your room fore and aft and not just the entryway.”

Ghost: To sail slowly.

Gob-stoppers: Grapeshot put in the mouth of a young, gabby sailor. Now used to describe the hard, chipped-tooth-inducing candy.

Grapeshot: Small cannonballs; basically smallish balls of lead fired from a canon used to damage rigging or aimed directly at sailors on an enemy ship (cannon balls would be used to cause more structural damage and sink the ship).

Hog: A rough flat scrubbing brush for cleaning the ship’s bottom underwater. No comment.

Horse: To move or adjust a sail by hand, using brute force rather than running rigging.

Hulk: An old ship that has become obsolete. (not all that incredible).

Jack, also jack tar:  A sailor. Also sometimes a flag on a ship.

Jury rig: The act of rigging temporary mast or sails, also the actual mast or sail that has been temporarily rigged. This is now used interchangeably with makeshift.

Mind your P’s & Q’s: When sailors would go to a port town and visit the local tavern, the barkeepers would give them credit. A “P” would indicate pint and a “Q” was a quart. So when payday came and it time to pay their tab, they’d be minding their Ps and Qs. It is now considered a term for good manners.

Ship Shape: A term now used to say something is clean, tidy and ready to go, in the 1800s, ships were inspected to make sure they were okay to port. If a vessel was in “ship shape” it was free of disease or other unsavories. “Timmy’s room was in ship shape before the play date.”

Show your true colors: A warship would have many colored flags on board to try and deceive enemy ships. The true color would only be revealed when it was too late. Now it’s a term used to describe someone who has shown their true nature.

Spar: Not to be confused with the verb which means to fight, a spar is a pole, usually of wood or metal, used to support the ship’s sail. Sometimes called a pelican striker.

Spin a yarn: This phrase means to tell a story or a tale and is comes from the stories sailors would tell to pass the time while doing monotonous tasks such as making spun-yarn.

Starboard and Port: Starboard is the ship’s right and port its left. Fun fact: the term “posh” originated from port out, starboard home, said to be the way to get the best view, and so where the elite class was seated or bunked.

Two shakes or a couple of shakes: Used to describe a short period of time, as in, “Give me two shakes and I’ll have your PB&J ready.” Sailors would measure short periods of time by the shaking of the sails.

Whole nine yards: Old ships had three masts, each of which had three-yard sails, so the whole nine yards meant all sails were up. Now it means all of something.

Yardarms: Either end of a yard of a square sail.

What’s your favorite nautical term or phrase? Share it with us in the comments below. 

—Amber Guetebier

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Could This Be the Secret to Reducing Stress?

By Nina Meehan

Today was one of those days when I was struggling. I had a bunch of work I needed to get done, I wanted to do a long workout to make up for not working out at all yesterday, I had cooking to do to prep for the next few days and Meadow just wanted to play with me. It’s so easy to write off these kinds of days—and I know all us parents have them—and just assume we will find moments to connect tomorrow.  But, today Meadow was my teacher. We came back from a walk and she said, “Let’s find some pieces of nature, Mommy.”  

So, we did. We went into the front yard. We crawled over rocks, looked under trees, hopped over puddles. At each spot, we collected leaves and sticks, and rocks. We looked at color and texture. We found unusual shapes and unexpected angles. We delighted over a particularly shiny pink-ish pebble. We exclaimed at the brightness of the colors on the leaves. And as we found each treasure we put it in a box.  

Spending that time outdoors with her shifted my entire day. I was reminded, once again of the groundbreaking and amazing work of Pediatrician Nooshin Razani, MD who is prescribing nature to kids as part of her practice. If you haven’t heard of her work, check out this UCSF article or her amazing Ted Talk.  Being in nature helps with anxiety, depression, loneliness, stress and so many other issues that so many children face.  

Particularly, right now in the face of a pandemic, kids and adults alike are facing huge feelings of isolation and overwhelm. My family is very privileged to be able to access nature whenever we want and we talk a lot about how for many kids, that is not an option and we need to work hard to ensure that children in the future all have access to the beauty that surrounds us in California and beyond.  

We finished our collection process with a new sense of ease and smiles. I wasn’t looking at my watch or checking my email. I was just out there observing, seeing, noticing with Meadow.  

We came inside and Meadow carefully arranged each item on a piece of plain white paper with the detailed eye like you would expect to see on reality TV shows with celebrity designers. Each item had a specific place it needed to be placed. As I watched her work, and she consulted me on my thoughts, I couldn’t help but admire the ease she found in creating balance with the objects. The stick bends one way, so she found a leaf that bent the other way. The rock was pointy, so she found something round to balance it.  

It occurred to me that maybe part of the reason that nature relieves stress is because it is by definition, in balance. There is nothing that needs to be changed or switched. Every item in nature is placed exactly as it should be. As we work to destress and declutter our lives, maybe all we really need to do is look outside more often and find the masterpieces in plain sight. 

 

 

Nina Meehan is CEO and Founder Bay Area Children's Theatre and the host of the Creative Parenting Podcast. An internationally recognized expert in youth development through the arts, Nina nurtures innovation by fostering creative thinking. She is mom to Toby (13), Robby (10) and Meadow (5).  

   

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Why Imaginative Play Is So Important

By Jonna Laster

“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” —Maya Angelou  

In the picture book, Nutshell Regatta, a young girl and her beloved grandmother spend an afternoon exploring a pond and the many creatures and plants living in and around the water. Through their interaction, and using imaginative play, their experience transcends what most people might see when looking at a similar landscape. The animals take on unique roles, the plants play their special parts and the little girl and her grandmother transport themselves to a whole other world whereby they share a unique adventure and create their own story. This is imaginative play.

When we engage in imaginative play, we engage all of our senses. Observing a scene is very one-dimensional. Creating the scene, however, is multi-dimensional. All creative people and great problem solvers use imaginative play. At its core, imaginative play, is “thinking outside the box”. 

There are those who might worry they are not creative or don’t know how to start. The great thing about imaginative play is there is no wrong way to do it! Start with a simple plan. Next time you take a walk with a child, try to engage with your surroundings. 

  • Collect pebbles or leaves. Think about how you could arrange them in a vase or picture frame. 

  • Take a walk with a child in silence. When you get back home, take turns sharing what you saw, smelled, heard and felt.

The fun part is there is no wrong way to do this. Creativity really has no boundaries—you just need to start. In keeping with that vein, let children color outside the lines. Encourage creativity and story-telling. Keep as many supplies around as you can manage including empty boxes, old fabric, old costumes, catalogs, crayons, pencils, paint. All of these types of items are a treasure trove for imaginative play. And remember, it’s the process of imaginative play that’s important rather than what is created! 

Ideas for Imaginative Play:

  • Have one person start a story. Then, each family member or friend adds the next sentence or two. Round and round the story goes, often ending up in very unexpected places. This is a great boost for memory skills, and a source of delightful silliness for everyone!

  • Take out any board game. Collectively reinvent the rules. An example of this activity: A word tile game, like Scrabble, could expand to accept made-up words as a long as a pronunciation and a definition is given and the word is used in a sentence.

  • In this variation of charades, take out a stack of blank index cards. Each person draws or writes out instructions for whoever pulls one of their cards from a stack.

  • Create an entire new and zany rule book for a familiar game—this works well with strategy board games.

  • Flip the script. Rewrite or retell the endings of favorite shows or movies. To be able to deconstruct and reconstruct a familiar storyline is a prime example of imagination meets critical thinking skills.

The most important rule of imaginative play is…there really are no rules!

RELATED STORIES:
Let Your Kids Be Bored to Expand Their Imaginations
12 Pretend Play Ideas You Can Set Up in One Afternoon
18 Epic Indoor Forts You’ll Want to Live In
 

 

Jonna Laster's earliest recollections take place in an old canvas tent on her parent's Alaskan homestead. The stories told around the wood-stove filled her with wonder, and to this day remind Jonna of why she's always been a writer. Jonna lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family.

 

 

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Want to Raise Respectful Kids? Then You Need to Do This First

By Florence Ann Romano

When I was little, I always knew I was in trouble by the size of my mother’s eyes. If I did something wrong, her eyes widened to reveal every inch of white and her disappointment. My Mom was never a yeller—she always spoke in an even tone, and communicated very well about what we needed to correct regarding our behavior or attitude. I believe the way she reacted taught me and my siblings many lessons about respect.

Remember respect? I feel like this is a lost virtue in the world today, especially between children and adults. Somehow we have communicated to children that they are equal with adults, and I don’t know about you, but that’s not the world I grew up in! We were taught to respect our elders; to learn from our elders.

Now, let me clarify: respecting our elders does NOT mean we teach our children to not respect themselves, or suppress their voices or discourage them from even finding their voices. Respect is something we have to teach by example, and once that is accomplished, respect should be a mutual dance that is done easily and instinctively. But, it starts in the sandbox. And it starts with you.

First, it’s gut-check time: how are you showing your children what respect means and what respect is? I am a visual learner, and I believe most kids are. You want to show them how to treat people, not just tell them. As a parent or caretaker, let’s take inventory of how you treat your friends, family, strangers, etc? More importantly, how do you treat others when you don’t agree with them?

I see parents yelling at the TV because they’re watching the news and they disagree with commentators. To think your kids aren’t watching you, hearing you, or taking in your energy is shortsighted. That moment, as small as you may think it is, speaks volumes. What you are teaching your child, as they watch your emotions get the best of you, is that if you disagree with someone or something, you can yell/scream/cuss—whatever you want because you “feel like it.”

I understand that we can’t edit our reactions, nor should we try and suppress emotions, but I do believe we need to teach our children that there is a right and wrong way to react and to communicate our feelings. Perhaps they are just getting in tussles on the playground right now, but they will have bigger problems later in life that you need to prepare them for now. They will be faced with challenging moments that stress them out; hurt them; incite them, etc. It’s our job to give them the tools to react to whatever arena they’re dropped in with the self-respect, and respect of others, that they and we all deserve.

This may sound like a daunting task what I am asking, but if you step back, I am not asking anything from you that isn’t basic: it comes down to manners. Saying “please,” “thank you,” “pardon me,” “I appreciate you,” etc. We need to give our kids this language and we need to remember to practice it, too. Holding doors for people, being a helper when we see someone in need, approaching people from a place of empathy and compassion, etc—these are all lessons we need to teach our children, and the only way to successfully do that is by showing them how we treat others and how we treat them. Yes, you read that right—treating our children with respect is how they learn to respect themselves and respect others.

We also have to be mindful of our village: the people influencing our children. Maybe this is extended family, grandparents, friends, teachers, or even our children’s friends. You are the company you keep, as they say. This is yet another lesson our kids need to learn from the jump. If they hang around troublemakers, chances are they are going to get into more mischief. You can’t always control who your children choose as friends, but you certainly need to be paying attention to it. Sometimes your child’s behavior, especially if erratic or if you’re seeing changes over time, is being influenced by something or, more likely, someone.

If you ever witness your children’s friends being disrespectful, I give you permission to step in. I am not telling you to spank or punish, but you certainly have the authority to let that child know that there are rules in your house and specific behavior won’t be tolerated. Of course, there is a fine line we don’t want to cross when it comes to correcting or disciplining other people’s children, but try to remember that you’re measuring it based on the values of your home. It’s simple: either they align with your values or they don’t. And, if they don’t, then maybe that friendship isn’t meant to be.

Regardless of your definition of respect, there is one thing we can all agree on: we want the best for our kids, and we want to raise them to be kind and spread it. The way to do that? Respect.

RELATED STORIES:

Florence Ann Romano
Tinybeans Voices Contributor

Florence Ann Romano, The Windy City Nanny™ (WindyCityNanny.com), is an author, philanthropist and web series star/host who has always had a special place in her heart for children. 

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My Spectrum Superhero

By Shannon Gainey

su·per·he·ro /ˈso͞opərˌhirō/ noun A benevolent fictional character with superhuman powers, such as Superman

The word Superhero is a common word used in our house these days. My son has developed a love and often fixates on “superheroes” from Batman, Green Lantern, Spider-Man, Captain America, and more. And for those of you with loved one’s on the spectrum, you understand when I say that love runs deep!

He often needs his superheroes as a token during transitional times… from the house to the car…from the car to school. Bedtime sometimes isn’t a reality until LEGO Batman has been found and is safely in his hands, tucked into bed with him. I looked at the definition of “superhero”  and I got caught on one word, “fictional.”

In my son’s world, superhero’s aren’t fictional. They are very much a living, breathing part of his reality. So much so, that the absence of them can send our world spinning. Their very presence can make a stressful situation of transition easier and in the same breath, with one quick flip, they can add more stress with their absence. And at the moment, there is nothing fictional about our present reality and daily struggles with autism. Calm to upset…happy to sad..content to active.

But, I can’t help but think to myself “How does this superhuman navigate all these emotions and still smile at my silly jokes?”  Still willing to trust me when I get frustrated and raise my voice in the midst of a meltdown? Still continue to wake up with a clean slate, ready to love and start the day, no matter how traumatic bedtime was the night before?

And then I go back to that word, “fictional.” Because now I realize superheroes aren’t just a reality in his world, they are a reality in mine as well. In my world, there lives the strongest, most benevolent superhero of all. He embodies all the characteristics of what describes a superhero—brave, strong, resilient, and admirable. He is someone I look up to every day. He inspires me more than any other person in the world. He is superhuman. And most importantly, no part of him or autism ever has or ever will be viewed as fictional. I have a real-life superhero in our house and he goes by the name, Murphy. And he has already saved me in so many ways.

 

This post originally appeared on Adventures in Autism with Murphy.

Shannon is a proud boy mom, Hairstylist, and passionate Autism Advocate. She lives in New Orleans, Louisiana with her two sons Murphy (5) and Merrick (2).  Murphy was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 3. Follow her family as they journey through Autism together on Adventures in Autism with Murphy Facebook and Instagram page. 

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5 Math Concepts Parenting Taught Me

By Natasha Dillinger

I registered my oldest child for kindergarten recently. The process brought up all kinds of questions, like “How is she growing up so fast?” and “What are we having for breakfast?” Despite an accounting degree and years of related experience, the scariest question I had was “What if I have to help with her math homework?” 

Quiz shows like “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?” remind us that we’ve forgotten much of what we learned in school. With a desire to show my daughter that Mommy Knows Best, I’ve come up with five real-life examples below that help illustrate some textbook math definitions. Don’t worry, I won’t tell you about any trains speeding towards each other. 

1. Repeating Decimals
Definition: a decimal representation of a number whose digits repeat their values at regular intervals and the repeated portion is not zero.

Example: “Brush your teeth. Put on your shoes. Brush your teeth. Put on your shoes.” Shouldn’t this come with a recording device?

2. Isosceles Triangle
Definition: A triangle in which two equal sides are joined by an odd side.

Example:  When I have to convince my children they have the exact same number of intricately cut vegetable shapes while eating the leftover scraps myself.

3. Inverse Proportions
Definition: When one value decreases at the same rate that the other increases.

Example: The more effort I put into making a meal or planning an outing, the less my children will enjoy it. The reverse is also true. Pasta with cheese for dinner, anyone?

4. Mode
Definition: The number which appears most often in a data set.

Example: 5. This is the number of minutes my daughter needs before she can finish her block tower, put away playdough or put on her shoes.

5. Constant
Definition: A number whose value is fixed by an unambiguous definition. 

Example: The amount of love I have for my children, no matter how much they hate the boeuf bourguignon with extra mushrooms I made for dinner. 

So you see, despite new methods of teaching, we parents already have tricks up our sleeves to help our kids learn about math. If you need a bonus suggestion, remember that pi is also a mathematical constant. Would you prefer apple or cherry?

I'm a Seattle transplant originally from California via stints in Massachusetts and France. My husband and I love showing our two young children the Pacific Northwest's natural beauty and toting them around the world for the occasional escape.

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5 Games That’ll Put Good Use to Your Dictionary

by Amber Guetebier

Dictionary Day is the perfect excuse to dust off your Webster’s (you still have those, right?) and learn a few things. We’ve got five easy-to-medium dictionary-based games that can be easily adapted for little literati of all ages. Read on to get the word.

Fictionary

Element5 Digital via Unsplash

Choose six to ten words your kid may not know. For each word, write out four possible definitions and have them vote on which one they think is the real definition. For little ones, keep it simple with one or two-word definitions and don't forget to add in at least one very silly one! For older kids, choose more difficult words and throw in a couple of “realistic” sounding definitions.

Dictionary for Beginners

Aaron Burden via Unsplash

Put that ABC song to the test with a simple word search. Teach dictionary use with starter words, like CAT, BALL or BUG. Give them one letter at a time to help them locate the word. Example: CAT. Have them look up the C, then the A, finally the T until they find it. They'll see the alphabet within the alphabet on every page. 

Pictionary: 4 Ways

marimari1101 via Pixabay

Pictionary, light. Flip through the pages of a dictionary, and have your littles place their finger on a word at random. Work together or on your own to draw the word you’ve landed on (let's hope you get castle and not existentialism.).

Pictionary, advanced. You’ll need at least four players for this one. Using a dictionary, one member of the team chooses a word at random (see flip method above). Their next task is to draw the word they picked, hoping their team member guesses it (Not unlike the board game by the same name.). Teams take turns, and each member alternates drawing. You can up the ante by adding a time limit to the drawing.

Variation: If the drawing team’s mate doesn’t guess, the opposing team gets one guess at it.

Variation 2: You'll need five people. Have one person be the random word generator. They can either write or show the word to the player whose drawing. This role is best played by mom or dad.

Fake It Up

iStock

Have the kiddos make a word up and then explain or write the definition out to you. Example: decision-ing. What a four-year-old says when he is trying to decide between two equally fun ideas (ice cream vs. cake, bath vs. shower, etc.).

—Amber Guetebier

RELATED STORIES 

20 Fun New Words to Learn for Dictionary Day

As You Like It: Shakespearean Dictionary for Kids 

How to Talk Like a Sailor (without Swearing) 

Yarrr Gonna Learn How to Talk Like a Pirate Today 

 

dictionary games

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Your #1 Goal This School Year? Practicing Compassion

By Gay Cioffi

Sympathy, care, and concern for others, that’s the definition of compassion. And that’s the feeling we need to practice now more than ever.

As parents, you are facing challenges you never imagined just one year ago—the start of school may have felt hectic as you made those last-minute trips for school supplies and lunch boxes and felt the pressure to get the photo of your child with the cute “first day of school” sign to post on Facebook or to send to grandparents.

But this year, nothing compares to the uncertainty of virtual, in-person, or hybrid instruction (part virtual, part in-person). If you are a working parent, it’s possible that you still haven’t figured out how to meet your own work responsibilities, whether at home or at your workplace, while supporting your child’s in-person learning or supervising your child’s distance learning or the prospect of distance learning. Let’s face it, even those schools that have opened with children in class could face closures if there are virus outbreaks in them.

And even if you have come up with solutions, it is crucial to expect the unexpected. It is not realistic for your child to adapt to this new normal of mask wearing and social distancing without some struggle, and that is where compassion comes in. There may be more tears, eating or sleep issues, and more oppositional behavior, (all signs of stress).

And just as you need to remind yourself that this is hard and you aren’t going to always get it right, you need to remind your child of those same sentiments. Being compassionate toward yourself and your family members is all-important right now. It doesn’t mean that you are lowering your standards; it means that you need new standards for these new times.

Here is the conversation you need to have with yourself, your partner, and your children: “I know that this is hard, that we will all make mistakes sometimes, but we will get through it… together.”

It is also important to remind family members that you love and appreciate them…now more than ever.

 

 

I am a parent and grandparent with over four decades of experience in early childhood education. I share my passion, wisdom and experience, with parents and the people who care for and about children at Little Folks Big Questions, where we're out to answer the questions parents face in today's world.

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What Happens When a Word’s Definition Is Outdated?

By Joann Suen & Sapna Satagopan

At Xyza: News for Kids, we’re continuing our conversation about racism by asking our young readers the question: What is the definition of racism?

Currently, the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines racism as “a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race,” but that’s going to change very soon. Why?

Recent graduate Kennedy Mitchum was tired of people correcting her when she defined racism to include a broader definition of the word. To her, the definition of the word was really outdated. To her, racism is not just people’s prejudice against others but also prejudice combined with social or systemic power. She emailed the editors of the Merriam-Webster dictionary and asked them to revise and expand the definition of racism.

To Mitchum’s surprise, Merriam-Webster editor Alex Chambers emailed her the next day, launching a series of emails to discuss possible changes to the definition.

Those working on revising the definition of racism will be consulting with experts in Black studies to come up with the new definition. The new definition of the word will be published as soon as August.

Activities for Kids:

1. What’s the definition of a word that you think needs updating in the dictionary? Share with us! Email responses to editor@xyzanews.com.

2. Speaking of words … Xyza’s throwing out fun trivia about words this week at newsicle.co. First up? The rhyming lyrics of Hamilton!

Want more news trivia? Follow www.newsicle.co for fascinating news trivia updated every weekday for the entire family to enjoy!

This post originally appeared on Xyza: News for Kids.
Joann Suen & Sapna Satagopan
Tinybeans Voices Contributor

We're two perfectly imperfect moms who have five very different kids between the two of us. We believe that topics in news are a fantastic way to spark conversations in families. That's why we started the Dinner Table Conversation series here at Xyza: News for Kids. Won't you join us in the conversation? 

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