At the weekend, NATURAL LIGHT launched a Christmas campaign to persuade the Oxford University Press to reinstate some of the nature words previously culled from the Oxford Junior Dictionary. About thirty nature words, including some infused with cultural significance, had been removed in favour of words that reflected the increasingly solitary, interior world too many children inhabit today.
I spoke to Elaine McQuade of Oxford University Press who had earlier sent me a one-page statement in response to Sunday’s blog.
I spoke to Elaine McQuade of Oxford University Press who had earlier sent me a one-page statement in response to Sunday’s blog.
Sky Hawk - I love it!
As it happens, Elaine was in the process of commissioning some work for Oxford Owl, the OUP's website for promoting children's learning at school and at home. “I've asked a children’s books expert to create lists of her favourite stories from all publishers to help parents find new books to suggest to their children. I requested favourite animal stories but I will now widen this to include stories set in a natural environment.” Good news!
Elaine was clearly enthusiastic about the many books OUP has commissioned about nature and the environment: "for example Sky Hawk by debut author Gill Lewis - I love it!" From the reviews I have read, it sounds great. We got on to the trickier subject of dictionaries and Elaine was keen to stress that another OUP dictionary, the Primary, is more comprehensive and contains all the words removed from the Junior.
In the end, we had a friendly agreement to disagree. I feel OUP did not consider the cultural signal being sent out in removing what for me seems a disproportionate number of nature words. The specific choices seem to include some of the words most symbolic of the relationship between childhood and nature and, therefore, culture and heritage, as this blog will show over the coming days.
Elaine was clearly enthusiastic about the many books OUP has commissioned about nature and the environment: "for example Sky Hawk by debut author Gill Lewis - I love it!" From the reviews I have read, it sounds great. We got on to the trickier subject of dictionaries and Elaine was keen to stress that another OUP dictionary, the Primary, is more comprehensive and contains all the words removed from the Junior.
In the end, we had a friendly agreement to disagree. I feel OUP did not consider the cultural signal being sent out in removing what for me seems a disproportionate number of nature words. The specific choices seem to include some of the words most symbolic of the relationship between childhood and nature and, therefore, culture and heritage, as this blog will show over the coming days.
The conkerer
The National Trust has discovered, in time for National Tree Week, that its Hughenden Estate in Buckinghamshire is home to the biggest example of the one tree we can all remember from our outdoor childhoods, assuming we had one: the horse chestnut.
Growing up in Kent, we used to go to another Trust property, Knowle House, for our annual conker collecting. Happily, Woodlands School in my home county have created a website for sharing all sorts of useful information, including the rules of conkers. Conker and horse chestnut are two of the terms I'll definitely be asking the OJD to reinstate.
The Stick Book is fast becoming a classic
I contacted Jeanette Heard of the National Trust to ask for her suggestion for a great book for kids and she asked around. Her colleague Helen Meech loves A First Book of Nature for the under 5s and 50 Things to do before you’re 11¾ which I’m guessing is for the under 12s. Tom Seaward, who helps run their Natural Childhood campaign, says The Stick Book by Fiona Danks and Jo Schofield "is fast becoming a classic."
The ***** and the ***, when they are both full grown...
...or, for that matter, The Wind in the ******s. Imagine TV bleeps where the words should be. If we can't have all our trees back in the OJD, can we at least have these ones? That would still leave ash, beech, hazel and sycamore on the log pile.
The Woodland Trust's Hollie Anderson (please let there be an Ivy there as well...) likes Outdoor Wonderland: The kids’ guide to being outside by Josie Jeffrey (illustrated by Alice Lickens). According to Hollie “this book is the perfect way to make stay-at-home kids into intrepid explorers. There’s things to do and see in the park, woods and garden – but also specific activities for rainy days, windy days and on the street.”
Next time, great book ideas from the RSPB, and some more words no dictionary should be without.
Next time, great book ideas from the RSPB, and some more words no dictionary should be without.
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