Today in 2nd grade, Jaela and Macey learned about extinction (among other things). One of the examples used to explain extinction was the Dodo Bird, discovered in the 1800's and extinct within about 80 years. They felt sorry for the poor, friendly birds that walked right up to the hungry sailors, but thought that perhaps they were aptly called "Dodo" (after I had explained what it meant) because they laid their eggs on the ground and didn't even try to hide them from predators. They were also (unfortunately) amused by the sound of the word "Dodo", and repeated it every chance they got. I finally forbade the use of that word unless it is being used specifically to discuss THAT Bird.
I forgot to tell Isaak.
At the table tonight, after he had eaten enough that he wasn't quite starving any more, he sat back in his chair, looked around the table and announced, "Dodo!", then dissolved into giggles. He laughed so hard I was afraid he'd fall off his chair. He calmed down after a few minutes, waited until everyone else was eating again, and again proclaimed, "Dodo!", followed again by almost hysterical laughter. The third time he tried it, he couldn't even get the word out before he started laughing again.
I think when he gets into 2nd grade, we'll skip the Dodo example and substitute dinosaurs or Passenger Pigeons instead!
