Summer separation; media update 292

I've been away from home all summer, from mid-June to July 29. This has been the longest period I have ever been separated from J and, consequently, the longest he has gone without his main L2 source and speaking partner. All told, we were apart for 43 days (we all met in Paris for a week in mid-July, on which more in a later post).

I was worried before I left about the impact of this separation on J's German. So I got various German-YouTube-video series (Jim Knopf, Let's Play World of Warcraft, Let's Play Minecraft) lined up on my computer screen, and my wife saw to it that he did regular watching. I've just looked back at the history and done the numbers, and it amounts to about 22 minutes per day of passive practice. 

He hasn't lost much L2 ability. He speaks a bit more hesitantly at times, and yesterday, which we spent mostly alone together and in which he did a lot of talking, he asked me three or four times how to say some very basic words. On the other hand, he also produced some new expressions and formulations he's picked up in the meantime or which are the product of his developing brain. I heard some verbal combinations I don't believe I've heard before (though I didn't write them down and don't remember what they are now). 

So all in all, J's German is still going very strong and a summer of diminished L2 use has proven to be just a slight bump in the road. 

I now look forward to returning to our regular routines and to regular posting. 

2016
Total audio: 28.55
Total video: 25:25
Total gamplay: 5.00
Age 6.09.31

Media update 291

Reading: Grimms Märchen, "Schneewittchen."

This story had J trembling in suspense and saying "O nein, O nein" every time the evil queen spoke with the mirror.

Die Unterstadt

These pictures of the Undercity from World of Warcraft are actually several weeks old:

Das Volk der Murinae

J and I, along with the mice Ulli and Sabine, have decided that World of Warcraft needs a new rodent-people that can act as player characters. So we've set about designing one.

J is very excited and has been coming up with new ideas and plans and drawings all day. Below is what we have so far.

Murinae

Ein neues Volk der großen Nagetiere in World of Warcraft.

Verfügbare Klassen: Todesritter, Mönch, Schurke, Krieger, Jäger,  Magier, Priester, Druide

Hauptstadt: Nagerran

Nagerran ist die Hauptstadt des Inselreiches vom Volk der Murinae oder Murinen. Diese Inselreich liegt in der Verbotenen See östlich der Östlichen Königreiche, nicht weit von Eisenschmiede. Bis jetzt lag Nagerran unentdeckt, und das Volk der Murinen lebte in Frieden und Sicherheit. Aber jetzt sind ein paar Naga-Schurken in Nagerran eingebrochen. Sie stehlen Geldsäcke von den Murinen.

Erste Quests

1. Gift gegen Naga ausstreuen

2. Geldsäcke aufsammeln

3. Krabben einfangen, die in den Gängen und Tunneln herum krabbeln.

Media update 290

Reading: Grimms' Märchen, "Der Froschkönig," "Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten," "Der Fischer und seine Frau." Viewing: Die Zehn Gebote: Mose und das Geheimnis der steinernen Tafeln (1:26); Augsburger Puppenkiste, Jim Knopf und Lucas der Lokomotivführer (2 episodes, 58 min).

I've read Grimms' fairy tales to Jamie many times in the past, and the Bremen musicians was his favorite story for a long time. But he has a lot more to say about the tales now. Especially with "Der Fischer und seine Frau" he expressed great consternation, calling out "Sie ist so gierig!" and suchlike throughout the story. Also with regard to the Pharaoh's onstinate behavior in the Moses film: "Das wird ihm noch leid tun!"

2016
Total audio: 28.55
Total video: 9:25
Total gamplay: 4.00
Age 6.08.06

Media update 290

Reading: Leserabe, Krimigeschichten für Erstleser (2. Lesestufe); Erhard Dietl, Die Olchis fliegen in die Schule; Stian Hole, Morkels Alphabet; Axel Scheffler, Mein Haus ist zu end und zu klein; Für Hund und Katz ist auch noch Platz; DreamWorks, Drachenzähmen leicht gemacht. Das drachenstarke Filmbuch; Drachenzähmen leicht gemacht 2. Das große Buch zum Film; DreamWorks Dragons, Der große Drachenführer; Das große Fanbuch; Drachen; Wieso, weshalb, warum, Wir entdecken den Weltraum; Bei den Wikingern; Sanderijn van der Doef & Martin Latour, Vom Liebhaben und Kinderkriegen. Mein erstes Aufklärungsbuch; Meyers kleine Kinderbibliothek, Die Maus und andere Nagetiere. 

Listening: Michael Ende, Jim Knopf und die Wilde 13 (7.58 min); Paul Maar, Jaguar und Neinguar. Gedichte (48 min.); Ich weiß was, "Albert E. erklärt Internet, Handy & Co" (44 min.); Ich weiß was, "Albert E. erklärt Freundschaft," (46 min). 

Viewing: Augsburger Puppenkiste, Jim Knopf und Lucas der Lokomotivführer (115 min); Jim Knopf und die Wilde 13 (115 min).


2016
Total audio: 28.55
Total video: 7:01
Total gamplay: 4.00
Age 6.08.06

Josephs Kleid der vielen Farben

J loves musicals. He's been listening to Andrew Loyd Webber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat a lot, and knows a lot of the songs by heart. Since this is one of the few American musicals that has been translated and recorded in German, I got it for him.

The libretto is very well translated, by Heinz Rudolf Kunze. 

As I've mentioned before (here and here), a significant part of my L2 pedagogy is to have J experience the same stories both in English and in German. 

Interestingly, when my wife got home this evening and J was telling her about listening to this in German, he said he understood it better in German than in English! That makes me feel better, and compensates somewhat for this Peter Pan experience.