Dana Lutters' Literacy Dig

Object #1: Bumper sticker on my refridergator reading "What if the Hokey Pokey really is what it's all about?"

-Overall Significance: This is a bumper sticker that we have had for years. I saw it once and thought it was funny, posing a/making fun of existential questions. There is a jumble of other things to read on the refridgerator, including random letters of magnetic poetry and a homemade frame spelling "Family" that I made when I was little. It is a literary experience every time we open the refridgerator door, taking in the jumble of words and pictures and making some coherent sense of them all.

Object #2: A YMCA brochure on the kitchen counter, listing yoga and spinning class times and sections about childcare.

-Overall Significance: This is a good example of something you find often on your counter that you naturally skim instead of read. It is designied to skim, actually, with lots of different headings in bold followed by short paragraphs, other lists and charts. It requires a certain sort of casual skimming that is routine in your own home.

Object #3: My baby niece's blocks with letters on the sides.

-I watch my niece while my sister is at work a couple days a week and there are toys and diapers in a pile in a corner of the living room. She loves her block set that has some sort of spinning/flashing/movable feature on one side, a number on one side, a picture of an animal on one side, and a letter on one side. Many of her toys are interesting to look at for how they promote literacy, actually. Letters and words and colorful and often textured to grab babies' attention.

Object #4: The back of the Honey Bunches of Oats cereal box.

-Honey Bunches of Oats is my favorite cereal. I always wonder who designs the back of cereal boxes; it is obvious that there is a clear audience. More sugary cereal often feature cartoon characters for kids and a cereal like "Grape Nuts" is pretty plain except for an ad about "not dieting hungry." That is obviously aimed toward adults. This box has pictures of family member together on the back, of various ages and races.

Object #5: A graphic tee in my drawer.

-This is a fairly common shirt reading "I love New York" (with a heart for love, but I can't type that.) Graphic tees are really popular in our generation and it is always interesting what people choose to display on their chest.