Parents. Des ideés, des conseils, un forum...
| La classe de CP de Ms. Ackerman | Une autre classe arrivera dans quelques minutes. Pour l'instant nous sommes 16. 8 filles et 8 garçons placés sur 2 rangées. |
| Boowa | Bonjour tout le monde ! Moi, c’est Boowa et vous ? Vous vous appelez comment ? |
LES ENFANTS, se présentent les uns après les autres.
| Boowa | Qui veut me poser la première question ? |
| La classe de CP | Yashwina te demande comment tu as trouvé les prénoms de Boowa et Kwala ? |
| Boowa | C'est ma maman qui m’a donné le prénom de Boowa. |
| Kwala | Et Boowa m’a donné le mien... Parce que je dis tout le temps quoi làààà... Laaaaaaaaaaaaaa ! |
Scott Merrick lit le message à toute la classe en imitant la voix de Kwala.
| Boowa | Hé Scott, c’était une très bonne imitation ! |
| La classe de CP | D'où est-ce que tu nous parles ? |
| Boowa | De l'Ile Maurice, dans l’océan indien. |
| La classe de CP | C'est à combien de miles de chez nous ? Daniel dit 26.. |
| Boowa | Ah, plus que ça ! |
| La classe de CP | Elyse says 40,000. |
| Boowa | Less than that. |
| 1st graders | Lauren says 1000. |
| Boowa | More than that. |
| 1st graders | Alec says 2 million. |
| Boowa | That would be on the moon ! |
Boowa lives about 12,000 miles awa from these first graders (about 20,000 km) but the kids were laughing so much, they forgot the question.
| 1st graders | Michael says how did you get so good at graphics and computers. |
| Boowa | My mom taught me, she is called Mawa and she is VERY clever indeed. |
| 1st graders | She must be. |
| Boowa | Who knows what my dad is called ? |
| 1st graders | Dawa? Colin says. |
| Boowa | Right. |
| 1st graders | What is his job ? |
| Boowa | He was a musician, now he has retired. He taught me to sing and play music on my keyboard. |
| 1st graders | Ahhhh, keyboard . Ms. M wonders what kind of music he plays. |
| Boowa | 60's music. Nice music that you can sing along to. |
| 1st graders | Alec wonders where you were born? |
| Boowa | I was born in the Land of the Funny Dance. Who knows where that is? |
| 1st graders | Rayne says Scotland |
| Boowa | Scotland is the Land of the Big Green Monster. |
| 1st graders | Errrm, Ireland? |
| Boowa | No, not there. I come from England, where everyone dances the funny dance. That's why we call it the Land of the Funny Dance. |
Ms. McGowan’s class of 20 comes into the room and they all sit down.
| Boowa | Hi. What are your names ? |
Ms. McGowan’s class takes turns telling Boowa their names and Boowa replies that he’s glad to meet them!
| Ms. Ackerman and Ms. McGowan 1st graders |
Perhaps we can sing Boowa and Kwala for you. All of us now! |
| Boowa | Go ahead guys. |
We think they sing here... but we have no sound.
| Boowa | I can't hear you :o(( |
Mr. Merrick gets the “talk” button locked, and all 36 1st graders sing “Boowa and Kwala,” with Boowa joining in and applauding at the end of the song!
| Boowa | Now I can hear you ! That was great ! |
| 1st graders | Colin says did you come up with all the games by yourself? |
| Boowa | We did... ...with some help from the kids. |
| 1st graders | Did you have to go to school to learn how? |
| Boowa | Yes. You learn a whole lot at school ! |
| 1st graders | What school and where? |
| Boowa | Askwith school, in the Land of the Funny.... DANCE. |
| 1st graders | Do you like the island that you're on right now? asks Rosario |
| Boowa | Yes. It is lovely and hot and the beaches are sandy. |
| 1st graders | We are rainy and cold today. Were is Kwala? |
| Boowa | Kwala just went down to the beach to swim and build sandcastles. |
| 1st graders | Ashley asks how do you do the Funny Dance? |
| Boowa | I am dancing it right now, but you can't see me. Perhaps Scott could show you? |
Mr. Merrick stands and does a silly kind of a jig, flapping his arms as he does. The kids all laugh.
| Boowa | Touch your heads, then your shoulders and then your knees and then your toes. Right on Scott ! |
USN kids sing “Heads, Shoulders Knees and Toes” and Boowa joins in.
| 1st graders | USN kids sing for you! |
| Boowa | Cool. Way, way cool. |
Boowa is very pleased and appluads :o-)
| 1st graders | Thanks for the applause! |
| Boowa | Thanks for the song. |
| 1st graders | Where do you live now ? Are you vacationing ? Asks James. |
| Boowa | We live right on the beach and we live here all the time. We have a palm tree in the garden and a hammock. |
| 1st graders | I think I need a research trip to visit (Mr. M.). |
| Boowa | You do, you do. By the way, did I spell "Hammock" right? Oh dear! |
| 1st graders | Spealt perfuctly. |
| Boowa | Ha ha, I am not a teacher, so that's OK. |
| 1st graders | McKenzie asks if there's a special language spoken on your island. |
| Boowa | Yes there is, it is called Creole and is a kind of French language. |
| 1st graders | Can you say some of it for us? |
| Boowa | I can't but but a friend of mine can. |
| 1st graders | Is he or she there now? |
| Boowa | He is coming over right now. He's called David. |
| 1st graders | Yayyy! |
| David | Bonzour tou dimoune, Boowa li mo pli bon camarade. |
| Boowa | What do you think he said ? |
| 1st graders | Could we hear it again? |
| David | Bonzour tou dimoune, Boowa li mo pli bon camarade. |
| 1st graders | Hello, how are you, my name is David? |
| Boowa | He said "Hello everyone, Boowa is my best friend". Nice language, huh? |
| 1st graders | Beautiful! |
| Boowa | And people use it to say such nice things |
| 1st graders | Do you and Kwala live together, asks Matthew G? |
| Boowa | Yes, we do. We a big house divided in two. We both live with our families right next door to each other. |
| 1st graders | Lauren and Grisha ask if you have a girlfriend? |
| Boowa | Nope, but I have lots of friends and that's cool. |
| 1st graders | How did you get blue skin? Asks Somya and Sarah? |
| Boowa | My fur has always been blue. My mom's fur is blue and my dad's is light bluey turquoise-ishbut it was blue when he was a young pup ! My dad is really handsome with his light bluey turquoise-ish fur so I hope I look like him in a few years' time. |
| 1st graders | Cool! Could we sing you the scary wary song? |
| Boowa | That isn't such a great song without the music. And it scares David. |
| 1st graders | Could we sing you the banana song? |
| Boowa | Great. Yes, please. |
USN 1st graders sing along to “One Potato” (alias‘One Banana’)
| 1st graders | Hope you like our singing! |
| Boowa | I love it. Hooray, that's even better. How about singing "what does your dad do" without the music ? |
Boowa sings a verse : "My dad's a musician, he makes music all day long, my dad's a musician, what does your dad do?"
| Boowa | How was that? Did you hear me? |
USN kids sing their own versions but Boowa can't hear because Mr. Merrick forgot to get the “talk” key locked. Again.
| Boowa | That was a great song :o-) I hope you have a recording of it. |
Unhappily, this moment was lost to posterity - Mr Merrick had forgotten to start the video recorder... Better luck next time !
| 1st graders | Daniel wants to know if you are famous? |
| Boowa | Do you know who I am? |
| 1st graders | You're Boowa, right? |
| Boowa | Then I am famous :o) |
Laughs all round
| 1st graders | Last question here; Aline wants to know how old is your website? |
| Boowa | The website is 4 years old. |
| 1st graders | Then we're older than your web site!!! |
| Boowa | Any more questions? |
| 1st graders | Merci beaucoup. Wonderful. Okay we will sign off now. Wish we were there! |
| Boowa | Wish you were here too ! |
The 1st graders leave for their classrooms.
