Get ‘Em While They’re Hot!
Hot dogs. Garlic fries. Chicken wings. Cotton candy. Ice cream. Asian sriracha bowls?
Tacoma Rainiers
These are just some of the treats they have to offer at Cheney Stadium, home of the minor league Tacoma Rainiers. Still, the games are fun to watch, the hype man is a welcome distraction when the innings get “long,” and during the summer they have fireworks every Friday.
Seattle Mariners
Or, head on over to SafeCo Field, home of the Seattle Mariners. The tickets are pricier than the ones at Cheney Stadium, but you’re also watching a Major League team at work. Not to mention all of the different culinary options in store: Din Tai Fung, Jack’s BBQ, Dynamite Chicken and Sultan Sandwich, just to name a few. 🍗🥪
But it’s not just about stuffing your face and walking around in jerseys.
Swing and a Miss! Verbs
The main reason we go is the baseball. And baseball is a perfect medium in which to introduce (or reintroduce) your kiddo to verbs.
The sport of baseball is chock full of verbs for all the world to see. Hitting, pitching, catching, throwing, sliding, winning, losing…
Pre-Game Warm up
Just as we did with the zoo, you can definitely start with verbs and baseball before you even stand in line at the stadium by going over them at home. You can use illustrated books or watch a movie, cartoons, an online video. Better yet, watch an actual baseball game at home. Whatever medium you decide to use, point out every verb you see out loud and have him repeat them. 📕 📺
Predictions & Inferences
At home or at the stadium, before the players make a move ask him, “What do you think will happen next?” Use verbs to get him started on making predictions and drawing inferences. ❓
Verb Types
Depending on his language skill level talk about past tense verbs ending in “-ed” (pitched, batted, etc.); present tense verbs that usually end in “-ing” (hitting, pitching, watching, losing, winning, etc.). Man, English is complicated!
Again, depending on skill level, you can also move on to future tense verbs. “I think he will strike out.” “Maybe we will win the game.”
Just like in the earlier blogs about going to the zoo and the State Fair, record as much of the experience as you can by taking as many pictures and making as many videos as possible. Make an album with the photos and download the videos and use them to go over the verbs in their varied forms again, and again, and again. Repetition and practice are the keys to improvement. 📸🎥