To be shocked that not even one y4 child knew the meaning of the word velvet?

[Utterlybananas333]

My sister is a teacher in a South London primary school, she is a year four teacher of around 30 8 to 9-year-olds. She was recently describing her disbelief over the fact that not a single child knew what velvet meant? There were some crazy guesses, and lots of children who thought it was cake (probably relating to red velvet). Is it just the fact that children and adults don't talk anymore? That nobody reads anymore? Or even watches educational TV programs? Would your child know?

Fawn not dawn

It's an odd word to be flabbergasted about. It's not like it comes up in everyday conversation - most mothers are in jeans and flats and carry a backpack when looking after their 4 year old (velvet doesn't get a look in!) . Am I surprised not one child had heard of it? Yes and no. Children pick up on what's around them. If the school is full of parents who neither wear velvet nor work with it, it's not such a surprise that their children don't know the word. (Velvet sofas generally aren't the first choice for parents with young kids.)

How do you wipe your nose?

I’m going to ask my similar aged child when I’m out the bath. I have a feeling they’d also have no clue.

I would’ve thought those who do dance, figure skating or gymnastics?

Id expect their granny/great granny to say paper hankie, does anyone I see the age of 80 say that?😂

Presumably with a tissue like most people nowadays

Does no one call them paper hankies anymore?

I do. So does everyone I know. Is tissue an American word?

Try the long list of colours in the song from Joseph and the amazing technicolour dreamcoat, which includes fawn.

would children know what all the colours look like? Ochre, russet, mauve?

I don’t think this is shocking. Times change. In 42 and my thanks to internet and TV my kids are exposed to LOADS more animals. I only learnt about sloths in my 30s but my 3.5 yr old knows about them now and many other exotic creatures that I simply wasn’t exposed to via TV books or anything. I only really knew about the most common ones (ie the big 5).

My kids 3, 5 and 6 know because we have the velveteen rabbit. And because they have a lot of craft supplies.

some of your sisters class probably did know but were not forthcoming with the answer for whatever reason.

I'm not at all surprised.
Velvet is a fabric that hasn't been in vogue for many years, consequently hardly anyone wears it.

My deaf child was having a vocabulary test with his Teacher of the Deaf and one of the pictures was a newspaper. He didn’t know what it was. Why would he? I haven’t bought an actual newspaper since before he was born ( he’s 6)

And how come he's never read it in a book or seen it in a film

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Definitely not on a hankie 🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮

My kids may not know what they are as we use tissues. I wouldn't have snot rags in the house.

So you use paper HANKIES!

I asked my year 5 what velvet was and she confidently replied ‘cake’

It’s year 4, not 4 year olds, @C152.

So they’d be 8, or 9 years old.

Well, I was going to say on their sleeves but preferred on a tissue/toilet roll/kitchen roll/serviette.

Never heard paper hanky in my life!

There are no hankies in Despicable Me (not that I can remember). Or Wicked. Or many of the other films I ever seen and books we've read....

Jesus why on earth does that matter. This reminds me of when my daughter changed primary school after a house move. The teacher called me in saying that she had major dexterity issues because she couldn’t do the buttons up on her shirt. No she didn’t she just wasn’t used to buttons as her old uniform was a sweatshirt and she could get it on and off without needing to do the buttons. She just hadn’t needed to so hadn’t learnt yet - she was only 5 years. Point is kids are exposed to different things and different conversations.

I have velvet clothes that I never where when with my kids as they’d totally ruin them. Kids & velvet don’t mix

Cashmere is often mentioned in fiction, and I knew it was a material, but had no idea what it looked or felt like. Ditto silk, twill, and many others.