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?

When I was a little girl velvet was a common party dress fabric. It isn’t any more…

I probably knew what velvet was at that age.
Possibly because my mother was a seamstress 😆

Just asked DS(6) who’s in Y2. He knew what it was, said they talked about different fabrics last year in school 🤷‍♀️

Thinking about it my sister in law has possibly a velvet sofa. She’s very Mrs hinch. Grey empty home

Agreed with others that I'm not sure why this surprises you it your sister. It's hardly a common material and as for the poster talking about velvet sofas, I genuinely don't know anyone with a velvet sofa.

You never see velvet much - I think we had velvet ribbons when we were kids

I've witnessed children over 7 who thought goats were dogs.

I've just asked my extremely intelligent older teen what it was. He didn't know. I haven't said velvet for years, the last time was probably in the 80s as a small child in a velvet dress. Kids don't need to know what velvet is

don't kids ever flip through newspapers or magazines any more?

No. Because many households don't have newspapers or magazines - I honestly can't remember the last time I bought one. It's different times - these sort of things are mainly on-line now. Very few people get papers/magazines/comics delivered the way they did when I was young.

Children will have a different vocabulary nowadays than they did when their parents were little. And their parents probably would have had a different vocabulary than their parents before them did. Times change. That's not necessarily a bad thing. I'm sure that children will know quite a few words that mean nothing much to their parents!

I just asked DD, age 8/year 4 and she said ‘red velvet’ so I said, ‘no proper velvet and she said it’s a soft fabric. She reads a lot of old fashioned books so it’s probably from there. I don’t think it would be that unusual not to know though, but I would think a few out of 30 kids would have heard of it.

I am surprised, I’m afraid.

None of those children have a velvet quilt on a bed at home?

None of their mothers went to Christmas work parties in a velvet top? Or velvet trousers?

No velvet cushions on chairs?

Are velvet headbands out of fashion, now?

I get that velvet slippers might be outside their experience.

🤷‍♀️

Oh come on - besides magazines, you can see a velvet sofa on every bloody DFS ad! (“Sale ending Monday! New sale starts Tuesday!”). Not only that but there’s velvet tops and dresses for sale on damn near every website that sells slightly dressy things. I mean The Velvetine Rabbit? Mint Velvet? The bloody Hotel Chocolate Velvetizer? Ffs. (Not frustrated with you in particular @FreedomForFree - I just mean I think the whole thing is ridiculous).

I do think there’s a huge lack of curiosity about words now; half the children I know, when they hear a word and don’t know what it means, just don’t ask. I saw a fully grown adult American pronounce Jane Eyre as “Jane Eye-ree.” Nothing surprises me anymore. I also finished my university degree eight years after I started. It was very clear that the original students I was with were a lot “smarter” (more well-read, better vocabularies, better at logic, more well-informed) than those eight years later.

None of that in my house.

I don’t own any velvety clothes none of us do.

I’ve never even heard of a velvet quilt.

I just asked my 8 yr old/yr 4 child and she knew. Was able to point to my velour trousers as an example of velvety material...North london state school. Reads a book a week on average.

😳

Mountain dogs 😂😂

I've tried several times to read the velvet bunny and it's not good. Just asked dd who in year 5 and said it's something fluffy

I just asked my child (late primary years) and he couldn’t define it even though I wore a velvet dress on Christmas Day!

There's no velvet in my house at all to my knowledge. I don't thinks all that unusual...

I retired 2 years ago - but velvety grey sofas were in quite a high % of houses I visted during my working day. Clients being in their 20 - 30's.

Just asked my year 5 son. He has heard of it but thought it was short for Velcro !

Try:
Wireless
Continental quilt
Knocking shop
Norks

Kids these days have no clue

Same here.
My bright 12 yo had no idea of the word. Now she does.

My Y4 thought it was a colour but Y5 knew it was a material! I don’t own anything velvet and neither do they… dunno when it would come up in conversation!

I'm not really surprised as I definitely noticed children become less observant and aware during my time teaching. They knew a lot about things that were in popular culture and would get very absorbed in topic and specialist vocabulary but there would be surprising things they didn't know. I think the breadth and range of reading material declined and that probably had something to do with it, but there's also a more prevalent response these days to anything unfamiliar which is 'who does that?' The answer usually being, loads of people actually.
What I'm more surprised at is adults on this thread who think velvet is an obscure, outdated fabric or not used for children's dresses anymore. It's ubiquitous in winter fashion and currently used everywhere for sofas and soft furnishings. Googling 'velvet cushions' or 'velvet dress for girls' in shopping would probably generate hundreds of results.