Grandparents University 2024
The MI Diaries team hosted a special session at MSU's Grandparents University event this year, helping kids and their grandparents get involved with linguistics through the themes "Harry Potter and the Secrets of British English" and "Diary of a Michigan Kid." "Harry Potter and the Secrets of British English" included classes in Potions (ad libbing), Charms (International Phonetic Alphabet), Defense Against the Dark Arts (British accent features), and History of Magic (historical linguistics). Meanwhile, "Diary of a Michigan Kid" got folks to reflect on their experiences and start recording audio diaries, as well as thinking critically about the different types of language they use to express themselves. Kids' dance Grandparents' dance Sam Scroggins explaining dialect regions Betsy Sneller drawing Michigan Harry Kasper and Sam Scroggins in wizard swag Visitor receiving the sorting hat Circle activity Sabrina Ruiz laughing in front of the grandparents