Here on 365 Days of Literacy for Kids, your kids will be “dressed” with IDIOMS during the month of September.

IDIOMS are phrases that reveal “secrets” from the past. IDIOMS come from many sources, many languages, many authors, many cultures.  The “hidden” meanings in IDIOMS are great fun for kids, but also teach important, interesting and intriguing lessons in how language has developed and evolved over time.

Each SEPTEMBER IDIOM on 365 Days of Literacy for Kids will address something to do with clothing… like a wild idea or activity that your child just can’t seem to get out of her head – or a BEE IN HER BONNET.

– The idiom bee in your bonnet refers to one being excited, agitated or having an eccentric whim or seeming obsession with something.

– Origin of bee in your bonnet Idiom:  Bee in your bonnet derives from the idiom bees in your head, first recorded during the 16th century in Alexander Douglas’s Aeneis.

– In 17th century Britain and Scotland, the word bonnet referred to the soft, brimmed headwear of boys, girls, men and women.  The phrase bee in your bonnet describes the way someone may behave if excited or agitated and cannot talk about anything but the obsession… like having a bee in your head or bonnet.

The idiom bee in your bonnet can be used in a fun way with kids.  For example, if kids are excited about school beginning and can’t seem to talk about anything else, tell them they have bees in their bonnets and explain why!  This idiom certainly gives us a very good visual.

Dress your kids for back-to-school success with knowledge and attention to bees in your bonnet!

Take a few minutes each day in SEPTEMBER to teach the secrets of IDIOMS to your kids & grandkids.  Understanding IDIOMS is a wonderful way to enrich reading and language development.

And I’m not just talking through my hat!