Literacy

This year, M learned to read in school.

It's amazing to me, watching M learn to read and helping out at the end of school for a few week, that any child learns to read. English is a bitch of a language. When we're reading together, it's a constant struggle....

Me: No honey, this time the "i" sounds like ice cream, not kitten.

I can see that M gets frustrated and I can't always blame her. What's really funny about it, though, is that all the kids I read with at her school and in helping her, the kids stumble on what is seemingly the easiest, and most common words, like it, is, in, and sail through sometimes and elephant. I think it's because is, it, and in "look" alike (word recognition) and they have to really stop and think about the sounds, while elephant and sometimes don't "look" like other words they're using at this point.

What's also been interesting is that, despite Big Daddy and I being huge readers and having read to M since before her birth, she really doesn't want to read by herself. I think that is due to a) she doesn't like to do things that she doesn't do well (hmm....apple falling from tree?) and b) she gets our (Big Daddy & my) undivided attention when we read together. Truth be told, I love snuggling up with her and reading together.

In the interest of practice, though, we have a deal this summer to read for at least 10 minutes and do some workbook pages in exchange for time on the computer to play with the god-forsaken Webkinz that we caved and bought her. We include her reading to Little Peeps, which, I have to say, is one of the cutest things ever. Peeps is reading and Little Peeps is rolling all over her to get closer. It's hard not to eat them both up in their cuteness.