Notebooks

Reading and Writing are two essential elements to learning.

Yes, Gabi reads. She's been reading since she was four. Taught her sister to read a month later, and reads almost anything she can get her hands on. That doesn't mean that she always understands what she's reading. She just doesn't have the life experience - and sometimes the vocabulary - to fully grasp the story. So my focus is on comprehension.

Trying to find the best way to do this for us, I've done things from writing down questions which she has to answer to just talking about it. I feel that I get the best results when we do both. So, she has a reading journal (a simple notebook) where I can write questions for her to consider and then answer about the book as she reads, or where she can also just write the things she reads about. This second way allows me to see how much she comprehends without guided questions. We also talk about the things she reads. That's not a problem for her... like her mom, she loves to talk!

The second notebook we picked up is for writing... more specifically for creative writing. Gabi loves to write, but I don't want us to keep loosing her work... mostly because she'll do something of her own choosing and then we don't know about it. This will give her a place to write. I also plan to give her "writing prompts" designed to work along side the grammar and writing lessons which I use. (My main guide is free - found online at Scott Foreman Reading. It's not a complete set of lessons and practice, it's only the basic lesson. You do have to supplement yourself. But if you don't mind doing that (which I don't) then it's one way to go and saves you a bunch of money.) The notebook will also help to keep all this writing together as well!

Reading Adventures

Jeremy is learning to put letters and sounds together. He's known his alphabet for quite some time, and with early reading sisters, he's heard the letter sounds since he could remember. So we've been working on his reading. Whenever he gets "bored" and starts to annoy his sisters (laughing all the while), I suggest that he go and get a book or two to read to me. He knows this means the ones with just a few words on the pages, and promptly runs off to get one or two along with his book light (the girls each had their own and that just wasn't fair).

We'll sit together and he'll sound out what words he "has to" and then finish a sentence based on what he sees in the picture. For a three year old, that's remarkable, so I don't complain too much. I do encourage him to sound the word out - and even make him go over the word if I notice he's "reading the picture" and not the word.

He also loves time on the computer, so he now knows he has to work at Star Fall first, and he's also encouraged to explore Super Why from PBS. Both are designed for interactive fun. I really like Star Fall for the phonics and the very basic beginning set up. Super Why, although it has some stuff for learning to put words together, it's main focus is comprehension.

Jeremy loves that he gets to "read" to Peter.... just like the girls do!

Outdoor Adventures

We enjoy getting outside when we can. Physical Education (aka Gym) is something we have to make sure we do. Normally we enjoy kicking the soccer ball around and going for various different walks. We even dance to music. Kind of do whatever seems to interest us at the moment.

Well, we are also involved in Rec Sports, so, with soccer starting up next week, not only have we been kicking the ball around, but Gabi has decided she needs to run around our garden (we have a HUGE garden, folks). She runs around it 4 times, although she hopes to eventually run around it 6 times. I suppose I should measure it just to know how far she's running!



And where better to get our imaginations working! Reading outside is a favorite. Although most of the time the kids are playing while I'm reading to them, this particular time we had prepared a picnic and then finished with Beth and I taking turns reading to the others after we were done eating.


They also decided to build their very own volcano. I thought they did a very nice job!