Making the Connection: "Getting It"

I love the Helen Keller story.   For me, the most powerful scene in the movie is when Helen "gets it."  When the water is running from the well onto Helen's hands, and Annie Sullivan is signing those letters W-A-T-E-R furiously into Helen's hand.   I think I read that book the first time when I was in the 4th grade, and it still gives me goose bumps to think about it.

As a parent, there is nothing more exciting to me than to be helping one of my children understand a complicated concept, and see that "get it" moment, that instant when the light bulb comes on and everything clicks into place in his/her brain, and the information makes sense.

Many years ago, when my oldest daughter (who is now a sophomore in college) was in kindergarten, her kindergarten teacher suggested to all the parents that we label common household items in our home.   This was a great way, she said, to visually teach your children the connection between all those 26 letters they've struggled and successfully learned, and the written word.   It's such a simple thing to do....

 

and 5 year old Luke feels so proud when he walks through the house reading and spelling words:  "Clock.  c - l - o - c - k.  Door.  d - o - o - r."   In fact, he's even pointed out some items in the house that we should also label, and he's labeled them in his own handwriting (with me spelling the words...like "chair" and "shelf" and "refrigerator").

Just a tip I thought my readers might want to try....it works for me!

Enjoy!
~Lisa