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

      

Fun Craft Idea (aka Keep from Going Stir Crazy!!!)

This is perhaps the 7th or 8th (or 139th, but who's counting?) day in a row where it has been just too cold to play outside.

We've baked (and eaten!) cookies (all wearing our custom aprons, I might add).

We've played board games (Scrabble, Apples to Apples Junior -- did you know there is now a Junior edition of this fun game? Must check it out! -- Electronic Pictionary Man, and Loaded Questions -- which is our family's favorite game of 2010 by the way).

We've watched almost every DVD in the house (not kidding!).

We've played charades.

Just the other day, 2 of my girls taped (blue painters tape) my 13 year old to a chair, then rolled him in front of a computer and turned on a Dora the Explorer video (I am not making this up!).

Today, we dragged out some of our favorite books, and one in particular, Snowballs, by Lois Ehlert (which, if you haven't read it, is a wonderful!!!!! book for young children!) tickled our creativity bone, so Luke and I decided we needed to create a "snow-something."

Luke is dying to grow up and go deer hunting with his Dad, so his immediate decision was to create a "Snow Buck."

I gathered glue and Cheerios and raisins and mini marshmallows and pasta and chocolate chips and even a can of celery seed.   First, I drew some shapes on a piece of paper (I used a graphics program on my computer, because I'm anal that way), and then Luke went to work creating THE most amazing "Snow Buck" I've ever seen!!!

What a fun way to spend an hour.

Enjoy!
~Lisa