Impressed

I am so impressed with Nick's "school" progress lately. Everything I do with him is pretty flexible. I start with a plan and assume that it might not work out and might be too old for him. If he resists too much, I stop.

However, he doesn't resist as much as Xander did at young ages. He asks for "the A book" every day, which is a really repetitive book where we learn rhymes about the sounds letters make, slowly and painstakingly. He has always shown a more obvious appreciation for music and rhythm, so maybe the vowel poem in The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading is right up his alley.

I knew he knew a lot of the sounds the letters make, but with this teaching guide, I can figure out methodically what he knows and doesn't know. He's got the vowel sounds down now, though there is some confusion sometimes between the 'o' and 'u' sounds and the 'a' and 'e' sounds. Xander had that, too, I think.

By request, he's been listening to math songs that I intended for Xander. We'll see how much he learns of math by the end of the year just by eavesdropping and using Xander's materials.

We've been doing Slow and Steady Get Me Ready activities for a while. They're very fun for him. For instance, today I got out 10 clothespins and helped him count them. We stood behind a line and tried throwing clothespins into a bucket, one by one. We counted how many were out of the bucket and how many were in the bucket when we were done. I asked him which number was larger and more. He got that correct.

He's also been liking his Kumon tracing book, which is perfect practice for writing. Xander never liked those kinds of books except for the Kumon cutting book.

Last but definitely not least, Nick is excitedly learning how to put on and take off shirts and shoes. (Those are harder than shorts and underwear.)

I've mentioned before how he likes all aspects of music and art. He can point out the Mona Lisa to you in a book of paintings and loves to draw and paint himself. Right now he likes to "play piano" on our keyboard, using his beloved Myths and Legends book as a "piano book." I've ordered a series of preschool piano books that both boys will love to learn from (I hope). They start with animal characters that stand for each of the fingers (Pointer Panda, Ringo Raccoon, etc.).  The activities are colorful and fun. Later, if they continue their piano learning, I plan to order a series of piano books for more experienced players that are based around original comics.