Reason #1,749: Gentle Learning

I love, LOVE learning with my kids. I've already marveled that a child can begin to pick up on the logic of math, and enjoy it, all on her own. (That post is here.)

I've mentioned this same child being frustrated by the nonsense that is the English spelling of words (here). Lest anyone report to his friend that "these homeschoolers would let their kids go through life gut checking the spelling of words and spelling them however 'feels' right," I wanted to share with you the events of yesterday.

This daughter brought me a notebook and said, "Mom, let's do the reading where you write down a word and I try to read it." All her idea. The timing, the notebook, everything. So I wrote the word "to." She knew that one. Then I flipped it, "ot," and asked her what THAT said. She is still in the phase of flipping letters in her mind, so it took her a minute before she said ot. Then I wrote a bunch of words that ended with "ot." Lot, got, spot, etc.. She read them fine. Then I wrote "ought." Of course, she didn't guess it.

I explained that I knew it was going to sound crazy, but "ought" said "ot," like I "ought to give my kids some candy." She agreed that it WAS crazy. Then I wrote a few words that ended with "ought": bought, fought, sought, thought. She read each of those. Then she wanted to go back and read all the words we'd written together. We did.

Then she suggested I write some words she could use in a story. I thought that was a great idea and asked her which words to write. They were standard for her stories. ;) Butterfly, old woman, glow, flowers, sunshine, etc.. As I wrote each, I sounded out the letters as I put them on the page. After this, she "read" through these. She wasn't really sounding out the trickier or longer ones, but just seeing what they began with and remembering the word she'd wanted.

Then we had to go pick up dad from work so she didn't have time to write them into a story. Perhaps she'll never come back to them. That's fine.

I share this because taking this time with her was so peaceful. So lovely. It not only fed her mind, but felt nurturing to both our souls. This small 15 minute chunk will not make her a genius, or ahead of her age group. But she will be a perfect reader one day, with a learning process of love and happiness behind her. Perhaps the process, in the end, is more important than the speed anyway.