The girls love books! They love to read, they love to be read to, they love to pretend they can read and make up stories for the pictures...
Those who can read LOVE these books:
They are chapter books about a little girl in preschool who gets into allot of mischief. The girls would sit there reading and suddenly burst out laughing. I decided to see what was so funny, so I started reading them to the little girls. And those girls sat through the entire 2 hours, listening and laughing through these books!
Those who cannot yet read are well on their way. One of the girls (who is in third grade, and 9 years old, but still didn't even recognize the letters of the alphabet) just put all the letters of the alphabet in order with some cards at her counseling appointment! The tia is charge of the reading program was sooo excited to tell me that! She should be proud because she is the one who taught Mira the alphabet.
Playing Memory is a good game to help prepare to learn to read. You learn to recognize and memorize.
I was on Renee's blog again (http://bakersdozen.typepad.com) and came across another idea which I adapted with what I have. She has these Montessori sandpaper letter cards. Each letter of the alphabet was made from sand paper, and the idea was for the child to use his index and middle finger (the two fingers you use to hold a pencil) and trace the letter while saying the sound that letter makes ("Buh" for B). So smart!
I printed off some letter cards on card stock:
I hope this helps put the letters and sounds in their memory! In my opinion, once they know the alphabet, teaching them to read is a piece of cake. It's trying to teach them the letters that is hard! In the schools they are taught by repetition. The teacher shouts "A!" and the kids repeat "A!". The teacher shouts "E!" and the kids repeat "E!". So they can say all the letters, but if you put the letters in front of them and ask them to find the letter "S" they look at you clueless. It's hard, but I know God is giving us ideas and we are already seeing them "getting it".
2 comments:
Hooray, Anna! That is so wonderful. It's amazing how much a person can do once they learn to read and write. Keep up the good work!
I love all the initiative you are taking with the girls to make learning fun and creative! Reading the bio's of the new children was so touching-- especially little Rosa. I have a two year old and can't imagine how he would even survive all day alone in our house. I am so glad she is safe with you. What a privilege to be able to be a temporary mommy to a such a beautiful girl! I want one!!! Which reminds me, hmmm, I don't think you've been keeping up with my blog-- naughty, naughty. Did you forget that I am about to have a foster child? Elon, new baby, and foster child make three. The agency messed up on some of our paper work so this process has taken much longer than we anticipated, I was so irritated about it but I know that God has His perfect timing. This is so awful but i was tempted to tell the foster agency that I would only take a little black girl. I was tempted but I didn't. I don't want to limit God; maybe he has a little caucasian boy out there that needs to be in our home-- that would mean three boys-- Lord help me! {keep that a secret, I'm not telling it's a boy yet so don't tell mrs. bonnie!} Meanwhile, I have always wanted to go to Africa and one day I hope to adopt a little African child. My cousin leaves for Ethiopia in a few weeks to pick up his new little baby boy, Endalketchew. I am so excited for him. Say hello to the newest little additions to your home for me!
PS. Are you the only american tia in the home?
Post a Comment