Bud is obsessed with letters and spelling. Not an hour goes by when he doesn't spell out a word on some label or sign or book he can see. And he and Sis both can spot and read the word "zoo" all over the place--short, distinct, familiar--they've seen it on books, a t-shirt, and even their dinnertime panda bowls (from our visit to the National Zoo when they were just babes). So I asked the director of their school what I should be doing. She said just to keep up what we were doing--noticing words, spelling them, sounding them out--but also suggested labelling things like they do around school.
So, this morning we had a big spelling game. I would write a word in pink or blue on a card and the respective child (can you guess?) would help sound it out and then tape it to the appropriate object. Chair, table, wall, floor, curtains, door, dresser, drawer, and piano. As I wrote the letters of "piano," Bud actually said, "piano!" I asked him how in the world he knew that. Had he sounded it out quickly? No, he remembered it from "Word World." I guess that's why the Department of Education supports that show!
We had fun with the cards for awhile but then started reading books off our shelves, including a first read of Library Lion, which is an endearing picture book about a lion trying to follow the rules at the local library. Next, they were asking me when we could read more Magic Tree House books. So, this afternoon, when the babysitter was here (and after I had to go get my glasses fixed, after only two weeks! They replaced the whole frame), I went to the bookstore and picked up two more in the series, namely Knights at Dawn and Mummies in the Morning. I also talked to my favorite clerk about other series--Nate the Great, Ivy and Bean, The Secrets of Droon--but she thought most of those would be too old for 4 year olds. Maybe after we read the 45-odd books in the Magic Tree House series!
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