Roots: Pulling Them Up & Putting Them Down: ::Finally a reader!::

Monday, December 13, 2010

::Finally a reader!::

I have chilled right out as the holidays descend upon us. It has taken two weeks to complete one week of work. Meh. I can't find it in me to care. We are baking loads, {with my early Christmas present--a Kitchenade Mixer!} And we are squeezing in last minute visits with friends before they scatter across the country for Christmas. So, we have to roll with it.

This week, we wrote like Abraham did! Cuneiform. They would have used reeds to etch the lines into their clay tablets. We used clay tools. Caelah wrote me a secret message.

In Shakespeare's day, they played a game called Nine Men's Morris. Cae and I crafted our own version of it and played several games of it.

Our poet for the next while is Christina Rossetti. I really love her poetry. It is always just within my mental grasp. I am attempting to read through a huge tomb on her life. It is well-written, but massive. Her Italian family was packed with talent. Her brother, Dante Gabriel was a well-known artist. He painted her into many of his works.

Conveniently, one of her most famous poems has been written into Christmas story for kids.

I think we have found the ONE. I have heard that some kids seem to find reading a very arduous task at first. They dig in their heels and moan when you ask them to crack the spine of even a brightly illustrated story. And then they discover an author who thrills them to the core. And they begin to devour the words on the page. Beverly Cleary is our newest featured author. That means we are beginning the Ramona series. I have fond memories of the quirky character. "She's a lot like me!"Cae said. I recall her being a precocious, forward girl who deeply challenges her parents. So, yes, there are similarities between the two. She has been averaging two and a half Ramona book a week. Sadly, there aren't enough of them to sustain the momentum. What next?