Friday, April 20, 2012

How High?

I get an A+. Like, I totally aced this part of the Motherhood Test (and you just know we're all being graded, right?). Gold star, smiley face, good job! Because I think I taught Zoey how to read. Slash, not in a way that has both of us in tears.

It's like this: I took a pile of notecards with words and taped them all over the house. Then I made it a game. Can you find the word jump? Zoey scampers off to find the word, somehow not realizing she is also learning. And here's where I get extra credit...the cards each have a simple sentence on the back using the word on the front of the card. Jump over the log! I am sure there is something somatic going on what with her thinking this is a game so her cerebral cortex is open, synapses zapping happily along, but she is actually reading these sentences. Jump for joy! Yay! Chest bump, Van Halen Jump! Whatever. More often than not we mothers berate ourselves for what we're doing wrong...working, not working, snapping, not sleeping, sucking at playing with Barbies (I really do hate playing Barbie), so I think it's equally important to focus on what we are doing well. And right now I am excelling at teaching Zoey to read.

Though I did just notice that the title I gave in homage to the card I have pictured is also a play on the fact that it's 4/20. Dude. Baby steps. Better motherhood one flash card at a time.

xo,
S

2 comments:

Sharon said...

Congratulations - that is very clever! When I taught third grade I did something similar to teach multiplication facts. I had the kids write the "hard" facts on post it notes and we put them up around the room. At random times i would yell out, "find a fact" and they would dash around the room, find one, repeat it to themselves three times and then get back to work. It was kinda hilarious.

kate said...

freaking brilliant. wish I had thought of that, but they both read now, somehow. nice work!