She is READING!!!

I've been working with Maddy on her reading skills (almost) every day since school started. She already knew her alphabet last year and the sounds that each letter makes but since her attention span was so short, we didn't work on reading very much last year or this summer.

I was pretty frustrated the first few weeks of school. We would go to the library and read but she was not used to the routine and got frustrated when she didn't know the word right away. And just like with Connor...it just happened. She and I read this book for the first time today and she "got it". Woo Hoo! I'm sure we have lots of reinforcement and work to go, but I'm thrilled that she is actually reading.

We have a huge love of reading in our home and she likes to look at books and this is the next stage! Yippee! *note* This was the 2nd video that I recorded and right before she stopped....but it gives you an idea of where she is.



On a similar note, Connor was tested for reading. One month into first grade he tested at a 5th grade level. (He read Harry Potter 1 over the summer and 2,3 and part of 4 in September!) His teacher told us that he is reading and comprehending at 160 words a minute. Not shabby at all. We'll keep working on vocabulary and make a bigger focus on reading scriptures out loud.

She also told us that he'll start learning multiplication around Christmas. (He goes to a 2nd grade TAG class for math) and she suggested that we enroll him in team sports.

I HATE SPORTS. Invariably, they schedule games at conflicting times or take up every weekend and weeknight with late practices and games. (Inner tantrum here) That's why I put him in Gymnastics. But I guess that I'll have to get over it. He does need some balance and I dont' want him to be a geek. The kids are better about gettting enough rest, so I guess I need to look into soccer or baseball. I wonder when the next season starts.