The Write Start

Reading Recipes

 

We have a little shelf in the kitchen where we have always kept a few kids cookbooks and some favorite foodie-fiction (green eggs anyone?). Oh, and our gardening book (see here and here) is at home here too, in case we need some "fruit of the earth" ideas.

Jack has taken to pulling out his cookbooks, Pretend Soup and Salad People when hungry and "reading" through the recipes. These cookbooks actually make great early reading books. The picture cues give just enough (but not too much) info; there are words that repeat throughout like stir, cup, and mix; and each recipe ends with a hearty "EAT!" which Jack loves to exclaim. They're tasty too, and totally do-able for can-do kids.

   

Yesterday at lunch time, Jack pulled one out and decided to make "Bagel Faces." And (with a little set up), he got to work, made it himself, and nibbled a ton of veggies while creating his Bagel Guy.

 

Of course, he ate every last bite.

 

Later, he went back to his book and chose a recipe for dinner, Tiny Tacos. Same deal: I just did a little set up and he assembled the rest himself. Another recipe read, another meal cooked, another clean plate.

I never thought of it before, but cookbooks make such reinforcing reading. Kids are deliciously rewarded for their reading efforts. What a great way to make the connection between reading, and learning, and doing. And hey, maybe someday Jack will be cooking for me. (I wonder if he's ready to tackle Thanksgiving dinner yet? Wishful thinking!) 

Are your kids fond of reading anything unexpected?

Little Notes

 

Around here, we've had a recent explosion into reading and writing. That's how it is with these things. You're just plugging along, doing the same stuff you always do (reading many, many, many books; playing alphabet games; rhyming; pointing out all kinds of print; play-writing... you know the drill) and then POW! all the pieces start coming together. That's where we're at right now. It's an exciting (and exhausting!) time full of many discoveries, some frustrations, and far more questions than I can possibly answer. All of a sudden, the world is a code that my son is trying to crack. And boy does he have an insatiable appetite for challenge!

He gets a great big kick out of the little notes that I am leaving for him around the house. My favorite spot to leave a message for him is on a little chalkboard I put right where he washes his hands (and hey, if it makes handwashing ever-so-slightly more appealing, then it's twice as nice). Every time he visits the sink he is greeted with a cheery note. After he washes his hands, he erases the message with a tiny rag, leaving me a "clean slate" on which to leave my next Mommy-memo.

   

We also started writing lunchbox love notes to Daddy. This is such a sweet ritual. It is so motivating and a great way for him to communicate to his father that he is thinking about him when he is at work.

So there you have it, the news from our house. Mommy-memos and lunchbox love notes. Short and oh-so-very sweet.

Do you have any little reading and writing rituals to share?

Rock the Vote

And the winner is:

  

chocolate chip.

We're big on voting around here. I mean the kind of day-to-day voting that teaches a child that everyone has a choice and each opinion counts. Some recent hotly-contested races include:

    Which movie to watch on movie night?

    Oatmeal raisin or chocolate chip cookies?

    Vanilla ice cream or mint chocolate chip?

    Blueberry or chocolate chip pancakes?

(I am realizing now that many of the campaigns have included chocolate chips. That may be my son's political influence...)

With the help (yet again) of our handy-dandy clipboard, we make tally marks to weigh-in on the household issues where the final decision is up for grabs. (We don't, for instance, weigh-in on weather or not to brush our teeth, or what time to go to bed.)

This post may seem glib considering the enormous decision our country is making today. But, for kids, the freedom to choose is a big deal. And for parents too. When my children are teenagers, I can't think of anything I'd find more reassuring than to feel that they are good decision-makers. The first time they ask to borrow the keys, and leave to meet their friends, what could be more important than their ability to make good choices?

Providing opportunities for children to exercise their freedom of choice definitely does not mean kids rule. Too much choice is overwhelming for a child, and unsettling, to say the least. But offering a couple of options, when appropriate, helps children learn the difference between the laws of life (like wearing a seat belt) and the choices (like wearing a blue shirt or a red one).  

So when we decided to make cookies today, as sustenance before hitting our local village hall to cast our ballot, we put it to the vote. Cinnamon or chocolate chip. I started campaigning for cinnamon early on. But Gracie was the swing vote, and she waved her arms wildly when Jack said chocolate chip (although I think the jumping, wiggling dance he did while polling her may have furthered his cause).

It's all smoke and mirrors, isn't it? I demand a re-count.