She's scary smart, and I'm not always sure what to do with that.
I feel fundamentally responsible for my birds' experiences because I am practically responsible for all of their experiences. They do not have the freedom--the agency--I have to control their lives, although in our little home, I give them as much of that as I possibly can.
If they have yummy veggies and fruits and healthy pellets each day, it's on me. If they have toys to keep them busy, kisses and cuddles and playtime, or if they sit listless and bored in their cages, it's on me. I play God to their very existence, and I approach this task, as all tasks for my sweet birds, with humor and gentle contemplation.
After all, they never asked to be born. And yet, here they are, and... it's on me.
So, Ellie's brain is a thing that keeps me up at night. If my birds were human children, Isabelle would be my whimsical daydreamer and Ellie would be a pre-med college student. She learns faster than I can figure out new things to teach her, her little eyes sparkling with delight, her butt feathers wiggling with excitement. Ellie *lives* for learning. And honestly? She's learned a lot of tricks, but every single time I teach her something new, I wonder, "How am I going to keep teaching her new things for 60 years?"
She's learned every basic color, and in two days learned to count to three--she can count lemons, oranges, and fingers. We've almost mastered 4 today.
Yesterday, while hiking, I decided I'm going to try to teach her to read. I've mulled this thought around for a few years, but really hashed out ideas yesterday. I stopped at Wal-Mart and stocked up on a fresh batch of foam numbers and letters.
So here's my game plan:
1. If Ellie is going to have any level of comprehension, she'll need to know objects. I'll shorten all the birds' names to simple words, one-vowel words - Iz (Isabelle), Lil (Lily), and Ell (Ellie). I'll teach her other objects: ball, mom, toy, bed, sofa, chair, play stand, stick, boy, girl, mima, etc.
2. I'll teach her phonics with lower case letters. The English language is unnecessarily complex. No need for capitalization.
3. I'll pair the sounds with words. "Buh! Ball!" And then we'll start spelling out the sounds, once she's mastered them, to the paired objects.
I wonder too... what's the point? Even if it worked, even if she learns to read, would she actually enjoy it? If I make books for her titled The Day Iz took Ell's Toy or The Big Treat would she find it interesting, the way stories progress and unfold? Could I create stories that would be meaningful to her? Would it be entertaining? It's an interesting question for me. I just don't know. Could an animal enjoy a story, if they understood language?
So here's my game plan:
1. If Ellie is going to have any level of comprehension, she'll need to know objects. I'll shorten all the birds' names to simple words, one-vowel words - Iz (Isabelle), Lil (Lily), and Ell (Ellie). I'll teach her other objects: ball, mom, toy, bed, sofa, chair, play stand, stick, boy, girl, mima, etc.
2. I'll teach her phonics with lower case letters. The English language is unnecessarily complex. No need for capitalization.
3. I'll pair the sounds with words. "Buh! Ball!" And then we'll start spelling out the sounds, once she's mastered them, to the paired objects.
I wonder too... what's the point? Even if it worked, even if she learns to read, would she actually enjoy it? If I make books for her titled The Day Iz took Ell's Toy or The Big Treat would she find it interesting, the way stories progress and unfold? Could I create stories that would be meaningful to her? Would it be entertaining? It's an interesting question for me. I just don't know. Could an animal enjoy a story, if they understood language?
Beyond that, Ellie would undoubtedly enjoy the interaction--the process of learning. And certainly there is meaning in such fun and challenging interaction.
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