Books and Birds

Since Ellie is learning how to read, she's also been engaging in books much differently. I used to read to the birds, and they'd hang out--not really paying attention, but enjoying the sound of my voice and the company. Now Ellie looks at the books--she looks at the words and the pictures, because she's understanding that they mean something.

Often, she'll touch the letters she's already learned, and she looks at the animals with more interest. It's fascinating to me--all of these things she will be able to understand because she's acquiring language. For instance, we often sit in the backyard by the creek and watch the fish. For all she knows, they are blobs in a big blob, and they move, and that's it.

But now, I've taught her F means Fish and we read books about fish. We saw youtube videos and pictures of fish, and we went to a fish store and looked at fish. She'll learn that fish swim in water (and she'll know what water is, because she drinks it). And when we sit outside to watch the fish, I can point and tell her, "Those are fish too!"

So... it's amazing how much language opens up an individual's experience.

Ellie is terrified of trucks. When we get to T, I hope to teach her about trucks, and get her a little toy truck. We'll drive around and look at trucks and watch them on the internet, and I hope she'll understand that they aren't scary, once she knows what they are.