The Story and the Now

I found an old journal (last part of 2007) in a stack of novels hidden behind a chair in my little “office”. I am usually very careful with my journals, keeping them together and safe. This one isn’t the usual black moleskine but a fancy cloth one given to me by a friend, and that’s …

First Letters from My Daughter

Amie has taken to writing me letters – she’s been watching My Neighbor Totoro, in which the oldest girl writes letters to her mother. I can’t come anywhere near her when she is writing. “Don’t look!” she says – not aware, perhaps, that I can hear her perfectly as she sounds out what she is …

Art Work, Reading, Writing and Algebra

We’re all retreating into the living room around the warm fire. There’s so much to do in this contracted world. Art Not a day goes by when Amie doesn’t work at her art. She’ll often pronounce “I am practicing because I want to be an artist.” She enjoyed discovering the technique of splashing by rubbing …

The 100-Books-a-Month Challenge

I discovered the Home-Grown Kids 100-books-a-month challenge through Sherry’s blog, and just knew Amie would go for it. We already read about 100 books a month, only they’re often the same ones. (Could it be we sometimes read the same book 100 times? It sure seems that way sometimes!) So our challenge will be to …

How Amie’s Summer Is Going

Math Tea Party Parrot … “Mama, when you see it IN your eyes, but not outside your eyes, it’s a dream, right?” “Yes.” “That’s why when you open your eyes it’s no longer there.” … “Mama, Peter Pan [movie] is made up of pieces.” “Yes, like Kipper: episodes.” “No, Kipper episodes are stories by themselves. …

Reading and Writing Checks Already, Arithmatic, and the Metaphyics of Time

What with all the gardening around here it’s been a while since I wrote about Amie’s non-gardening doings and goings. Here are some newer developments. We’re working on her letters. She recognizes all the upper and lower case and can sound out and read three-letter words: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4RYw1LUqv8 But writing them is something else altogether, especially …

Amie Writes?

I’ve been quiet about Amie’s reading and writing here because it’s tough to know where she stands. One day she reads and writes enthusiastically, the other day she won’t even write her own name properly (and that she has been able to do since she turned two). She has been reading simple words, slowly stringing …