When I first toured Ellie's daycare, I was impressed with what the kids knew before going into kindergarten (letters, a few words, very simple addition, etc). I wrote an email to the Mommy Group in Boulder asking what was normal for kids entering kindergarten.
Fast forward to last week, while having lunch at Old C's with Daddy... Ellie wants to play the games on her children's menu. The conversation went something like this:
Ellie: Let's play dis one now!
Daddy: Ok, let's see. Oh, this one could be tricky.
Ellie: Let's do it now! Can you show me?
Daddy: Ok, it's a word game. The first word is "History" (clue was "students learn dates and events from this subject"). Let's spell HISTORY.
Ellie: Ok.
Daddy: What's first? What letter makes a HHHH sound?
Ellie: Ummm.... H!
Daddy: Good job! What comes next? HHHHH-III?
Ellie: Umm... don't know.
Daddy: I'll draw it. What letter is this?
Ellie: I!!!
Daddy: Yep. What comes next? What letter sounds like SSSS?
Ellie: S!
Daddy: Good. What letter sounds like TTTT?
Ellie: T!
Daddy: What letter sounds like OOOO?
Ellie: O!
Daddy: Last letter. So far we have HISTOR... HISTOR-EEE. What letter makes that sound?
Ellie: E!
Daddy: Very good guess but when that sound comes at the end of a word, it's usually a Y that makes it.
Ellie: Oh.
Daddy: Look! We spelled out HISTORY. H-I-S-T-O-R-Y. HISTORY.
Ellie: OK. What's next?
(Next came MATH... with similar results. Almost always being correct on the first guess. If not, then the second.)
Ellie: What's next?
Daddy: I think you can guess this clue. The clue is "You _______ books." What do you do with books?
Ellie: I don't know.
Daddy: Do you sit on books?
Ellie: No way!
Daddy: Do you eat books?
Ellie: No way!
Daddy: Hmmm... then what do you do with books?
Ellie: READ DEM!!!
Daddy: Good job! Let's spell the word READ. What letter makes the sound RRRR?
Ellie: Umm.... Ummm... R!
(continue with similar results, spelling out READ... A little help from Daddy with the silent A)
Daddy: Ok, the next word is something in your head that makes you think.
Ellie: BLUES CLUES!!!!
Daddy: Nope. It's called your brain.
Ellie: What color is your brain?
Daddy: I think it's grey, but that's a good question. Ok, let's spell the word BRAIN. What letter makes the BBBBB sound?
Ellie: Umm... I don't know.
Daddy: BBBB-Brynn. BBB-Bumble. BBBB-Bat.
Ellie: B!!!
(continue to spell the word BRAIN)
Daddy: Ok, the last word is STUDY. Do you think we can spell it?
Ellie: Yeah!
Daddy: What letter makes the sound SSSS?
Ellie: Snake!
Daddy: Yeah, what letter is that?
Ellie: S!
Daddy: Good. Next is a TTTTT.
Ellie: T!
Daddy: Next is an UUHHH. Like UUUHHH-ncle David.
Ellie: U!
Daddy: DDDDDD.
Ellie: D!
Daddy: EEEEEE.
Ellie: E!
Daddy: Remember, it's the EEEE sound, but it's at the end of a word.
Ellie: Umm... umm... Y!
Daddy: Good job, Ellie! We just spelled out all the words! HISTORY, MATH, READ, BRAIN and STUDY!
Ellie: Mommy! Look what we did! We just spelled all da words! I just did it all by myself but Daddy helped!
To those parents who emailed me nasty letters saying you would never consider sending your child to a daycare that focuses on that style of learning, kids should be allowed to just be kids without worrying about the additional stress of letters and numbers... well all I have to say to you is BAH. In the wise words of Madeleine to the tiger: POO POO.
10 comments:
Good Parents: Preparing their children and helping them become productive members of society.
Bad Parents: Complaining about good parents while encouraging their children to be "society draining" sloths. Probably for government health care too.
wow people emailed you nasty letters about that?
I think they have all different types of preschools and daycares
bc there is no one right way that a child should learn...each child is different! Nobody should be told what's right for their child...you know your child best and obviously you chose the right place for Ellie to go to...sounds like she is excelling and like she enjoys it
Yeah, I didn't get a single email with info on what's typical for a child entering kindergarten. Instead, I got lots of emails saying they'd never send their child to a school like that. Kids should be kids.
I really think awful...every child learns differently...and every parent has their ideal preschool...tommy is very hands on...he needs to feel and do to learn so I chose a preschool best suited for
him. I think sounds like you chose perfect place for Ellie good thing you went with your gut and didn't listen to others.
wow people emailed you nasty letters about that?
I think they have all different types of preschools and daycares
bc there is no one right way that a child should learn...each child is different! Nobody should be told what's right for their child...you know your child best and obviously you chose the right place for Ellie to go to...sounds like she is excelling and like she enjoys it!
The sad thing is that American kids are drastically behind the rest of the world in education because we as a society think they should "just be kids". Our kids have such a capacity for learning in all areas without pressure if we give them opportunity.
I totally agree... why not give them the opportunity to learn? Go Ellie!
If it's fun, and she's taking the initiative, how can it be called pressure? Kids can also be kids by letting them go as far as they want to go, let them spread their intellectual wings as much as they want.
I totally agree too. I remember when my mom realized Megan knew her letters early on, she said something about not wanting her to start reading before kindergarten - I asked her why and don't even remember what her answer was. But no way I was going to prevent her from continuing to learn! She entered kindergarten 4 weeks ago reading quite well and, believe it or not, is still a very happy girl who also loves to play and be silly.
I let Mark go as far as he wants to go.He is the captain of his learning ship where I just introduce him to new routes along the way. When he eventually asks for Calculus, I will have to tell him that mommy needs a brush up. If your family is happy with the school you work with, then that is what COUNTS. :)
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