Charlotte's Web

I went to the UHEA homeschool conference a month ago.  After going to classes like, Homeschool 101, I decided to start reading REAL books (not just pictures books) to T-Rex.  I was told that he, being a kinesthetic learner would do well in these preschool years by reading to him while he bathed, played in the sandbox, played with blocks, etc.  So that is what I plan to do.  We just finished our first REAL book. 

And.  

It. 

Was. 

Amazing.

I didn't think that he would really listen.

I was wrong.

I didn't think he'd sit in my lap.

I was wrong.

I didn't think he'd truly follow the story line.

I was wrong.

We had a WONDERFUL time talking about this book!  He was so much fun.  We talked A LOT about what slop was.  And what types of things go into slop.  And some that didn't.  The moment I really felt like this was the right thing, was when we were talking about Wilbur's mud and how it was squishy and such, and T-Rex started laughing out loud as it was described.  I was in heaven.  And then, as we neared the end of the book, he started pointing out that he saw 3 C's on the page, oh, and he saw a G and an H, etc.  Then he asked me what the words said that he would point to.  It was wonderful and exciting!

The more I learn about home schooling, the more I realize how critical reading to your kids can be.  Reading helps so much along the way.  It seems like the key factor in a child that loves to learn.  I loved reading Charlotte's web because it still used big words and explained a lot of them.  It had familiar animals and I loved reading with "their" voices.  A GREAT book to start with!