Tales from the kids...

I have been remiss lately in posting stuff about the children. Well, in posting much at all, really. Hopefully I can catch up on all of the things that have been floating around in my head.

The other morning Ben brought me the old favorite, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? to read to him. Claire then asked me to read Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? The next morning Ben picked up Brown Bear, Brown Bear and began to read it aloud to himself. This is about how his story went:

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, what do you see?
I hear a duck in my ear.
Duck, duck what do you see?
I hear a cat in my ear (ed: he skipped a few pages)
Cat, cat what do you --
Kitty cat, Kitty cat, what do you see?
I hear a doggy in my ear.
Doggy, doggy, what --
Lucky dog, Lucky dog, what do you see?
...

It was so cute to listen to him - mixing the words of the two stories, but remembering the gist of it. I loved how he corrected himself with the cat and the dog pages. I hope his love of books continues to grow.

Claire continues to pick up things without anyone realizing she has learned. In some discussions with her teacher we've discovered that she has learned things at school that neither of her teachers has taught her. She is quite observant, and likes to pay attention to what others are doing around her.

Monday she took Ben into her room with a bag full of foam letters. She had Ben sit on her bed with her other "friends" (stuffed animals), and she taught them their letters. From my room I could hear her telling Ben, "You're in school, you can't behave like that. You need to listen. No yelling! You won't be able to go out and play if you don't behave!"

I have vivid memories of setting up school in the basement with my sisters and brother, and our dolls and stuffed animals. It is fun to relive those memories through Claire. She is quite the strict teacher - particularly where her brother is concerned. I couldn't help but giggle as I stood quietly in the hallway listening to them play together.