Wednesday, October 05, 2005

useful information

What did we learn today? That Pepto-Bismol helps sour tummies. "Mom, why does a spoonful of sugar make the medicine go down? It's already sweet." I read her temperature with a digital thermometer. When I returned with a glass of water I was surprised to find she'd figured out how to use it herself and announced, "It's a hundred dot four, Mom."

After a few workbook pages (sequencing, comprehension) we decided we just had to have more Halloween decorations so we headed out. Dropped by the book store and returned with a handful of Step into Reading books. Level 3 seemed the most appropriate for her reading level. I had a hit with my choice, "The True Story of Pocahontas." She was reading it before we got out the door and obviously intrigued with revealing new information on one of her favorite Disney princesses. "Mom", she exclaimed with tabloid fever, "Mom! Pocahontas had a baby and she went to live in England forever!"

I picked up First Language Lessons for the well- trained mind. But the more I learn about that method, the less it interests me. Maybe I'm lazy, but as a whole it seems too demanding. This will take more thought. For now it makes sense to me to give her this year for pure pleasure in exploring.

We may try to drive to the zoo in Omaha this weekend. Animals are a daily topic of interest for her. She's been to the wonderful Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, and this summer to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. She still talks about the penguins there. We're watching a lot of Animal Planet these days. She expresses the exact alarm I had as a kid, and still do, for why animals have to kill and eat other animals ( a major flaw in the our creator's planned community, in my opinion.) She's questioned us a lot recently about what options one would have while being chased by either a bear, a tiger, a lion, an alligator. We have lengthy discussions about whether it's best to run, climb, back away slowly, etc. She is very attentive to our answers as if she is truly cataloging this information as "extremely good things to know and remember."

The other night she ended her dinner grace with, "....and thank you for the animals, even the ones that eat us." which I thought was extremely generous of her.

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