In addition to this blog, I have kept a family blog for years now. When I started writing over here, I found that there were times when I liked to double dip and make one blog post do the work for two blogs. Initially I did it to introduce my readers to my work. Then I did it when I was feeling short on time. And sometimes I’ve done it because I felt the information I shared was important for both of my audiences. For example, when I wrote about my experience at School 12 last week, I just had to share it with the readers of my family blog. There hasn’t, though, been much reason to pull material from my family blog and paste is over here. Until today.

I have always talked about the incredibly strong power that reading has over a child’s vocabulary. Certainly the reading children do on their own is helpful but the stories and words they hear read aloud can have even more of an impact. A child’s reading and listening comprehension do not converge until the 8th grade. For this reason, parents and teachers have the amazing opportunity to read stories that are two to three grade levels above their children’s reading comprehension. In this way, every read aloud becomes a vocabulary lesson.

Every so often one of my girls will say something that I know has come straight out of a book. Sometimes I can identify and sometimes I can’t but the language is so clearly ‘book language’ that I know. Read the post pasted below or click here to read Caroline’s latest…

Caroline’s teacher is clearly looking for new and clever ways to keep the children happy during this week of school before the holiday break. For some reason our district goes to school until 3pm on Thursday which seems to be pretty uncommon in our area. Caroline continues to tell me about people who are already out (like her sister- the injustice!) or friends from other districts who at least have half a day on Thursday.

If I’m hearing all of this then Caroline’s teacher must know how badly her students wish to be elsewhere this week. Yesterday she brought in materials from her own collection of scrapbooking, stamping and card making supplies and let the children create. Caroline decorated a lovely card on the outside but the inside was what made this a ‘blog-worthy’ event.

It read:

“Dear Family,

Merry Christmas and happy new year! I hope you all had a wonderful year, but just think whats to come! Love, xoxo Caroline”

I for one can’t wait to find out…