Alphabet City

No, not the eccentric neighborhood in the East Village! This has to do with teaching Annie phonograms. 

I want to share more of what we're doing during our school day and this is by far one of the kids' favorite parts. It's fun because a lot of it is really beneficial for Graves, too. 

The way Logic of English (our reading and writing curriculum) works is that it gradually introduces phonograms (the symbols representing letters- for example "a") in fun and engaging ways. Each time a new one is introduced, the teacher's manual offers some suggestions of activities to do based on that sound/letter. 

We initially used the suggestions. Then I started adding in my own ideas. And lately, Annie has started coming up with some herself! 

Here are a few of the activities that I happened to document: 

E Day

 I needed to send something to Minnie so Annie decorated an (e)nvelope. 

M Day

We made an indoor and an outdoor (m)aze!

N Day

We emailed our favorite (n)urse! 

O Day

We had (o)pen-faced sandwiches, (o)melets, and (o)atmeal. We wore (o)range and went on a scavenger hunt at Mr. Coco's for healthy (o)range foods. Annie laced and traced an (o)ctagon and I made them a mini sensory box with more (o)atmeal and (o)range things (that was mainly a little something for Bud). I gave Annie several topics to choose from and later we got library books on (o)ctopi(?) and the (o)cean.

R Day

We used (r)ectangles to make a (r)eplica of the co-op and since I got the idea from a craft I saw yesterday at our friends' place, we talked about the (r)ectory and how it's sort of like the parsonage at home where Brodda Mitchell and Mrs. Catherine live. This provoked a conversation about how our friend Jake can be a (R)everand and a papa and I explained just like her papa can be a papa and a pharmacist. The we painted a (r)ainbow and wore (r)ed. We hopped like (r)abbits, (r)oared like lions, and (r)aced each other at the park. We (r)an from the (r)ain and ate (r)aisins, (r)ice cakes, and (r)avioli. So much of this one was Annie. She inspires me to do better. 


We are having a lot of fun in our little schoolhouse in the city and I love watching how Annie's creativity and hunger for knowledge are growing!