The Henderson Family: The Most Powerful Tool

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

The Most Powerful Tool

You know what is amazing? Watching your children learn. I have always loved watching babies figure things out, learning techniques; observing those proud "ah-ha" moments. Recently, Charlie has figured out how to overcome all of our baracades in the family room to keep him from stairs, electrical cords, and bathrooms. It is awesome, just wonderful to see his joy in this accomplishment (I have a video of one of these moments).

Well, I really thought that this excitment (of watching your child learn) would be gone by the time the kids were in school. Yes, they are obviously still learning, but it's different. For one, I'm not there. They are taught in a school by a teacher, so I don't really get to see these moments often now. Tonight was different. Katie is learning to read and it's wonderful! She feels so powerful! I just love it.

I honestly think one of the most powerful tools and empowering abilities is to be able to read. Without this, you may feel lost, alienated, and well, just without so much information, knowledge, and entertainment.

Katie has been reading various books (aloud to us) assigned to her by her teacher every night. Most are very simple books and she rarely struggles with a word. Tonight, we went to a book fair at the school and Uncle Joe bought the girls about 20 chapter books. (THANKS, UNCLE JOE). Katie is beginning her first chapter book. I have read her several chapter books (small ones) over the past 15 months or so, but this is the first she is reading. It took about 20 minutes, but Kate read 3 pages aloud all by herself, sounding out difficult words like magical, librarian, adventure, and ancient. I am so proud of her. To understand what she is reading, she will slowly read every word and then when she gets to the end of the sentence she'll reread it fluently.

Way to go, Katie! Soon, you will have your own reading light and read yourself to sleep like Delaney, Mom, and Daddy! We are so proud of your hard work and determination.

siggy

1 comment:

Marcia said...: That is amazing! Jenna is working hard at it too. And I have been loving it! I can't wait for Jenna to get there! Congrats to your smarty!!; October 23, 2011 at 4:55 PM

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Delaney is eight and she is starting to really grow up on us. She is smart and caring, sensitive and competitive. She is great with her siblings; such a wondeful big sister. She loves school and reading, but not as much as playing video games and running around outside. She is in ballet for the 5th year and she is hoping to start baseball this spring.

She hate scary movies and noises and is afraid of the dark. She loves nature and all things animals. I'm surprised she hasn't asked to not eat meat. She likes jokes and tries her hardest to fit in. She knows how to push people's buttons, but also knows how to really be there for someone who is hurting. She is amazing at video games, but gets frustrated with them too.

She does well in school-both with behavior and academics. She loves Brownies and has many friends. She has the desire and determination to learn and try everything--academic, sports, etc. Just not all tv and movies.

Katie is now six and starting first grade. She is quite the young lady. She is funny and smart and sassy and determined. She can be so supportive and nice and helpful, yet also stubborn and angry. She knows what she wants and how she wants it, and is not always willing to have it any other way. She loves to cuddle and be around others. She enjoys books, tv, and Barbies. Her favorite show is Glee and she often plays Glee (pretend, that is). She loves scary things like Harry Potter and roller coasters and very kid-friendly things like Pokemon and Blue's Clues.

She is all girl...with her skirts and dresses, playing dress up, loving the color pink, and Barbies. However, don't be surprised if you find her climbing a tree or wrestling with the neighbor. Her vocabulary is amazing, but not as much as her imagination. Her favorite foods are nutella and jelly sandwiches, butter noodles, yogurt, and apples. What is she most looking forward to this year? Learning how to read.

Rowena is three and is getting so mature! Her language, vocabulary, and speech is amazing, and it's almost like it developed over night! She asks questions and will tell you how it is. She is funny and she cracks us up. She loves to watch TV and movies and it is surprising the various genres she will pay attention to for long periods of time. She loves to "play toys" and it is fun to watch her play pretend and make the toys talk and walk. She's getting very good at video games--Mario Party on GameCube is her favorite right now. She also loves to cook and bake.

She's excited to start school in the fall. She knows her alphabet and can identify some letters with words. She can count to 14 and then skips to 17. She can also recognize her numbers too. She loves to play games; some of her favorites are Candyland, Go Fish, and SkipBo. She loves crafts, going for walks, and playing at the park. She loves her friends, and even more-her siblings. She wants to do everything her sisters do, and help Charlie whenever possible. She can be very sweet and loving yet fiesty and determined.

Charlie is one. Can you believe it? We can't either! He's walking and climbing and loves to get into things. He loves cords, and drapes them around his neck like a scarf. He likes to climb onto the table and then just smiles at you. He knows when things are off-limits and will wait until you are watching before he starts, just to hear you say, "no, no, Charlie" then he'll smile and walk away. He loves to tease and play tag. He lovs swings and slides, and being outside. He laughs and cries and that's about all you hear from him.

The boy loves to eat and enjoys his milk or juice. He's tiny and quiet, but he is ever so sweet and fun. We love our Little Charlie Boo-Boo.