Thursday, February 17, 2011

Learning to Read

Henry is really into reading these days. We love to sit down and read the story, talk about it, and talk about what's happening in the pictures. A short book could take 20 minutes to read because we get so into it. Henry loves to incorporate or compare the stories or characters in the book into his life. Here are a few examples:

He has a book called, That's What A Friend Is.

It's a sweet poem-type book by P.K. Hallinan describing all the ways one can be a friend.
One page is his and Anders': "You can have your own hideouts in dark, secret places . . . or spend the whole day having caterpillar races."
Another page is his and Alaster's: "A friend is a buddy who'll come to your aid when he thinks you need help, or you might be afraid."
Or his other friend, Benjamin, from Kindermusik: "You can sing and shout 'til your tonsils wear out, 'cause that's what having a friend's all about!"
He loves this book, and he loves his friends.

Also, the other day when I was telling him that the toy room at the village is "closed for renovation" I told him all the toys were taken apart and the carpet was gone, but soon it'd all be back together again. He piped up, "Mom, that's like Humpty Dumpty, except [in a sad voice] he couldn't be put together again . . . "

We can tell he is becoming familiar with the written language, too. The other morning Todd was using this on his eggs:

Henry pointed at the name, and sliding his finger left to right, from the T to the O, he noted,
"Hey Dad, this 'I' is broken!"

He has practically memorized his favorite books: Where the Wild Things Are, We're Going on a Bear Hunt, He Came with the Couch, and his Henry books (Henry Goes West, Henry Babysits, Henry's Awful Mistake, and Henry's Important Date). I can stop on any page and he will finish it for me, or most of it. I'm always amazed at how well he remembers things, things that I haven't been trying to drill him on.

I'm so glad he loves reading. It is so fun to watch his mind and imagination grow. I think his dad has been a great aid in his interest. Todd always does the best voices and asks great questions. This kid is a bright one; he's definitely going to keep me on my toes.

2 comments:

Ashlee said...

Cute! Aly just loves that Henry too! Loved the humpty story too. It's so cute to see when they get so emotionally involved! He genuinely felt bad for that poor humpty!

Rachel said...

Craig LOVES Tapatio! That's cute that the "I" is broken :)