DD learned to READ! :)

This week has been CRAZY busy with various activities, so technically DD has 2 more activities to finish off the week (We do 9 activities per day as you have seen from our system)....but after that, we're DONE with week 5! :) It was a fun week for many reasons...the biggest of which being that SHE LEARNED TO READ!!! WOOHOO!!!

We have been doing lessons from "The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading" by Jessie Wise and Sara Buffington. The fist 26 lessons are strictly learning the sounds of each of the letters. After that, they gradually introduce reading concepts, starting with 2 letter words beginning with the short a sound and then moving on the CVC words with the short vowel sound the following lesson. Well by golly, my daughter can READ!

DD figured out HOW to do the CVC words (We have only gone through lesson 31!!! This was in FIVE days of instruction on this stuff!) and has taken it upon herself to read other words with other vowels in them even though her lessons haven't gotten her that far yet. We are LOVING it!

I had a few phonics readers already, but I got the BOB Books from the library and she has been having a TOTAL blast. This particular series from the library is a set of 3 books and each has a CD to go with it. I'm ignoring the CDs because I don't like how they are set up to have the kid read "with" it and it confused and frustrated her when we did it once after she'd completed the first book.

She has read all of the first book (it has 4 of the standard BOB Books in that volume) and half of the second one (so 2 of the standard BOB Books) already and is trying to read any and everything we come across! It's pretty awesome to watch!!

Once we get to lesson 41, we'll start getting into two-consonant blends and that will REALLY open up a world of books for her! Diagraphs as well - although the instruction on that starts about the time I might be having baby3, so we may have to just go with what she's already learned and review lessons for a while until I have regained some composure to move on to the harder stuff. :) I think my DH would help, but I'd really rather be the one to teach so as to keep the continuity and flow.

Anyway, I just had to share!

I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone hoping to teach their child to read quickly and painlessly! I usually write out the words that I'll be teaching her on index cards so that they are larger and easier to read left to right than in the book. This seems to help and then you can also use the cards later in the day to reinforce the learning and do some review work if you want. :)

Have a great week!