We normally - myself and P - would read stories with Fm in the background every night. The agreement like this - He should read atleast 3 pages of any book and in return i would tell him 6 stories. Sometimes the count would vary but not the procedure. This had been our practice right from his first year. Immediately dont ask , whether he would read at that age - I would tell him stories and we had those cardboard books of shapes, colors, alphabets, small day-to-day words,vehicles and he would show us when asked!!
So, the reading habit continues from day one, and it is never early. Infact the more earlier we start the more they tend to grasp. When P was a child , there was sudden craziness for Superkidz course. One lady would come and with honey-laced voice would speak for half-an-hour about the course and would give demo with the child....
Enna poruthavaraikkum we should not use the child as mere exhibition items and our real motive should be to educate the child and make the learning process a wholesome entertainment. When we inculcate this , never the child would feel burdened to study or read. The fascinationt to learn new things should be sowed early so that it grows with the child.
I came upon this concept rather in an interesting way. Paruppu madichu vantha paper la i read about Glen Domann and his methodology - It was an interesting article about the book and the author. And i got curious and purchased his book. Those time the book was not available and the flash card methodology didnt find enough takers in India i suppose, so i placed an order with landmark and procured that book- How to teach your baby to read .
Really its an interesting book , but the book cannot be followed to the T. We should take the contents and methodology and should try to suit it according to our child's mentality and grasping power. I know this may sound bit preachy for most of them but it would be useful in the long run, so even if not of immediate use, this post might be useful to you in the future :)
Now on to the book , we were reading yesterday - "Clean your room, Harvey moon" by Pat Cummings. I picked this book from a local shop where they had this second hand books discarded from US of A and UK libraries. The book is pretty neat and doesnt look like used ones. They had lots of these kinds early but now when i went again they said they stopped procuring :(
The book is all about the cleaning expedition. Mother says (orders would be appropriate) Harvey moon to clean his while he intends to watch TV . Since the mother is strict he goes on with the task. What he finds and what passes as junk and how he finds the long lost items form the crux and finally by extending the target periodically he finishes the task and goes enthusiastically to report to his mother. Amma as always ,being amma goes through the room and says - " Go finish your lunch and come and when you are done lets get started on lump number one on the bed". (harvey dumps everything on the bed and neatly covers it with bed spread )
What made P to go into convulsions of laughter was this poem at the end
Pick up your Room by Mary Ann Hoberman
Pick up your room, my mother says
(She says it every day);
My room's too heavy to pick up
(That's what I always say).
It's time to take a bath, she says
(She looks me in the eye);
Where shall I take it to? I ask
(That's always my reply).
Drink up your milk, she says to me,
Don't bubble like a clown;
Of course she knows I'll answer that
I'd rather drink it down.
And when she says at eight o'clock,
You must go right to be,
We both repeat my answer:
Why not go left instead?
From the book - Clean your room, Harvey Moon! by Pat Cummings
We had such a good time reading the whole book and especially the poem
(Due credits given to the author and the book)
(Due credits given to the author and the book)