LaPaz Home Learning

I have been working with JBug on sounding out her three letter pink words. She is doing pretty well, but is having some trouble distinguishing “beginning” from “middle” and “ending” sounds. For example, we may be working with the word “dog” and I ask her what sound is at the beginning and she could just as easily say “g” as “d.” I think this is a result of not having been using the Montessori method from the start, so she missed out on all of the great beginning sound work that is usually done at an earlier age.

Of course it could be that my Bug is just special that way. LOL!

Anyway, Superboy had been listening in on JBug’s lessons and could sense our frustrations, and he offered to help.

So Superboy and I brainstormed and came up with a new basket activity for JBug to help her to distinguish her beginning sounds.

I chose three letters with very distinctly different sounds and put them at the top of the mat. Superboy and I went around the house and collected an assortment of small items that began with each of those letters and put them in the basket. JBug was to draw an item from the basket, say the name of the item out loud, and put the item under the appropriate letter for their beginning sound. It is just a simple sound sorting activity, really…

and JBug enjoyed doing it very much. You can see her sounding out the words (p, p, pen!) and really concentrating on the beginning sounds. The first round there were a few errors, but the second time through she did it very well, with just the right level of challenge. Superboy and I decided that we would leave the same items and letters for two days, and then change them out for new letters. Superboy is making a chart so we can keep track of the ones we’ve done so far.

I love the activity, I love that JBug is feeling successful, and I really love that Superboy is showing so much concern for his little sister and is so willing to help out.

That’s l, l, love, with a capital “L.”