letters, letters everywhere. . .

October 10, 2009 at 4:02 pm (craftiness n' colors, learning fun, status report)

“I wonder if illiterate people get the full effect of alphabet soup?’”

– Jerry Seinfield

We’re running out of capitals over here in Puffville – only 6 left before our book of capitals is complete. I’ve really had to stretch my brain on a few occasions to come up with feasible letter projects that are both do-able and understandable from a 2-year old’s perspective. Thanks to all of those who have helped me brainstorm, and thanks to No time for flashcards, and all of the millions of crafty sites I visit for inspiration – the end is in sight. . .then we get to start the lower-case alphabet!

I’ve been super-excited over the last few weeks. Little T’s understanding of letters has skyrocketed, and it has been so amazing to watch that little light bulb click on. At first, I wasn’t so sure she was getting anything out of our letter crafts except for the obvious fun of painting, gluing, and glittering everything in sight. After a week or two, it seemed that she was remembering some of the letters names and sounds, but I was still not sure if the underlying understanding of what they meant was getting through. . . I wasn’t worried – she’s super little for stuff like this, so its all in good fun anyway, whether she understands or not, there was no doubt that she loved the activities – so we kept on.

And suddenly. . .it clicked. T is not only consistently remembering the letters and their sounds, but she’s pointing them out everywhere – proudly. When she looks at books, she asks “What do these letters spell?” and “What letters say dad?”. When she sees her name spelled out, she knows it, and says “These letters say Teaball!” When she watches shows that involve the alphabet – like Sesame Street, I can see a marked difference in the attention she’s paying when the letters are on the screen. She’s a long way from perfect, don’t get me wrong there, but I have no doubt that her understanding of the concept is growing daily. And it’s so neat!

So. . .here are the pics of Puff’s alphabet projects. . .some of them are a bit odd, I know, but they have all been great learning opportunities – not only because of the letter, but because we also get to learn all about what we’re making.

J is for Jellyfish (yeah, I know. It IS). K is for Kite. L is for Ladder.

M is for Mountain. N is for Nest. O is for Octopus.

P is for Piano. Q is for Queen. R is for Rainbow.

S is for Snake. T is for Tree.

And, in case you were wondering, the letter N was by FAR the coolest of them all, for both me and the Puff! We went outside and gathered twigs and dead grass, and then made our nest while learning all about birds and where they live. The eggs and the bird were her idea. . .We had so much fun – my only concern is that now she believes that birds use copious amounts of glue to create their homes. . .