1st Grade, Here We Come!

B is getting excited about starting school again. We were at the store last week and he picked out a new backpack and wants to help me shop for his school supplies. I'm lucky to have a kid that gets excited about learning. I hope it lasts! At the end of kindergarten I purchased a set of books for the first grade reading level. I also bought a math lesson book that is based on what he will learn in first grade. I thought it would be good to keep his skills sharp over summer. He was already at the first grade reading level when he finished kindergarten, but he has improved a lot over the summer. It's amazing to listen to him sound out the words and even start to recognize some without sounding them out each time. Our language is not that "user friendly"! Try to teach a 6 year old why a ph makes an "f" sound, or why the w is silent in the word write, or why sometimes you have to add another consonent when the word becomes past tense...like stopped. Anyway, he's doing great and I'm happy he doesn't complain about practicing too much. On the other hand, before we even get home he asks if he can do "his lessons". He's referring to the math book. He absolutely loves it! And even better...he gets it. I only have to read the directions and then use the first problem as an example and he takes off through the rest of the page. It was 10:00pm the other night and he was still working the problems. From one lesson to another, he doesn't want to quit! "Just one more, mom" is music to my ears. Cartoons still rank second for evening activities, but we've made a deal. For every book he reads he can watch 1/2 hour of TV. No books, no TV. I might have to get more creative when he gets older, but it works for now! I'll keep you posted on his grades. I probably shouldn't count my chickens before they hatch!