Bath Time Writing

I have to say, as active as Devin is, he is pretty darn smart. He wanted to use the tub crayons so I asked him, "How do you spell 'cat' ?" and he responded with "Ccccc-aaaa-ttttt" and wrote this. I love how the 'a' is both a capital and lower case 'a'.

Also tonight when we were reading 'Wiley Learns To Read' we were sounding out the word 'frog' to see if the letters were in the proper order. Devin was able to tell me that the 'o' and 'r' were mixed up. It first appeared as 'forg' and then Wiley has to fix it. This is not a book we've read often.

Oh how I love witnessing young minds blossom!

Wordless Tuesday (?) ~ Alpha Necklace Boy

Learning Curve

Devin's vocabulary amazes me. He uses large words in conversation and can understand an immense amount of words as well. If he does not know a word, he can often figure it out in context and he is also not afraid to ask what it means (love that!). Lately he has been using a lot of phrases in his speech/conversation such as, "well actually" and "by the way." Its pretty cute.

Devin has also been heavy into rhyming lately. I love how he notices the rhyming words in books (all by himself) and can also produce a pair of rhyming words as well as supply a word that rhymes with a given word.

It is very exciting for me to watch Devin develop as he continues to thrive in his learning of literacy and math. He is also mastering new skills such as scootering and coloring, and really enjoys playing with his friends. He could use a little work on listening, but that is a different post altogether. ;)

I leave you with this little funny:

Devin: Mommy, how come you slept on the couch?

Mommy: Why do you think I slept on the couch?

Devin: Because it's comfortable?

Mommy: Yes Devin, the couch is comfortable. Why would Mommy sleep on the couch though?

Devin: Because Daddy was snoring again?!?! Why? He didn't wear his band-aid!?!?

(referring to his Breathe Right strip) haha

SEE

Today Erick and I brought Devin to the SEE Science Center in Manchester. They are having a special dinosaur exhibit right now. The dinosaurs are pretty life-like, some are to size and move with robotics as well as make some noise (not loud though, to avoid scaring kids I would assume). The first time we brought Devin through the exhibit he was a little hesitant but then he was fine and curious, asking the dinosaurs questions, which we tried to answer by reading their information plaques. He was also talking to the dinosaurs. It was pretty cute. We went through the exhibit about 4 times!
FYI: Devin only tried this after Erick did it.
This was Devin the first time around as he walked full speed ahead. He was much better the following 3 times through!
They also had a dinosaur play area, dinosaur puppet show, magnetic dinosaurs, robotic dinosaur for the kids to try, mulch play area, crayon rubbings and more.


Downstairs there was a LEGO exhibit which I found particularly interesting. There was a Statue of Liberty made completely of Legos.
The main event, though, was the display of the Manchester Mills. It was amazing! There was a historical chronology of Manchester right there in Legos. It was awesome! This picture shows parts of Elm St in the front with mills in the background.

The Mills
The picture below shows the inside of the mills. My paternal grandmother worked in these mills.
This is the Amoskeag Bridge. I had nightmares when they tore this bridge down because they replaced it with a bridge that didn't have the tall columns and I didn't think it would be as safe! (I was maybe 10-12 when this happened?)
Below was Pine Island Park. I never had the pleasure of going there, but I've heard it was fun! Now, an insurance company sits on that piece of land. Fun.
Devin didn't find the Lego area as impressive as we did, although he did like the set-ups where he could press a button and make something move or blow on the hole and make a tree fall down. Erick and I would have liked to spend more time checking out the Manchester Lego display. Maybe next time...

On the other side of the bottom floor was interactive hands-on fun!

We had fun at the SEE Science Center and think it was a great kick-off to our winter vacation!

Academic Progress

Devin's academic progress has really been impressing us lately! He has taken a liking to letters and sounds and is really catching on quickly. Just tonight during his bath as he was playing with his foam letters I was asking him loads of questions.

Mom: Devin what sound does 'bear' begin with?

Devin: B like Boden! (*we did several more beginning sound examples at this time)

Mom: And what does 'duck' begin with?

Devin: dddd D like Devin!

Mom: Very good! How do you spell Devin? What comes first?

Devin: D

Mom: Yup. And then what?

Devin: e-v-i-n.

Mom: Great job Devin! Now how do you spell 'bus' ?

Devin: Bbbbuuuussss. B-u-s. Bus.

Mom: Yes! Okay and how do you spell 'Hi' ?

Devin: Hi. H-i. Hi. *Devin can also write Hi (his first written word).

Erick and I are so proud of our boy, whose brain is like a little sponge just absorbing everything around him! I write this, though, not to brag, but to preserve these memories and milestones.

Pre-School Update

Devin is loving, LOVING his new class/teachers! He looks forward to going to school every day and asks with great enthusiasm and excitement every morning if it is a school day. They have been doing lots of hands-on activities including an apple tasting, making artichoke dip, and making play dough. They are working on the letter A, the color red, the circle shape, and one-to-one correlation with numbers 1 through 5. They've also been busy playing, reading stories, and singing songs. As you can see, Devin has many reasons to love school.

Devin also tells us, "I'm learning to read!"

As Devin's mother and a teacher I am so excited about Devin's enthusiasm for learning and school!

The Birth of a Dinosaur

My parents gave Devin this Dinosaur Egg last week. He was very excited about it! As soon as we got home we opened it up and put it in water. Here is the birth of a dinosaur in pictures!


Devin did very well waiting for the dinosaur to "be born." He was patient. I was thankful, though, that it only took about 2 days for the egg to crack and the dinosaur to fully grow. It was just long enough to teach Devin a good lesson in patience, but not too long that he lost interest or ripped into it and ruined the whole thing.

Thanks for the learning experience and the baby dino Grandma and Papa!!!

Educational Entertainment by Devin

The Good Morning Song (from school).




Devin showing off his letter knowledge.