Little Learner

Back in the beginning of October, we were getting ready to go to a birthday party and Ava insisted on signing our names on the card while I wrapped the present.  She's long since signed her own name but seeing that we'd never worked with her on spelling or writing our names, we knew - or thought we knew - that she couldn't sign ours.  Well after a about a minute, she marched on over with this:














We were astonished.  Yes, they are written backwards and a couple letters - the "M" say - is sideways.  But we were nevertheless very impressed that she, first, knew how spell our names on her own accord, and, second, she wrote out the letters all by herself!

You might remember that back when we were touring preschools almost a year ago, a few of the prospects make the mistake of saying that children around age 31/2 are "not developmentally ready to learn to write their name." (Whole post devoted to THAT catastrophe!)  We marched right out of those institutions like they were on fire.  It looks like we chose the right preschool though because not only does Ava LOVE it there, but they are doing something right because her knowledge and love for learning has exploded in the last couple months! (I'd like to go on record, though, that I get all the credit for teaching her letters and sounds.  This was taken the day before she started preschool.)  ;)

Needless to say, since October we've been working on lots of writing; now if you help her sound out pretty much any word, she can write it for you.  She also know's how to write her last name, Jeff's name, my name, and Scarlett's name.  She has excellent penmanship (like better then Jeff's), and is catching on to sight words very quickly as of the last couple weeks.  She also has since I can remember had a particularly exceptional understanding of doing math in her head (if that's what you could call it).  If you tell her that not tomorrow, and not the next day, and not the next day, and not the next day, but the next day we are going to Disneyland, she will with frightening speed say "in five days?!"  Seriously, I have to count on my fingers to even check her work.  It's scary.  But best of all she is really enjoying learning and gets excited to do homework or sight words with the flashlight or whatnot.  It's very neat to see her little mind expanding and her enjoying the process.

*Disclaimer* This post rivals the bragging that goes on in Christmas newsletters, which I shake my head and giggle at.  So just know, I'm a proud Mama over here.  And I want to capture every milestone of these precious girls because I know they will be over and gone in the blink of an eye!