Hayden has learned soooo much in Kindergarten, and I think the area which stands out the most is reading. Math has always come really naturally to Hayden – he hasn’t needed to be taught it as much as to talk it through so he can figure it out. Reading however has been something he has had to spend time learning, and it’s been incredible to watch him get better and better at it. It’s really exciting to read with him before bed and have him be the one reading. He’s enjoying it more as well. When he was first starting to learn to read he would protest a little about wanting to try it at bedtime. He’s definitely more open now about reading to us. They have a “100 book club” at school where the parents track the books which are read at home (either by or to the child), and after 10 books they get a little treat like wearing socks in the classroom, choosing their job, choosing who they sit by at lunch, etc. Hayden’s been really into that and it’s been a great incentive to keep him reading (although both kids always love bedtime books regardless).
Layla and her books June 20, 2012
Layla has been loving being read to lately. She’ll grab a book and come snuggle into one of our laps to be read to. She does NOT appreciate any attempts to multitask! In the morning, I will take her downstairs with me and she will play while I log in to start work. When she comes to sit in my lap to read, usually I will spend most of the time reading, but I might click on a new email when it comes in to stay on top of work. All I have to do is move my hand in the general direction of my computer, and she will grab my finger, say, “Mommy, no,” and point my finger onto the book and ask, “Mommy what’s this?” She’ll keep hold of my finger and keep pointing it to different things in the book asking what they are (even when she knows perfectly well what they are). It is very funny! It does not help me to the goal I share with all working mothers of growing children – to do everything at once all the time – but it does make me laugh. John and I say it all the time: The girl knows what she wants, that is for sure! 🙂
Lately she’s been really into this Elmo book that plays music. It’s got board book pages and then buttons down the right side that play music relating to the various pages. She’s playing with this a lot, and last night while John was reading to the kids before bed I could hear him through the monitor singing the songs in that book with them, and I was laughing to myself because I had the very song in my head that he was singing. Then I went to pick up the toys in the family room and I saw the book they were reading/singing to on the floor in front of me. Apparently we have 2 of that particular book – no wonder she is able to get so much play time with it!
Mommy, please say “Oh my Gosh” August 11, 2010
Hayden got a book out of the library called “Giant Dump Trucks.” The first time he asked me to read it I hadn’t really processed the title and when we opened it and I saw the size of the dump trucks I was shocked and said, “Oh my gosh!” Well, he was really thrilled about my reaction and every time he asked me to turn the page he wanted me to say “Oh my gosh!” Over the next few days he kept getting out that book and as he turned each page he would say, “Mommy, please say ‘oh my gosh!'” He would smile so big when he was bringing the book to me that I would know what book he was carrying before I could even see it. The cutest part was how he would mouth the words as I said it. You would be amazed, too, if you saw the size of these trucks! 😉 We took the book back last week, but he has moved on to other truck books where he wants me to say “oh my gosh.”
Hayden do it October 1, 2009
Keeping up with the expectations of what a two year old is supposed to do, Hayden is becoming an independent little guy. One thing we hear often in this house is “Hayden do it.” If you start to do something he wants to do, he will get fiesty and say “Hayden do it!” He says it if you start to feed him and he wants to do it himself, if you start to sing something and he wants to sing it by himself, if you try to read to him but he wants to read, pretty much any scenario you can imagine. Alternatively, there is “Mommy do it” or “Daddy do it,” which is used when Hayden is feeding himself and he has decided he’s done doing that, and so on. The boy knows what he wants, there’s no doubt about that! Because of this, I now try to make a point of letting him make some decisions throughout the day. In the morning I hold up three choices of shirts and he chooses which one he wants to wear (this has magically resolved a problem we were sometimes having where he did not want to take off his pajamas), he chooses his plate at meal time, he usually chooses if we go in Mommy or Daddy’s car, etc. He loves making decisions!
Mr. Men August 17, 2009
Nanny (John’s mom) loves to send Hayden Mr. Men books. He loves reading them, and he asks for them to be read to them multiple times a day. He’s started to do a couple of funny things with these books the last few days. Nanny always signs the books on the back of the cover: To dear Hayden, lots of love Nanny Mad. So before the story is started we read that to Hayden. Now when he “reads” the books on his own he will open one up and say, “Dear Hayden.” Also, he knows most of the characters names and it seems “Mr.” has become “me” to Hayden. He will be “reading,” say, Mr. Bounce and he will say “Me Bounce” and then make up a bunch of words, then turn the page and say “Me Bounce” followed by incomprehensible words, and on and on. If he is reading Mr. Bump then he will be saying “Me Bump” at the start of each page. He is very animated when he reads and it is so sweet hearing the rise and fall of his voice as though he really is reading.
Bossy Boy August 13, 2009
Hayden is starting to learn that the dogs are chopped liver. The dogs (well particularly Mimi) tend to get underfoot a lot especially when going up and down the stairs. Kara treats them appropriately and tells them to “MOVE” with clear 
authority. Well Hayden being impressionable has picked this up! So whenever Mimi comes near him he just shouts “MOOOOOOOVE” at her. Cracks me up!! I’m trying to get him to add please to the add of it as it sounds so rude, but I must admit it’s funny and as Kara says they are just dogs!! I”m just hoping he doesn’t do that at day care!! Bossy little guy!!
Well when I started this post it was just the dogs he was being bossy to….well now it has moved on to mummy and daddy!! He’ll come up to one of us and say “Hand”, then take us by the hand and lead us to where he wants to go (normally where his toys are). Just yesterday morning he took me my the hand into the lounge and then patted the couch and said “Daddy Sit!” and then after I had done what I was told, he gave me a book and told me to “Read, Read Daddy!!”!! I have no idea where he gets it from!!
Books July 30, 2008
Hayden is funny. We buy him all the toys in the world. He probably has too many toys, but he hardly ever plays with them. He just likes his
books. He searches around for anything that looks like a book and sits down and starts turning the pages. He doesn’t even seem to care if it has pictures – although pop ups are his favourite – just like mine 🙂 Clearly he’s a genius 🙂
Hayden and Layla's Place 