This morning we got a phone from Iain's father alerting us, just seconds beforehand, of the shuttle launch. We turned on the NASA channel just in time to see the shuttle lifting off. So we had snack on the couch and watched it soar through the air.
In the afternoon I was reminded once again about how fabulous it is to have a mix of younger and older children. While Katie (fourth grader) was doing her homework, Josephine (kindergartner) was hovering nearby, wanting to do her own "homework" (writing in her journal--self-assigned). When Katie finished her homework, Josephine shared her journal with her. Katie went through, page by page, reading Josephine's words, writing the adult version underneath, and pointing out the similarities. At their school, this is the method of teaching used, and it is called "Kidwriting." Katie was absolutely fantastic at it. She did and said all the things that the parents and teachers are trained to do, only without the formal training. Josephine was completely engaged and was so proud to have her work acknowledged.
Katie also looked at all the drawings that Josephine did, and commented on small specific details: "Oh, I see she's wearing high-heeled shoes," and "That pencil even has an eraser." Once again, Katie was exhibiting skills that child care professionals learn through training, how to respond to children's art. This showed me two very important things. First of all, for Katie to respond in the way she did to both the words and the art, she must have experienced that herself for years, proving to me that this school is a wonderful place for my daughter. Second, it shows me what a beautiful, thoughtful, and talented child Katie is.
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