Anna Mei poses in her latest fashion creation: a vest and belt ensemble made from a trash bag! Today, she is on to origami--so far she has made a crane, a drinking cup and a rabbit. Tomorrow...the world!I consider myself fairly adept at multi-tasking. But Anna Mei has taken that skill to a whole new level. An event this past week proved it once again.
Each morning in our homeschool, we have a routine to begin the day. We sing, we pray, we update our wall calendar, and so on. Before moving on, I have been reading a poem or two. It has been a productive exercise; the girls have begun to write poetry on their own, without an assignment or even a suggestion.
Last week, we read a poem called "Frogs." Picking up on some recent Language instruction, I pointed out to the girls that the poem used three similes (comparisons using "like" or "as"--if you're rusty on your language arts). While I was reading, I was a little annoyed that Anna Mei was reading her own dinosaur book and writing away on a poem of her own.
When I finished, Anna Mei cheerily said, "Mom, this dinosaur has 64 razor-like teeth. Can I read my poem now?" To which I replied, "You were not listening while I read the poem about frogs. You'll have to wait." "
"I was listening!" she shot back
"Anna Mei," I began to expound, "it is impossible for your brain to do that many things at once. You cannot have read your book, written a poem AND listened to the frog poem."
"But I did!"
"All right. What are the three similes I pointed out in the poem?"
Without an instant of hesitation, Anna Mei said, "When he jumps in the water, he hits like a rock; his eyes are like metal rings; the spots on his back are like moss on a rock." She smiled triumphantly.
"Well, now...don't just sit there. Stand up and read your poem!"
