Reid Can Read!

Outside of our more structured preschool, I try to make it a point to incorporate learning in play time with Reid.  He'll often ask to play our "build-a-word game" in which I'll write the ending of a word such as "at" and have him sound it out.  Once he gets it I'll doodle the animal or object for him, which he loves.  With coaching, he was reading three-letter words (with short-vowel sounds) just a couple days after his 3rd birthday.  Now he's reading three to four-letter, short-vowel words without any coaching.  This is really encouraging and exciting for me.  I think homeschooling will be a lot of fun with this one.

These were taken last October as you can see from the calendar... and Reid's helmet hair:

 

Ronin, on the other hand may be a different story...  At his age, Reid was enthusiastically communicating with several baby signs.  Ronin flat out refuses to sign anything other than "milk" ...And "light", which are practically the same sign.  He seems quite bright, so I'd been wondering if it's pure stubbornness.  That theory was confirmed in my mind the other day during lunch.  He did his usual yell and point to signal he wanted more.  I again showed him the more sign with my hands, which he only responded with another holler and an emphasized point at his food.  When I tried to take his hands, encouraging him to do the sign himself, he jerked his hands back, his cries crescendoing.  I shook my finger at him with an authoritative, "No!"  He then, with a pouted lip shook his finger right back at me!  I gasped and said, "See!  I knew you could sign!!"  (Oh, dear...)