Friday, August 7, 2020

Wordplay and Defenestration


Along with make-believe and play dough and reading books and Highlights magazines, Josie and I do some learning games.  We've been doing a lot of 'What letter does ___ begin with" so I shouldn't have been surprised when she breezed through this workbook I bought some time ago and forgot about till now. She did about 3/4 of it before getting bored. No challenge. 


The Word Book is an ongoing project--something to be done while we're doing something else. Whether it's practicing gymnastics (cartwheel-she can't do one but she'd like to) or waking up from a nap (cranky "I don't feel cranky,"she said,) one of us will say "There's a word for The Book. And then she'll tell me what letter it begins with.

Courage got added when she showed me a little blue stone and told me she was giving it to Dolly so Dolly would have courage. (Would this be from a Wizard of Oz story?) 

She's constantly surprising me with the words she uses: predicament, persistent, gravity, obstreperous, organize are a few.

I shouldn't be surprised though. She's surrounded by adults who use big words. And she wants to know the meanings.

Wednesday night, during Family Dinner Up, Justin reminded her of a word he'd recently told her-- defenestrate -to throw someone or something out a window. To emphasize the meaning, he gave her a piece of bread, lifted her up to stand on the table, and told her to throw the bread out the window for the birds.

She was delighted to do so. And as John said, now she's probably the only three year old around with that particular word in her vocabulary.


6 comments:

Anvilcloud said...

This is great. I am impressed.

Barbara Rogers said...

Amazing! Your family is simply grand...and thanks so much for recording more of Josie's sayings!

Sandra Parshall said...

Josie is amazing, and so is her wonderful family for teaching her every day in every way.

Thérèse said...

Perhaps I should start copying from Josie's book. Like the word "obstreperous": "we have an obstreperous neighbor"... Oh, I am feeling much better now that I have written down the word, my neighbor will remain safe for the day...

Vicki Lane said...

We used 'obstreperous'when Josie's father and uncle were small. Little kids are bound to be obstreperous now and then. But I'm sorry about your neighbor. Is he also oppositional? Another Josie word that her mother (I think( taught her.

katy gilmore said...

I've found myself thinking about "oppositional" thanks to Josie. And I think the word book is a grand idea!