A New Succulent Garden

Around the time I started my first "real" job (self-contained speech and language classroom in a middle school) I discovered succulent plants. Traditionally, I cannot keep houseplants alive, but these adorable tiny plants were supposed to be so easy to take care of I couldn't resist picking one out. It lived on a windowsill in my classroom. I got addicted to them. I wanted one of every kind I could find. They would grow, I'd split them up and transplant them to bigger pots. I got a shelf. The kids enjoyed helping me watering them. I'd cart them home every summer and bring them back the next fall.

Then, one summer I got married, quit my job, decided to return to graduate school to pursue a doctorate, and bought my first house. Umm. Let's just say things were crazy and I was looking to simply in every way possible. I put the entire garden of plants on the curb with a "Free to a Good Home sign". They all disappeared overnight.

Honestly, I didn't miss them. First there was the new house, new marriage, and graduate school. Then Michael and Ava arrived in quick succession. There was a time when the children were both tiny, that I couldn't hardly muster the energy to pet my cats much less miss my succulent garden.

Now that the children are older and life is beginning to find some balance again I have been looking longingly at the tiny baby succulents in the garden section of whichever store I happen to be in at the moment. This weekend I decided to treat myself to a late mother's day gift. I picked out some pretty succulents, some cactus potting soil, and a pretty neat pot that will securely straddle my deck rail and built myself a brand new succulent garden. It's beautiful. I couldn't be more delighted. And this sounds a bit dorky, but my spirits lift and I feel a little joy every time my eye wanders in that direction.

Catwings by Ursula K. Le Guin: A Series Review

The children and I have just finished an enchanting series of chapter books. The books are lovely and I will not be able to do them justice but I had to try.

Books written for children are a mixed bag. Some of them aren't very good, to be honest. Others are entertaining, beautifully illustrated, sweet, fun, or all of those. Almost all of them are written for children though. What I mean by that, is that in addition to the content of the book being directed at children, the prose is modified for children as well. Vocabulary is simplified, sentences are shorter and less complex. Effort is made to make the prose engaging for children. Often the modifications are necessary, appropriate, and well done. Some of my absolute favorite children books use rhythm and rhyme to make the text fun to read and listen to.

These books are different. The prose is exquisite. I feel like I'm reading a classic - or poetry and yet, somehow, the stories are still accessible to even very young children. Here is a short excerpt from the first book to illustrate: "So the children's wings were the least of Mrs. Tabby's worries. She washed those silky wings every day, along with chins and paws and tails, and wondered about them now and then, but she worked too hard finding food and bringing up the family to think much about things she didn't understand. But when the huge dog chased little Harriet and cornered her behind the garbage can, lunging at her with open, white-toothed jaws, and Harriet with one desperate mew flew straight up into the air and over the dog's staring head and lighted on a rooftop - then Mrs. Tabby understood."

Every two or three pages, there are beautiful, delicate, detailed illustrations that bring the story to life and help keep little ones engaged in the story. These books entranced my 3 and 4 year old children - a boy and a girl. They entranced my husband and I. I imagine that a young independent reader (1st-3rd grade) would enjoy them as well. Even a middle or high school reader could become addicted to this series.

The books are fantasies in the sense that they are about four kittens who were born with wings. Other than that fact, though, the books take place in the perfectly ordinary settings of a city and the countryside. While appropriate in content for even very young children, they are not all sweetness and light. The kittens encounter hunger, fatigue, injury, and the danger of discovery by humans. These topics are integrated seamlessly into the stories and are part of what make the stories so engaging for the children.

The first book in the series is Catwings by Ursula K. Le Guin and illustrated by S. D. Schindler. Four winged kittens are born to a perfectly ordinary alley cat under a dumpster in the city. When the kittens are old enough to fly the mother sends them away to find a better place to live in the country. Eventually the kittens find a better home.

The second book in the series is Catwings Return. Two of the catwings decide to return to the city to visit their mother only to find her missing and the old alley being demolished by the humans. They discover a lost black, winged kitten who needs to be rescued.

The third book in the series is Wonderful Alexander and the Catwings. The youngest catwing makes a new friend and although she helps him in the beginning, he is able to help her in the end.

The final book in the series is Jane on Her Own. The youngest kitten goes off on her own in search of adventure. She learns some lessons before finding just the right place to settle.

I cannot recommend this series of books enough. They are a perfect read-aloud introduction to early chapter books for young children. The books are five short chapters each with enough illustrations to keep children used to picture books interested. These books could even be read over the course of a few weeks in 5-10 minutes per therapy session. Use them as a "reward" for good therapy behavior and know that they are perfect for increasing listening comprehension, expanding vocabulary, and exposure to advanced syntax at the same time.

Bottom line: Highly recommended.

The Weekly Review: Week 61

SLP Resource of the Week

SLPlessonplans.com has a great page of articulation lists. Each list includes 1, 2, and 3 syllable words in initial, medial, and final position on a single page. So far, lists for /d, t, s, f, p, v, and g/ have been posted.

Excellent Blog Post of the Week

Swistle explains the components of the ideal birthday invitation. Bookmark it. Use it the next time you're sending invitations.

Ava this Week

Ava is very independent lately. "I do it myself Mommy!" She wants to climb out of the minivan by herself. I let her even as I cringe every time she slides the entire back of her body from ankle to neck along the "step" into the van. She always ends the procedure sitting on her bottom in whatever parking lot we happen to be in. Fun stuff. She is also very much enjoying choosing her own clothing and has definite ideas about what she will and won't wear. Once she has decided she doesn't like a particular bit of clothing there's no changing her mind. On the occasions when I insist, she can hold a grudge against me (and the clothing) for an extraordinary length of time.

Since all of this is relatively new, I still think it is kind of adorable. I'm pretty sure the shine will wear off soon though.

Weekly Michael

Next week is the last week of preschool for Michael. The year flew by. He's just getting into socializing and the year is done. I've set him up at the summer program at his old daycare (along with his sister) two mornings a week during the summer though, so hopefully he'll make some new friends. He claims he is excited about going to his "old school". Their summer program is really nice with splash days, field trips, and guests invited to the school, so there should be plenty of excitement.

Ava's and Michael's Weekly Home Therapy Notes

Ava's working on all of her s-blends mixed together randomly in pairs. We've also added /sk/. Michael is working on /f, v, s, and z/ all randomly mixed together and put into silly sentences for carryover practice. I've spent lots of time this week making new card sets to fill in some holes in my arsenal. Practice has been pretty basic and drill oriented, but very productive. The children are making wonderful progress.

Weekly Homeschooling

RightStart Math continues to be an absolute delight. The children and I thoroughly enjoy the couple of math lessons we fit in each week. We spend 45 minutes at a time reading our library books and Friday mornings are library day. The children and I are having a wonderful time establishing a regular library day and always having new books around to read. I pulled out paint for the first time in a few months and the children had a great time painting. They've come a long way since the last time I let them just paint (self-directed). They're using smaller brushes and actually trying to use the paint to create rather than just exploring the medium. I'd say I achieved my goal of backing off formal lessons (handwriting and reading) and reintroducing more play-based activities. As always, there never seems to be enough hours in the day.