And Here I Was, All Worried…

I was concerned, prior to the start of second grade, that I’d scheduled too much writing for this year. Handwriting, copywork, spelling, dictation…it seemed like quite a lot. Esa’s been handling it quite well, but I’ve been really careful not to give him any extra writing.

I needn’t have worried, though. Look at what he’s been up to during his free time:

In the span of 2 days, he’s written over 3 pages.

Yes, he has issues with spacing and the spelling is terrible. But the grammar is pretty good and I can see his phonics at work. I’m not bothered about the invented spelling. The fact that he likes to write and has all this creativity seems more important right now. Just about anyone can learn to spell;  not many develop the desire to write. The spelling will come.

Having said that, I did write some words for him on the wipe board that he’s using frequently in his story, but spelling incorrectly.

It’s a Hot Wheels story. Here’s a teaser:

The cars lined up at the starting line and revved their engines. Vroom vroom. Smoke came out of their exhaust pipes and they took off faster and faster. Soon they were out of sight. They went through a tunnel. The tunnel was big. Soon the cards came out of the tunnel…then it started to rain. One of the cars slid off the track. One car was out of the race. Then the checkered flag came into view…

I don’t want to spoil it for you, so you’ll just have to wait until it comes out in hardback or Kindle to read the rest. (That and I can’t make out most of the rest of it.)

Another worry that I can lay to rest…and really, this was my biggest worry when we began following a classical method of homeschooling…is that I would kill off his love of learning and the desire to pursue academic activities. Clearly that’s not an issue. What we’re doing is not only working, but nurturing his interests and enabling him to pursue this creative outlet.

And best of all…he won’t have a leg to stand on if he starts moaning that he has too much writing to do. 🙂