Ford is in that whirlwind of development right now where literacy unfolds and reading kicks in. He is devouring books. On any given night you might find him lying on his back on the sofa, nose in a spy book, quiet as a mouse. I have been longing for this day. Suddenly, the whirlwind rests, content and cerebral.
He started his own pictoblog last week! a place where he can post his doodles and an outlet for his creative writing practice. This enables him to quickly express himself by dictating a story to me. I’m encouraging him to write his explanations at the bottom, too, so he can actually practice his penmanship. At this point, it’s faster to dictate, and the momentum isn’t lost– these small baby steps are very important.
If When you visit his blog, you’ll have to register as a user in order to leave a comment. Though it’s an initial hassle, from that point onward you’ll only have to login in order to comment and his site won’t get flooded with spam. Please leave him an encouraging comment and tell him what you think of his project. Feedback is a tremendously powerful thing at this age and I’d love to see a commitment from him strengthen over time as he realizes that an online sketchbook can become a place not only for self-expression but a springboard for storytelling and discussion and making new friends.
Thanks!
*steph
i really think dictation is the first step to getting kids excited about writing. they can’t always write (or type!) fast enough to get their zooming thoughts down .. which leads to frustration .. and quitting.
what a fab idea! Ford is a guy of many talents, i can tell. Esme has been checking out his pics on flickr and although she hasn’t reached the point where her drawings actually look representative of anything, she has started sitting down with her drawing supplies to “make pictures like Ford” – he’s got her stamp of approval!!