03 January 2010

Times, They Will Be A-Changin'

As I sit typing this on my laptop, Isaac is across the room playing on his Fisher Price Cool School computer that is hooked up to our PC. He doesn't play on the computer much and has not used the Cool School program often since he got it for Christmas last year. But he rediscovered it over the holidays and requested that I set it up for him when he came downstairs this morning. While I am glad that he prefers playing with his toys or setting up a board game to being in front of the computer, I also know that he needs some exposure before he begins school next year. I hear comments from friends and acquaintances about their children playing computer games or with their DS Lites or knowing how to "google" at 3 years old and I worry that he will be behind. But I am not going to push him to use the computer. When the time comes, I am confident that he will acquire the skills he needs and soon enough we will not be able to drag him away from the computer or video games. For now, I will enjoy the fact that he still wants to curl up with a book.

We have been reading his new Christmas books over and over again this past week. I predicted correctly that the Fly Guy books would be a big hit. Last night, 4 of his 5 bedtime books were Fly Guy. Knuffle Bunny, Too by Mo Willems is also a favorite. He is the same age as the main character in the story and can relate to her anxieties. And Mo Willems is just fun to read. Superhero ABC, on the other hand, wasn't as popular as I thought it might be. Isaac prefers books about superheroes he knows, like Batman and Spiderman, but I think that book will come out again in about a year and become a favorite. We also read Bear Feels Sick and Bear Feels Scared a couple of times since Christmas. The characters are familiar and the repetitive rhyme scheme helps Isaac participate in the reading.

We did discover something very surprising and exciting when opening Tedd Arnold's Hooray for Fly Guy the first time. The book is dedicated to Arnold's alma mater, The University of Florida, and it's great sports teams. (In the book Fly Guy plays football.) Being the avid Gator fans that we are, we were very excited to read this. I knew there was a reason we liked Tedd Arnold's books so much. Go Gators!

Isaac has finished on the computer and is now sitting next to me badgering me to close my laptop and play. While I feel a bit rushed to wrap this up, how can I fuss at him? I am sure the situation will be reversed sooner than I think.

2 comments:

  1. I just stumbled on your blog and I love it! I'm a high school English teacher and the mother of four boys -- so I know the dilemma of boys and reading from both sides of the spectrum. I'll be back!

    Come on over to my blog for some mom inspiration, too!

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