The girls often wake up in the mornings on their own and the digital clock on their dresser helps them to know what time it is. At least it does for Abigail. She reads numbers well enough to know when it says “8”. She’s starting to tell time and can comprehend what a digital clock says. A year ago or so I bought the two sisters a large illuminated digital clock, a Hello Kitty tea cup and saucer, pink and white with red numbers and a yellow lemon slice that functions as a night light (the ability to eliminate our problematic separate nightlight is what enticed me into this particular purchase). I got this idea to use a digital clock from some friends who used one to teach their young son to stay in bed until the right time in the morning. Abigail and Michaela both know that they need to stay quietly in their room until 8.
The other morning the big sister was complaining that the younger sister didn’t know what time it was in the morning and was waking her up too early.
I believe one of the best ways to know whether I’ve learned something is how well I can teach it to someone else.
So I told Abigail she should teach Michaela how to tell time. Each day Abigail practices with a toy clock and calendar, and I suggested she share this with her younger sister. Michaela has started to recognize numbers so I knew that this would not be too difficult for her to do.
That afternoon I watched as Abigail showed Michaela the practice calendar clock, how the hands move around the dial. She showed Michaela how she reads the green digital numbers off of the stove clock. Then Abigail got out a coloring book that I’d bought her about telling time, and she read the book to Michaela. I was impressed that she tried multiple methods for teaching her little sister!
So now Michaela tells me she can tell time! And she can read digital numbers. She can’t synthesize them – it comes out as “4 0 3” but it is indeed the beginning of understanding clocks and how to tell time.
I’ve also seen Abigail and Michaela quiz each other on geography. On their own initiative, the big sister told the little sister to hold the globe. Then Abigail said the name of a country, and Michaela tried to find it.
So, at this rate, I figure I’ll have worked myself out of a job in no time. Soon I’ll be unemployed.
This is my argument for continuing to have children: once I’ve trained and taught the first two, or even the first one, I’m done! 🙂
