I adore Hurricanehead.
LOL. But seriously, the more interesting question is how do you get your kids to want to WEED?!
(I don't remember how my kid learned. Before I was paying attention, obviously.)
You have GOT to sit down for a cup of coffee with (your fellow Austinite and homeschooler) The Fairy Mum. Here's why.
I haven't decided yet on a technique, since my kids are as yet hypothetical. But my little brother, at age 3, famously approached my mother while she was reading the paper, pointed to an advertisement, and said "Does that say TOY SALE?!"
It did, and he got a new toy and a love of reading that day.
Ahhh, I yearn to weed, too.
I see we have another data point for the theory that potty words are the best instructional tools for early readers.
I officially want to be reincarnated as your kid. Too late, I know, at least this go 'round, but I am remembering a day in second or third grade when my mother almost washed my mouth out with Ivory soap for asking her why she was in such a "crappy" mood, when what I'd really said was "crabby." Whee.
And really, it just doesn't do to get too worked up over this kind of crap, does it? I mean, look how much good all that stress did my vocabulary. I had to learn all my best potty words from other kids.
Dang...I was gonna' hire him to come over...I've never yearned to weed...but I'm with him on the reading thing!
My sister used to put an F in front of truck...so it was fruck...and she once called a bench a...well, you can figure that out (speech impediments are cute...and it's fun to watch other people's reactions as well)
Sometimes in life we have to make learning ... possible. When public school made learning impossible, my second grade son came home. He really did WEED. He gardened for a whole semester.
Each day we would visit a different garden center and he would talk endlessly with the employees. Then he would buy a couple of plants and head home to plant, measure the root stimulator, dig the holes, photograph the new additions, research plant care, and add a page to his gardening journal. A dip in the pool was P.E. and soon learning was both possible and FUN again ... his garden and his grins were gorgeous.
Later, when he entered school again, he skipped four years so I guess it worked. 
Now, five years later, he still loves plants and learning.
Dianna (Austin, Texas)
Thanks, Katharine.
JoVE, if I can ever get them to weed I'll let you know. Actually, he's pretty good at picking up rocks, but that's because I pay him a penny a rock. He can make a dollar in about three minutes that way, but then he loses interest.
Tim, thanks for the tip. I hadn't read Fairy Mum before but I'm glad I did!
StotheL, that's a great story. Your little brother must have been so pleased with himself.
Trailhead, yeah, the first word we ever got Rocketboy to write was "poop." You've got to meet your students where they are, you know?
Sara, no child should be forced to learn foul language from her peers. I believe the proper place for that kind of education is at home. I remember by first-grade math teacher threatening to wash someone's mouth out once. Bet that doesn't happen anymore.
Sadira, 'fruck' is great. At Thanksgiving, Hurricanehead momentarily stunned us when he asked at the dinner table (in a crowded restaurant) for a fork and knife--using his own brand of pronunciation. We're really working on the 'r' sound.
Dianna, your son's story made me tear up. What a beautiful and creative way to restore his love of learning--good for you for helping him do it!
haha, what a kid! That's great. I did the BOB books with my youngest, we were overseas then, and English books were hard to come by. Luckily he was the youngest, so we still had our ginormous kids' book collection thanks to his big sisters.
One of them - don't remember which - took great pleasure in spelling "but" and laughing like a hyena about it. Took me a while to figure out they secretly believed they were spelling "butt".
Took me a while to figure out they secretly believed they were spelling "butt"
Butt they were, right?
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