Dirty phonics

I assume, or anyway I hope, that A. isn't the only 4-year-old out there who thinks you can make any conversation humorous by inserting the word "poop" someplace. I don't think I've gone a full day without hearing that word in quite a while. And she's said "penis" with such frequency since T. was born that I'm starting to wonder if Freud wasn't on to something with that whole penis envy theory.

Today A. got out our reading primer, and I sat down next to her to do some reading. She really wants to read, but she's frustrated by how long it takes to sound out the words. She managed "Hal had jam" and "A gas cap" and then gave a big sigh and pushed the book away.

So I got out the Magnadoodle and wrote "A big fat cat went poop." And let me tell you, it was a hit. I promised her it was a funny sentence, which motivated her to get through it, and sure enough, she laughed hysterically.

We made a little book today, full of "poop" and "fart"-- whatever A. wanted me to write. She's already read through it twice, and she's memorized some of the words by sight (cat, dog, rat, big). Parts of it sound like an early reader, so in a way it's like 4-year-old satire: "A cat went poop. A big fat cat went poop. A big poop."

So there's another thing you can't get in school.

And speaking of homeschooling advantages, I will I never have to explain to A's teacher that she currently refers to her brother as "Penis, the Boy Genius." (Actually, I don't know where that came from!)