On Dec 28, 2009, at 10:26 PM, Mary Hickcox wrote:

He really wants to sit down and learn, not just talk about it
slowly in passing (which we have already done at his prompting so
he is pretty familiar with words, letters, etc), I think he wants
to play school sort of but at the same time wants to learn to
actually read:) Any advice would be most appreciated.

Meredith said something wise in the forums on the Radical Unschooling
Network:

Something its important to know is that interest is not a sign of
"reading readiness". That's a misconception that gets passed around
by educators who are faced with a body of students who it is their
job to somehow motivate. To a teacher, interest is a vital
ingredient in easy teaching. But from an unschooling perspective,
kids are interested in soooooo many things! And sometimes they are
interested in things they aren't developmentally ready for -
skateboarding or gymnastics or, yes, reading! You wouldn't put an
uncoordinated child on a balance beam and say "keep trying", you'd
find other ways to meet the desire for that kind of physical fun,
and maybe commiserate that the child is not yet ready.

If his brain isn't ready, he can't read, no matter what you or he
does. Just as a child may struggle one summer to ride a two wheeler
then get on the next summer and be riding within minutes.

Pam's idea is great. It would probably feel like reading progress --
and, if he's engaged, it would be adding something to his storehouse
to draw on when his brain is ready. Sandra put labels on lots of
things and then would mix them and her kids would put them back on
the right things.

There's a book Games For Reading that had some fun ideas.

If he's struggling and getting frustrated it would be kind to let him
know that maybe his brain isn't ready yet.

Is there something in particular that he's wanting to read?

Joyce