Prisha starts to read

      I think I have been just too lazy since I shifted to Germany.Perhaps it is just that I am still in the chill out state of mind after a mind boggling rush rush life that I had in India.Prisha is over 6 years and had I started , she would have been reading.I have uploaded videos of Prisha reading on my You tube account.(Click here).I was surprised at the ease with which she picked it up although I have not been reading so much to her nor have I started her to teach to read.So this week I kick started myself to start reading and ask her read back.I read out these small books,that her aunt gifted to her, with Indian context ,somethings that she can relate to with everyday life.I read out ,asked her questions to see if she understood the story and then started to ask her to read.

     She got stuck at a few places here and there,which I gladly helped.We giggled at a few things, animated somewhere and generally enjoyed the session.In the evening I asked my husband too to participate.He was asked to just hear the story Prisha reads.It was a way of reinforcing what she had read.My husband was surprised too and asked me if she was really reading or had she memorized the story.I had no answer as I too am surprised that she read the whole story and got just stuck at a few places with new difficult words.I really felt that it was a good auditory training along with a great exercise for auditory memory development.She has to learn to read the whole word as a picture,and read it as it is if it gets repeated. She has to understand the story ,along with it she has to remember the entire sentence-hold the entire sentence together in her mind to comprehend the story.She has to remember the sound of each new word that she came across along with its meaning.Certain words are difficult to say for her still as they are not in use in everyday life, but she is so excited about reading that book ,that she brings out that book everytime I say"lets read".we read it as it helps build her confidence.So hopefully by the time she goes to her lovely new school In Dusseldorf,she would be reading more.I feel so good myself when I have been able to achieve something like this.I just need to push myself amongst all the new challenges and uncertainties of life that we are going through with the shifting to Germany, then into a new home this month end,then doing up the house and then comes the new school, teachers, new kids and building a balance with all these along with the huge change of the climate for us.Hope to have a lot of language development this coming year.

Dance - a teaser

Today Prisha's dance teachers called us over to see her dancing to give us an idea of what she has been learning.I was so excited.Till now she had shown me bits at home. She and I would finish her class and then as we passed Mac Donald's, she would show me all that she learnt on the steps outside Mac D.Today I looked forward to see her dance in the class. I was so happy.
 I waited outside and went around buying things I needed for dinner while she danced.Soon we were all called into her dance room and she was soon in position.The music started and my little dancer started to move her little body. I saw her doing the salsa moves that she learnt and her little frilly skirt moved around her little hips. So cute! I had moist eyes and I kept wiping them away.We all cheered the little dancers and my girl and I hugged each other hard.
I had noticed Prisha looking at the teacher move and was copying her . I thought of talking to her as she was really straining herself. As the music she danced was in Hindi language and she did not know the language, she looked at her and danced.She was put in the corner far from the teacher, which made her really strain herself.When I brought it to her notice, she said that Prisha was dancing well and lip read her and so there was nothing to worry. To this I immediately told her that Prisha was auditorily trained and did not lip read , in fact she interacted in the dark too.I loved the shocked look on her face as they are still under the impression that deaf are always signing or lip reading.I am happy to be part of this changed opinion that deaf are mute too and are not listening.