Living For Legos

Today Jake decided to start his own blog...LivingForLegos. Check it out and let him know what you think. He has been thinking about starting a blog for a while now...basically since Justin and I started ours. I spent the night helping him with his layout, colors and images. He is still in the beginning planning phases, so check back in a few weeks to see his progress.

I am hoping that the blog will help him with his typing skills, computer skills and his writing.

Jake doesn't care for writing much. It isn't that he can't create wonderful stories...he's been asking me for years to write down his stories, which usually revolve around action figures or Lego creations. I believe Jake's dislike of writing has to do with the use of fine motor skills. I am a firm believer that all children develop at their own pace. Jake's fine motor skills have improved dramatically over the past year or so. He used to have trouble holding a pencil or crayon when most other preschoolers were coloring within the lines. I can't complain. I was almost held back in first grade because I wouldn't color within the lines. My mom thinks that I was just in a hurry and wanted to go on to the next coloring sheet. When coloring and labeling his history/geography maps, Jake will ask if he can use different types of lines to distinguish between different areas rather than to shade them different colors. I don't mind...he is getting the job done. Coloring in the different segments requires more precise fine motor skills in order to stay within the lines, whereas drawing straight or dotted lines use both gross motor skills (the movement of the arm) as well as fine motor skills (the use of the wrist and hand muscles).

As soon as Jake masters typing, I think he will more enjoy writing stories. I'm hoping that he will want to enter a homeschooling writing contest that some of my Norfolk homeschooling friends have put together. Jolie writes stories almost daily and has been coloring in the lines since she was old enough to hold a pencil. But she is shy, and has trouble opening up to adults, whereas Jake is a social butterfly and has been able to speak intelligently with adults since he started talking. Jake and Jolie were talking fluently at about 20 months old. It has been hard to understand Jensen until just a few months ago, but he was walking and darn near running at 10 1/2 months old.

All kids are different. With three of them, I realize that more and more each day. They each have their strengths and their weaknesses. I see them using their strengths and asking for assistance with their weaknesses, even at these young ages. I think their ability to ask for help, or to know where to go to look for assistance when they need it, will come in handy when they are adults.

This blog will be a good learning tool for Jake. I hope he decides to stay with it and learns some new skills in the process. Let us know what you think if you get a chance. I'm sure he'd love the feedback.