Letters to Santa

There are a few benefits to having been an elementary school teacher and Reading Recovery teacher. One benefit, is that I have known exactly what to say and do to help my children learn how to write on their own. Of course in the beginning only a former teacher could have read their writing, but now they have gotten quite good at it and they LOVE to write! Honestly, these two kids are taking down a rainforest on their own with the amount of paper we go through around here. But it's great and I have some of the most beautiful letters from my children that I will cherish forever! So when it came time to write Santa this year Naomi and Ethan pretty much did it on their own while I cooked dinner. First, let me show you Ethan's:


For those of you not use to reading this kind of writing it says....
Dear Santa,
I would like a lightsaber, and transformers, and air hogs car.
Love, Ethan Hollans

Can you tell that air hogs car looks a little different from the rest of the writing? That's because originally air hogs car was omitted and instead Ethan asked for a real catapult!!! My mind started racing and I think I may have even broke out in a sweat when I first read it! There is no way Santa is bringing a real catapult, but I can't tell him that. Ethan is so factual and very perceptive, so I have to be careful what I say. Thankfully it came to me and I started rattling off every toy he has mentioned over the past two months. Are you sure you want a catapult instead? At first I didn't think this was going to work - he was holding firm to the catapult, but finally I said air hog car and that did it! Whew!! I have never been so happy to buy a toy as I was with that car!




Then Naomi finished her letter and brought it to me to read.
Here's the translation for it,

Dear Santa,
I would like a playdough ice cream maker and makeup and a new kitchen. Please don't bring me crayons! I will play with my toys.
Love, Naomi Hollans

Okay, here's the story behind that! My children seem to go through seasons where they play wonderfully with their toys and have an imagination that blows me away. But...they also go through a season where they act like there isn't a toy in the house. Naomi went through that season back in November. She would just look at me and sigh, "Now what can I do?" At first I was patient with it and offered up choices of things she could play with most of which she would decline. My patience had just finally run out one day. So...I told her we obviously didn't need all these toys in our house and Santa didn't need to bring anymore because she wasn't playing with them. Maybe, I told her, I should tell Santa to only bring her crayons, because as I said before my children do love to write and draw and that was the only thing she was still doing on her own initiative. Well, there wasn't another word said about it and as I think back on it I do think things improved after that. But, can you imagine my surprise when I read her letter!! Of course, I shouldn't be surprised because the little girl doesn't forget a thing!