"bubble gum stretch"

Christian's kindergarten teacher is pretty much awesome and she uses all kinds of fun strategies to help kids remember things that they're learning or to help them do something. 

For example, whenever she teaches them something important that she wants them to remember (like a specific word) she tells them to "stick it in their back pocket" so they can get it out later. Earlier this week Christian was reading to me and I pointed to the word "let's" and asked him what type of word that was. He said, "Wait a minute. I know it because I put it in my back pocket, I've just got to get it out." He sat there for a minute and let his brain work and then he retrieved the word (figuratively) out of his back pocket and told  me that "let's" is a contraction!!!

Whenever the kindergarteners are writing they use their "bubble gum" stretch strategies to write out words they don't know how to spell. It basically just means you sound out the word, but it's more fun to call it a "bubble gum stretch"

Christian and McKenna made forts out of the boxes from our new washer and dryer and then Christian made a list of who was allowed to go in his fort. He didn't ask me to spell any of the names he just bubble gum stretched them and I just love how perfectly phonetic each of the names are spelled. So stinkin' cute!!!  Just in case you weren't sure what each of the names said I wrote the correct spelling by each name. I think my favorite is "ulisubith." I mean seriously, how cute is that! And I can't wait for "gramom" to go in the fort!