Have you seen all of the calendar kiosks at the mall? Keep you eye out for the Merriam-Webster’s 365 New Words-a-Year 2014 Page-A-Day Calendar. It’s a great way to give your children an early start on the SATs.
I use my calendar to sneak new words into ordinary conversation. Here’s an example using the beginning words from 2014:
“Wow! The weather is really yucky today. Is that snow or is that graupel? I hope it’s snow because grainy snow pellets aren’t much fun to play in. If I was a zillionaire, I’d take us on vacation to Hawaii. Then we could gambol about the beach, skipping and frolicking in the ocean water.
It’s just as well that we’re stuck at home. So-an-so is coming down with a cold. I hope he uses a tissue because I don’t want to find coughed up phlegm all over the place.”
Of course, it’s better to only use one word at a time. The trouble is coming up with words to use in the first place. That’s where the calendar comes in handy.
Another way to gather words is by liking my Teaching My Baby To Read FB page. I’ll be sharing lots of jumbo words throughout the year. My goal is to help moms and dads like me remember to use them.
Ab initio, from the beginning, (of January); here we go!
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