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Pen Pals Anyone??/

Hey there all, I am a mother of 2, ages 7 and 4. My daughter who is 7 doesn't seem to be into writing or reading much, and although we do have may notebooks and books to read, her interest is elsewhere. More like in playing outside, and playing waitress all day. With all the snacks I end up eating during the restaurant games, Im afraid soon I won't be able to keep up! hehehe... So although I do love and enjoy that she plays a lot more than the "conventional" reading and writing, I can't help but think that maybe, just maybe she might need a source of inspiration. Perhaps something enthusiastic (like knowing a letter shall be coming soon in the mail) to get her going. So I thought... why not post a blog to see if there are any other unschoolers with children around that age, 6-9 that would like to become pen pals with her. I had mentioned this to her once before and she became very excited about it, and she only could think of her cousin to write to, who didn't write her back :(

So, if there is anyone out there with a child looking forward to having a pen pal from NY, please email me directly at shybarbie22@gmail.com so we can exchange addresses.

And if anyone from this group happens to live in NY near the Rockland County area, please feel free to also email me, and hopefully we can plan some dates together.

Thank You all,

Haydee

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Comment by Meredith on September 6, 2012 at 6:47pm: If she's looking to connect with people, online games are the New! Improved! way for kids to connect - Minecraft, of course, is the big hit of the year, and there is an Unschooling Gamers group for families to find kid-safe servers. And Facebook is a great way for kids to meet and connect, too - my daughter keeps up with friends she's met at unschooling events and while travelling on Facebook games and Minecraft.

http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/unschooling_gamers/

It might be helpful to think about why you want to inspire her in this regard, though. There's a lot of schoolish propaganda which frames a "good" reader and writer as someone who enjoys those things and seeks them out for pleasure - but the truth is there's no real need for that, any more than there's a need for a person with a car to love to drive. Like driving, reading and writing are tools to get us where we want to go. My daughter read early, but beyond the initial fascination with "cracking the code" has never really enjoyed reading. She reads for information, but she's also very good at getting information in other ways. She writes at times to communicate, but she's also very good at communicating in other ways, especially through drawing and sculpture. Enjoy playing with your daugther and seeing what inspires her already ;)

Comment by Michelle Diaz on September 5, 2012 at 1:58pm: Hi Haydee.

I have been meaning for my son to write to his friends in Tucson and Atlanta. He is 7 and also does not care to much to read and write unless it is something meaningful/enjoyable - like penpals. When I was younger I had a penpal in another country and we exchanged country specific things. I lived in NYC as a child and we would love to be a penpal and exchange letters and city facts. I am in NJ now. Let me know,

Thanks,

Michelle