my response disappeared while i was composing it also.
it boiled down to: do you have room to write a paragraph wherever you're writing down the milestones? i have kept track of my son's educational growth by sample pictures and descriptive paragraphs. i actively teach him so i know what skills he's working on and where he's at on them, so that's what i try to show. i have it divided in six month increments. i can tell you from my 2.5 yr old journal:
reading random word like crazy now? I'm especially proud that it's not all sight words. He tries to sound out words and he recognizes sight words. No full sentences yet. The other day while I was writing checks to pay the bills at the kitchen table Wyatt said to me, Let me see that. I tore it out and handed it to him saying, Don't lose it. It's not trash. He said, This is dada's. I said how do you know? He answered, because it says "da-da Louis". (in the address printed at the top it does) Louie told me, That means you're busted, no more forging checks.
eta: however, i'm horrible at milestones or "firsts". i remember he read "Spongebob" of the tv guide channel without picture or font clues before he started phonics lessons. i started journaling when i started his lessons. i don't know what to record as a giftedness record. maybe it should be good records of "firsts" and the dates they happened. what i recorded was samples of growth, in case some educational consultant helps me figure out what to do about his education (talent development) they can "see" his growth and development up until that point. i do share it with other mothers in case it's helpful to anybody.
i agree that it would be easy to teach babies to recognize five words by shape. i think if you read around kids they'll recognize what a word is for any way and learn a few, but i don't THINK dates of isolated milestones like that would be as useful as descriptive paragraphs and pictures. i also think my kids will like it better when they're grown if i give them pictures and paragraphs instead of lists and dates. but i guess lists and dates might help them make decisions when they parent their own kids. my daughter blends a little (two letter combos, not words) and has pointed out a couple of words that she's said. i get excited and tell every one, even posted it here. i have not recorded it in my journal though, only that i just started her lessons and i put picture of the lines and circles i'm teaching her to draw. she's going to have to be a little more consistantly showing her reading skills before *that* goes in the journal. i want her to be right more than half the time and least try most the time before i would count it. jmo for my kids and my notes. i also figure if i need giftedness records my kids will have something recent to clearly show at whatever time i need it so i don't save everything. i mail it out to family and friends to put a smile on their face rather than my circular file. their circular file is fine.
