Yes, I looked up those words so I could title my post more creatively. I’m weird that way. Here’s their definitions, so you don’t have to google them. My children would be required to look them up, but I’m in charge of their schooling, not yours

A`be`ce´da`ry
A primer; the first principle or rudiment of anything.

Or·thog·ra·phy
The art or study of correct spelling according to established usage.
The aspect of language study concerned with letters and their sequences in words.
A method of representing a language or the sounds of language by written symbols; spelling.

Our family rented Akeelah and the Bee a couple of weeks ago. While it was fairly common practice around our house to spell out info we might not want younger ears to hear, the system has jumped to an entirely new L-E-V-E-L. Rebecca and Andrew want to spell out just about e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g, and it’s sparked some fun conversations.

Andrew, for instance, is very proud of his ability to spell “xanthosis.” “It’s so easy Mom, I don’t know how they ever missed it!” Of course, another word from the movie which is mentioned but not spelled in the show: “psoriasis” gave the children a little more trouble. Ironic, since it happens to be a disease that runs in the family on his daddy’s side (otherwise I probably wouldn’t know how to spell it!)

While I was tending the wood stove the other day, Lydia, my beginning reader, stood next to me to make a request for her favorite winter beverage. She spelt out H-O-T  perfectly, then forgot her phonics and resorted to Greek: “Chi…” she said for the next letter, and then muddled through the rest of “chocolate” with a very respectable effort, so of course I gave her permission, which T-H-R-I-L-L-E-D the whole family!

Not to be left out, Bethany asserts several times a day that she can spell (insert random word here), at which point she proudly rattles off P-T-S-Y-Z. I had no idea how many words were spelled ptsyz. Quite a few.

Guess Chris and I will have to resort to ig-Pay atin-Lay in order to eep-kay any ecrets-say around here!