Leafscript: Draw. Spell. Read.™

This summer, the trunk of our tree splits into two new branches:  Leafscript: Draw. Spell. Read.™ and Dungeons & Dragons + Literacy, or: Scribe & Sword™.  Both are child-led and inspired by nature.  Both aim to get kids off phones and connecting with others.

Both offerings are inspired by our lives’ work.   Leafscript is my ‘baby’ and the way that I’ve introduced reading to hundreds of young children and their parents.  The approach blends tenets of both balanced literacy and structured literacy.  And while it is indeed rooted deeply in the science of reading and my 30+ years of experience, I distill this information down to only what you need to know at exactly where your child is at this moment  - for you to gently + joyfully lead them down the magical path of reading.

So while Leafscript has been in my toolbox since I began teaching reading in 1994, it is only natural that I introduce it now, following The Enchanted Literacy Trail and after the deep dive of Wayfinder.

How do you begin?  

Will there be instructional videos??

They’re coming - really.

But here’s how you can begin today:

1. Pull out the crayons, markers, colored pencils, or pens

2. Your child draws a picture 

3. You say, “Tell me about your picture…”

4. You label their drawing - even if it’s just one word: “Cat.”

5. Your ‘reads’ their story to you and others - OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN

6. Now your child OWNS that word  (and a magical world has opened for them)

And you do this every day - then combine the pages and your little one will have authored their first BOOK.

This is the Leafscript approach distilled down to its most basic level.   Everything builds on this process - and we take it light years further.  But, I won’t give you that information just yet.  

It’s a LOT. 

And it’s fun, and it’s magical.

But for now, just start with the steps listed above.  If you commit to spending ten minutes each day on these steps, you will be amazed at how your child will take the lead on this path into literacy.

Connect and have fun.

I’ll be back with videos - eventually.   

There is so much we can build together!

If you’d like to work together online with the Leafscript: Draw. Spell. Read.™ approach, I’m opening up a container where I will guide you through the deeper magic of each step.   It’s still in the ‘planning’ stage, so if you hop in now, membership is much less than when the online version is up and running.    Reach out if you’d like to join me for the building-beta phase.

You can visit our website: ontrackot.org and look for Leafscript.   Fill out the form and just let me know that you’re interested in the online Beta-Leafscript building.

Yours in Literacy,

Stephanie