Eighth Grade Sentence Diagrams where are you?!

new challenge:

teaching sentence structure to a 7 year old.

and an old maxim that came unbidden to my lips from my past: Answer questions in complete sentences.

Conversations with a Seven Year Old

"Lilly, I want you to practice more breathing while you swim. Pull your head up and take a breath in between some strokes."

"No, I don't want to. Maybe at the end of the summer."

"Well I think you're capable now. Let's just try it a little bit at a time."

~~10 minutes pass~~

"Why do people need air?"

"Well there is an element in air called Oxygen that our cells need to do their jobs."

"But why do we need it? Why do people have to go around breathing? Why can't they just not breathe?

"Well, when we get home, let's get out your giant sketchbook and we'll draw a story telling why we need air."

-----------------------------------------------------

A common phrase I hear: out of frustration "Why did mom have to bore you?!"

-----------------------------------------------------

"Are you glad you don't have a sister who likes Jonas [brothers]?"

"Why would I be glad you don't like Jonas?"

"If I liked Jonas, would you think it was bad?"

"I'd be upset if you spent a lot of time watching it and wanted to be like them."

"Well I don't like Jonas."

"Why?"

"Because their show is just weird. I don't like them."