Already on day 4 of Home Education Week at Principled Discovery:
It is also National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day! So share a recipe…figuratively, as in two parts love, one part creativity, or literally, as in a super quick, nutritious meal your kids scarf up. Think about what you do in the day, what helps keep it organized and you sane (or how you got past that need for organization and saneness!), and curriculum materials you find effective.
This started out to be hard. What do we do that keeps us going? What is effective around here? What do we do all day? And then it came to me. Of course.
Books. Lots of books. History books, science books, silly books, serious books, grownup books, picture books, beautiful books. If I could give my children all they needed by just reading great books to them, and encouraging them to read great books on their own, I would. I almost can.
Someone once expressed surprise (maybe I should say shock) because my kids want me to read to them still. They are 9 and almost-11, and they are reading on their own; pretty well, too. But I can't imagine not reading to my kids. Sure, they can read. But there are some books that are better read together the first time. I had never read The Chronicles of Narnia. Why would I hand those off to my kids to read on their own the first time? Last year we read Oliver Twist. That, they probably couldn't read on their own, but they loved listening to it. And then of course there was our marathon: the entire "Swallows and Amazons" series, 12 books, our "pleasure books" for months. We still talk about those books, two years later.
I am looking forward to the day they both feel comfortable reading aloud to me, so we can all take turns with the books. Won't that be a great time?
See more on this topic at Principled Discovery. And add your own!
9 comments:
Oh, yes...reading is a great family activity. My eldest will still drop about anything and run in the room to listen when I am reading to the younger children.
We are really into listening to books on tape/CD. Reading ROCKS!! : )
Thanks for sharing!
My girls love when we all read together too.
Thanks for sharing.
Reading is a wonderful family activity. My kids still ask both dh and I to read to them, as we have different reading styles lol. Thanks for sharing your recipe for success.
Margaret, Thanks for supporting my blog and for your kind comments. I am right with you on the reading. My oldest two don't really want me reading to them anymore, but my 11 year old still enjoys it very much. She still has some struggles when it comes to reading, she has a form of dyslexia, but we love curling up on my bed and reading books together. It is such a special time that I know will pass oh too quickly, so I am trying to soak it in as much as possible.
Have a great day!
Oh my goodness, not read to our older kids! Even when I went to college for my teaching degree, in my reading class we read Jim Trelease's Read Aloud Handbook. In there he made the argument to read to our kids through adulthood! Even our curriculum author for Tapestry of Grace was sharing how her husband reads to her at night. I think they were Anne of Green Gable books!
Blessings,
Laurie
Ah, yes! Books, books, books! I still read to my kids also, and my oldest is 14! We read the Narnia series as a family too. I've heard that the "Swallows and Amazons" series is great. I'm glad you reminded me of it; we are in between read-alouds right now.
~Andrea
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/andijeane/509287/
I agree! My children cry if they don't get a bedtime story. (Don't tell, but I'm referring to my 10 year old. :) Seriously, that is our favorite part of the day.
We do a lot of read alouds, too - even during the summer. My son is 14 and he still listens. He doesn't know any different, because he has always been homeschooled and this is what we do. I really enjoy it. I wish that the older ones would help with reading out loud, too. Maybe next year.
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