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almamater
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| Posted: Oct 24 2007 at 3:29am | IP Logged
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We have, like many of you, lots of children's books. Does anyone have the problem of there being too many books "out" (off the shelf) all of the time? I found my son climbing into bed with four chapter books the other night (he only had about 20 minutes of reading time ahead of him). The girls can easily have 20+ books in there room at any given time, including half a dozen chapter books.
This problem leads to another: poor care of books. Mistreatment of books is one of my greatest pet peeves. Books left on the floor (especially the car floor!!), left open on couches or chairs, left on the bathroom counter or hall floor, and piled so precariously on the shelf that my toddler risks her safety trying to get one down.
I am at my wits end and ready to sell all the books to the exclusive reliance on library collections. Have also, in the heat of the moment, threatened to put on a lock on the closet door (about half of the books are on shelves in a closet) and make them check out the books one at a time.
Suggestions?!
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~jennifer in tx
mommy of ds(11),dd(8),dd(6), dd(3),& ds (6/08)
Soul of the Home
Soulful Learning
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Macmom
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| Posted: Oct 24 2007 at 10:07am | IP Logged
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I have this issue, too. I don't think it's TOTALLY solvable, but...
all of my really good, OOP living history books I keep away from the children. I bring them out at the appropriate time for when we are studying the corresponding time period, I keep them on a special shelf, and I watch them carefully.
all of the other books we clean up a) after lunch and b) before bed. Its just part of our regular straighten up schedule. Whatever child is assigned to "book duty" for that period scours the house for books lying around.
a limit of ONE book for bedtime, and a fine if they don't comply (a fine, or the loss of the privilege of reading in bed for a few days)
Peace,
Macmom
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Catholic family life works on the same principle as a washing machine- clothes get clean by agitation.
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mimmyof5
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| Posted: Oct 24 2007 at 2:02pm | IP Logged
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Macmom wrote:
| a limit of ONE book for bedtime, and a fine if they don't comply (a fine, or the loss of the privilege of reading in bed for a few days) |
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I don't think I could ever enforce this since I usually have 6 or 7 books in my bedtime reading stack. I'd be in debt up to my eyeballs with fines.
Books that are very special or irreplaceable, I put up. My youngest aren't allowed to have them unless with me. Other than that, books are available for everyone, whenever, wherever. I do require that they put them back on the shelf before going to sleep. Except for books that are in progress. For those, I have plastic milk crates that I put them in, and then stash the crates behind the couch - out of sight. I've lost a few books over the years - covers falling off, ripped pages. For me, a small price to pay for the love of reading we have.
My dh jokes that the books reproduce at night while we're sleeping. 
Janet
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Jess
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| Posted: Oct 24 2007 at 3:22pm | IP Logged
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Oh we have this problem too! I still haven't figured out what to do about it  We do have a special Catholic Mosaic shelf that they have to ask to get something off of (its high so only a couple can reach it). Our history books have a special place too. My 4yr old seems to be carrying chapter books around all the time, but she can't read , and you should see the pocket in front of her seat in the suburban! My 2 oldest seem to be the ones who leave books open upside down, but I just have to remind them to get a book mark. We have to do a clean up where books get put up everyday, but a couple of the shelves have books on top of the books instead of on the shelves like they should be. I want the kids to learn to take good care of the books so they will last, so I guess I just have to remind them a lot. I would never remember to fine them 
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God bless,
Jess
+JMJ+
wife to dh('96)
mama to dd(13), dd(11), ds(9), dd(6), and dd (2), and baby girl born Sept 14!
star cottage
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4Real Forums : Mothering and Family Life
Topic: Book Care and Access
