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10 Bright Stars
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| Posted: Jan 24 2008 at 2:28pm | IP Logged
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Hi all,
I have been out of the habit of reading to the children for quite some time now, and tried to reflect on why exactly that was. For starters, I am unable to read while pregnant. Why? I have terrible morning sickness for pretty much the whole 9 moonths. When I try to read, I have a gag reflex for some reason while pregnant, and could not even read their normal school work to them sometimes, and even have trouble answering questions, the phone etc. Yes, in the beginning months, I sometimes have trouble talking at all, and would often have to write my husband a note to PLEASE FEED ME since I could not SAY what I needed. (Nor could I encounter the fridge. That was another problem area for me. So, since I have been pregnant for quite some time now over all, that may explain why I got out of the habit!! 
Anyway, excuses aside, I feel inspired to start reading to the kids again. I have Elizabeth's book lists, A Catholic Mother's Book of Lists, and Honey for a Child's Heart for resources. I have gone through the house and gathered books from the list that I already have etc. ,and started with the younger girls today. I waited till after I was finished with Seton for the day. I have several questions since I am starting out.
1. How do you all read to various levels of children over the course of the day in addition to "regular" school? My eldest son who is 13 and dislikes reading other than what is required for book reports etc would not enjoy the Peter Rabbit and Tailor of Gloucester I read to my 4 and 6 year old girls today. Where does that leave my 3rd and 5th grades boys? Should I read aloud to the boys on a higher level, and then the girls? Should I do some on separate days? What has worked for some?
2. As I mentioned previously, my boys are not BIG readers. They will usually read their book report books that are required and then read a bit before bed. How can I get them inspired to take on more reading?
I was thinking of coming up with a reading challenge to get them fired up about it. Any suggestions?
3. Do you all purchase most of the books or just check them out etc.? ( I know that purchasing all the good books would be impossible financially, but do you all find yourselves buying alot of books since I find it hard to get out of the house with so many some days ?
4. I noticed that my younger girls, especially the 4 year old, has not had much experience in sitting still. When I asked her what she thought of the story, she said, "Something." Do any of you all have an approach that works in keeping their attention longer? Do you just try a little more each day? How about good leading questions for narration for this age?
5. The 2 year old twins? Just start with simple picture books or board books? They JUMP, JUMP, JUMP whenever I try to read to them, so just start slowly???
I guess that is all for now. I just felt so terrible today thinking about all the good stories they have missed!! I used to read to the two older boys and it shows!!!! I have noticed a dramatic difference in their ability to concentrate as opposed to the later children I did not read to as much. Better late than never!!! I feel excited about this new journey as regular school can get somewhat dry. I really like Seton and am glad I have them for all the basics, but I wanted to try to incoporate the living books approach into our learning process to add some spice. 
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Kim married to Bob (22y)
Mom of 11 blessings:
Bobby 19, David 17, Noah 14,
Mary 12, Gracie 10,
Isabelle and Sophia 8,
Gabrielle 6,
William Anthony 4, Joseph 3 and Luisa Marie - born in M
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DominaCaeli
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| Posted: Jan 24 2008 at 4:11pm | IP Logged
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Eight Wonders wrote:
| 5. The 2 year old twins? Just start with simple picture books or board books? They JUMP, JUMP, JUMP whenever I try to read to them, so just start slowly??? |
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Being just a newbie mom myself, this is the only one I can help with.  I have two toddlers right now: 16 months and 19 months. Our real-aloud time is during snack time, and it works wonderfully. Twice a day, I strap the two of them in their high chairs with their snack and waters, pull them up right next to me (one on my right, one on my left), and read through a stack of picture books. They are happy to sit there for as long as I am willing to read.
My daughter is particularly wiggly, and reading with her on my lap never worked--she was always trying to tear the pages or jump over my shoulder.  But having them in their seats (this could work on regular chairs pulled up to the table too, if your twins have outgrown their high chairs) and eating keeps their hands occupied and their bodies still. They LOVE snacktime/storytime--definitely their favorite part of the day! (And mine too!)
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Blessings,
Celeste
Joyous Lessons
Mommy to six: three boys (8, 4, newborn) and four girls (7, 5, 2, and 1)
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DominaCaeli
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| Posted: Jan 24 2008 at 4:19pm | IP Logged
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Oh, and I wanted to speak to the last part of your question there as well: I would say yes, just start slowly. I used to have a goal of 5 books a day, and I would scatter them throughout the morning and afternoon. Now they have quite long attention spans and LOVE to just sit there and have me read and read.
The other thing I have noticed about my two littles: their tastes often change. Sometimes they want to read the same favorites over and over again. Sometimes they want a stack of books they've never seen. I let them call out the names of the ones they want to read, and then I add a batch more of my own choosing to the pile. I utilize the library a LOT with them so that I have a selection of new books to choose from--for their sake and for my own! But they do often love the ones that are familiar too. I try to go with the flow.
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Blessings,
Celeste
Joyous Lessons
Mommy to six: three boys (8, 4, newborn) and four girls (7, 5, 2, and 1)
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10 Bright Stars
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| Posted: Jan 24 2008 at 5:42pm | IP Logged
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Celeste,
What a GREAT idea concerning the high chairs. I can never work it out with them for reading because I usually have the baby on my lap and they both jump and climb all over me. I don't have hands to free myself from their mauling since the baby is there, and then it ends up never working out. They both still use their high chairs, and they LOVE to snack, so I could just set up a certain time of day for the read alouds, even with baby on my lap.  I'll give it a try tomorrow and tell you how it goes !!!
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Kim married to Bob (22y)
Mom of 11 blessings:
Bobby 19, David 17, Noah 14,
Mary 12, Gracie 10,
Isabelle and Sophia 8,
Gabrielle 6,
William Anthony 4, Joseph 3 and Luisa Marie - born in M
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JuliaT
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| Posted: Jan 24 2008 at 7:52pm | IP Logged
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Kim, I only have three children, so I do read alouds with them individually as well as reading one with all of them together. But my children are only 3 1/2 yrs. apart from oldest to youngest, so it works for us. I would say, with your age span, that I would read one with the boys. You could read Redwall or Swallows and Amazons. Those kind of books would probably interest their age span. The girls would probably enjoy Ramona books or Thornton Burgess books.
I would start reading board books to your twins. Even if they start jumping around the room, keep reading. I started reading chapter books to my oldest when she was 2. She would jump on her bed and I would sit on the floor beside her and read Little House on the Prairie. She would stop jumping to look at the pictures, then she would resume. Even though she was making lots of noise, she was listening. She would make comments about the book that I knew she was listening.
In reagards to your other questions, I wouldn't start narrations until the child is 6 or 7 yrs. old. I do try to buy my books, just because it is easier for me to get a book from downstairs rather than to try to order a book from the library. (We have a very small library, so I usually have to ILL our books, which means I need to be very organized with my ordering.)
Enjoy your read aloud time. It is never too late to start this.
Blessings,
Julia
mom of 3 (8,7,5)
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10 Bright Stars
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| Posted: Jan 24 2008 at 10:33pm | IP Logged
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Julia,
Thanks Julia. The problem for me with the library is that we always seem to misplace ONE book, which results in late fees, so I might as well just buy the book!! It drives me crazy, so that is why I thought buying them would be a great idea/investment, however, we are poor right now! So, that idea may have to wait, and we might just have to be more careful with our books. (And to think I used to work at this library too!  ) I did purchase a few books on amazon earlier for my new "adventure", but they were rather inexpensive. I hope to start out with what have been sitting dormant on the shelves for so long now, and rekindle the reasons I started homeschooling to begin with!! Thanks for sharing.
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Kim married to Bob (22y)
Mom of 11 blessings:
Bobby 19, David 17, Noah 14,
Mary 12, Gracie 10,
Isabelle and Sophia 8,
Gabrielle 6,
William Anthony 4, Joseph 3 and Luisa Marie - born in M
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Erin
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| Posted: Jan 25 2008 at 5:06am | IP Logged
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Eight Wonders wrote:
1. How do you all read to various levels of children over the course of the day in addition to "regular" school? My eldest son who is 13 and dislikes reading other than what is required for book reports etc would not enjoy the Peter Rabbit and Tailor of Gloucester I read to my 4 and 6 year old girls today. Where does that leave my 3rd and 5th grades boys? Should I read aloud to the boys on a higher level, and then the girls? Should I do some on separate days? What has worked for some?
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Kim
I have the same age spread as you. It does change once you no longer have all primary age. I started a year or so ago rotating. ie. Last year we read 'Milly-Molly-Many' for my dd6, then we read "Misty of Chincoteague" with ds8 in mind, then "Farmer Boy' for ds10 and so on. I encourage all to listen but do understand when ds12 declines Milly-Molly-Mandy. I also endeavour to read at least a couple of picture books a day for dd3 and most of the dc listen in as well.
I tend to do the read aloud at night or late afternoon, the picture book time is with dds after lunch or otherwise bedtime. When they weren't so spread out we used to manage before lunch, but there is so much to get through now it doesn't happen.
2. As I mentioned previously, my boys are not BIG readers. They will usually read their book report books that are required and then read a bit before bed. How can I get them inspired to take on more reading?
I was thinking of coming up with a reading challenge to get them fired up about it. Any suggestions? [/QUOTE]
I have one child in particular who will read only certain genre, he enjoys reading but is very selective. Therefor it is hard to get him to read as much as the others. I shared
here about an idea that fired my children last year. For the last two terms (20 weeks) they had a reading challenge of 12 books to read of their choice. (Dd14 had 60 books)For every book they cut out a circle and added to a visual 'bookworm' (the link has pictures) There were rules, no book they had read previously, no twaddle (so Hardy Boys didn't count) had to be age appropriate, not too easy. This really worked and at the end of the challenge they were awarded with a new book.
Eight Wonders wrote:
3. Do you all purchase most of the books or just check them out etc.? ( I know that purchasing all the good books would be impossible financially, but do you all find yourselves buying alot of books since I find it hard to get out of the house with so many some days ? |
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A combination, most of my books are op-shop and garage sale finds. I borrow from the library a little and swap with friends and buy good quality books.
Eight Wonders wrote:
I guess that is all for now. I just felt so terrible today thinking about all the good stories they have missed!! I used to read to the two older boys and it shows!!!! I have noticed a dramatic difference in their ability to concentrate as opposed to the later children I did not read to as much. Better late than never!!! |
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I came to this place last year. We can't beat ourselves up, there is still time Last year I managed to build up my dd then 5 ability to concentrate. It doesn't take that long. I was also thinking I really need to employ the use of talking books, just the cost keeps putting me off.
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Erin
Faith Filled Days
Seven Little Australians
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EmilyC
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I only have 3 children, but I have been working on this very thing lately. I realized that I had barely been reading to my twins, because I had been focusing on dd's schooling so much, and just working on "keeping the little's busy" and I felt terrible! So, I began using Five in a Row with them. This has been great! We've only rowed a few books so far, but they just love it--they're learning and getting some good "mom" time. Also, because we read the book 5 days in a row, when we get to the end of the week, I'll ask them to narrate and they can usually tell me almost the entire book.
So, here is what my read aloud schedule looks like:
Morning: I read aloud a bible story, or religion book (Faith & Life, or a saint story)
Mid Morning: While dd is working on independent work, I read the FIAR book with the twins.
Afternoon: I read with dd whatever our days selection is--history/science/literature depending on the day
Evening: Bedtime stories with the twins--they usually choose. I'll also sometimes read aloud to dd at bedtime, but she usually reads to herself before bed.
I'm planning on adding in another read aloud time in the late afternoon--like a family read aloud. The only problem is my twins are not really into sitting still and listening to a book with no pictures I may wait til next year when the boys are a little older.
I do purchase a lot of books, but I'm trying to make better use of my library.
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Emily,
Wife to Rob since 8/98
Mom to 4:
Sarah (13) Robbie & Riley (10) Regina (nearly 3)
My secular lit-based curriculum:
Build Your Library curriculum
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Molly Smith
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We do our family read aloud before we start school. We pray our rosary and then go right into the read aloud. This works beautifully for our family and it ensures that we will actually do it. We tend to scatter throughout the day and it's sometimes hard to regroup.
Our morning read aloud is something everyone will like--this month we did St. Anthony and the Christ Child and Snow Treasure (big hits, by the way). I usually save picture books for lunch time or quiet reading, or for one-on-one (or one-on-three) time with the younger kids. My 12dd, 8ds and 5dd will happily read independently, but I usually have another chapter book that I read aloud in the afternoons with my 9ds who is reading-averse.
At night, we read from the Bible before evening prayers. We're working through Genesis, but sometimes go to a parable or Proverbs if our brains are tired :-).
Kim, we've gone through several periods of letting our read alouds go, and it is heartbreaking to think of all the time we've missed. But take heart! It's never too late to start up again.
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Molly Smith in VA
Mom to seven beautiful children, ages 1-14
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10 Bright Stars
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| Posted: Jan 25 2008 at 10:33pm | IP Logged
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Well, day two of the read aloud is going well so far. I have just started with the younger girls for now, and will gradually add in the boys. The girls attention span seemed to have improved just in one day, and I am sure the addition of their bottle during this time helped. (The twins that is.) I have started them all out on Beatrix Potter with tales of Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny. They seem to be interested in them on different levels, and my 6 year old "gets" more of the humor of the story than the little ones, so that has been enjoyable. I have always really liked Beatrix Potter's stories! So, a fun place to start.
I have gotten many great tips from this post and feel really enthusiastic about adding this breath of fresh air to our studies. I was a literature major in college, so I think I have deprived myself of good books for too long now. (I am an avid reader, but I usually just read homeschooling books, motherhood "how-to's etc. these days with an occassional delightful interlude with terrific books like, "Madame Royal" and "Come Rack Come Rope" etc. So, this will be fun the more I think about it!! And, my experiment is to see if the girls, who usually learn to read faster I have heard, are read to much more, perhaps they will just pick up reading. Worth a try!
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Kim married to Bob (22y)
Mom of 11 blessings:
Bobby 19, David 17, Noah 14,
Mary 12, Gracie 10,
Isabelle and Sophia 8,
Gabrielle 6,
William Anthony 4, Joseph 3 and Luisa Marie - born in M
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4Real Forums : Living Literature
Topic: Establishing a "new" read aloud routine
