Inspired Reading

Mermie has always been a huge fan of reading. As long as I can remember, and that's a long time, she's had a book in her hand at almost all times. That instilled a love of reading in me. And I am trying to pass that to my kids.

The boy and I have a book that we read while the girls are at piano. We go to the book store up the road and find a nice comfy chair. Our current book is Sign of the Beaver. So far, it has been a great book. Next school year, he'll be using two literature studies. One is for Mr. Popper's Penguins and the other for The Whipping Boy. In our current book, Robinson Crusoe plays a big part in the story. I've read the abridged version to the kids as our after dinner book, but they haven't read the whole story. Suddenly, the boy wants to. I think maybe when he gets a little older. I'm just glad he is inspired to read. For awhile, he would only read graphic novels, which are like comic books. I really wanted him to read something that didn't have pictures. At the library one day, roaming the aisles, he found a series he liked. And the books don't have pictures. And it has nothing to do with Pokemon. Even better.

I tried to read to the girls while the boy was at guitar lessons. That desn't work nearly as well as reading with the boy. We sit in the middle of a music store that is busy with customers and we are frequently in the way. Well, that was a bust. My new plan of action is to read to them when school's over. We are going to start with the Little House series. I may alternate between that and Anne of Green Gables or maybe even the Christie series. It's definitely different from what they usually read.

Our library has started carrying DADs, or digital audio devices. They are like a plug and play. You add a battery and headphones. I checked one out for me, but I never got the chance to listen to it. I've added it back to my list to rerequest over the summer when I may have more time. We'll see how that works, though.

Our after dinner book is Old Yeller. I figured that if I have a captive audience, I might as well take advantage of that. I want the kids to know what great books are. I think our next one will be The Witch of Blackbird Pond. We just finished Bud, Not Buddy as our book on CD. We listen to those when we get in the van. I'm never sure how the kids will like a book, and we've taken a couple back to the library after listening to it for a couple of minutes. Sometimes, it's not the book as much as the person reading the book. Our next two books on CD are Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator and R, My Name Is Rachel. I have been trying to pair our books with what we are studying in school, as well. We read The Drinking Gourd after studying slavery. One of our history curriculums has a list of books that go along with each time period. I'll be using that, thank you very much.

I was at a friend's house yesterday and was browsing through a stack of books that she had sitting on a table. I took pics of a couple so that when I got home, I could request them from the library. When the boy and I are done reading during our weekly trip, we sometimes have a few minutes to wander the aisles. I'll take pics of whatever books may interest me to request those as well. I also read through the flyer I still get from the Literary Guild even though I will never again join their club. And don't you join, either, or I will knock some sense into you. Talk about a rip off. Our big box bookstore has a newsletter that has reviews or upcoming releases. And I love my book club. I always write down the books that are recommended for the next meeting. Some of them are really not my style, but it helps expand my reading horizons.

For the first time in our homeschooling journey, each of my kids has a book list that is the front and back of two sheets of notebook paper and we are still reading. The boy may fill one sheet of notebook paper. Maybe. The big girl always has multiple pages. The baby has increased the number of books she's read as well. Previously, her list has been full of quick read books. Now there's a nice combination of quick and fluffy and chapter books. And the chapter books are ones she's read and not just the ones that were read to her.

I want my kids to be inspired when they choose books. I want them to know that there are great classics out there for their enjoyment. I want their brains to be active and engaged. Of course, some days, it's a miracle my brain is active and engaged, but still.

Have a great day.