Reading to your kids

Our current list of read-alouds:

Tirzah
Mummies & Pyramids (Magic Tree House Research Guide)
Space: A Nonfiction Companion to Midnight on the Moon (Magic Tree House Research Guide) - starting this one today
The Tale of Despereaux- yes, we're still working our way through this one
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - I'll count this one even though it's daddy's book with the kids, which I consider above and beyond "school".


And on the shelf ready to be started within the next week or so are:

Mummies in the Morning (Magic Tree House, No. 3)
Hour of the Olympics (Magic Tree House #16)
How to Make a Mummy Talk

Why so much reading, you ask? And why all at the same time? This is the part of our homeschool that has been shaped by the Charlotte Mason method.

For example, Charlotte’s students used living books rather than dry textbooks. Living books are usually written in story form by one author who has a passion for the subject. A living book makes the subject “come alive.”

Tirzah is an example of a living book we're using for Ancient Egypt. The author tells the story of Tirzah, an Israelite girl, living under the rule of the Pharaoh. They are waiting for Moses to lead the people out of Egypt. Although we just started, the kids are excited about listening to what happens next. And because of their knowledge of Bible stories, they already know what will happen when the last plague hits Egypt and the Israelites are finally allowed to leave.

Although some may not, I consider many of the Magic Tree House books to be good living books for us. Yes, they may not be the highest quality literature, but they captivate my children and we have learned so much from them. I have found books that cover both history and science topics, as shown in the lists above.

Now to my confession. I never really enjoyed reading to my kids when they were tiny. Yes, we're all told how important it is to read every day to your baby. But really, how boring is The Cat in the Hat when you've read it 100 times already to the same child who really couldn't care less? My love of reading to my kids started to develop over the past year and a half to two years. What could be more exciting than having your kids hanging on to every word of Charlotte's Web, The Trumpet of the Swan, or The Tale of Despereaux? And hang they do, waiting for what will happen next. Even Leanna, at 4 years old, follows along, listening intently. Now, do they sit quietly in one spot, never moving, doing nothing but listening? Heck no, not in this house! We typically pile on my bed for our read-alouds and Jacob will usually snuggle beside me. The other two are either on the bed or the floor, sometimes coloring, sometimes playing quietly with toys, but listening all the same. Then comes one of my favorite parts, narration.

A key component of Charlotte Mason’s method is narration. In simple terms, narration is telling back in your own words what you just read or heard. It’s a wonderful evaluation tool that requires much thinking and assimilating on the student’s part.

Jacob is developing wonderful narration skills and can repeat, almost word for word sometimes, what he has just heard. Joshua participates a little, mostly with lots of prompts from me asking what happened. And Leanna will try and answer a question or two. But I know they are listening, even if they can't remember every detail. We also do drawing/coloring narration. All three kids are great at coloring what they have just listened to.

My other favorite part is listening to Jacob read, especially when he has asked for a turn. One of our main goals for our children's educations has been to instill a love for reading. I think we've done a fairly decent job with Jacob. He literally devours books that are above his age level and reads any time he can get a chance. Hearing him read from the Bible, our read-aloud, or even from his favorite comic strip, Calvin & Hobbes, makes my heart swell with pride. Joshua's reading skills are coming along and I hope that it will be soon that he can join in on reading aloud to the family.

My only complaint about our read-alouds? Not having enough time. I struggle with fitting it in and some days we don't get to read at all. Those other things, like math and language arts, seem to get in the way. I had a lofty goal of reading for an hour or two every single day. Of course, that hasn't happened, which is why it's taking us months and months to get through one book. But the kids remember. They only need small reminders of what happened when we last read and we are back to the adventure in the book.

With all that said, I think it's time to grab our space research guide, snuggle up in bed, and launch a rocket into space to see what we can learn about the solar system.