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 Post subject: Books and reading
PostPosted: Sat Apr 30, 2016 5:25 pm 
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Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2012 3:05 pm
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Location: Central TX
A couple things are bothering me:

First, I keep hearing that we are supposed to read out loud to our kids up through middle school, but what if you have a child that hates it and doesn't want to be read to? DD has never really liked being read to, she huffs and puffs when I start reading out loud. But it's what I'm *supposed* to do. Vocabulary and all that......

Second, we used to use Sonlight for our core curriculum, but have strayed away from it. When we were using it, the readers and read alouds revolved around the History. So, if you were doing world history, the books were related to it. Then we started using a different program for History, but I am lost without the Sonlight book lists. The thing is, we are doing world history, but if I use the Sonlight reading list for her age/grade, the books correspond to U.S. history. Would this be confusing, to be studying world history, but reading books about American history? I guess I really like to complicate things, but I don't know what else to go by. I don't know what kids her age are reading in school for literature. I know the Sonlight books are the "best of the best" and I want to use quality living books. So, I don't know what to do.

Also, she's a very good reader and reads when I tell her to for school, but she has not found a book/series that has pulled her in and made her want to keep reading. I hope that happens soon, because I lived and breathed books, growing up. She does read a lot on her own, but not chapter books. I remember a series I loved growing up. The Wayside School books. I looked at our local library and they don't have them!!! That is unacceptable, don't know what they are thinking.

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 Post subject: Re: Books and reading
PostPosted: Sat Apr 30, 2016 7:19 pm 
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Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2012 7:14 pm
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"Also, she's a very good reader and reads when I tell her to for school, but she has not found a book/series that has pulled her in and made her want to keep reading. I hope that happens soon, because I lived and breathed books, growing up. She does read a lot on her own, but not chapter books . . . "

I was like that until 7th grade. A strong reader who read here and there, and assigned reading, but not a "bookworm." Then, boom, all of the sudden I didn't stop reading for several years. I wouldn't stress too much about this particular thing - if God wants it to happen, it will in due time : )

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 Post subject: Re: Books and reading
PostPosted: Sat Apr 30, 2016 7:30 pm 
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Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2012 5:22 pm
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Same with me. It was the summer before 7th grade. I bro't home as many books as I could carry from the library - a 2 block walk. :) Before that I pretty much read baby, or very young, books. You might pick out some books from the Sonlight reading list, both her grade level and the historical level, for her to read but you certainly don't have to read out loud to her.


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 Post subject: Re: Books and reading
PostPosted: Sat Apr 30, 2016 7:35 pm 
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My Mom didn't do "organized" read alouds much (with the great exception of Little Pilgrim's Progress), but if she found something that interested her, in the Bible, the news, whatever, she'd call us and insist we sit while she read it to us. We whined, complained, fussed. We were kids!

It had GREAT benefit to us. People always say, "How do you know that?" invariably the answer is either "My Mom told me" (even tho I'm middle aged and Mom has long since passed into Eternity!) or - tho I don't say it - "My Mom taught me to be constantly learning."

DD's enthusiasm for your teaching - or lack thereof - has little to do with its value.

I DO think that it's important for our kids to read to US, too - it really helps with reading skills, and public speaking. If they're called to read the Bible in Bible Study or Church one day, they'll have the skills they need - even if it's the "Begats" ; )

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 Post subject: Re: Books and reading
PostPosted: Tue May 03, 2016 11:38 pm 
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Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2012 3:05 pm
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Location: Central TX
Thank you! This makes me feel SO much better! I don't remember exactly what age I started to love reading, but I do remember sitting in the kitchen, reading aloud to my mom while she did things. I don't remember her asking me to read out loud, it was more like she was a captive audience to my reading obsession lol. But I also remember a book series that I got for one of my birthdays. I tried reading them, but couldn't get into them, so I set them on the shelf for awhile. After some time, I tried them again and then couldn't get enough, they turned out to be some of my favorite books of all time.

I do remember my mom reading to me at night, until I fell asleep. Books like the Narnia series. And I think my teachers still read out loud to us in Middle school. So, I feel like a failure that I'm their teacher AND mom and don't find the time to read out loud as often as I feel I should. And it makes me feel worse when dd grumbles about it. But what you guys said, makes me feel a little better about that.

I wish dd would read out loud to me, but she only does when it's school related stuff, not from her chapter book. She says it's embarrassing. She tells me she doesn't have trouble with the words and when I ask her what happened in a chapter, she can tell me what happened, so I at least know she's comprehending what she's reading. I know she's a very accurate reader. But I can only get her to read short stories out loud to me. Should I worry about that?

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 Post subject: Re: Books and reading
PostPosted: Wed May 04, 2016 10:59 am 
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My parents NEVER read to me. My dad might have when I was a baby but I don't remember the reading of ANY books. My dad was always reading a newspaper. My love of reading and my love of learning and interest in all things is in my genes. I am exactly like my bio-mom in that respect.

That doesn't mean that it's useless to read to your kids, I suppose. Dh loved for us to have family reading time where I read something like Little House on the Prairie.


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 Post subject: Re: Books and reading
PostPosted: Wed May 04, 2016 11:30 am 
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Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2012 7:14 pm
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LisaTX wrote:
Thank you! This makes me feel SO much better! I don't remember exactly what age I started to love reading, but I do remember sitting in the kitchen, reading aloud to my mom while she did things. I don't remember her asking me to read out loud, it was more like she was a captive audience to my reading obsession lol. But I also remember a book series that I got for one of my birthdays. I tried reading them, but couldn't get into them, so I set them on the shelf for awhile. After some time, I tried them again and then couldn't get enough, they turned out to be some of my favorite books of all time.

I do remember my mom reading to me at night, until I fell asleep. Books like the Narnia series. And I think my teachers still read out loud to us in Middle school. So, I feel like a failure that I'm their teacher AND mom and don't find the time to read out loud as often as I feel I should. And it makes me feel worse when dd grumbles about it. But what you guys said, makes me feel a little better about that.

I wish dd would read out loud to me, but she only does when it's school related stuff, not from her chapter book. She says it's embarrassing. She tells me she doesn't have trouble with the words and when I ask her what happened in a chapter, she can tell me what happened, so I at least know she's comprehending what she's reading. I know she's a very accurate reader. But I can only get her to read short stories out loud to me. Should I worry about that?


I think the value of them reading aloud to you doesn't have to be their "fun" reading - Our main kid read-alouds are the Bible and the science text.

DD does LOVE having me read to her - but I don't do it all the time - its more of a special treat. Our two favorites are "Little Pilgrim's Progress" by Helen Taylor and "From I-Ville to You-Ville" by Mersine Vingopoulou (I read that ENTIRE one to her last year during summer vacation in the car! We ALL loved it : ) DH usually reads her a bedtime story, too, which we all enjoy : )

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 Post subject: Re: Books and reading
PostPosted: Thu May 05, 2016 10:09 pm 
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Joined: Sun Jul 01, 2012 5:16 pm
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Location: Sunshine State
Maybe your DD may like books with a theme not necessarily a series? My older two kids, a boy and a girl only agreed on read alouds if there was a cat in the story (Cricket in Times Square, the Catwings series) my older daughter loved non-fiction books, youngest DD went through books about horses using Beautiful Feet's guide

http://bfbooks.com/History-of-the-Horse ... uide?sc=19

Maybe find a topic she would like to learn more about?

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"...with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26


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 Post subject: Re: Books and reading
PostPosted: Fri May 06, 2016 9:34 pm 
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Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2012 3:05 pm
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Location: Central TX
Thank you guys! I guess I worry myself too much over these things. I do love reading and wish it didn't seem like a chore to read to the kids sometimes.

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Mom to Christian (13), Saphira (10), Xavier (5), and Adrian (2).


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