Sometimes it's an event. The china tea cups are brought out and the most recent baking is displayed. We all take our places at the table anticipating tasty delights and an adventure to another place and time.
Other times it's routine, perhaps after lunch while drawing books are added to or just before the lights turn out to close another day.
And sometimes it's spontaneous. The girls start running a bakery complete with playdough cookies and cakes, and it just seems right to sit alongside them and take their minds to another world while their hands shape and press and play.
The greatest part of it all is that mama gets to join in too. With book in hand and dramatic voice unabashed, I journey alongside the girls to the pages within.
Reading aloud with your children is such a special part of their childhood and youth. As parents, a part of our role is to find those books that inspire and bring wonderful ideas to our children's minds. Books that may otherwise be passed by if we don't seek them out and bring them to our children's attention.
Many books are available and easily accessible, but how do we know which ones are worthy enough to fill our children's lives? I've found that looking to someone who has gone before me and has done this home learning task well, is always a good place for me to start.
Read from the Heart: Whole Books for Wholehearted Families ~ I was recently able to thumb through this book and quickly realized that it needed to be a part of my home. Sarah Clarkson gives a brief description of recommended books in various categories i.e. picture books, classics, history and biographies, fairy tales and fantasies, poetry, etc.. A resource to guide your children's reading straight through into the high school years.
Charlotte Mason Bookfinder ~ This is an online resource that lists living books that coincide with the Charlotte Mason philosophy of learning. Whether or not you are following a Charlotte Mason approach to learning, these book lists will provide an easy reference tool to use when reserving books from your local library. Other online book lists that may prove useful include: 1000 Good Books List, and Ambleside Online.
Beautiful Feet ~ This company's website focuses on books that teach history through story. Although many of the books are focused on American history, many of them are wonderful reads and may prove perfect for your book loving child. Again, this online resource can be used to refer to when selecting books to reserve from your local library.
Ann Vokamp's Book Shelf ~ Ann Voskamp has compiled an online book shelf of her children's top 25 books for boys and for girls {chapter books}. You will need to scroll down past the other excellent reads that Ann recommends for family and spiritual life, but it is well worth your effort.
How to Visit the Library:
Choosing a good book from the library is something that is gained from experience. The more great books that you and your children read, the easier you and your children will be able to recognize a good book when you come across it. Sometimes the author's name, or the illustrations, or a browsing over the first page will give the book away.
{I remember the fine husband reading The Snowy Day to our first preschooler. Halfway through the pages he stopped to say, "There's something about this book that makes it good." He couldn't put his finger on it, but the simple text and the classic Jack Ezra Keats illustrations somehow make this book special to share with a child.}
When visiting the library, make sure to visit the junior nonfiction section too. This is where you will find the books categorized into topics of famous people, arts and crafts, animals, poetry, science, geography, sports, etc.. I try to choose one book from each category to place in our book bag during our visits.
Finally, don't forget to check out the audio books too. When mama needs someone to read for her, audiobooks are such a blessing! For free online audiobooks, perhaps LibriVox may work for your family.
A home without books is like a room without windows ~ Henry Ward Beecher
Related Readings for More Inspiration:
Could it Be a Storybook Year?
Read, Read, Read, Read to Your Children
Best Books for Boys: A Booklist Complied by a Boy
0 comments:
Post a Comment