Read Aloud Challenge June 23

For our reading aloud this week it still just consisted of reading through the Bible as a family, and reading picture books with my little ones. The older boys are also reading their own books. That will be what we do until August probably. I blogged yesterday about our curriculum choice for next year….Sonlight core E. I’m very excited about this and can’t wait to get started. This will produce a lot of read aloud time…we have missed it so much this year!! Did I mention that I’m very excited about this?
We did finish Exodus this week! YAY! But the sad part is now we’re in Leviticus…I’m sorry but it’s just not my favorite book. I’ll confess, when I’m reading through the Bible to the kids, I skip and skim through these law chapters. I want them to grasp the idea that there was A LOT of law, and that the law was very very detailed. But I can get that point across without reading every.single.law.

So, head over to Footprints in the Butter and see what everyone else is reading on these lazy summer days!

Read Aloud Challenge June 9

It’s been awhile since I took the challenge but fearing nothing I will post this week. We have been so off schedule since Mark’s eye surgery nearly 2 months ago! We will probably stay off schedule until school starts in Aug, but even when we’re not reading our normal load, we’re still reading…always!

So here’s what we’re reading these days:

We’re reading through the Bible in a year, as a family. This has been Josiah’s request for quite some time and when Mark found, out he wanted us to do it as a family. So we are. We started May 19!

Jordan hasn’t read anything, other than his God’s World News magazine, since getting out of school two weeks ago. This is a sad disappointment but I’m trying not to push it too much. He checked out a couple books from the bookmobile so I’m sure desperately hoping he’ll read them before we have to return them.

I checked out a couple of eBooks for the nook and Josiah has read one of them twice. It’s a short book but I’m happy about ANYthing he reads for fun. He just doesn’t attempt it very often. He’s also reading his Dan and Sam adventure books.

With the little ones, I’ve decided to stop trying to read big books to them for awhile. I want to enjoy the picture books while I can. They’ll be moving out of that stage soon and I really dread the day that we go to the library and leave with NO picture books. So for now, it’s 2 picture books each per day and their Bible storybook.

As for me, I’m still doing my Jane Austen books. I’m reading Persuasion at the moment.

And that’s it! Our light reading load for the summer!

So what’s your family reading? Take the challenge at Footprints in the Butter.

TOS REVIEW: Apologia, Read for the Heart

 

APOLOGIA HAS A NEW BOOK ENTITLED READ FOR THE HEART AND I WAS BLESSED WITH A REVIEW COPY!!

• READ FOR THE HEART was written by Sarah Clarkson (daughter of Sally Clarkson). Sarah discovered a love of reading early in her childhood and wants to help others as they strive to create this same love in their children.
• Her book begins with a peak into the Clarkson home as Sarah and her siblings were being homeschooled and taught how to enjoy reading. I found this part of the book so insightful and encouraging, I couldn’t put it down once I started. I always enjoy learning from other successful homeschool families.

She also explores the issue of illiteracy in America, offering some statistics as well as opinions on why American children don’t enjoy reading as they once did.

While the first 3 chapters share a little about her life and love of reading chapter 4 is designed to prepare you to use the rest of the book as a general reference. Ms. Clarkson has divided the book into the following sections:

• PICTURE BOOKS
• THE GOLDEN AGE OF CLASSICS
• CHILDREN’S FICTION
• FAIRY TALES AND FANTASY
• HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY
• SPIRITUAL READING FOR CHILDREN
• POETRY
• MUSIC, ART, AND NATURE

In each of these sections she briefly discusses the category (picture book, classic, children’s fiction, etc) and then goes on to name authors and books that fit the category. In most cases she even gives descriptions of the book and offers other books by the same author.

The appendixes are just as meaty as the book itself. There she offers the following lists:

• CADECOTT MEDALISTS
• NEWBERY MEDALISTS
• HISTORICAL FICTION BY G.A. HENTY
• LANDMARK HISTORY BOOKS
• THE TRAILBLAZER SERIES
• A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS (just as the name suggests, some of Ms. Clarkson’s very favorites)

This book has prompted me to get back to the basics so to speak. My family has let life and school steal our time recently and I am so glad to be reminded how valuable read aloud time is in our home. I have joined a read aloud challenge over at Footprints in the Butter, and although we still aren’t reading as much as I would like, we are making an effort to read aloud each and every day, even if it’s just a couple of short picture books.

I have enjoyed soaking in the details of this book as well as just flipping through and finding books that I’ve already shared with my children and books that I want to read to them in the future. This book will be a great reference tool for us now and in years to come.  Then, as the end suggests, when the time comes, I will pass it on. It’s too valuable to sit on a shelf and not be used.

Read for the Heart is a large paperback with 384 pages. The cost is $17 and may be purchased here. If you click here, you will find a sample chapter to entice you!! Enjoy.

If you would like to read other reviews on Read for the Heart, click here.

**Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I received this product free of charge, in exchange for my honest opinion/review. For more honest reviews from real homeschoolers, visit the TOS Crew website.

Read aloud Challenge April 28

A couple weeks ago the retina in Mark’s left eye detached and we were forced to head back to Dr. M’s office for a repeat of last July, only it was a different eye this time. Another difference was the medication he was put on following the surgery. He became very ill and hasn’t recovered even now two and a half weeks later. He is doing better though.
So the week of the surgery the kids stayed with their cousins and we did no read alouds. The next week we did the bare minimum (so little I don’t remember what it was).  This week we’re back at it and this is what we read:

• Tuck Everlasting (it was an audio book and we LOVED it, finished it in two settings. Our library will offer override starting Monday so we’ll be doing more of these (hopefully).
• Did You Know? (Bible Devo)
• Book of Matthew
• Apologia Who is God? 
• Young Readers Bible
• A Family of Grizzly Bears
• About a half dozen picture books
• Jordan devoured read two RPM books. I promised to buy these for him if he would learn his states and capitals. He was able to write out all the states so I gave him the first book. He couldn’t wait to start the second book so I folded and gave it to him even though he didn't know the capitals from memory. Besides, he knows them already by matching and with a little more effort he’ll have them from memory too. I’m just happy he wants to read

Farmer Boy has been put to the side but I hope to pick it back up this week. 
Check out what everyone else is reading this week by visiting Footprints in the Butter.

Read Aloud Challenge Week 2

I’m a day late putting this up this week but better late than never, right? So this week we’ve done well with our reading, except Monday. The older boys were running fevers Monday and Tuesday this week and I let them do absolutely nothing on Monday. Poor fellas felt so bad. They were a little better Tuesday so we read but no formal school.

So here’s our reading for last week:

• We finished Andi’s Scary School Days (cute book)
• Children’s Bible story book
• AWANA reading
• Farmer Boy (didn’t get as far in this as I’d have liked)
• Helen Keller (finished, what an inspiration she was to us)
• Did You Know? Devotion book for kids
• Reading through Matthew in the New Testament
• Apologia Science (Jordan)
• Coral Island (Josiah’s audio book)
• Tentacles : Tales of the Giant Squids
• An ample plenty picture books for the little kiddies

We actually skipped Who is God? this week. Not intentionally…it just happened!

Head on over to Footprints in the Butter to see what everyone else is reading.

Reading Aloud Challenge

Debra at Footprints in the Butter recently started a personal challenge to increase her families read aloud time. Several other homeschoolers felt the same need in their lives, myself included. As a result of that we’re joining up to report weekly on how we’re doing. My desire is to spend a little time daily reading and to not start a book and then take FOREVER to finish it. I don’t care if we only spend 15 min some days and 1.5 hrs others, I want to be continuously reading and not allow myself to drag any of the books out so long that they loose interest.
So this is what we’re doing right now:
*Andi’s Scary School Days (almost done with this)
*Reading through the children’s Bible story book
*AWANA reading
*Farmer Boy (just started that one this week, got a couple chapters done)
*Helen Keller (should finish this one next week if we don’t lag!)
*Did You Know? Devotions for kids
*Apologia Who is God?
*Coral Island (Josiah’s audio book, Chapter 7)
*Jordan is also reading an Apologia Science book and some Red Rock Mysteries
By next week Helen Keller and Andi’s Scary School Day’s should be off of this list
You can find out what other homeschoolers are reading, here.