Reading Updates

Well I gave up in the summer keeping track of our reading. Especially Rhiannon's as she burned through everything she could. She read all of the books in the American Girl series of Samantha, Kirsten, and Felicity. She read many books in the Pony Pals and Magic Tree House Series and nearly all the Great Illustrated Classics we had available. About 25 I think. I will begin keeping track again of her reading when we officially start school in a few weeks but I've just given her free reign to read and reread as she wished this summer.

Ciaran also is starting to show interest in reading. We actually began working on the Bob books with him this week. He still needs to work on letter and sound recognition but since he was showing interest we went with it.

Sirah will pick up a book as a first choice of toys now. She will go over to the bookshelf when the others are watching a movie or playing a game she is not interested in and sit and "read" her books. She brings them over often to read and is always very excited during our reading times to pick out her own books.

We have begun regular reading times again. Atleast three times a day. In the morning, at lunch and at bedtime they each get to pick one book - sometimes two and I pick one - so at each sitting we are reading atleast 4 and often 8 books at a time. These are typically storybooks and Sirah's are always shorter and Rhiannon's are always longer and sometimes we read a chapter from a chapter book in place of a storybook.

This is one of my absolute favorite things to do with my kids is to read aloud to them. Even now when Rhia can read whatever she wants whenever she wants (parent approved of course) she still craves read aloud time and so do I. It was so wonderful to share with her for the first time the real writings of AA Milne and recall reading them as a child or reading Anne of Green Gables, Cs Lewis or Little House is such a treasure to me.

I love this part of the school year that we spend so much time reading together. Of course we pick a schooling style that encourages lots of read aloud and family time since that fits us so well. Enjoy our reading lists as the year begins again.

Peace,
Tenn