Recently I was inspired by the mention of another Catholic mom on her blog to buy "Little House on the Prairie" and try reading it to the kids. This is a real Chapter Book with few pictures (black and white line drawings every few pages). Do you know how long I've been waiting to be able to read such books to my little ones?!
We are having success . . . great success! For a bibliophile mother like me, this is an exciting new chapter in our lives (pun intended).
I haven't been reading to the children much in the last few months because I had it stuck in my head that the "best" reading time is right before bed. But that is one of the baby's most difficult times of day, so I am always busy tending the baby while Chris is doing the bedtime routine. And if he's out of town on business, I am juggling all three littles and definitely have no energy or ability to read stories at the end of my days. But it occurred to me this week with the purchase of this book to try reading regularly at a time that does work for me (one of those "of course!" moments).
I began reading one chapter per day after quiet time. I like how children this age basically accept any new thing if you present it as obviously occurring, like something completely normal. So whether it is a new reading time or a new prayer time or a new chore, I just say one day, "Okay children, now it's reading time, come gather round!" And it just seems as if It Has Always Been That Way.
So, I began reading one chapter per day and it turns out John is now old enough to sit still and really listen. Mary plays in the room, running over to see the pictures every few pages, or she even leaves and plays in another room. John is now gripped by the story and has begun asking me at odd times of day to read him another chapter. In fact, I am so gripped by the story (which I may or may not have ever read, I can't remember reading it) that I've been saying 'yes' because I'm dying to know what will happen next. Will the Ingalls be swept away in the river? Will Jack the bulldog ever be found? Will the family build their log cabin? Will the wolves eat them? When will they ever see the Indians in person?
And only a week into reading these chapters, I'm seeing my children playing their imaginative games about "making camp" and "wolves coming." It's so neat!
I know that these are a lot of words to describe simply reading a new kind of book to my kids. But fellow bibliophile-mothers will understand!
Love this post! When we started reading chapter books aloud, our lives definitely became that much richer! I'm glad your kiddos are enjoy that now too. :-)
ReplyDeleteWe are re-reading Winnie-the-Pooh right now and Christopher Mouse. The boys also love the Magic Treehouse books. They are far from quality literature, but are short enough that we can read a few every day. It's amazing what they've learned and retained about Ancient Egypt, the Ice Age, ocean life, Mt. Vesuvius (!!!), etc.
We should go back to the Little House books. We read Farmer Boy last fall, but then got interested in other authors.
Happy reading!!
Courtney: I knew that this post would bring you out of lurking! Nice to hear from you! :)
ReplyDeleteAhhh!! I'm so predictable! LOL! I'm always here lurking, just so hard to get two hands free to type!
ReplyDeleteWe really dropped off with read alouds for a bit here when the nice weather started. Honestly, too, I felt a little burned out after a long winter of non-stop nursing and reading. The boys are always so desperate to read, though, so we've made a renewed effort to sit and snuggle and read, read, read!
LOVE those books! But did you start with LHOP instead of LHin the Big Woods? I've read them more times than I can count, even as an adult, and been to all of the "Little Houses" but one. The one on The Prairie.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy!
Sara:
ReplyDelete1. Yes, I started with LHOP. I didn't realize till afterward that it is a 9-book series with some books before LHOP. So now I want to buy a whole set!
2. By going to the houses, do you mean going to the historical places where the Ingalls lived? Do those still exist? Are they places one can visit? That would be so neat, if that is what you mean!
There's one for sure in MN still. At least there was a few years ago. Didn't actually go to the homestead, but saw the sign for it. ;)
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking about starting longer books for my newly 4 yr old and you've given me a little nudge to start.
Yes! Most of the home sites are still open to visit. In fact, Almanzo grew up only a few hours from me in Malone, NY! Their homestead is open too. We've been trying to plan a trip for this summer. :-)
ReplyDeleteI've been reading The Wilder Life, about a young woman who revisits her childhood fascination with the Ingalls family by visiting all of the homesites and separating the truth from fiction in the books.
Rose had quite the fascinating life too and wrote a book about her grandparents called Let the Hurricane Roar, as well as many other fiction and non-fiction books. She was a journalist and covered everything from WWI to Vietnam!
Katherine--If you're going to buy a set, be careful. They've very recently been republished and dumbed down. God only knows why!!!! You might have to get a used set; I don't know if you can still find the old ones. The new ones have photographic covers instead of the Garth Williams illustrations.
ReplyDeleteThe Little House in the Big Woods in Pepin, WI is a replica (in a corn field because the woods are gone!), as is the Prairie house in Independence, Kansas. DeSmet, SD has a thriving LHOP tourism business because there are many things to see there, some original to the books. On The Banks of Plum Creek they lived in a dugout near Walnut Grove, MN (the site of the TV show) and the depression is there where the dugout caved in. We've waded in the creek! Then there is the house in Mansfield, MO where she moved after she got married and where she wrote the books. That's a great spot, of course, because she was famous by then, so it's unchanged. Pa's violin is there, among other things.
In case you can't tell, I REALLY love these books! :-)
What a blessing.
ReplyDeleteMy Abigail was 4 when my husband started reading the Narnia ooks to her. 3 years later they are almost done with Prince Caspian.
My girls also love the Wind in The Willows!
Happy Reading,
Katrina