Digests from the KALEIDOSCAPES MONTHLY TOPIC
(HOMESCHOOLING) DISCUSSION BOARD
These are the original digests from Kaleidoscapes' MONTHLY TOPIC discussion boards.
They were hosted by two amazing gals: Giovanna Gomez and Cerelle Woods Simmons.
The boards are no longer available (thus, links to them won't work); you can, however, still
find many of the same wonderful folks who posted on the boards at Network 54.
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Hopefully you will consider shopping through our Amazon links occasionally.
(Thanks!)
Back to the Digest Index
WHY JOHNNY WON'T READ: CHOOSING BOOKS FOR YOUR HOMESCHOOLER (Part 2)
#70: Let's not forget about HUMOR! (Cerelle)
#71: Re: Let's not forget about HUMOR! (Giovanna)
#72: Oh, yes! Beverly Cleary, for sure! (Cerelle)
#73: Re: Let's not forget about HUMOR! (Cindy Johns)
#74: You can always bribe them (dawne)
#75: Horrible Histories (Liz Messick)
#76: Re: Horrible Histories (Giovanna)
#77: Re: Horrible Histories (Liz Messick)
#78: Re: Horrible Histories (Giovanna)
#79: I have....... (Colleen)
#80: Re: Horrible Histories (Liz Messick)
#81: We're lovin' Jack Prelutsky poems these days... (Amy A.)
#82: Re: I have a won't reader. (Amy)
#83: funny poems (Liz Messick)
#84: Shel Silverstien! (Charlotte)
#85: He's one of my favorites too... (Amy A.)
#86: it was fun! (Liz Messick)
#88: Yes, I think so.. (shirin)
#89: Re: Leisure and literature (shirin)
#90: Re: auditory learner ? ;-) (shirin)
#91: Re: Horrible Histories (Lillian)
#92: Re: Yes but I'm sure many would disagree :) (Lillian)
#93: Re: You can always bribe them (Annette)
#94: Re: Can you have too many books? (Annette)
#95: Rewards, celebrations, etc. (Cerelle)
#96: Re: Not how to pick books, but something that work (Annette)
#97: Re: Rewards, celebrations, etc. (dawne)
#98: Re: Let's not forget about HUMOR! (dawne)
#99: Any Magic Tree House fans? (Amy A.)
#100: YES! RIGHT HERE! (Giovanna)
#101: YES!! In my house too! (Jennifer)
#102: more.... (Jennifer)
#103: Re: YES! RIGHT HERE! (lisa)
#104: We listened to an audio book today! (Diane)
#106: Re: What I did with my voracious little reader (Annette)
#107: Re: Let children read what they like!! (Annette)
#108: Our Nancy Drew experience :) (Cerelle)
#109: Love 'em ... (beth)
#110: Has anyone read The Dragonling series? (beth)
#115: What are these about? (NT) *NM* (Giovanna)
#116: television and reading (Liz Messick)
#117: Re: television and reading (Liz Messick)
#118: Re: television and reading (Giovanna)
#119: and a corollary question (Liz Messick)
#120: Re: and a corollary question (Giovanna)
#121: Re: and a corollary question (Cerelle)
#122: Good idea! (Giovanna)
#123: Re: television and reading (Alex)
#124: "TV diet" (Cerelle)
#125: Re: and a corollary question (Cerelle)
#126: Correlations (Giovanna)
#127: Re: Correlations (Cerelle)
#128: Re: Correlations (Giovanna)
#129: Re: We listened to an audio book today! (Shannon in Flor)
#130: Re: What are these about? (NT) (beth)
#131: Stress and TV (Cerelle)
#132: Interesting question (beth)
#133: Re: television and reading (beth)
#134: Re: television and reading (Cerelle)
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MESSAGE: (#70) Let's not forget about HUMOR!
AUTHOR: Cerelle
DATE: Tuesday, 6 February 2001, at 11:01 p.m.
Ever since we began this new topic, I've been feeling a little uncomfortable
about the subtitle: "Choosing Books for Your Homeschooler." It's sounds so
controlling, doesn't it? But today, as I was mulling it over, I remembered
something that an older, more experienced homeschooling mom told me more than
15 years ago. "A homeschooling parent," she told me (with a smile in her
voice), "is really just a glorified librarian."
All these years later, I can corroborate that statement! And in our role as
"glorified librarians," we can help our children fall in love with books by
finding and recommending books they're likely to enjoy.
While I was thinking along those lines today, I also remembered that my young
children always loved books that were FUNNY. They also enjoyed plenty of
serious books that touched their hearts, but humor was always a sure bet. I
think we adults sometimes forget about that. We want our kids to read (and
enjoy) the *serious* books, and lose sight of the importance of laughter in a
child's reading life.
What are some of the funniest books your kids (of all ages) have loved?
Mine loved -- and laughed out loud at -- Nate the Great (the easy-reader
series), Calvin and Hobbes comics collections, the Hank the Cowdog books, the
Great Brain books, the Bessledorf mysteries, the Bastable Family series,
everything by Roald Dahl and Mark Twain and Robert Newton Peck (the "Soup"
books) . . . well, I could go on and on. Your turn!
Cerelle
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MESSAGE: (#71) Re: Let's not forget about HUMOR!
AUTHOR: Giovanna
DATE: Wednesday, 7 February 2001, at 10:12 a.m.
Reply To: (#70) Let's not forget about HUMOR!
Author: Cerelle
Date: Tuesday, 6 February 2001, at 11:01 p.m.
My son has fallen in love with the Peanuts gang and Charlie Brown. So for
Christmas last year I gave him a couple of books that had several comic
strips.
He has really enjoyed reading Henry Huggins and I imagine he will read some of
the follow up books.
AND YES! HANK THE COWDOG! HA!
Even I like reading those!!!! :D
Giovanna
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MESSAGE: (#72) Oh, yes! Beverly Cleary, for sure!
AUTHOR: Cerelle
DATE: Wednesday, 7 February 2001, at 10:28 a.m.
Reply To: (#71) Re: Let's not forget about HUMOR!
Author: Giovanna
Date: Wednesday, 7 February 2001, at 10:12 a.m.
How could I forget? All of my kids loved Ramona and Beezus and Henry. And they
loved Carolyn Haywood's "Eddie" books, too.
For the very young emergent reader, any book of jokes and riddles is a
guaranteed winner. My kids were always extremely motivated to read these on
their own so they could tell me the jokes! :-D
Cerelle
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MESSAGE: (#73) Re: Let's not forget about HUMOR!
AUTHOR: Cindy Johns
DATE: Wednesday, 7 February 2001, at 11:04 a.m.
Reply To: (#70) Let's not forget about HUMOR!
Author: Cerelle
Date: Tuesday, 6 February 2001, at 11:01 p.m.
You covered a lot, Cerelle! :-D
Personally, I can't remember reading anything funnier than Calvin & Hobbes, so
i was quick to point out my collection to my kids when they first began to
read. Milo has continued with Garfield books... and now reads the comics in
the newspaper every day.
We've read most of those you mentioned (except for The Brain books which I
never heard of before now - but will look them up at the library on our next
trip :-) ). Megan & Milo also love the Boys Against Girls series by Phyllis
Naylor Reynolds (and some of her other series [ie: the Alice books] have a
fair amount of humor to them, too).
They've also just recently discovered the Bill Cosby show, so I don't think it
will be any problem for me at all to find some Bill Cosby books that they'll
enjoy. (BTW, I see he has written some "Little Bill" books for beginning
readers. They're too young for us, but I imagine others might enjoy them).
Finally, Melissa Heeren recently pointed out some "Horrible Histories" books
by Terry Deary that are funny. I ordered a few from Amazon -- because our
local library doesn't carry them. :( They should be getting here any day
now... so I'll let ya know if we think they're funny. :p
Cindy
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MESSAGE: (#74) You can always bribe them
AUTHOR: dawne
DATE: Wednesday, 7 February 2001, at 12:00 p.m.
We have an emergent reader. He is dyslexic and has lots of obstacles to
reading alone - which he very much wants to do. Thankfully, our new MSSL
[multi-sensory systematic lang] approach is bringing real progress.
PRIOR to starting MSSL I was worried about his reading. All I ever wanted, as
a mother, was to have kids who just gobble up books. Kids who know how to
learn. I know many adults who do not know how to learn on their own. Sad but
true.
Anyway...I read an article on Themestream about making a worm, a reading worm,
all around the child's room. We began this using books that were not too
difficult at all. The motivation just wasn't there.
BUT....I began to BRIBE him and he is reading almost everyday. For every 5th
worm segment that he can add to his reading worm he earns ONE pokemon card. :)
We joke around here that we spend $3 for the 11 cards so each 5 books cost us
next to nothing. After such a long dry spell of resistance to ANYTHING in the
form of instruction or phonics or reading out loud - hey! I would have bribed
him with more expensive things if needed. Just the feeling of relief I feel
now. I cannot describe it.
Just like any good behavior mod program I do plan to phase out the primary
reinforcers in place of secondary ones. Eventually he will be reading just for
the joy of reading. I am seeing signs of this even now as he progresses.
Thought I would toss this in. AFter all at times I work better when bribed
[like balancing the check book and rewarding yourself by inviting a friend
over to lunch]. I can admit it .
Dawne
Link: The Worm Gets Them Reading
URL:
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MESSAGE: (#75) Horrible Histories
AUTHOR: Liz Messick
DATE: Wednesday, 7 February 2001, at 12:41 p.m.
Reply To: (#73) Re: Let's not forget about HUMOR!
Author: Cindy Johns
Date: Wednesday, 7 February 2001, at 11:04 a.m.
We (including me!) LOVE the Horrible Histories - in fact, I'm looking to
collect the whole set. (Only a few - about half a dozen - are published by
Scholastic in the US. The rest are published by Scholastic UK and are
available in England, but not in America. And shipping costs are very high -
boo, hoo!)
Another funny book that has a "history" tie-in is Motel of the Mysteries. It's
a spoof of archaeology, specifically Howard Carter's Tutankhamen discovery,
and we love it! Many years from now, a "sacred site" (which we recognize as a
cheap motel) is discovered and painstaking archaeological work is done. Each
object that is found is conjectured to have great meaning - for example, the
skeleton on the bed with his communicator device (remote control) in his hand,
worshipping before the holy oracle (tv set). The drawing of one of the
archaeologists wearing some of the sacred ornaments (toilet seat around her
neck, toothbrushes dangling from her earlobes, bathtub stopper around her
neck) is hysterical!
Also for teens and older, has anyone else read Bill Bryson? My 13yo is
currently on a Bryson kick. His latest, which she is reading now, is In a
Sunburned Country, which is about Australia. I loved his book about his hike
on the Appalachian Trail. In fact, I haven't read anything by him that I
didn't like, and neither has my daughter.
Oh! and Gerald Durrell - don't miss My Family and Other Animals for a funny
read, as well as a great look at a 'homeschooler' from another generation.
Durrell moved to the Greek island of Corfu with his eccentric and interesting
mother and siblings when he was a boy of about 10, and basically educated
himself among the island's flora and fauna, with sporadic and very funny
ventures into more formal education when his mother or a sibling decided he
needed a tutor for civilizing influence. He eventually became a noted
naturalist, and wrote several books about his trips to catch animals for zoos.
The story about his mother going 'bathing' in her voluminous swimsuit,
accompanied by the family dog, who nipped at the suit because he thought it
was an animal accosting her, is priceless!
Liz Messick
***************************************************************************
MESSAGE: (#76) Re: Horrible Histories
AUTHOR: Giovanna
DATE: Wednesday, 7 February 2001, at 12:57 p.m.
Reply To: (#75) Horrible Histories
Author: Liz Messick
Date: Wednesday, 7 February 2001, at 12:41 p.m.
ok. I'll bite. (grin)
What are Horrible Histories? They sound awfully interesting!
Giovanna
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MESSAGE: (#77) Re: Horrible Histories
AUTHOR: Liz Messick
DATE: Wednesday, 7 February 2001, at 1:17 p.m.
Reply To: (#76) Re: Horrible Histories
Author: Giovanna
Date: Wednesday, 7 February 2001, at 12:57 p.m.
: ok. I'll bite. (grin)
: What are Horrible Histories? They sound awfully
: interesting!
: Giovanna
From the back of "The Terrible Tudors" -
"History with the nasty bits left in! The Terrible Tudors gives you all the
grisly details of Tudor life for everyone - from cruel kings and queens, to
poor peasants and common criminals. Want to know: some terrible Tudor swear
words? about terrible Tudor torture? why Henry VIII thought he'd married a
horse? Read on to find some foul facts, some horrendous beheadings, a
mysterious murder, some curious quizzes and gruesome games. History has never
been so horrible!"
The illustrations are cartoon-style, and the information presented by means of
short chapters, little quizzes, and so on. In this book, there's a table of
Henry VIII's wives to help you keep them straight, with symbols for "divorced"
(a kicking foot) "beheaded" (an axe, of course), "died" (a cross), and
"survived" (a smiling woman).
There are "Terrible Tudor Limericks" like:
King Henry was fat as a boar,
He had six wives and still wanted more.
Anne and Kate said,
"By heck! He's a pain in the neck!"
As their heads landed smack on the floor.
And mixed in with all this silliness is more than you ever thought you'd know
about the Tudors, all given over in witty (and slightly sarcastic) ways. The
author of all these is Terry Deary, and there are at least a couple of dozen
published in the UK. Available in the US are:
The Awesome Egyptians
The Groovy Greeks
The Rotten Romans
The Vicious Vikings
The Measly Middle Ages
(I think that's all.)
Other (Brit) titles include:
The Terrible Tudors
The Smashing Saxons
The Savage Stone Age
The Vile Victorians
Rowdy Revolutions
Dark Knights and Dingy Castles
The 20th Century
The Frightful First World War
Wicked Words
Angry Aztecs
Gorgeous Georgians
Cutthroat Celts
Even More Terrible Tudors
Dreadful Diary
Bloody Scotland
The Blitzed Brits
The Mad Millenium
The Slimy Stuarts
The Woeful 2nd World War
The Stormin' Normans
Horrible Christmas
Ireland
The Incredible Incas
Cruel Kings and Mean Queens
Terry Deary has also written Top 10 Shakespeare Stories and Top 10 Greek
Legends, which treat literature in the same style as the above treat history!
These are great fun also, and we've been using the Shakespeare book as a
"text" all year. There is also a series by him called "Tudor Terror," which
is, I think, a six-book fiction series set in Elizabethan times.
By the way, if anybody has any of the not-available-in-the-US books lying
around gathering dust - I'd LOVE to buy them!
Liz Messick
***************************************************************************
MESSAGE: (#78) Re: Horrible Histories
AUTHOR: Giovanna
DATE: Wednesday, 7 February 2001, at 1:58 p.m.
Reply To: (#77) Re: Horrible Histories
Author: Liz Messick
Date: Wednesday, 7 February 2001, at 1:17 p.m.
What reading level is this geared for?
Giovanna
***************************************************************************
MESSAGE: (#79) I have.......
AUTHOR: Colleen
DATE: Wednesday, 7 February 2001, at 4:51 p.m.
Reply To: (#70) Let's not forget about HUMOR!
Author: Cerelle
Date: Tuesday, 6 February 2001, at 11:01 p.m.
.......some of the old Peanuts books! They're a gas. And some old Dennis the
Menace. One day dd found them and now she reads them over and over! Each time
she reads them, she notices it takes her less time to complete them than the
time before and she's soooo proud! She always tells me, "I read this book in
________ !"
***************************************************************************
MESSAGE: (#80) Re: Horrible Histories
AUTHOR: Liz Messick
DATE: Wednesday, 7 February 2001, at 9:08 p.m.
Reply To: (#78) Re: Horrible Histories
Author: Giovanna
Date: Wednesday, 7 February 2001, at 1:58 p.m.
: What reading level is this geared for?
Probably 4th and up. It's the kind of thing that you can "get" on different
levels as you grow older, and I love reading them myself, too!
Liz
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MESSAGE: (#81) We're lovin' Jack Prelutsky poems these days...
AUTHOR: Amy A.
DATE: Wednesday, 7 February 2001, at 11:58 p.m.
Reply To: (#70) Let's not forget about HUMOR!
Author: Cerelle
Date: Tuesday, 6 February 2001, at 11:01 p.m.
and I don't know sometimes who likes them more - me or dd! Her current
favorite is the poem "My Parents Have the Flu Today" from the book "It's
Raining Pigs and Noodles". Heh-heh, if it doesn't violate any copyright laws,
here it is...
MY PARENTS HAVE THE FLU TODAY By Jack Prelutsky
My parents have the flu today, they both are sick in bed, and thoughts of
things to do today are swimming through my head. My nimble brain is burgeoning
with ways to misbehave, I'll give my brother's Teddy Bear a haircut and a
shave.
Perhaps I'll make a mud pie in my sister's stupid hat, attach my mother's
earrings to the puppy and the cat, hang carrots from the ceiling, stuff
bananas into shoes, then set the clocks to different times, it's certain to
confuse.
I'll switch the salt and sugar, scatter meatballs on the rugs, hide spaghetti
in a closet, and refrigerate some bugs. I'll paint my father's underwear an
iridescent blue. My options are unlimited... My parents have the flu.
LOL, I love the way I get to teach her new vocabulary words and she just loves
the silliness.
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MESSAGE: (#82) Re: I have a won't reader.
AUTHOR: Amy
DATE: Thursday, 8 February 2001, at 2:41 a.m.
Reply To: (#14) I have a won't reader.
Author: Laura
Date: Thursday, 1 February 2001, at 3:36 p.m.
My daughter was the same way, and I must say she is an auditory learner too.
She reads well but I couldn't get her to read on her own. She became quite
interested in the American Girls series of books last year but wanted me to
read them to her. I struck a deal. We would read them together. She agreed
that I would read three or four pages and then she would read one page.
Somewhere along the line, after a few books together, she just started reading
more than her one page. Before long she was starting off the book reading
twenty or more pages before she would let me read one page. We still read
together but I find her more and more sitting down with a book by herself.
***************************************************************************
MESSAGE: (#83) funny poems
AUTHOR: Liz Messick
DATE: Thursday, 8 February 2001, at 8:13 a.m.
Reply To: (#81) We're lovin' Jack Prelutsky poems these days...
Author: Amy A.
Date: Wednesday, 7 February 2001, at 11:58 p.m.
When my olders were about 6 and 8, they participated in a Shel Silverstein
poetry "act-out" at the library. Funny stuff!
My two did "Sister For Sale" - he held up a handpainted sign while she
slouched in a chair and stuck out her tongue at intervals, and he cried,
"Sister for sale - one sister for sale!
One crying and spying young sister for sale!
I'm really not kidding! So who'll start the bidding?
Do I hear a dollar? a nickle? a penny?
Oh, isn't there ANY one kid who will buy this old sister for sale?
This crying and spying young sister for sale?"
But I think the funniest one of all, especially when looking back, was one
that this same "little sister" did with her then-best-bud, a sweetie of a
little guy a couple of years older than she. They cuddled together in a chair,
and she looked adoringly into his face as he said,
"If you want to marry me, here's what you'll have to do -
You'll have to learn to make a perfect chicken-dumpling stew..."
This goes on as he continues to recite all the skills she'll need, like
properly scratching his back, and so on, until, as he is still musing and
looking thoughtfully into space, she slips away quietly. He looks back as he
is saying,
"And when it is raining and snowing, you must shovel the walk...
And be still when I talk,
And, Hey! where are you going?"
The really delightful thing is that now, eight or nine years later, these same
two kids, now teenagers, really are 'sweethearts' - and my son, that same
ratty older brother of old, is swearing to play the video of that long-ago
poetry day at their wedding! (Of course, we're a little far from wedding days
yet, but it's still pretty funny.)
Liz Messick
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MESSAGE: (#84) Shel Silverstien!
AUTHOR: Charlotte
DATE: Thursday, 8 February 2001, at 12:39 p.m.
Reply To: (#70) Let's not forget about HUMOR!
Author: Cerelle
Date: Tuesday, 6 February 2001, at 11:01 p.m.
Is the favorite in our house! The lessons learned about watching too much TV,
not taking the garbage out! So funny! "I'm writing this poem from inside a
Lion!"And was it Lazy, Lazy, Liza Jane? OK now I have to go get out the
Silverstien and read them again!
***************************************************************************
MESSAGE: (#85) He's one of my favorites too...
AUTHOR: Amy A.
DATE: Thursday, 8 February 2001, at 1:45 p.m.
Reply To: (#83) funny poems
Author: Liz Messick
Date: Thursday, 8 February 2001, at 8:13 a.m.
The "acting out" sounds like fun! Good thing nobody tried props for "Sarah
Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take The Garbage Out"! :O
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MESSAGE: (#86) it was fun!
AUTHOR: Liz Messick
DATE: Thursday, 8 February 2001, at 3:21 p.m.
Reply To: (#85) He's one of my favorites too...
Author: Amy A.
Date: Thursday, 8 February 2001, at 1:45 p.m.
: The "acting out" sounds like fun!
: Good thing nobody tried props for
: "Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not
: Take The Garbage Out"! :O
Oh, it was fun! They did Jimmy Jet, and oh, what is that one called where the
little boy is bragging about exchanging money for "more" -
"My father gave me one shiny quarter, 'cause I'm his smartest son -
And I traded it for two dimes - 'cause two is more than one!"
I love it!
Liz
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MESSAGE: (#88) Yes, I think so..
AUTHOR: shirin
DATE: Friday, 9 February 2001, at 10:31 a.m.
Reply To: (#37) Can you have too many books?
Author: Liz Messick
Date: Saturday, 3 February 2001, at 9:40 a.m.
My kids and I probably have several thousand books. I go through them once a
year and donate the ones which are below their respective reading levels, (and
which they don't enjoy rereading) to the library (unless it is something I
want to share with the younger one.) I do that with my own books, too, of
course. Otherwise the house fills up with stuff and nobody can find anything
they actually want to read. Same with toys and clothes; they go to Goodwill
when they are outgrown. I find the younger one (3) likes books better if I
limit her choice, so while she has lots of books on her shelves, I limit the
number on her bedside table to current faves and rotate them periodically. As
far as I can tell, she never looks at the bookshelves; just at the stuff on
her table.
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MESSAGE: (#89) Re: Leisure and literature
AUTHOR: shirin
DATE: Friday, 9 February 2001, at 11:32 a.m.
Reply To: (#52) Re: Leisure and literature
Author: Cerelle
Date: Sunday, 4 February 2001, at 11:30 a.m.
--I'm betting this is at the root of it all. How many autobiographical
accounts have we all read of children in bygone days, who grew up with access
to, say, their great-uncle's library of classical literature -- and precious
little else? But the other element in that scenario is that those same
children also had a lot of TIME hanging heavy on their hands. Nothing to do
BUT read!
I think you are right there. The three of us kids learned to love reading on
long visits to Sri Lanka when our parents would drag us to the house of a
friend or relative and expect us to hang about while the adults yapped on for
hours and hours about people and places of which we knew nothing. Since we
were expected to sit quietly and keep our mouths shut (standard procedure for
Asian kids) being allowed to read one of the host's books was a treat. The
more thoughtful hosts tended to direct us towards shelves of volumes with
titles like "Hydropower Implications for the Mahaveli Ganga System", but hey,
any port in a storm. Occasionally finding a stray PG Wodehouse in those dusty
shelves was like manna from heaven.
--It seems to me that to recreate that environment today (in America, at
least) would require superhuman effort. I know there are still families living
in the remote wilderness, without TV hookup, soccer games, or computer games
-- but the majority of us are swept up willy-nilly in the mainstream of hectic
lifestyles and every kind of entertainment imaginable. Well, life is change!
And the "good old days" weren't necessarily as wonderful as we think they
were. Who knows?
Certainly, I have made no attempt to recreate my childhood for my children,
although perhaps that was an error. On the other hand, they both like books
now, and while the eldest is not as good a reader as I was at that age, she
still is very solidly on grade level in terms of reading, and does read for
pleasure.
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MESSAGE: (#90) Re: auditory learner ? ;-)
AUTHOR: shirin
DATE: Friday, 9 February 2001, at 3:56 p.m.
Reply To: (#26) Re: auditory learner ? ;-)
Author: Laura
Date: Friday, 2 February 2001, at 9:04 a.m.
How exactly is she reading? By sight words or by phonics? Can she decode
phonetically correct nonsense words like TLICK or SQILL? My feeling, given
that she obviously has the attention span to sit still for a long period of
time, the language skills to enjoy a written book, and given that she learned
to read early with fluency, is that she is reading by sight word memorization.
Usually very early readers memorize words. Those who have no other issues,
then progress to recognizing part-words, e.g. "ACK" or "IGHT", and move easily
from there into decoding, with or without instruction. Those who have trouble
get stuck on recognizing subsets. (Plenty of people read by part-word
recognition rather than true decoding, but they can handle reading and
spelling, so this probably isn't where your child's bottleneck is located.)
Sight word recognition works very well up through about third grade. At that
point the number of unknown words becomes overwhelming if you cannot decode
effectively and the reader begins to develop a distaste for books.
Also, you say she is a poor speller. In what way does she spell poorly? Are
her errors basically phonetic, e.g. "hows" for "house", and "parck" for
"park", or are they linguistic/word length type guesses, e.g. "hotel" for
"house" and "prak" for "park"? Please write back addressing these issues
***************************************************************************
MESSAGE: (#91) Re: Horrible Histories
AUTHOR: Lillian
DATE: Friday, 9 February 2001, at 5:33 p.m.
Reply To: (#80) Re: Horrible Histories
Author: Liz Messick
Date: Wednesday, 7 February 2001, at 9:08 p.m.
My son has been collecting Horrible Histories for a couple of years, and the
high point of our trip to England and Ireland last year for him was that he
could accumulate another 8 or 10. He has learned an amazing amount of history.
I wish there were some covering American history.
There are Horrible Science books now, too. He has a few of those, but I don't
know if he likes them as much.
Lillian
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MESSAGE: (#92) Re: Yes but I'm sure many would disagree :)
AUTHOR: Lillian
DATE: Friday, 9 February 2001, at 5:39 p.m.
Reply To: (#39) Re: Yes but I'm sure many would disagree :)
Author: Liz Messick
Date: Saturday, 3 February 2001, at 10:03 a.m.
: If you had the space (I do have lots of space),
: would you keep more? And do you think it
: makes a difference in a kid AS A READER to
: have "books coming out his ears"?
: For better or for worse?
: Does "absence make the heart grow
: fonder"? In other words, does not
: having a bunch of books make a kid more
: determined to read? And, conversely, does
: having "too many" books make them
: become just part of the landscape?
We have thousands of books, both adult and kid, and my 9-year-old son's room
has packed shelves on two walls. There are books everywhere. He taught himself
to read when he was 3 and has never stopped. I frequently wish he'd read less
and go outside for a while!
I don't think too many books necessarily make kids take them for granted.
Lillian
***************************************************************************
MESSAGE: (#93) Re: You can always bribe them
AUTHOR: Annette
DATE: Saturday, 10 February 2001, at 12:41 p.m.
Reply To: (#74) You can always bribe them
Author: dawne
Date: Wednesday, 7 February 2001, at 12:00 p.m.
I did some bribing with my daughter because she was afraid we would stop
reading to her when she learned to read. The "RIF Guide to Encouraging Young
Readers" has excellent suggestions and projects for you and your child. They
cover everything from reading worms and reading trees to writing a newsletter.
We have used it constantly to get new ideas for family writing and reading.
Our bribe was a new hardback book for every 15 books she read to us. She chose
titles such as "Shakespeare's Stories for Children", Shel Silverstein's books,
"The Complete Adventures of Curious George", modern poetry books and
historical novels...... and she told me once, "Mom, I want to get good books
so I can read them to my kids when I grow up. I don't want to choose junk."
When she was reading well, we phased out the bribe/reward. We had to modify it
the weekend she read us 11 books in one day. After that, 2 months into the
program, 25 books were required to get a new one. What we wanted to do was
create a book lover, and we sure did!
Annette
***************************************************************************
MESSAGE: (#94) Re: Can you have too many books?
AUTHOR: Annette
DATE: Saturday, 10 February 2001, at 1:18 p.m.
Reply To: (#37) Can you have too many books?
Author: Liz Messick
Date: Saturday, 3 February 2001, at 9:40 a.m.
: Can you have too many books in the house?
: Unlike my childhood experience of having few
: books of my own, my own kids have personal
: libraries numbering in the hundreds.
We used the large local library a lot when I grew up. After moving away from
that town as an adult, I realized how good I had it as a child. My husband and
I tend to live in small towns with small libraries not very full of the type
of books we read. I looked at our library shelves in our house and the
subjects are split about 4 ways. We have reference books, many about Native
Americans, the fur trade era, and the Revolutionary War, and many about
language, science, and philosophy. We have children's books, some modern, some
my mother and father used in school and some from my own childhood. We have
craft books and how-to books. We have a few modern novels but I am the only
one who reads them. Everyone else is too busy to "waste time" on them. The
majority of our shelves are cluttered with history books. We are passionatly
interested in history at our house. My daughter has her own stuffed full
bookcase and we are in the process of building new bookcases in the den.
The rule at our house is this: Make sure you want to read it over and over
again if you want us to buy it. I generally tell my daughter to check it out
of the library first to see if it is any good. If she likes it and wants to
reread it, we will buy it. All my books are good friends and I reread them
constantly. I can't imagine having a book in the house that has only been read
once or twice. My shelf space is too precious to spend it on once or twice
books.
Too many books? Yes, if they become more important than the people reading
them, it is possible to have too many.
Annette
***************************************************************************
MESSAGE: (#95) Rewards, celebrations, etc.
AUTHOR: Cerelle
DATE: Saturday, 10 February 2001, at 1:19 p.m.
Reply To: (#93) Re: You can always bribe them
Author: Annette
Date: Saturday, 10 February 2001, at 12:41 p.m.
Gee, that word "bribe" has such bad connotations. I hate to use it, you know?
I don't even like to think in terms of "rewarding" children for reading, since
my hope was always that my kids would find reading to be its own reward. BUT!
We found ways to *celebrate* our children's reading skills when they were
first emerging, and if you want to get real literal about it, I suppose our
methods amounted to bribery. (Although I still shudder to think of it that
way.)
Here's what we did with all three of our kids. We explained that by the time
you've read 50 books all by yourself, you're off and running -- a real,
full-fledged Reader, with a capital R. So we would keep track of those first
50 books with a big wall poster, and when the 50th book had been read, we'd
all celebrate with an activity of the kid's own choosing.
Now, this was the cool part: they got to design the wall poster themselves. We
gave them the general idea, and then let them decide what it would look like.
Ariel chose to have a drawing of herself wearing a shirt with 50 stripes.
Every time she read a book all by herself (these were super-easy books, of
course), we'd write the title on one of the stripes and she'd color it in.
Laurel wanted a tree with 50 leaves. We cut out the leaves from green
construction paper, and every time she read a book, we'd write the title on
the leaf and she'd glue it to the poster.
Hunter chose a dragon with 50 scales sticking up along its backbone. You get
the picture...
The kids loved their custom-designed charts, and eagerly looked forward to the
family celebration of their newly acquired status as a Reader. I guess this
served as the most important rite of passage in their childhoods! Reward and
bribery? Yeah, I suppose so, but somehow it took on a larger meaning to all of
us. :)
Cerelle
***************************************************************************
MESSAGE: (#96) Re: Not how to pick books, but something that work
AUTHOR: Annette
DATE: Saturday, 10 February 2001, at 1:30 p.m.
Reply To: (#54) Not how to pick books, but something that worked f
Author: K
Date: Sunday, 4 February 2001, at 3:36 p.m.
We encouraged nitetime reading by giving our daughter a flashlite when she was
4. The night I "caught" her reading under the covers we pushed bedtime around
to accomodate her reading time. She found it relaxed her so she could
transition from awake to asleep more easily. Now she reads everything all the
time and somehow she and her dad can read in the dark with no lights on. We
laugh about their "Owl Eyes".
***************************************************************************
MESSAGE: (#97) Re: Rewards, celebrations, etc.
AUTHOR: dawne
DATE: Saturday, 10 February 2001, at 8:27 p.m.
Reply To: (#95) Rewards, celebrations, etc.
Author: Cerelle
Date: Saturday, 10 February 2001, at 1:19 p.m.
But did any of them STRUGGLE with reading??
My 4 year old is well on her way which is a bit odd in that I don't hold to
the "fast track to Harvard" approach. She, like me, seems to be a natural
reader. I doubt I'll ever be worried enough to bribe her.
Though, for the record I'm not a bit ashamed to admit I use bribes [well
placed though - haha]. IF it wasn't for bribery she STILL wouldn't be anywhere
close to potty trained :)
***************************************************************************
MESSAGE: (#98) Re: Let's not forget about HUMOR!
AUTHOR: dawne
DATE: Saturday, 10 February 2001, at 8:29 p.m.
Reply To: (#70) Let's not forget about HUMOR!
Author: Cerelle
Date: Tuesday, 6 February 2001, at 11:01 p.m.
Calvin and Hobbes are top of the list!! I think Garfield and Healthcliff the
cats are 2 and 3 :)
dawne
***************************************************************************
MESSAGE: (#99) Any Magic Tree House fans?
AUTHOR: Amy A.
DATE: Monday, 12 February 2001, at 10:04 a.m.
We've been loving these, and I just bough a set of the first eight for my
girlfriend's reluctant reader. He loves them, too (although he prefers to read
them out of order :) )
The books are by Mary Pope Osborne and describe the adventures of a brother
and sister after they discover a tree house that can take them back through
time anywhere in the world...
One of the things I like about them is they touch on a little bit of history
wherever they go... not enough for an in-depth look, but enough to get dd
hooked and want to go read more! "Vacation Under the Volcano" got her started
on volcanoes and Pompeii...
Anyone else read them?
***************************************************************************
MESSAGE: (#100) YES! RIGHT HERE!
AUTHOR: Giovanna
DATE: Monday, 12 February 2001, at 10:18 a.m.
Reply To: (#99) Any Magic Tree House fans?
Author: Amy A.
Date: Monday, 12 February 2001, at 10:04 a.m.
My son is devouring these and my daughter picked this as her very first book
series to read on her very own!
There is a definite advantage to reading them in order. Some of the clues
build on each other.
What I love about these is that they seem to be right amount of pages, the
right vocabulary for readers ready to go out on their own and read a series.
Not many books written for this type of reader. Well, not that I know of.
Giovanna
***************************************************************************
MESSAGE: (#101) YES!! In my house too!
AUTHOR: Jennifer
DATE: Tuesday, 13 February 2001, at 12:26 a.m.
Reply To: (#99) Any Magic Tree House fans?
Author: Amy A.
Date: Monday, 12 February 2001, at 10:04 a.m.
My son LOVES these--not like--LOVE!! He has read them all at least five or six
times, and since finishing them he has not been willing to try other series,
such as Junie B. Jones or Encyclopedia Brown.
He's visited their web site and voted on the title for the next book, Twister
on Tuesday, but I don't remember how long he has to wait before it comes out.
And, they are coming out with companion books, only 2 so far, called Research
Guides, which do go more in depth into the topic. Guide #1 is on Dinosaurs,
and #2 is on Knights and Castles.
Hasn't Mary Pope Osborne done some other childrens' series?
Jennifer
***************************************************************************
MESSAGE: (#102) more....
AUTHOR: Jennifer
DATE: Tuesday, 13 February 2001, at 12:35 a.m.
Reply To: (#101) YES!! In my house too!
Author: Jennifer
Date: Tuesday, 13 February 2001, at 12:26 a.m.
Ooooooh! I just checked out the official web site, and a 3rd Research Guide is
out on Mummies and Pyramids. We're heading to Borders in the morning!
There are some cool links and teachers guides on line, in case anyone wants to
check it out.
Jennifer
Link: Magic Tree House home page
URL:
***************************************************************************
MESSAGE: (#103) Re: YES! RIGHT HERE!
AUTHOR: lisa
DATE: Tuesday, 13 February 2001, at 3:24 p.m.
Reply To: (#100) YES! RIGHT HERE!
Author: Giovanna
Date: Monday, 12 February 2001, at 10:18 a.m.
my four year old loves these. We read a few chapters a night before bed and
she now loves going to bed:)
***************************************************************************
MESSAGE: (#104) We listened to an audio book today!
AUTHOR: Diane
DATE: Tuesday, 13 February 2001, at 5:01 p.m.
My son and I listened to the audio book "Call it Courage" today. It is by
Armstrong Perry. Although it was written in 1940 - and has some politically
incorrect (!) parts we enjoyed it. He has not wanted to listen to audio books
in the past - but with everyone's encouragement here... and the fact that he
has not been acting good and I am putting my foot down... it turned out well.
It was 120 minutes and we listened to it all today, although not all at once!
It is his 13th birthday... and many would think he should get the day off -
but this past weekend was his party and he had friends spend the night on
Saturday so it is a relatively normal day except for family presents.
One coincidental note... he asked for a Walkman cassette player for his
birthday - so he can listen to these while doing... whatever!
Thanks to you all for spurring me to try some of these again.
Diane
***************************************************************************
MESSAGE: (#106) Re: What I did with my voracious little reader
AUTHOR: Annette
DATE: Wednesday, 14 February 2001, at 10:05 a.m.
Reply To: (#30) What I did with my voracious little reader
Author: AKKJ
Date: Friday, 2 February 2001, at 10:58 a.m.
We also set out to make a reader of our daughter. I read "The Boat that
Wouldn't Float" by Farley Mowat to her when she was 3 weeks old. We had books
out everywhere and read constantly in front of her and to her. We consulted
her about what picture books to get at the library when she was but a tiny
baby. We talked to her and pointed out things of interest. She had cards to
sort and play with.
She didn't read until she was nearly 6, but when she did begin it took her
only 3 months to go from Dr. Seuss to the Boxcar series.
Whenever I see the books out on "How to Solve Your Child's Reading Problem" I
wonder if they are going to suggest taking away her flashlight or just the
batteries.
Annette
***************************************************************************
MESSAGE: (#107) Re: Let children read what they like!!
AUTHOR: Annette
DATE: Wednesday, 14 February 2001, at 10:43 a.m.
Reply To: (#50) Re: Let children read what they like!!
Author: Cerelle
Date: Sunday, 4 February 2001, at 10:00 a.m.
Wow! I disagree with letting kids read just anything. I find myself at a loss
to describe just how much I disagree with it. Poorly written books which
encourage short attention spans are no way to develop a vocabulary nor an
attention span long enough to finish a classic. How will a child who is
allowed to eat a McDonald's hamburger everyday for dinner ever develop a taste
for something with a more delicate flavor?
Annette
***************************************************************************
MESSAGE: (#108) Our Nancy Drew experience :)
AUTHOR: Cerelle
DATE: Wednesday, 14 February 2001, at 11:24 a.m.
Reply To: (#107) Re: Let children read what they like!!
Author: Annette
Date: Wednesday, 14 February 2001, at 10:43 a.m.
: How will a child who is
: allowed to eat a McDonald's hamburger
: everyday for dinner ever develop a taste for
: something with a more delicate flavor?
LOL! Well, I have to agree with you, there. I've certainly put my foot down
about certain books or series in the past. I mean, we all have limits to what
we can tolerate. (I can't tolerate fast-food hamburgers, either!) Personally,
I drew the line at the Goosebumps series, although I'm sure it's individual
with every parent.
Here's a true story, though. I remember when my oldest daughter was going
through her Nancy Drew phase. I guess she was about 8 years old at the time.
Now, most of us adults read a few of those in our time, so I didn't worry too
much in the beginning. But then she kept reading them and KEPT reading
them...and stopped reading anything else...and you know, there are roughly a
million of them. I began to get just a little bit fretful. After a while, I
started to disparage the literary value of Nancy Drew mysteries every chance I
got -- in a "friendly fashion," of course. ;-)
This had no effect. She continued to read them with great appetite.
The time came when I felt I should step in and do something parental, so I
declared a one-month moratorium on Nancy Drew. I told Ariel I just wanted her
to have an opportunity to broaden her reading horizons, and this was the only
solution I could think of. She wasn't too happy about it, but I was the mom
and what could she do?
So for a month she read other things.
When the month was up, she went right back to the Nancy Drews. :)
Then one day, she put down her (Nancy Drew) book and said, "You know, these
are all sort of the same. You've read one, you've read them all." I breathed a
huge sigh of relief that was heard from sea to shining sea, I'm sure.
For the record, Ariel went on to read lots and lots of great literature,
voluntarily and without prompting. As far as I can tell, those months she
spent reading ND's didn't permanently addle her brain or spoil her appetite
for Shakespeare and Euripides.
I think the key (or one of them, anyway) is to make sure children continue to
have access to the good stuff, even if they're temporarily favoring slightly
inferior grades of literature. The point I was trying to make in my earlier
post is that it's important to remember that some kids don't read AT ALL
(unless they're forced to), and in that situation, I would definitely favor
letting them select just about any written material that appeals to them, as
long as it fits within the parents' moral comfort zone.
Cerelle
***************************************************************************
MESSAGE: (#109) Love 'em ...
AUTHOR: beth
DATE: Wednesday, 14 February 2001, at 6:09 p.m.
Reply To: (#99) Any Magic Tree House fans?
Author: Amy A.
Date: Monday, 12 February 2001, at 10:04 a.m.
We read all of these to ds when he was between 4 and 5. Now at 6 he reads them
alone. They are perfect and are a great introduction to so many topics.
On Monday we plan to start Revolutionary War on Sunday to go along with our
Presidents Day unit.
I also have the research guides and think they're great.
***************************************************************************
MESSAGE: (#110) Has anyone read The Dragonling series?
AUTHOR: beth
DATE: Wednesday, 14 February 2001, at 6:13 p.m.
They are written by Jackie French Koller. My 6 yos started reading these last
week and loves them. They are a little more difficult than Magic Treehouse
(but not too much) largely because some of the names are strange.
There are 6 books in the series but they are sold as compilations - 2 stories
to a book - so there are really only 3 books (because the originals went OOP).
This is a great series for boys.
Beth
***************************************************************************
MESSAGE: (#115) What are these about? (NT) *NM*
AUTHOR: Giovanna
DATE: Wednesday, 14 February 2001, at 11:47 p.m.
Reply To: (#110) Has anyone read The Dragonling series?
Author: beth
Date: Wednesday, 14 February 2001, at 6:13 p.m.
***************************************************************************
MESSAGE: (#116) television and reading
AUTHOR: Liz Messick
DATE: Thursday, 15 February 2001, at 9:39 a.m.
Here I am with my Mary Leonhardt book again!
This is from "Parents Who Love Reading, Kids Who Don't -- How it happens and
what you can do about it". Chapter 7 is about television and reading. She was
pondering the question, "Do wonderful readers watch much television?" and
started asking questions of the students in her classes.
Was television restricted in their homes?
Did their television watching influence the amount of reading they did?
What advice would they give to parents?
So, what do you think she found out? And what do you all do in your homes
about television? Does it work?
Liz Messick
***************************************************************************
MESSAGE: (#117) Re: television and reading
AUTHOR: Liz Messick
DATE: Thursday, 15 February 2001, at 9:51 a.m.
Reply To: (#116) television and reading
Author: Liz Messick
Date: Thursday, 15 February 2001, at 9:39 a.m.
I guess I'll start by answering my own question!
Recently, I noticed that my 8yo daughter was watching what I felt was far too
much television. It isn't that I disliked the shows she was watching, but I
felt that she was far too passive in general.
For example, she'd watch a show like "Clifford" on PBS - a little young for
her, but certainly not something she shouldn't be watching. But then the same
episode of Clifford would be repeated in the afternoon, and she'd watch it
again.
And meanwhile, there was all the stuff she WASN'T doing when she was watching
tv, and reading was high on that list.
So I cut her personal choices to three PBS shows a day. I was heartened when
she "chose well" (in my opinion, anyway) - Zoom, Mr. Rogers, and Wishbone. I
especially like Zoom's tendency to get her doing outside-of-tv activities. She
frequently shows me some magic trick, science experiment, recipe, game, etc.,
that she learned from watching Zoom.
I'm not sure if this translates directly into more reading time. She is
certainly reading much more, but some other things have happened at the same
time (starting a month-long read-a-thon through the library, for one thing)
that have also contributed.
Liz Messick
***************************************************************************
MESSAGE: (#118) Re: television and reading
AUTHOR: Giovanna
DATE: Thursday, 15 February 2001, at 9:53 a.m.
Reply To: (#116) television and reading
Author: Liz Messick
Date: Thursday, 15 February 2001, at 9:39 a.m.
HI LIZ!
Well, I'm going to go ahead and guess what I think it's the obvious. In homes
were children read television was restricted.
Now, perhaps you will surprise me with some earth-shattering wisdom that will
definitely explain why tv viewing has nothing to do with the amount of
reading.
Go ahead! I'm ready! :) I would LOVE to have someone show me the correlations
(if there are any) or some evidences that one thing has nothing to do with the
other.
I'm simply basing my unscientific opinion from personal experience, from
seeing the type of tv exposure that my relatives allow their kids to have,
from being involved heavily at my church with children I can tell you that
none (yes...NONE) of the children who are watching more than 1 hour of tv a
day are readers. NONE.
***************************************************************************
MESSAGE: (#119) and a corollary question
AUTHOR: Liz Messick
DATE: Thursday, 15 February 2001, at 9:53 a.m.
Reply To: (#116) television and reading
Author: Liz Messick
Date: Thursday, 15 February 2001, at 9:39 a.m.
Were you an avid reader as a child, devouring book after book?
Did you watch much tv as a child?
Did the two things relate at all, in your experience?
Liz Messick
***************************************************************************
MESSAGE: (#120) Re: and a corollary question
AUTHOR: Giovanna
DATE: Thursday, 15 February 2001, at 10:16 a.m.
Reply To: (#119) and a corollary question
Author: Liz Messick
Date: Thursday, 15 February 2001, at 9:53 a.m.
: Were you an avid reader as a child, devouring
: book after book?
My situation is sort of unique. I was born and grew up in Puerto Rico and
there were NOT any public libraries there at that time (don't know if that has
changed). Therefore the only books you got were those you bought at the store.
I do not remember my mom buying books for me to read. I had some but not very
many. Reading in that culture, at that time, just wasn't important or stressed
or just something people did. You read your schoolbooks. That's it.
I remember wanting a children's Bible very badly when I was in third grade. I
did get it and I did devour it. I remember reading the stories in the Old
Testament from that little Bible and thinking that these were definitely the
most exciting stories in the world.
Fast Forward...... I'm now 10 years old. My parents decide to leave Puerto
Rico and we move to Florida. I don't know how to speak English. I go to public
school and have my first exposure to a "library."
But that did not help to intice me to read books for pleasure.
Yes, I did watch A LOT of tv. My parents never controlled that. They didn't
realize they should.
It wasn't until I was out of high school that I finally found the joy in
reading. I found some books that really interested me (non-fiction) and really
liked it.
Giovanna
***************************************************************************
MESSAGE: (#121) Re: and a corollary question
AUTHOR: Cerelle
DATE: Thursday, 15 February 2001, at 10:58 a.m.
Reply To: (#119) and a corollary question
Author: Liz Messick
Date: Thursday, 15 February 2001, at 9:53 a.m.
: Were you an avid reader as a child, devouring
: book after book?
Yup, that was me!
: Did you watch much tv as a child?
We got our first TV when I was seven, and by that time, I was already
hopelessly hooked on books. Even after we had a TV in the house, watching was
extremely limited. Most of the time, it just sat there in the corner with a
dark screen!
: Did the two things relate at all, in your
: experience?
You bet. But there were other factors, too. I just read Giovanna's answer to
your post, and our childhood experiences couldn't have been more different. I
remember our town's library almost better than I remember our own home! My
parents read constantly, and our house was full of books. In my world, reading
was what people did!
I'm getting "up in years" (about to turn 48!! Eek!!!) and television was a
newfangled invention when I was a child. I think the only reason my parents
finally caved in and bought one was so they could watch election coverage.
LOL! I didn't watch any programs on a regular basis until I discovered "I Love
Lucy" re-runs when I was 9. :D
Cerelle
***************************************************************************
MESSAGE: (#122) Good idea!
AUTHOR: Giovanna
DATE: Thursday, 15 February 2001, at 11:17 a.m.
Reply To: (#117) Re: television and reading
Author: Liz Messick
Date: Thursday, 15 February 2001, at 9:51 a.m.
: So I cut her personal choices to three PBS
: shows a day. I was heartened when she
: "chose well" (in my opinion,
: anyway) - Zoom, Mr. Rogers, and Wishbone. I
: especially like Zoom's tendency to get her
: doing outside-of-tv activities. She
: frequently shows me some magic trick,
: science experiment, recipe, game, etc., that
: she learned from watching Zoom.
I think this is a great idea!
There are some very worthwhile things to watch on TV. I love READING RAINBOW
for instance. My kids enjoy it. I ENJOY IT! :D
This is a great way to give your children a freedom of choice while still
being in control.
Giovanna
***************************************************************************
MESSAGE: (#123) Re: television and reading
AUTHOR: Alex
DATE: Thursday, 15 February 2001, at 11:23 a.m.
Reply To: (#117) Re: television and reading
Author: Liz Messick
Date: Thursday, 15 February 2001, at 9:51 a.m.
I've noticed another interesting correlation in my house. My son is an avid
reader, and we recently pulled him from ps kindergarten to homeschool. When he
was in ps, he'd watch a little in the morning, then want to watch some in the
afternoon, too, vie for some in the evening! He'd take it whenever he could
get it (I'd limit it then to two hours/day). Now that we're not schlepping him
to school & back each day (where it was definitely stressful for him), he'll
forget about tv for days. I'm thinking that for some kids, the amount of tv
viewing they do (or want to do) may have something to do with the amount of
stress and structure demanded of them from without. Perhaps for some it can
start like this, then proceed to become a habit.
***************************************************************************
MESSAGE: (#124) "TV diet"
AUTHOR: Cerelle
DATE: Thursday, 15 February 2001, at 11:31 a.m.
Reply To: (#122) Good idea!
Author: Giovanna
Date: Thursday, 15 February 2001, at 11:17 a.m.
We once put ourselves on a TV diet. It was very complicated, as I remember it
-- nearly as complicated as counting calories -- but hey, it worked! The
"idiot box" had been threatening to take over our lives, and my husband and I
just wanted to trim the "fat" from our family's watching habits.
I can't remember the exact details now (this was several years ago), but I
think everyone could choose two hours of programming per week and watch an
additional two hours of someone's else's choices. Something like that. The
recordkeeping got a little hairy, I have to admit, but the main thing was that
we all had to make those choices -- figure out what was REALLY important to us
to watch.
We've practiced modified versions of the "diet" since then, and it really
wouldn't be a bad idea if we did it again now!!! Like any diet, the biggest
challenge is getting your SPOUSE to agree to go along with it. :)
Cerelle
***************************************************************************
MESSAGE: (#125) Re: and a corollary question
AUTHOR: Cerelle
DATE: Thursday, 15 February 2001, at 11:51 a.m.
Reply To: (#120) Re: and a corollary question
Author: Giovanna
Date: Thursday, 15 February 2001, at 10:16 a.m.
: It wasn't until I was out of high school that I
: finally found the joy in reading. I found
: some books that really interested me
: (non-fiction) and really liked it.
What I love about this is that it proves, once again, how resilient we human
beings are. We're always growing and changing! I've heard many stories like
Giovanna's. Cynthia Rylant, for instance, who is a wonderful, award-winning,
and very *literary* children's writer, says she never read anything but comic
books when she was a child. She lived in a poor region of Appalachia and her
family didn't own a lot of books. She says she didn't discover the joy of
reading until she was in college.
I believe that all too often, we adults lose sight of a person's ability to
transform and transcend. We're afraid that if our 8-year-old, let's say,
doesn't like to read RIGHT NOW, he never will. But life is change, after all.
I didn't cook as a child, but I cook nearly every day now. :)
Cerelle
***************************************************************************
MESSAGE: (#126) Correlations
AUTHOR: Giovanna
DATE: Thursday, 15 February 2001, at 12:02 p.m.
Reply To: (#123) Re: television and reading
Author: Alex
Date: Thursday, 15 February 2001, at 11:23 a.m.
: When he was in
: ps, he'd watch a little in the morning, then
: want to watch some in the afternoon, too,
: vie for some in the evening! He'd take it
: whenever he could get it (I'd limit it then
: to two hours/day). Now that we're not
: schlepping him to school & back each day
: (where it was definitely stressful for him),
: he'll forget about tv for days. I'm thinking
: that for some kids, the amount of tv viewing
: they do (or want to do) may have something
: to do with the amount of stress and
: structure demanded of them from without.
: Perhaps for some it can start like this,
: then proceed to become a habit.
I think you've hit on to something here! Yes! ABSOLUTELY!
When I think about all of the kids I know that are not readers (the ones I
mentioned on my prior post) the one thing they all have in common as well is
that THEY ALL GO TO PUBLIC SCHOOL!
Hmmm..........
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MESSAGE: (#127) Re: Correlations
AUTHOR: Cerelle
DATE: Thursday, 15 February 2001, at 12:12 p.m.
Reply To: (#126) Correlations
Author: Giovanna
Date: Thursday, 15 February 2001, at 12:02 p.m.
OK, but wait -- I've heard many homeschooling parents express concern about
their children who don't like to read. I don't think this is "just" a public
school issue.
Tammie, at the beginning of this month's discussion, pointed out that her
daughter loves to spend time alone in her bedroom reading, but her son likes
to be "where the action is" and doesn't like to spend a lot time with his nose
in a book. There are so many possibilities and factors involved. TV time is
one, personality style is one, visual problems are another.
I don't think we can blame the schools for all of it, although it's TRUE, I
think, that school kids often aren't given much time to read during any given
day. This was certainly the case with my oldest daughter, who used to get in
trouble for reading during lunch and recess! I think what she loved most about
homeschooling was that she could spend the whole day reading if she wanted to.
Cerelle
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MESSAGE: (#128) Re: Correlations
AUTHOR: Giovanna
DATE: Thursday, 15 February 2001, at 12:58 p.m.
Reply To: (#127) Re: Correlations
Author: Cerelle
Date: Thursday, 15 February 2001, at 12:12 p.m.
: OK, but wait -- I've heard many homeschooling
: parents express concern about their children
: who don't like to read. I don't think this
: is "just" a public school issue.
Well yes! Absolutely!
I didn't phrase what I was trying to say right. What I was really trying to
say is that it seems that there is a correlation between stress and tv.
I've seen this here at home too. If my husband has a really long and hectic
day (Tuesdays are like this for him....he goes to work, puts in a full day
then goes to teach at the university at night..doesn't come home till 10:30
p.m.) he will come home and plop right in front of the TV. :)
Alex was noticing the same pattern with her son. While he was attending school
the tv became a very attractive thing. Now that he is home, it isn't.
So is TV a stress reducer?
Is this why there are so many children watching tv? And to bring it back to
topic..... does the excessive tv viewing distract children from reading?
That's what I was trying to point out.
Giovanna (but to put in in perspective, I do know of two girls who do attend
public school that do love--and I mean LOVE--to read.... however, they watch
hardly zero tv. I guess mom and dad trained them to relax and unwind without
the tv!)
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MESSAGE: (#129) Re: We listened to an audio book today!
AUTHOR: Shannon in Flor
DATE: Thursday, 15 February 2001, at 2:03 p.m.
Reply To: (#104) We listened to an audio book today!
Author: Diane
Date: Tuesday, 13 February 2001, at 5:01 p.m.
Diane we use audio books all the time. It was a ntural progression from the
little kid stories he loved to listen to when he was 3, 4 and 5. Disney
stories etc. But now as a ten yr old, he listens to The Hatchet series by gary
Paulsen, Harry potter, Rascal, sounder, Lots of classics like the jungle book
and Three Muskateers. Jim weiss is an excellent "reader/ story teller" and we
have many stories he has narated.( available in the rainbow reasource actalog
and at book storesas well.) my son loves to listen to them not only in his
walk man but also everynight when he is headed to bed, calms him down helps
him settle in. He says it is like falling asleep reading but with out having
to drop the book when you fall a sleep. :) He is an avid reader and although
he listens to a lot of books he reads for hours everyday. Sometimes he reads a
book because he has heard the tape and other times he wants the tape because
he enjoyed the book. The library doesnt seem to have a great selection of
audios for him, he has pretty much worked through what they have already, but
the ones he likes of really wants we buy he will listen to them more than
once,usually several times. he askes for them for birthdays and christmas from
gram and grampa. :)
Glad you guys are having fun with them!! shannon
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MESSAGE: (#130) Re: What are these about? (NT)
AUTHOR: beth
DATE: Thursday, 15 February 2001, at 2:31 p.m.
Reply To: (#115) What are these about? (NT) *NM*
Author: Giovanna
Date: Wednesday, 14 February 2001, at 11:47 p.m.
Well, in the first book (Dragonling), the men and older boys go off on a
Dragonquest to kill a dragon. This is a rite of passage for the older boys.
Dragons are killed because they are dangerous.
One young boy finds a baby dragon (dragonling) and he returns it to the Valley
of the Dragons. The village comes in search of him and he tries to convince
them that the dragons are peaceful and that they shouldn't hunt them.
I think the book has a great message and would really speak to young boys. We
haven't read the other books in the seris yet.
HTH
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MESSAGE: (#131) Stress and TV
AUTHOR: Cerelle
DATE: Thursday, 15 February 2001, at 2:35 p.m.
Reply To: (#128) Re: Correlations
Author: Giovanna
Date: Thursday, 15 February 2001, at 12:58 p.m.
: I've seen this here at home too. If my husband
: has a really long and hectic day...he will come : home and plop right in
front of the TV. :)
Same here. I was thinking of this when I mentioned in another post that it is
sometimes hard to win our spouses' cooperation in battling the TV monster. My
husband says that after a stressful day at work, it's a relief to be passive
and put his mind in neutral, which is, I suppose, what TV watching CAN be all
about.
So yes -- children coming home from school all stressed out may be seeking the
same kind of relief. Come to think of it, this is what I did in high school!
By then, most of my reading was for school, not for recreation. :(
I didn't really rediscover the joys of recreational reading (i.e., unassigned
reading) until after I was out of college. And coincidentally, I didn't own a
television set at that time. I plundered the Austin public library on a weekly
basis and read a little bit of everything. I think that might have been when
the "unschooler" in me was born...
Cerelle
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MESSAGE: (#132) Interesting question
AUTHOR: beth
DATE: Thursday, 15 February 2001, at 2:43 p.m.
Reply To: (#119) and a corollary question
Author: Liz Messick
Date: Thursday, 15 February 2001, at 9:53 a.m.
: Were you an avid reader as a child, devouring book after book?
Absolutely!! I learned to read when I was about 3 and was always reading or
asking someone to read to me. I remember at one point having a goal to read
all of the books in the children's room at my local library.
: Did you watch much tv as a child? Yes. We watched a lot of tv. Leave it to
Beaver, Father Knows Best, Dark Shadows, The Wonderful World of Disney,
cartoons ... We were not restricted in our tv viewing.
: Did the two things relate at all, in your
: experience? I don't see any correlation in my life. I loved to read and also
enjoyed television. I have always read for pleasure and have always watched tv
for the same reason
Beth
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MESSAGE: (#133) Re: television and reading
AUTHOR: beth
DATE: Thursday, 15 February 2001, at 2:52 p.m.
Reply To: (#116) television and reading
Author: Liz Messick
Date: Thursday, 15 February 2001, at 9:39 a.m.
As I said above in the corollary question, I watched a lot of tv as a child
and also read tons. I still enjoy both today.
Only one of my boys is old enough to read (6.5). He reads quite well but
doesn't often read for pleasure. He will read at night if given the option of
sleep or reading and then he really gets into the book and enjoys it. He reads
aloud to me daily because he has to.
I admit to using the tv as a pacifier for the younger ones (3.5 and 17
months). It works and gives me time to get things done with my older son. All
of them love tv but will walk away when they are bored and start playing with
something.
I have always hated the idea of being the TV Police. It just seems too
complicated and artificial for our family. However, I am becoming concerned
about the amount of time my oldest spends in front of something plugged in. If
he's not watching tv he asks if he can play a video game or a computer game
(educational). I guess I'm just not sure where, how, or if to draw the line.
The issue will become even more complicated next week when my son returns from
a vacation with his grandparents who bought him a Gameboy. I need to do some
thinking about this and talk to my dh.
Beth
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MESSAGE: (#134) Re: television and reading
AUTHOR: Cerelle
DATE: Thursday, 15 February 2001, at 3:56 p.m.
Reply To: (#133) Re: television and reading
Author: beth
Date: Thursday, 15 February 2001, at 2:52 p.m.
: I am
: becoming concerned about the amount of time
: my oldest spends in front of something
: plugged in. If he's not watching tv he asks
: if he can play a video game or a computer
: game (educational). I guess I'm just not
: sure where, how, or if to draw the line.
It's a tough call. We're living in audio-visual times, you know? My own
comfort zone has stretched and contracted and stretched again, as we've bumped
along the road into the future. I outlawed Nintendo (and its close cousins)
early on -- told the grandparents in no uncertain terms that our children
would NOT be allowed to accept one of those machines as a gift. We've had
several second-hand sets offered to us over the years (free of charge), and
each time I've been successful in fending them off.
But there was that one Christmas when each of our kids received his or her
very own Gameboy from a well-meaning relative who'd noticed how much they
enjoyed playing with their cousins' Gameboys at a family reunion. Arghh! I
will say, they burned out on them fairly quickly. At first I thought we might
have to have our son's Gameboy surgically removed from his hands at some
point...but a year later I overheard him offering to trade it to a friend for
action figures. LOL!
I think the decision about where to draw the line is going to have to based on
your own comfort level. If you can't bear to watch more and more your
children's time being consumed by video games and TV, then it might be a good
idea to set limits. I tend to think of it in the same way I think of their
food consumption. If I keep potato chips on hand and allow free access, I have
to deal with the likelihood that that nutritious dinner I've prepared will go
uneaten. Sad but true! Potato chips are OK in moderation, but it's so hard to
eat just one! :)
Cerelle
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