Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Reading Aloud Challenge: Another challenging week

Well, we're back to sick kids, sleeping the day away.  We still managed a bit of reading aloud though.


20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne is going slow.  We read a chapter or even two in a sitting, but getting everyone sitting this week has been tough.  This week, it was William who barely got out of bed.

Connor and I started Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe.  Wow.  We're only four or so chapters into this story of life in Nigeria (before it was Nigeria).

We've stayed up to date (though weekends just don't happen -- so Fridays we read Friday and Saturday, and Monday we catch up by starting with Sunday) in The American Patriot's Almanac by William Bennett.  This past week, we read about the Don't Tread On Me flag, a soldier in Vietnam, national parks, Sam Houston, Henry Knox, and Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address.  The kids get after me if I forget about this.

Advice for Seekers by Charles H. Spurgeon is still slow going, but it is still going.  Connor is really liking it.

Sacagawea, by Karla Akins, has been slow.  I really want Richard to hear it (and Trina has to), but he's been sleeping a lot this week too.

So, Trina and I started A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett.  This is such a great book.  It started because of watching the Veggie Tales movie -- Penniless Princess, maybe -- at the AHG sleepover.  I realized that Trina has never heard this story.  Well, actually, technically I think she has.  I'm pretty sure she was a baby when I last read it to her brothers.

I've also been reading one of Trina's birthday presents aloud to her.  Andi's Lonely Little Foal by Susan K. Marlow.  We're actually co-reading this one!  Trina reads a sentence or two, and I finish the chapter.  Hey, it works.  The Andi books are so sweet.

Thomas finished reading The Complete Adventures of Curious George, by Margret and H. A. Rey, aloud to Richard and Trina.  Yay, Thomas!

And today?  Today we stop reading 20,000 Leagues because we just got The Fellowship of the Ring from the library.  On Kindle.  Which means a short checkout period (21 days), so I will need to truck on through that one.

Here's the bulk of this week's reading:




How about you?  What are you reading out loud?  I'd love some inspiration, so feel free to link up your posts about reading aloud, or leave me a comment and tell me I can do it... 



3 comments:

Gwen T said...

I just finished writing about this yesterday and then I saw your link pop up. :) So I added my link about what I'm reading with my older kids. Then today I answered some reader questions about when I find the time to read to everyone. I'm not going to post both links. :) But I just thought you'd know we have to work at it too, and it's worth the effort!!

Sharon said...

Little Princess is a favorite here. We recently re-read it. No matter how many times they hear, the kiddos always beg for one more chapter!

Cristi said...

I love getting ideas from your posts. I think I'll pull out A Little Princess for Lauren. I'm also interested in your American Almanac -- sounds like it would be a great addition for the big kids. Maybe it would work as a lunchtime read-aloud. How long are the selections?