literature

(sara): Home schooling or not, we all want to read quality literature to our children, and if you've ever checked out a bunch of books from the library, you quickly learn that there are a lot of kid's books that AREN'T worth reading. So you begin to collect lists of books that other people like. Fortunately for me, our library catalog is on-line, so I can search for specific books before we even go there; with all the kids along, it's hard to look for books anyway. For an article explaining the Charlotte Mason concept of a "living book", click here.

Something we just started with C a few weeks ago is narrating his favorite books. I'm always a bit hesitant to start something new, but this has gone over very well. Basically, he just reads a book a couple times (to himself or me) and then we sit down at the computer and he tells me every detail he can remember while I type. He picks out a colored piece of paper and we print and hole-punch the narration, then he puts it in a binder and can illustrate the page if he wants. The binder is a source of pride for him! (We've done about 6 so far.) It's an excellent record of our favorite books. As he becomes able, he will eventually do the writing himself.

I wanted to share a few ideas for finding books. One, which is more for the home schooling crowd, is the Five in a Row program - so named because you are encouraged to read the same book to your child every day, for 5 days. Ironically from what I've heard, this is the one aspect of the program that most moms don't follow! The 19-20 books in the series were chosen for their quality, and each day after reading the story, you proceed with a geography, math, art, or other lesson pertaining to the story. For example, you read Madeline, and then find Paris on a map and learn what and where the appendix is in your body. There is emphasis on literary device and illustrations, to encourage even young children to be analytical about the books they read. I just received this book last week.

There's also a book called Catholic Mosaic which suggests 52 children's books to cover the entire Liturgical Calendar. I haven't purchased this book, but it's discussed a lot at 4Real.

Another book list I've liked is from the book Real Learning. You can find it here. One of the books listed for January is Owl Moon - a beautiful wintery tale which my hubby enjoyed reading to the boys very much. For some ideas for great books about nature, try this list. For specifics on particular books, the 4Real chatgroup has an entire category just for you here. Any other ideas?