In my opinion, the best thing about homeschooling is being able to read aloud to my kids. We have read some wonderful books in our 5 years of homeschooling. I look forward to our read aloud time every day, especially when we are in the middle of a really good book. I don't expect my kids to sit with me while we read. I have learned over the years that they listen better when their hands are busy, so they usually sit close by playing, drawing, coloring, etc. The only rule I have during this time is that they are quiet. This has made our read alouds quite successful.
Regardless of whether you take the summer off from school or whether you school year round, summer is an excellent time for a special read aloud. There is just something about sitting outside in the warm air with the sun beating down and everyone listening to a well-written book, enthralled in the storyline. Our family schools year round but the summer is a light load for us. We do just the basics of math and reading, and we always include a read aloud. It wouldn't be a fulfilling day if we didn't have a family book to read.
I have picked out a book for our summer reading. Usually we read classics, like Little Women, Charlotte's Web, Treasure Island, etc. during the year but for this summer I have picked a modern book as our choice. I usually do not like contemporary books but this book is just a darn good story. Also, thise book fits very well into Classical Education. This is why I am recommending it in this post.
Our family is now reading a book that is going to be a family favorite for a while. We are enthusiastically immersed in The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart. This book is logic-inspired, full of puzzles and riddles. The main group of characters are 3 orphans and 1 runaway. They are selected to carry out a top-secret spy mission. These 4 children have endeared themselves to my children. My children especially like Sticky Washington, whose real name is George Washington, whose nickname is Bald Boy. Whenever Sticky is mentioned my kids giggle. They love his name. This book is also the first in a series.
If you need some more ideas for summer read alouds, you can try here and here for more suggestions. Enjoy!
Julia lives on the Canadian Prairies, homeschooling her 3 children (10,8,6) and attempting to give them a Classical Education. You could more at her blog.
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We, too, enjoyed the Mysterious Benedict Society. I personally feel that the author is a genius! So much fun stuff in this book. Very creative. My kids will hear something on the radio or see a Yahoo headline and say, "Mom, it's the Whisperer!" I would love to see an interview with this author. Think I'll go look for one. :o)
Sally
PS. I have not been reading you blog, so maybe you have done this series, but Little Britches, by Ralph Moody, is wonderful. The whole family would enjoy it!
