Falling in Love with Books Though Our Ears

By -
I was reading aloud to my children at breakfast this morning and one of my favorite things happened. As my son was munching on his cinnamon toast, the plot built to a suspenseful climax. As I used my voice to express the tension of the moment, I happened to glance across the table. There sat my nine-year-old boy, as still as a statute, with mouth gaping and toast hanging from his fingertips, completely enthralled with what was happening in the story. I continued to read, but my heart smiled and shouted a huge “Gotcha!” He was hooked.
One of my favorite things about oral reading and audio books is the way that our minds engage while we listen to the story. The characters and settings come alive as we hear them being described, hear different character voices, sense the speed and tension changes of the plot and hold our breath until the climax comes to a conclusion. Although much of the same can be said for silent reading, it often seems that involving more of our senses allows us to imagine the story in a deeper way.
Because of our family’s ministry, we are on the road a lot. We have all come to love audio books. Often one of the first questions our children ask when we get in the car is “What story do we get to listen to this time?” Not only do these books help the time to pass quickly, they generate great family discussions, expose our children to people, situations and places outside of themselves and  provide hours of fun and entertainment.

There are so many great resources available for audio books, I cannot even begin to name them all. However, I would like to share some of my favorite sources with you and encourage you to provide this style of book for your children. Whether it is at home or in the car, audio books can open up a whole new love of stories for your family.

  • Your public library- We have enjoyed using this resource ever since the kids were little. From picture books to chapter books, your public library will have many options for you to choose from.
  •  Overdrive- This is a resource that is also available through your public library. I have used it with my kindle for a long time, but I just recently discovered that I can download audio chapter books onto my kindle too. This has been great for long trips!
  •  Zeezok.com – We offer many of our books in audio format (both CD and MP3), including the Great Musicians Series and The Shining Sword. One great way to use these (especially with a reluctant reader) is to allow them to follow along in the books as they listen. 
  •  librivox.org – This is my husband’s favorite source for audio books. Although there is a fee for some of the books offered on this site, all public domain books are free. Many of the wonderful classics are available to download.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why Music Lessons?

By -
           Whether it’s knowing how to answer your children when they ask, “Why do I have to take music lessons?” or answering family members who ask, “Why are you wasting money on piano lessons?”, we hope the following list of reasons may give you some ammunition against music-lesson-skeptics:   Music lessons really do build character and instill diligence and a strong work ethic in the participant.   Music lessons give a child an appreciation for music that merely listening to it will not afford.   Music lessons have been determined to reduce anxiety, depression, and attention problems in children because they change the cortical thickness in the brain.   Increased cortical thickness in the brain also allows a student to improve memory skills, organizational skills, and attention.   Music lessons improve a child’s ability to solve complex math problems, comprehend reading passages, and use his verbal skills more effectively.   A child who takes musical lessons tends to ma
Read more

Never Stop Learning!

By -
Image
As we conclude our series of posts using the word HOMESCHOOL as an acronym, we come to the letter L.  What I’ve Learned About HOMESCHOO L ing: Never Stop Learning- No Ruts Allowed!  I just told my husband yesterday that I think I know my math facts better now than ever before. Why is that, you may ask? Because I am reviewing flashcards every day, doing facts practice pages, working through multi-step math problems… all with my children!   It never ceases to amaze me how much I am learning while we homeschool. Things I never knew (or understood?) when I was in school are so interesting to me now. I love being in on this learning process with my kiddos! Just as we are constantly learning new things in math, science, and grammar, we need to be willing to keep learning in other areas too. I tend to be a “rut” kind of person. If it works, why bother changing it? However, this isn’t always the best approach to life or schooling. Sometimes we should improve in an are
Read more

My Best Time of Day

By -
             My husband is a night owl —accomplishing some of his best work after 10:00 P.M. I am a morning dove (yes, I know that’s spelled incorrectly; work with me for the pun’s sake), getting up around 3:30 A.M. so I can have some alone time to get my best work done. Others would be like hummingbirds, who can work all day long. Okay, let’s get away from the bird similes and go to the point: u se your best time of day to accomplish your most important work ! Whether it’s creating lesson plans, grading, reading lesson instructions, having devotions, spending time with your spouse, working on scrapbooks, or whatever else is significant to you, use the best hour of your day to do that work . Determine what is most important to you or most necessary to you, and then accomplish that work when you are freshest and most alert. So, if it is within your power, use your best hour of the day to do your best work—in terms of productivity or in terms of quality of production.         
Read more