So I have been pouring over CM sites. I have been picking out books that are reccomended on this site or that... science nature readers, narritive history books, etc. I decided to start listening to Harry Potter with the kids thinking they would surely love it. The fact is, they just aren't into listening to me read... they don't want to sit quietly for 2 minutes let alone 30 minutes and listen to something. They do not want to listen to sweet stories about a butterfly who becomes friends with a flower. As much as I want them to, they really just don't. They want me to read them bright colorful picture books (Let's Read and Find Out Science for example). They want to open a bright colorful book on the table and look at the pictures and read little captions and discuss them (Usborne Encyclopedias). They want to watch videos on history and science topics. They want to do hands on crafts and experiments. They want to play games on the computer that might or might not have something to do with their history or science. This is who they are. They would love to sit down and watch the Harry Potter movies with me, but they don't want to hear the words. These are my kids, they are visual learners, not auditory. They are slightly kinesthetic, as long as it isn't something that is long and drawn out... or requires them to sit still (we don't color much here). They like short lessons and lots of time to pursue their own interests (I think Reagan could spend 24 hours a day on Minecraft right now and Rylee loves to create "girly" things and lots of little paper scraps :lol I need to be their teacher. I need to work for them. I need to quit trying to get them to be my students. I need to quit trying to get them to work for me.
There is a big difference between my language guy and my visual guy in terms of when they were ready to listen to a chapter book read aloud. I'm at the point now where my visual learner will follow along with a chapter book when I read. I spent a year reading picture books with an increasing amount of words and then I picked chapter books with pictures. By the end of the year he was listening to chapter books. Now as long as the story is interesting he can listen. When he watches the movie he always says that the movie is better than the book. Maybe you can look into project-based homeschooling. It sounds like it may work for your kids. I'm incorporating more project-based learning with my visual-spatial learner this year and it has been successful. He spent an hour or so the other day making a gladiator helmet out of paper. This project was his own idea. I gave him a book to read for about 20 minutes and then he could decide what he wanted to do related to what he read. Sometimes he builds a world on Roblox or Scratch or some other computer design place. I mostly do project-based stuff for science and history. I try to incorporate creativity into other subjects and drop things that don't work. If my kid doesn't like something and it works well I usually stick with it though.
I agree. You'll have to transition to chapter books by finding ones that have full color pictures in them (which are pretty rare). I don't think Usborne has any chapter books (I may be mistaken), but some publishers have a few with full color illustrations, and Barefoot Books carries all of theirs with full color illustrations (although the number of chapter vs. picture books is limited for now... they're still expanding their chapter book line). Another suggestion that is similar to chapter books would be anthology books... several separate stories with the same theme or author, and sometimes even a single story with several varied stories contained within it.
They will listen to things like Junie B Jones and Magic Tree House (not super excitedly but listening is listening, right?). I really thought HP would hold their interest... and I bet if I could get them beyond the first few chapters they would be totally into it, but I can't get Reagan beyond chapter 2
Not sure if you could do this, or if it would benefit at all, but what my son likes to do is listen to audio books (he has been into the Percy Jackson series) while he plays Minecraft. I know that often times it is just background noise, but he does listen and soak some of it in.
We were trying to do the audiobook of HP. Reagan says he would rather me read.. but still he is just not there..lol
Well, I have learned it is always better to give them the learning they ask for because they will get more out of it. Always offer the other avenues but keep listening to their learning ideas. MY ds2 has learned so much more about cafting and creating games and such amazing creations on the computer because I allow him a certain amount of time to do what I call goofing off, but he calls ART and COMPUTER CLASS he actually knows way more than his brother and even a bit more than dh about some computer things. I would have said no thats just playing but he watches training videos and reads web site how to do things that amaze me!
Sommer, my oldest is SO like that! He said he'd rather read a book than have me read it, so we are just not going to do the read alouds that CM does. I have the same problem in that I want to be a certain way, but it doesn't jive with his way. Our best bet really is to let them lead and the learning will come easier to them and, in turn, easier for us. We are doing a more literature-based history, but other than that we are sticking with normal math, science, grammar, and writing programs. He does enjoy the Story of the World book, so we are doing history based around that as our spine. Then we will read a few books, watch some shows, and do a few hands-on activities (but only 1 every week or 2, per his request). I think we are going to use the Biblioplan year 2 for next year, since it used SOTW, and doesn't require a bunch of books being read all at once. I would love the use Heart of Dakota, but it just isn't in the budget, and I think it has a tighter literature schedule, too. We haven't done much with audio books here, bc I do believe he would get bored and tune it out. If he had something to do while he listened, he would also tune it out and focus on whatever he was doing, I think. Sigh... it only everyone loved to read beautiful books. LOL
Well, to be completely honest, I'm ok not doing read alouds. They make me sleepy. Reagan says he liked CHOW so we will read through that, hopefully finishing by the end of next year. Then, even though I was hunting the best US history narrative, we will take 2 years to go through The Complete Book of United States History and add in living books like I did with Garrett. For science I think we will stick with What Your ___ Grader Needs to Know as our spine.
Reading out loud bores me, too. LOL Most of the time I don't remember what I just read - how sad it that!?!
lol... even reading to myself I find I have to reread because I go off into lala land without even knowing it a lot of the time.
Our first year homeschooling Ephram (1st grade) wouldn't let me read a single book to him! But slowly he did, now he'll listen to a chapter book for an amazingly long time, some books even have him begging for another chapter when I'm ready to quit reading! My youngest has been a read aloud kind of kid since the day he was born. But my oldest had to mature and adjust to get there and we had to find a book that was his 'style'. I also allow them to color, move and play quietly while reading to them. This helps my boys tremendously. But so what if your kids aren't into read alouds of picture-less chapter books. Do what works for them! We did a lot of hands on and computer stuff the last couple of years because that's what was working for us at the time. There is no need to be sad or upset that you or your kids just aren't CMish. Be proud you are so in tune with your kids that you know it isn't working and you know them well enough to know what does work for them!
Sommer, you just described my kids perfectly! I really wanted the CM method to work for us, but they just weren't having it. I was imagining a lot of warm, fuzzy family memories of snuggling on the couch reading endless lovely little books....uh, no. My voice would go out or I'd get bored, or the kids would sigh and their eyes would glaze over. I tried Chronicles of Narnia, but none of us could get into it, so I never even tried HP or Percy Jackson. I think it's great that you recognize your kids' needs and adjust accordingly. Isn't that why we do this? LOL
Thank you, I needed to hear this. I have tried letting them color or play with cars. Playdoh may be a better option.. but again who am I kidding. They focus on what they are playing with and soon they are even giggling and talking to/about it. I'm ok with it. They are my kids, and they will turn out fine They have the rest of their lives to read any book that they may want to read.
I know you did. Honey we ALL need to hear that some days. CM isn't the best way to educate. There is no best way. The only best way is to do what works for your family. And that may change with each year. We've recently had to scale back our schoolwork because my parents are requiring more and more time from me. We're actually getting less CMish because of it. I've had to pull out some old materials that allow me to do things quicker than read aloud chapter books. We're pulling out some of chapter books when we have some extra time. CM might work for you later, it might not. But that doesn't matter. What matters is you recognize when something doesn't work. I can tell by your posts you're a good homeschool mom. Don't feel guilty because you aren't what you see as ideal. You are your kids ideal homeschool mom if you are constantly striving to teach them the way they learn best. There shouldn't be any guilt in that!
I had 5 kids in 10 year span. We read aloud for at least an hour a day. They were allowed to draw or play with silly putty(something quiet). If the little ones were with us they also had to play very quietly. Ever so often I stopped and had them narrate for me. This helped keep them engaged. Good luck. Jody
Want to know what is crazy? I don't even see reading tons of books for hours on end ideal! I know darn well that I wouldn't be able to focus on someone reading outloud for more than a few seconds unless it was something I am very interested in. Heck, I have a hard time watching movies or tv or reading a book to myself without my mind wondering unless it really has me pulled in. I am horrible about reading what works for this person or that one and thinking how wonderful it sounds and then feeling we need to keep up with the Joneses so to speak, and driving my kids and myself insane. I need to stop! I have stopped! I'm going to try the history I used with Garrett. I would rather do US history at this age. I just lined up vidoes for the first 2 units.. which will carry us for 11 weeks provided it works for us. I still need to look for a few read alouds (thought I had left little sticky notes in the book with them listed but they aren't there any more... hmmmm), but they will be short and sweet and full of colorful pictures, we may read a few If You Lived books (we have most), possibly a Dear America book, some Childhood of Famous American books, or we may not I'm ok with however we flow with this. I also need to line up some crafts beyond what are in the book. Thought they were in there as well, but nope.
