Two years ago I started an experiment with my kids. That experiment is still running. I was on a quest to see if I could tolerate audio books in the car. My commute to work is 20 minutes each way and I thought (after years of my mom-the-librarian singing their praises) that maybe I could work my way through a book or two and fill the time with something other than radio chatter.
The book I picked was Book 1 from the Chronicles of Narnia. What I learned was yes, I could listen to a book in the car. Yes, I would miss some parts of the story for the sake of driving safely, but I could enjoy the book just the same.
The thing about the experiment was the unintended consequences or side-effects. Four days a week I would pick up my kids from school and when I began the book I let it play out while they were in the car. Right away I was hammered with questions. So I stopped the book and told them all that happened so far. Then we listened to the story. On the third day, they asked me to "make the story wait for them" so they wouldn't miss any more. At the end of the week I realized something, the car was silent (save for the audio book).
When we finished the first book my kids begged for me to get the next one. And then the next one. And the one after that. Seven books over the course of weeks of driving from school to home, to church, to the store, anywhere we went the story played. The only rule was that all four kids have to be in the car in order to play the story. The car transitioned from a noisy, frustrating experience to a calm and quiet place. Order had been restored to my minivan.
A year and a half later and we are still at it. We have listened to the entire Chronicles of Narnia, The Sisters Grimm series, Harry Potter books 1-4, Lemony Snicket Books 1-3, The first two Percy Jackson books, Septimus Heap books 1-3, and many others. Every car ride is met with a story. Every car ride is as peaceful as can be.
There's something else happening that only took me a few months to figure out. My kids were becoming more and more excited about the stories. They would be crushed when the car turned off at the hight of the story, they would giggle about the funny parts, and best of all the began to speculate on what would happen next.
My kids love books. They love to read. They love to listen. But most of all I think they love to dive into the adventures with both feet. Josh (8) is not the strongest reader, but I am not worried. I'm not worried because he's the one who comes to me and talks about the stories we listen to. He tells me his favorite characters, what he thinks will happen next, he thinks about the words, processes the story and gets it. So he may not be a fluent reader, but the part that matters more is weather he understands what he reads. I think over time he will become a stronger reader, for now though he can still enjoy his stories.
They all can. They can enjoy the books. I can enjoy the peace.
The book I picked was Book 1 from the Chronicles of Narnia. What I learned was yes, I could listen to a book in the car. Yes, I would miss some parts of the story for the sake of driving safely, but I could enjoy the book just the same.
The thing about the experiment was the unintended consequences or side-effects. Four days a week I would pick up my kids from school and when I began the book I let it play out while they were in the car. Right away I was hammered with questions. So I stopped the book and told them all that happened so far. Then we listened to the story. On the third day, they asked me to "make the story wait for them" so they wouldn't miss any more. At the end of the week I realized something, the car was silent (save for the audio book).
When we finished the first book my kids begged for me to get the next one. And then the next one. And the one after that. Seven books over the course of weeks of driving from school to home, to church, to the store, anywhere we went the story played. The only rule was that all four kids have to be in the car in order to play the story. The car transitioned from a noisy, frustrating experience to a calm and quiet place. Order had been restored to my minivan.
A year and a half later and we are still at it. We have listened to the entire Chronicles of Narnia, The Sisters Grimm series, Harry Potter books 1-4, Lemony Snicket Books 1-3, The first two Percy Jackson books, Septimus Heap books 1-3, and many others. Every car ride is met with a story. Every car ride is as peaceful as can be.
There's something else happening that only took me a few months to figure out. My kids were becoming more and more excited about the stories. They would be crushed when the car turned off at the hight of the story, they would giggle about the funny parts, and best of all the began to speculate on what would happen next.
My kids love books. They love to read. They love to listen. But most of all I think they love to dive into the adventures with both feet. Josh (8) is not the strongest reader, but I am not worried. I'm not worried because he's the one who comes to me and talks about the stories we listen to. He tells me his favorite characters, what he thinks will happen next, he thinks about the words, processes the story and gets it. So he may not be a fluent reader, but the part that matters more is weather he understands what he reads. I think over time he will become a stronger reader, for now though he can still enjoy his stories.
They all can. They can enjoy the books. I can enjoy the peace.
Never thought about books on tape! Wonder if my kids are too little to start them?
ReplyDeleteI don't think so. I'm sure the books appropriate for them would be "quick reads." We usually pick long ones that are on average 11 disks. Though I am about to start the next Harry Potter and that's 34 disks!!!! Try something like Charlottes Web, or even simple chapter books like Junie B. Jones, Magic Tree House. You'll never know if it works if you don't try.
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