Janie Grace Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 My MIL was a second grade teacher, and when she passed away, I inherited about 30 soft back picture books with corresponding cassette tapes (with the author or another narrator reading the story). The books are books like Owl Moon, Mouse Soup, Millions of Cats, The Paperboy... classic, award-winning picture books. I have had them in an open tub in hopes that my children would pull them out and listen to/read them, but they haven't. I probably need to be more directive if I want to use them as a resource -- thinking a good independent activity for my 4-year-old and/or 7-year-old during the school day. I need to give clear instructions on tape player use and also explain my expectations for how many to listen to, putting them away properly, etc. They are only 4-8 minutes long so for it to really be a good chunk of time, they'd need to listen to at least 4 or 5. So the question is... is this realistic? Would you keep them or donate them to your library? We are moving and I don't want to move a big tub of books/tapes in freezer bags that we are going to continue to not use! Help me figure out if I have an untapped resource here or a waste of space. ;) Also, if you think I should keep them, how would you store them? The tub isn't working. Some of the books are too big for the freezer bags, so the bags don't seal and then there are loose books/tapes floating around... Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherry in OH Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 We don't own a cassette player, so DH would have to borrow one from a friend and copy the contents to the computer or CDs. If he was unwilling or unable to copy them, I'd get rid of the cassettes. If he could copy them, I would store the cassettes until the children outgrew them. I would then destroy the copies and donate or trash the cassettes. (We try to respect copyright in our home.) My children like to listen to audiobooks at bedtime and on car trips. I would keep at least some of the books. They sound like great read aloud stories. As far as storage, I would separate the books you want to keep from their cassettes. Store the books with other books on your bookshelves/book baskets. If you like, you could note on the inside cover of the book that you have an audio-recording. You might find a cassette case at a yard sale. Otherwise store them in a photo box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 I'd put them in some "order" copy the tapes to cds.... and then have my kids listen to them for quiet time. If you order the books.... say... 1-30... and then they start the cd off and listen to the first 10 or so... and then go on... I also have other cds... so they wouldn't have to listen over and over... but could if they liked ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinM Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 My kids love 'tape books'. Our library still carries some of them but it's hard to find them these days. I would keep them... (but my kids enjoy them and we have a tape player.) If you decide they're not for you I might be interested in taking them off your hands. ;) I agree with you, though, if you put the tapes on then your kids might show more interest. I don't leave them sitting out for my dc, mainly b/c my dd is not old enough to handle the tapes properly... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 If I had a car with a tape player and wanted to let them listen while running errands, I might toss them into a box in the car. Honestly, tho', I'd probably ditch them. I definitely wouldn't spend time showing my kids how to operate a tape player, or coming up with some kind of "plan." Most likely, I would keep any books that look good, and toss the tapes. I can't imagine your library wants them, but a hs family with a tape player might. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 My kids listen to those all day long. It is what they listen to when they are playing with legos or building with blocks. We have a heck of a time finding cassette players these days. I have two working ones in the house but when they go, I am not getting any more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emilylou Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 My kids love audio books, but I never liked the audio picture books. Seems like the kids could never figure out the tape player at a young age ect... and once I got the tape all set. It was over in 7 minutes! :) I had a bunch and donated them to the library book sale, and borrowed longer audio books from the library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 I used a lot of books on tape for car travel during the elementary years... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silliness7 Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 My MIL was a second grade teacher, and when she passed away, I inherited about 30 soft back picture books with corresponding cassette tapes (with the author or another narrator reading the story). The books are books like Owl Moon, Mouse Soup, Millions of Cats, The Paperboy... classic, award-winning picture books. I have had them in an open tub in hopes that my children would pull them out and listen to/read them, but they haven't. I probably need to be more directive if I want to use them as a resource -- thinking a good independent activity for my 4-year-old and/or 7-year-old during the school day. I need to give clear instructions on tape player use and also explain my expectations for how many to listen to, putting them away properly, etc. They are only 4-8 minutes long so for it to really be a good chunk of time, they'd need to listen to at least 4 or 5. So the question is... is this realistic? Would you keep them or donate them to your library? We are moving and I don't want to move a big tub of books/tapes in freezer bags that we are going to continue to not use! Help me figure out if I have an untapped resource here or a waste of space. ;) Also, if you think I should keep them, how would you store them? The tub isn't working. Some of the books are too big for the freezer bags, so the bags don't seal and then there are loose books/tapes floating around... Thanks in advance! I ended up with a lot of these and found my children didn't listen to them on their own. They would listen in the car (and I have memorized a lot of children's books this way :001_smile:) Eventually I separated the books and cassettes. We still have the books but not the cassettes. Our library just purged their books on cassette. They only have books on CD. But you could donate to the goodwill or something if you don't want them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savmom Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 I just sold ours on eBay for almost $100 so you could always sell them if you have an account there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QumaCote Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 We love audio books in our house, and I think they really helped my daughter become more confident in her reading. My kids figured out how to use a tape player at a fairly young age, and I kept the "kid" tape player and tapes in the bottom of their closet or on the bottom shelf of their book case. At times I made my children follow along with the book while listening, but other times they just listened to the stories while coloring or building trains and LEGOS. Definitely keep the books once the tapes wear out. Of course, I don't like parting with any books! :001_smile: I also liked the option mentioned of putting them on CD and numbering the books. Enjoy!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 I would keep them. Kids who hear the same story over and over then can bridge that into an aid to reading fluency. Once they are ready to read themselves, they can follow along with the tape or even remember the tape, and it helps them learn to read the words quickly. It's no substitute for a good phonics program, and in fact you have to be careful not to kid yourself that they are reading if they are only reciting, but these can be extremely helpful in the later reading acquisition stage. Plus they are fun in the car! I would not expect a 4 year old to be able to just take this as an assignment, though. My inclination would be to play them while the kids follow along when you're in the same or next room folding laundry or cooking, and run the cassette player yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beezus Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 I also liked the option mentioned of putting them on CD and numbering the books. Or if you don't want to copy the tapes onto CD, maybe you could just get some garage sale sticky dots and number each book/tape duo, then put the books on a bookshelf that your kids can access. You could then put the tapes in a separate box or go to Goodwill and find one of those cases or storage boxes that were made for tapes. Once your kids choose a book, you could just look at the number and easily find the tape to go with it if you keep the tapes pretty well organized - yet not have quite such bulky storage. My daughter enjoyed books and tapes not so very long ago. Our library still has a few of them. Maybe your kids will get into the book and tape thing if you try it few times - or not. If they hate the tapes, you can always enjoy the books, then donate the works when you are done with them. Someone else may be happy to have the book/tape sets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2bee Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Removed by the Author. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amey311 Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 I would not expect a 4 year old to be able to just take this as an assignment, though. 4 year olds can master the player pretty quickly. We didn't bother explaining FF and reverse, just play and stop. Sometimes the boys would listen to the tapes out loud and sometimes they'd sit with headphones and an older walkman and listen to them alone (handy when one wanted a story and one didn't). They didn't always follow along in the book. When I taught preschool, the kids ALWAYS followed along. They'd sit in pairs and share the book, listening to the story, often more than once. Typically the tape has "turn the page" signals on one side and not on the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 You can send them to me, and I'll let my two year old listen to them! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 I would use it as it was intended. Kiddo would listen and read along to books that were a bit above his reading level. He would get a big kick out of it. It would also be used for passages to memorize. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sahamamama Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 My MIL was a second grade teacher, and when she passed away, I inherited about 30 soft back picture books with corresponding cassette tapes (with the author or another narrator reading the story). The books are books like Owl Moon, Mouse Soup, Millions of Cats, The Paperboy... classic, award-winning picture books. I have had them in an open tub in hopes that my children would pull them out and listen to/read them, but they haven't. I probably need to be more directive if I want to use them as a resource -- thinking a good independent activity for my 4-year-old and/or 7-year-old during the school day. I need to give clear instructions on tape player use and also explain my expectations for how many to listen to, putting them away properly, etc. They are only 4-8 minutes long so for it to really be a good chunk of time, they'd need to listen to at least 4 or 5. So the question is... is this realistic? Would you keep them or donate them to your library? We are moving and I don't want to move a big tub of books/tapes in freezer bags that we are going to continue to not use! Help me figure out if I have an untapped resource here or a waste of space. ;) Also, if you think I should keep them, how would you store them? The tub isn't working. Some of the books are too big for the freezer bags, so the bags don't seal and then there are loose books/tapes floating around... Thanks in advance! I would not donate them to a library BECAUSE, at least around here, the libraries have been tossing their tapes into the dumpsters. Literally. Patrons complain to the children's librarians that they no longer have cassette tape players at home, only CD players or iPods. The trend is toward electronic devices and away from cassettes. If you give your sets to a library, you run the risk of them discarding them. What I would do is teach the kids how to work a little, portable cassette player for kids, like the Fisher Price one. Show them how to insert the tape, press the various buttons, eject the tape, flip it over, etc. Teach them how to control the volume, use headphones (if applicable), and how to never touch electronics with damp hands. :001_huh: You could purchase oversize zipper bags, label these with permanent markers, and store it all in a large plastic tub, along with the tape player(s). You could even print up and laminate a set of directions/pictures, so the children have a pictorial guide until they learn the system. You could put a kitchen timer in there, and assign them "Picture Books-on-Tape: 20 Minutes" as part of their day. My husband says to see if you have a headphone jack on your cassette player. You might be able to buy a cable from Radio Shack that will hook your cassette player's audio OUTPUT to your computer's audio INPUT. He can't remember what the cable is called (we have one). You hook the tape player up to your computer and somehow record the tape onto your computer (using some kind of audio program). Sorry, I don't have the technical know-how. Anyway, he says that you can then make your own playlist from the recorded files, put them in any order you choose, and burn them onto a CD. This might make it easier for your children to use, or you could bring along 4-5 books in the car, along with the audio on CD. I don't know if that violates copyright, or if it just changes the format to make it usable in the modern world. :confused: HTH. Good luck with it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Many libraries will accept them as donations for their book sales. In fact, most donated items get sold, not placed in the collection. Especially used media like tapes, which are so prone to damage. I don't think it would be a big deal to teach a kid to use a tape player. Ask them if they're interested. Try out a listening corner and see if they use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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