Giraffe Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 I'm thinking about getting the CDs for SOTW and playing them for DD while she plays. (She'll be 4 in a couple of weeks). Is this a good idea or are they too "oh gosh" - DD's phrase for things that scare her/are too violent? I'm looking for history/literature that's aimed for little ones/early elementary that she can listen to while she plays. It's just her and me, no siblings (and Daddy's at work), so I'm trying to keep her as stimulated as possible. We read and read and read but I think if she listens to SOTW or other stories on CD she can have them soak into her brain (and I can have a little break to make dinner or do laundry). I guess I'm looking for specific titles that are not scary but interesting and challenging. Or am I talking nonsense? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 Instead of SOTW, what about getting some of the Jim Weiss audio books that are on the website? He has myths, legends, etc and they are supposed to help illustrate good character qualities. I think that would be better than rushing into history. Also, if she listens over and over now to SOTW, what would you use for the next 4 years? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giraffe Posted April 25, 2011 Author Share Posted April 25, 2011 Instead of SOTW, what about getting some of the Jim Weiss audio books that are on the website? He has myths, legends, etc and they are supposed to help illustrate good character qualities. I think that would be better than rushing into history. Also, if she listens over and over now to SOTW, what would you use for the next 4 years? Good point. We're going to a home school book fair soon and I was thinking I'd get the Jim Weiss SOTW CDs. I hadn't thought of the other myths/legends for her. If she listens to SOTW once or twice would it really bore her when I "start" for real? Or would it just be familiar? She's getting bored at home. I have her in Montessori in the mornings, but she still needs more. We've just about worn out our library. And I'm getting hoarse! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellesmere Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 Nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giraffe Posted April 25, 2011 Author Share Posted April 25, 2011 Thanks! I appreciate the links. Does anyone have titles that would be good for a brain-smart but still little-girl 4 year old to listen to? For instance, Little Women - is that too advanced or not - in the Hive's expert opinion? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 My older dd loes the SOTW cd's and chooses those to listen to them while she falls asleep. The youngest has heard them repeatedly for a few years. She won't listen to them anymore. I'm not even sure I'll be able to use the books for history now because they are too familiar to her, and she despises them. OTOH, she loves E.B. White's voice, has listened to him read his stories for the same amount of time, and is looking forward to reading them herself. The Jim Weiss stories are all terrific and have been treasured here for years. Her favorite right now is the fairytale collection, and the older's favorite is the Shakespeare stories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs.m Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 (edited) Good point. We're going to a home school book fair soon and I was thinking I'd get the Jim Weiss SOTW CDs. I hadn't thought of the other myths/legends for her. If she listens to SOTW once or twice would it really bore her when I "start" for real? Or would it just be familiar? She's getting bored at home. I have her in Montessori in the mornings, but she still needs more. We've just about worn out our library. And I'm getting hoarse! I had a 4 yo last year. SOTW went right over his head when I was using it with his older brother and sister. There were a few things he picked up on but not much. He loved the coloring page but couldn't tell what it was about later. He's more interested in the audios this year but still not nearly on the level that he should be to retain the facts. (I'm not really worried about a K'er retaining SOTW, though. ;) ) I agree with the advice to use the Myths and Legends. We had better retention and comprehension with those! Save SOTW for later! My children love this website: http://storynory.com/ which may help with your lost voice. :lol: (I know the feeling!!!) Edited April 25, 2011 by jannylynn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poetic license Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 I don't know if you only want classics, but there are a lot of modern titles that would be good for a 4 year old. I liked Maybelle Goes to Tea, A Dragon in the Family, Horrible Harry series (even if it is a bit twaddlish), and even the Henry and Mudge books. Not everything has to be heavy duty listening, even those short books are great. We also love the Skippyjon Jones books--they have neat wordplay. As far as classics go, there is a wonderful version of the A.A. Milne's House at Pooh corner that has various actors doing the roles. That is dearly loved around here, and it inspired my DS to write his own "Pooh style" poetry! We also liked Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, & Charlotte's Web (read by EB White). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadsandLilysMom Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 You can also download free audio books from Librivox. My girls loved listening to The Just So Stories, Thorton Burgess and others. My husband read one of the Just So Stories from our illustrated volume the other night. After he read the title my 4 year old chimed in "This is a Librivox recording. All Librivox recordings are in the public domain." Maybe she has heard too many of them! My girls love to read and be read too, but the audio books are a nice break and they are great for the car. http://librivox.org/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 If a child likes SOTW, why not? There is also music to enjoy, and my littles loved listening to nursery rhymes and poetry. http://www.amazon.com/Maple-Tree-Books-Nursery-Childrens/lm/RES22UQEV2E8D http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=a9_sc_1?rh=i%3Astripbooks%2Ck%3Aaudio+books+nursery+rhymes&keywords=audio+books+nursery+rhymes&ie=UTF8&qid=1303749081 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RachelFlores Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 My dd loves the Magic Treehouse stories on CD. We get them through the library. She is looking forward to being able to read them herself soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isitnaptime Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 (edited) I don't know if you only want classics, but there are a lot of modern titles that would be good for a 4 year old. I liked Maybelle Goes to Tea, A Dragon in the Family, Horrible Harry series (even if it is a bit twaddlish), and even the Henry and Mudge books. Not everything has to be heavy duty listening, even those short books are great. We also love the Skippyjon Jones books--they have neat wordplay. As far as classics go, there is a wonderful version of the A.A. Milne's House at Pooh corner that has various actors doing the roles. That is dearly loved around here, and it inspired my DS to write his own "Pooh style" poetry! We also liked Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, & Charlotte's Web (read by EB White). Do you have a link for the A.A. Milne version they prefer? We also love the reading of Charlottes Web that EB White did. eta, if you haven't read the Thornton Burgess books, I bet she would love those. Added bonus is that it is science/nature study! The fact that they are read free doesn't hurt either. Edited April 25, 2011 by isitnaptime Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giraffe Posted April 25, 2011 Author Share Posted April 25, 2011 Thank you everyone! I'm taking notes and keeping lists. It's not that I want to avoid modern, I just want to start her off with some classical underpinnings and avoid twaddle. I'll focus on the myths and legends CDs by Jim Weiss at the bookfair, and check out the rest of y'all's recommendations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poetic license Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 Do you have a link for the A.A. Milne version they prefer? We also love the reading of Charlottes Web that EB White did. eta, if you haven't read the Thornton Burgess books, I bet she would love those. Added bonus is that it is science/nature study! The fact that they are read free doesn't hurt either. Here is the link for the House at Pooh Corner. Judi Dench does Piglet, it's too cute :) I've been meaning to look at the Thornton Burgess books--I'll check out the Librivox audios. Also for the OP, I found that even with my fairly bright 4 year old, we needed a period to work up to longer works. I started with the short, 15 minute books (e.g. Henry and Mudge) then up to the 30 minute ones (Maybelle and the Horrible Harry) and then he quickly moved on to being able to listen for hours. But at first, he was turned off by audiobooks so I went with the ones that were short and sweet. YMMV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penelope Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 I would save it for history and go with fairy tales and other stories on CD. Jim Weiss is great. And there are lots of freebies on librivox.com. Or maybe it's .org, I forget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aprilhwth Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 There are tons of memory work songs you can download from iTunes or purchase the CDs. I let my 4 year old listen to the Geography Songs, Addition facts, books of the Bible, etc. I don't even think she realizes she's learning. But will come up to me and say, "What's 3 plus 3?" I'll say, "You tell me." She'll reply, "Six!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuateMama Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 My 4 year olds (they are almost 5) love the Jim Weiss CDs and we have 2 unabridged sets of Winnie the Pooh that they also love. My 3 year old isn't very interested in them. We also have the unabridged Frog and Toad and the Tales of Beatrix Potter. I think we have listened to Peter Rabbit until they can recite it! I have recently bought Little House in the Big Woods and Farmer Boy, by Laura Ingalls Wilder, but we haven't listened to them yet. I think they can understand those. I've read the Little House in the Big Woods out loud and they loved it. The next set on my list is the complete Chronicles of Narnia. Amazon has a good price on it. It is wonderful to see my wiggly boys listening to the the Greek Myths while playing with their blocks and trains. I would lose my voice if I read as much as they wanted, so this gives them some mental stimulation, keeps them out of trouble, and gives me a break, all at the same time! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.