miracleone Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Whenever I tried to read Sonlight 3 readaloud books to my dd, she is not interested at all. Do I still continue because it's part of what we're going to be studying OR do I chose another book (not SL Historical fiction) from the library? I was reading Walk the World's Rim tonight and she was just not interested. I told her we will give it a shot and see if it will eventually get interesting before we chuck it. Are there any better RAs in this Core 3? Do you read different books as your RA or stick to books that are related only to your studies? How many times a day or how many hours do you read aloud to your child? Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kolamum Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 I'm mostly posting to keep my ears open on this, but we've really had very few failed read alouds. It generally happens when I find the text or language of the book is above my children's heads. For instance, I tried reading to them about Abel Tasman from a well recommended book in the Aussie homeschool community, but it was too thick for the boys when we tried it. The same thing happened with The Golden Goblet. I'm certain if I tried the later now I'd get a different reaction from my eldest. That said, we're using WP for our core, but we're using SL's read alouds for "fun". I've picked up most of them via audio book {audible.com} so we can pop them on in the afternoon while we work on various projects. I'm quite curious about the book you mentioned because I considered obtaining it to read to my kids. Is the written style thick? Is it a subject your daughter is interested in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 :seeya: Hi, we're in Core 3. We've just finished Imprisoned in the Golden City, Pocohontas and the Strangers (that's a reader, tho) and Secret of the Andes. A couple of things...does your daughter like read-alouds? I'm just asking because some kids have a really hard time sitting through them (ahem...my son). I usually do our read-alouds while they're coloring, playing Legos, eating breakfast, as a bedtime story, etc. In other words, The Dude needs to be engaged in a second activity while I'm reading. Also, sonlight books can be very intense. I get irritated every time I see their grade level recommendations. I think 3rd grade is the very youngest you can go for core 3. Before I buy a book from SL, I read all the reviews on the book. We've skipped several that I was pretty sure my kids would not like. They have reviews on their website and you could always check out the amazon reviews. Something positive...some of our favorite books of all times have been SL books. My daughter went through this huge Clyde Robert Bulla phase last year. She wanted to read (on her own) every book this guy wrote. :D Also, I try to have activities with some of the read-alouds. We made Quipu Knots while reading Secret of the Andes. I've printed off coloring sheets that go with the books...we made wooden houses, lapbooks, models, volcanoes, etc. Also, my kids seem to enjoy the read-alouds more as bedtime stories than during the day. I don't know if they're trying to get out of bedtime :001_huh: or if they're calmer at that time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meet me in paris Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Another thing to keep in mind is that Walk the World's Rim is probably the hardest book to listen to in the whole core. My younger daughter gave up on it after a few days but I kept reading it to my older one. It ends up being a good story (and my younger one joined back in) but it's slow getting going and difficult to get into. So, don't give up on read alouds because of that one book! If you want to drop that one, lots of people do. Add another high-interest book instead, even if it has nothing to do with early American history. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 We skipped a couple of books in Core 3, though that was not one of them. I think it is fine to skip those that don't appeal. Calico Bush was one that my boys just never enjoyed. Dh was doing the read alouds at that time, and I gave him permission to put it away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna T. Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 We are doing Core 3+4. Walk on the World's Rim was a huge hit here. My boys really loved it. I think it may be a "boy" book. I can understand an 8 year old girl not enjoying it as much. For what it's worth, we have loved every single book we have read so far. I do add other books to the core but I haven't actually replaced any. I had to slow the beginning of Core 3+4 down. I thought it may be too much for my 8 year old, so I wasn't sure what to do. I ended up trying to use another curriculum (still American History) for awhile but we didn't enjoy it, so I switched back to Core 3+4. By the time I switched back in a couple of months, my youngest had matured alot in just that short amount of time and he has loved Core 3+4 ever since. You may want to try something similiar. At this point in the Core, you could take a few weeks and study other explorers or do a native American lapbook or just find picture books from the library. I hope you end up loving the core as much as we have! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallory Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 While I have only used one Sonlight core (Alt. 7), it was really freeing when I realized WE COULD SKIP WHOLE BOOKS! We didn't skip very many, say 3 or so the whole year, but it was such a liberating experience. If it isn't working, then skip it. Either move on the next one, or pick something else you all want to read. Make Sonlight work for you :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SewLittleTime Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Walk the World's Rim was tough to get into, but I challenge you to stick with it. It really is a great story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Whenever I tried to read Sonlight 3 readaloud books to my dd, she is not interested at all. Do I still continue because it's part of what we're going to be studying OR do I chose another book (not SL Historical fiction) from the library? I was reading Walk the World's Rim tonight and she was just not interested. I told her we will give it a shot and see if it will eventually get interesting before we chuck it. Are there any better RAs in this Core 3? Do you read different books as your RA or stick to books that are related only to your studies? How many times a day or how many hours do you read aloud to your child? Thank you. I suggest that you go ahead and drop any books that are a chore to get through. Replace it with one your DD will enjoy. Isn't love of reading and love of learning what we are going for? HOD does American History for 8 year olds and they do not tie in the read alouds to the history at that age. Even of those that happen to fit (like Pocahontas and the Strangers), they have worked well for us. DD didn't like most of the SL read alouds. In case you want some suggestions, the HOD books I was speaking of at the very bottom of the page at this link. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boxing Hare Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 We loved that book. I was crying so hard at the end that I could barely speak. Of course, we have skipped other books that they didn't like and I've had them read some read alouds that I didn't like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jentancalann Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 (edited) Agreeing about trying to get through the tough ones. They are not all that way, SL likes to mix them up. However, the tough ones will broaden their listening abilities and usually get really good. I loved Walk the World's Rim towards the end. At first we were pretty bored but once we realized Esteban was a real guy (no, I didn't know my history at the beginning of our hs journey) it really turned things around. The SL style of learning kicked in and we ran to the computer to find out more about him. It is one of our most memorable books. Now, just don't ask me about Secret of the Andes. Ugh. I certainly didn't take my own advice on that one, though I got really, really close to the end before I dropped it. Edited May 10, 2011 by jentancalann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miracleone Posted May 10, 2011 Author Share Posted May 10, 2011 Thank you for all your responses. We are still sticking with Walk the World's Rim for now. Do you still read non-school related books (classics or other)? How many times a day or how many hours do you read aloud to your child? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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