OrganicMom Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 How do you use YOUR kindle personally or with your homeschool? Do you see the kindle as an essential to you in this time in history? or is it just a cherry on top? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CupOCoffee Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 I'll bite: I use my Kindle because I love, love, love to read and had all but given it up because I have arthritis in my hands -- it HURTS to hold a book. Especially nice big classics, and my Bible. I got a Kindle in May for my birthday and I am in HEAVEN, pure heaven. I have read more books since May that I have in the last 3 years! I kid you not. My Kindle is the base model, all I do is read on it; that is all I wanted. I have not paid one cent for books, and I have hundreds of books downloaded!! Did I say I was in heaven? It's lightweight, very portable and it goes with me everywhere. I have a one hour each way bus commute and I spend it reading. I read at my lunch breaks, and I read in the evening when we gather in the family room and have our reading time. It's like I'm making up for lost time or something. I am thinking about getting the kids Kindles for Christmas, there are lots of great books that I want them to read that I can't afford to buy all of them. I also see the potential for using it for school, but at the moment I don't. I think the kids would love to have Kindles of their own. Did I say how much I love my Kindle? :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicMom Posted September 12, 2012 Author Share Posted September 12, 2012 yes, I was considering them for my daughter... wasn't sure of all the possibilities!!!!?!?!?!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jpoy85 Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 I HAD a kindle keyboard. I sold it so i can save for a Kindle Fire. :D With my KK, i could read any books- from Amazon or the library. I couldnt get magazines and newspapers but the KK isnt set up for that. I could get games, which made it fun for the kids. It was also VERY cheap. I got it for $70 on Craigslist and thats exactly what i sold it for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara Mac Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 I'm another one who absolutely loves her Kindle:001_wub: I held off on getting one for far too long because I loved the feel of a book, the smell of a book, and I absolutely hated reading text off screens. I eventually relented because I was taking the kids on a two month holiday to England and the new release book I had ordered (which would have been rather heavy) didn't look like it was going to arrive before we went away. I found that the Kindle would make it witha few days to spare, so I bought it on a whim just so I could read that particular new release. In the 2 years that I have had it I've read an enormous amount of books. I even read War and Peace - the Kindle is far lighter than the real thing :D I love the portability. I love that I can read it outside in full sun with no glare. I love that I can get the next book in a series within seconds. We now have a second Kindle which is for the children to share. I find all sorts of freebies that I think they would like so I pop them on their Kindle and let them read at their leisure. I use it occasionally for homeschooling: sequential spelling is on there so I can just read the lists without printing them out, Story of the World is on there although I usually just use the paperback, Writing with Ease is on there, again so I don't need to print out the instructor pages. Although it is moderately useful for homeschooling, it's real benefit for me is the pleasure reading. And, dh doesn't need to build me quite so many extra bookshelves :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LindaOz Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 I wasn't convinced that I wanted a Kindle as I am a 'real book' lover but my dh bought me one for Christmas and I LOVE it. It's so easy to carry around, dowload books onto, etc etc. I also use it for read-alouds with the kids if the book I want is available on Kindle. My two older kids have their own Kindles now and they are often using them for their literature reading for school, as well as their own pleasure reading. Even if we have to pay for a book that we need, it is still cheaper to buy it for Kindle than to pay for postage. And both the girls can then have a copy on their own kindles without having to juggle around trying to share the same book. Totally sold. I can see we are going to end up with many more of them. Saves on lots of shelf space ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicMom Posted September 12, 2012 Author Share Posted September 12, 2012 see, i've always LOVED the books lined up on the shelves. I love writing in them. I love loaning them out. I love the VISUAL of them. which is why for so long i've closed my eyes and ears to these readers. :D but i'm just starting to see some of the possibilities.... my daughters birthday is coming up... haha... :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LindaOz Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 see, i've always LOVED the books lined up on the shelves. I love writing in them. I love loaning them out. I love the VISUAL of them. which is why for so long i've closed my eyes and ears to these readers. :D but i'm just starting to see some of the possibilities.... my daughters birthday is coming up... haha... :tongue_smilie: You'll end up wanting one yourself.... just wait and see ;) When dd16 unwrapped the Kindle we bought her for her birthday last week, dd10's response was 'That's it! Now I'm really jealous'. We have Kindle fever here now apparently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stef03 Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 Personally I only use it for reading (my husband was driven mad by the piles of books I used to have around our bedroom, now at least the piles aren't getting any bigger!) and checking my emails if my computer's not on. Homeschool wise we use it for reading (loads of free classics), audiobooks and watching documentaries on Netflix (usually the ones that I don't consider age appropriate for my younger kids so I don't want them on the TV). Recently I also started using it for the Homeschool Helper app to record things like grades, field trips, read alouds etc... I don't think it's essential to us but it's def the cherry on the top :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OK Family Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 I too held out buying a kindle because I love the feel of books. I got a kindle touch for Christmas and love it. The ease of getting books from Amazon and the library so out ways my love of the actual books. I don't regret it! My 9 yr old loves to read on the kindle too. We have read for pleasure, school and listened to audio books on it too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicMom Posted September 12, 2012 Author Share Posted September 12, 2012 How do the audio books work on kindles? do they work on all kindles? do you need ear plugs or are there speakers on most or all? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HelenNotOfTroy Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 My brother gave me a Kindle for Christmas, so I have had it less than a year. I love putting free e-book classics on there and then I can read them anywhere instead of just on the computer. I check books out from Amazon and the library to read on it, which helps reduce the physical library load. I put the free I See Sam books and some old Primers on it for DS to practice reading because he loves to use technology. I am very happy to have it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jar7709 Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 We are a Kindle family. I have a Fire and a Touch, DH has an old Kindle Keyboard model, and DS has my old Keyboard model as a hand-me-down. DD will probably get DH's Kindle Keyboard when he upgrades to the new Paperwhite. I hesitate to say any of them are "essential" but they do make my life easier/more fun! I use the Fire for quick internet research if the kids have a question, my weird brainstorming method of homeschool planning, facebook and wtm. ;) I've also loaded the DS' Intelligo and Math Mammoth onto it--while it turned out those don't work too well for him on there, having them on there works for me for looking ahead to the next few days' work. It also has a few educational apps that I pull out when in waiting rooms etc. My Touch has got all my personal reading, it is so light and convenient, the e-ink doesn't strain my eyes for long-format reading like the backlit Fire does and I can read it at the park while the kids burn off energy. ;) I load kid-approved books onto the Kindle Keyboard for DS, he runs through books like water so it is great for him. Also it runs some simple semi-educational games like hangman and word searches and that's a fun diversion. I anticipate that when both of my kids are a little older, I'll be loading them with "assigned" books too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myeightkiddies Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 I have a large Kindle DX. For me it is valuable because I either struggle with or simply cannot read conventional books. Due to my RA, books are too hard to hold. They cause a lot of pain in my hands. My eyes are often affected by the disease as well, so I keep the font on the Kindle rather large. Without it I would hardly ever read anything. Unfortunately there are negatives. Research books, or books that you need to refer to from time-to-time, are not convenient on the Kindle. For example, with the WTM, I prefer to flip to sections periodically. With the Kindle, I cannot do that as quickly or simply. It's really my only option so I make it work. It also can break. My DX's directional button split in half one day without having been damaged any other way. After researching the issue, I realized that it was a common manufacturing flaw that caused it. I contacted Amazon and worked with CS for awhile. They replaced it for free. My friend's broke recently due to no fault of her own, and they would not replace it. They offered her a discount on her next purchase though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jar7709 Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 How do the audio books work on kindles? do they work on all kindles? do you need ear plugs or are there speakers on most or all? Audible Audiobooks work on the newer kindles. I haven't tried audiobooks from other sources. The Fire has really good speakers and it works pretty well, I found it a little awkward on the Touch but it can be done. If you're going to use either of them to listen to audiobooks in the car you will probably want to jack it into the car's speakers, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stef03 Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 I put the free I See Sam books and some old Primers on it for DS to practice reading because he loves to use technology. I am very happy to have it. Would you mind sharing where you got these from? Thks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforlatin Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 How do the audio books work on kindles? do they work on all kindles? do you need ear plugs or are there speakers on most or all? Any kindle with a speaker can play audio files. There may be one kindle on the lower end that doesn't have this feature, which is why I stuck with the keyboard version. I need the kindle because Dd loves to read, yet is too young for me to allow books that have smaller text size. We've borrowed so many kindle books from the library. For example, Eragon series is in kindle format, and ordinarily, I would have had to buy/borrow the large print version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 I used to be like a lot of others. I loved the "feel" of real books. But, then we got an iPad and I got a Kindle Ap. I never looked back. For example: I just finished reading the epic "Peter the Great" by Robert Massie. Well, it's a tough book, but, with the Net right there, I can look up maps, I can do a little extra studying on people, I can do all sorts of stuff that I couldn't do with just the book. I love it. We also have a "Bottom of the Line" Nook. I love that, too, though I'm thinking we need to upgrade. I wouldn't get the cheap one again. We've go the Bible on it and so, when we go to church, I just stick it in my purse. No worrying about carrying a big Bible, possibly dropping it, etc. since I have 5 kids and diaper bag and everything else. And, when I go to soccer practice or get my allergy shots, it's great to have in my purse. We have several books on it, so I can just whip it out and read for a while. It's very portable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara Mac Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 I've just thought of one invaluable feature of the Kindle - the ability to look up a word in the dictionary right there while you're reading. Whereas you often think "oh, I'll look that word up later" and never do with a paper book, with the Kindle it's right there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plath Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 (edited) I use mine to: read in bed after the girls are asleep and the lights are out read around a campfire or in the tent while camping Have a "whole pile" of books for dd to read when we're out of town look up recipes/use as a cookbook in the kitchen Listen to Pandora radio while at home Watch happy scientist or youtube videos with dd View pdf knitting patterns Surf the internet I still love books and am addicted to buying them but I get so much more reading done with my kindle. Edited September 13, 2012 by plath Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plath Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 I've just thought of one invaluable feature of the Kindle - the ability to look up a word in the dictionary right there while you're reading. Whereas you often think "oh, I'll look that word up later" and never do with a paper book, with the Kindle it's right there! Absolutely! Dh and I both commented on this the other day. I'm reading an actual book right now and wished I could just tap the word to look it up last night! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen500 Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 I bought one last Christmas and I'm not totally thrilled with it. My kids read a LOT. Our library has a very limited selection of ebooks and it's a pain to search. So, we still check a lot of real books out of the library, buy the real books that are special to them, and pretty much just buy some ebooks to use the on kindle when traveling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HelenNotOfTroy Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 Would you mind sharing where you got these from? Thks! I downloaded the I See Sam books from http://www.marriottmd.com/sam/index.html (to convert the pdf to Kindle format, I email to my kindle with convert in the subject line). The primers I have gotten on Google books. I also have the McGuffey readers (but not the primer) in Kindle format free from Amazon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stef03 Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 I downloaded the I See Sam books from http://www.marriottmd.com/sam/index.html (to convert the pdf to Kindle format, I email to my kindle with convert in the subject line). The primers I have gotten on Google books. I also have the McGuffey readers (but not the primer) in Kindle format free from Amazon. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runningmom80 Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 Which kindle is everyone buying for their kids? I've been looking at the regular kindle for DS (almost 6) but now I'm wondering if I should get him the fire instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicMom Posted September 13, 2012 Author Share Posted September 13, 2012 Which kindle is everyone buying for their kids? I've been looking at the regular kindle for DS (almost 6) but now I'm wondering if I should get him the fire instead. good question Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicMom Posted September 13, 2012 Author Share Posted September 13, 2012 i've found, personally, that i cannot read for a long time at the computer screen. I don't know if it is that i need glasses or what, but i would probably get the basic kindle for my kids... for their eyes!???? this is not an educated choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CherryBlossomMJ Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 One good example is like today there is a sale on the Kindle format of Mary Poppins for $1.99 while the physical book is almost $11. With several things like that the savings add up! I keep up with freebies from all over and including classics and new released Christian Fiction (and non fiction) I have thousands of books I got for free (even if they were only available at $0.00 for one day and then went up). I definitely found that my Kindle paid for itself in books... and the space it saves on my shelves definitely makes my Enginerd happy and we still have a large physical library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warneral Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 I have an iPad but love the free kindle app. I love reading classics and kindle offers many for free (unlike nook). I use my ipadfor a lot of things, but the kindle is used a lot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warneral Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 We have a bible study. Instead of buying 2 copies at $12 for me and DH, we bought 1 for 8.99 and share the book on each of our kindles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amsunshine Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 i've found, personally, that i cannot read for a long time at the computer screen. I don't know if it is that i need glasses or what, but i would probably get the basic kindle for my kids... for their eyes!???? this is not an educated choice. I thought the e-ink screens were fairly easy on the eyes. Is this not the case?? (Was thinking about getting dds these for xmas, but if eye strain is an issue, maybe not...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristi26 Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 I have a Nook and love using it for school. I also downloaded the free Kindle App for our computer to download free books. I don't know how we'd do school without it as there are TONS of books available for Nook and Kindle that I can't easily get from the library or that would cost me a good amount to buy (not to mention that all those books would take up even more space!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicMom Posted September 13, 2012 Author Share Posted September 13, 2012 I thought the e-ink screens were fairly easy on the eyes. Is this not the case?? (Was thinking about getting dds these for xmas, but if eye strain is an issue, maybe not...) no, i was referring to the fact that i prefer the e-ink ones. as opposed to the tablet versions, etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicMom Posted September 13, 2012 Author Share Posted September 13, 2012 Oddly my eyesight improved after spending a lot of time staring at the computer! ha! NICE! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicMom Posted September 13, 2012 Author Share Posted September 13, 2012 Absolutely! Dh and I both commented on this the other day. I'm reading an actual book right now and wished I could just tap the word to look it up last night! I had no idea. that is just great! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicMom Posted September 13, 2012 Author Share Posted September 13, 2012 Any kindle with a speaker can play audio files. There may be one kindle on the lower end that doesn't have this feature, which is why I stuck with the keyboard version. I need the kindle because Dd loves to read, yet is too young for me to allow books that have smaller text size. We've borrowed so many kindle books from the library. For example, Eragon series is in kindle format, and ordinarily, I would have had to buy/borrow the large print version. thank you for this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicMom Posted September 13, 2012 Author Share Posted September 13, 2012 You'll end up wanting one yourself.... just wait and see ;) When dd16 unwrapped the Kindle we bought her for her birthday last week, dd10's response was 'That's it! Now I'm really jealous'. We have Kindle fever here now apparently. lol - yes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amsunshine Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 no, i was referring to the fact that i prefer the e-ink ones. as opposed to the tablet versions, etc... Oh, ok. Whew!:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsmith Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 I use my Kindle Fire for reading at night, surfing the web, listening to Audible books, playing a few games, accessing Scholaric during school, watching Netflix or Amazon Video, accessing this site, checking email, etc. My son has been borrowing it to read the Harry Potter series. He prefers to read on the Fire, so I have been buying any available books needed for school in Kindle format. I recently purchased a set of Heritage History cds and loaded the Fire with a ton of books on ancient Greece and American history. For myself, I find the Fire a distraction to my reading, so I do the bulk of my personal reading on the $79 ad supported version. I love the way it feels in my hand! I also have the keyboard version with 3G. I was thinking about selling it but it comes in handy when there is no internet access available. Someone posted on the boards the other day about a list of 27 free kindle books with free audible versions to go with it. I spent the evening downloading all the kindle and audible titles. It's an amazing freebie!! I think it came to almost $400 worth of Audible titles. It includes The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn read by Elijah Wood, which is amazing!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicMom Posted September 13, 2012 Author Share Posted September 13, 2012 I use my Kindle Fire for reading at night, surfing the web, listening to Audible books, playing a few games, accessing Scholaric during school, watching Netflix or Amazon Video, accessing this site, checking email, etc. My son has been borrowing it to read the Harry Potter series. He prefers to read on the Fire, so I have been buying any available books needed for school in Kindle format. I recently purchased a set of Heritage History cds and loaded the Fire with a ton of books on ancient Greece and American history. For myself, I find the Fire a distraction to my reading, so I do the bulk of my personal reading on the $79 ad supported version. I love the way it feels in my hand! I also have the keyboard version with 3G. I was thinking about selling it but it comes in handy when there is no internet access available. Someone posted on the boards the other day about a list of 27 free kindle books with free audible versions to go with it. I spent the evening downloading all the kindle and audible titles. It's an amazing freebie!! I think it came to almost $400 worth of Audible titles. It includes The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn read by Elijah Wood, which is amazing!! yes, yes, yes! it was amazing and what got me wondering about buying a kindle or several for us at some point if we have the $. So i'm assuming most kindles DO have speakers then...? at least the current ones that they offer on amazon? I think I will just have to do the research when we are going to buy one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homebody2k Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 My daughters are in Private School this year - They are required to have a Dictionary/Thesaurs, a Spanish/English dictionary and a Bible every day. They just take thier Kindles with the wi/fi turned off... works perfectly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicMom Posted September 13, 2012 Author Share Posted September 13, 2012 My daughters are in Private School this year - They are required to have a Dictionary/Thesaurs, a Spanish/English dictionary and a Bible every day. They just take thier Kindles with the wi/fi turned off... works perfectly sweet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloudswinger Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 I have a nook touch, and recently Target had a Kobo on clearance for $20, so I bought it for my dd. Both of these are e-inks, and they are awesome for the ebooks from the library. I also have a color android reader and a 10in tablet, they get used for my instructor manuals and I found a pdf annotating app that is great for actually filling out worksheets and whatnot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SorrelZG Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 So i'm assuming most kindles DO have speakers then...? at least the current ones that they offer on amazon? I think I will just have to do the research when we are going to buy one. Kindle keyboard, DX and the Fires have speakers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwik Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 I have just bid on a second hand kobo. Part of me really wants to Win but if I do I won't get a printer until next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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