shadah Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 (edited) I will have a month where my bigger is going to be gone during the day. I will only have my little. I know what we will do for phonics, hw, etc., but I want to read aloud more. I think it will be special because it is just for him. Would you read a book like Winnie the Pooh or Thornton Burgess and make it an animal study? Add more books about bears, do a bear craft, sing, etc. Or would you just read what you are in the mood for or find at the library or off a list of "good books"? This shouldn't be a hard decision, but I don't usually have just him. He sits in on what sister does most of the time. I tend to overplan so I am tempted to leave it random. But, I think he might get more out of it if I coordinate things. ?? Edited February 3, 2016 by shadah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 We make a theme. I read what we're in the mood for, but then we build around it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nerdybird Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 I would do an interest-based theme unit. What is your little interested in? What does he want to learn about? What sorts of things do you want to do with him at this stage? I'd say it's a special treat to just have one child to focus on. I really enjoyed just having DS2 at home last year and kind of miss it on crazy days now that I have 6 nerdlings in the nest most times. Also be sure to make plenty of time for play, trips to the park and such. That was actually my favorite part of just having DS2 around. I could take him places and really connect with just him. We had a lot of good conversations and fun times doing things like making picnic lunches, playing in the snow, tackling the climbing wall at the big park together... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
908874 Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Just an idea because I've done this and its fun. I tend to get all excited about this too which helps. I tell my little one that we will go to the library -just us- and she will get to pick from the (animals? dinosaurs? science? history?) book section and then we will go home and have lots of fun with it. I guide her to a section or I am stuck with Barbie books that she just has to have. We usually read one or two books right there at the library. Then we make a big deal of checking it out and such (DD is 3 and I need to keep her from running all over). We are lucky to have a playground and a food court right outside of the library so we typically do that for a little bit before going home. Then we read and (depending on time) we will do a craft or activity. Which you can tailor as needed. I don't know if this is helpful - but its what came to mind :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadah Posted February 3, 2016 Author Share Posted February 3, 2016 Thanks for the replies. The only thing he is into now is transformers and robots. I can't think of any great literature for that. Last year I would have done trains or transportation, but he is 4.5 now and considers that too baby. Soooo... Charlotte's Web - farm theme Winnie the Pooh - bears Beatrix Potter - rabbits/garden Why is everything animal themed? We are purposely not doing anything history. We do plenty of that with sister. He is not into fairy tales. Argh. What am I missing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
908874 Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 I know this isn't literature, but it is non-fiction and at least my son likes it when he is into a thing or another. The vocabulary and structure of the books is different and it may be nice to add some variety: You could get picture books about famous robots (Mars rovers?) and maybe you could find a kid oriented book with lots of pictures on how to build robots sort of book at the library? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nerdybird Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 I agree with 908874. I think that maybe you shouldn't focus 100% on classics. Non-fiction is cool too, especially for curious kids who want to see how things work and why they came about and so on. Another thing that came to mind after my last post was that maybe your boy would be interested in Snap Circuits or Robotikits. He may be a touch too young though, plus I've found those sorts of things to be more a Dad thing in our household. I would also recommend a few books that my little guys really liked. We do a lot of science fiction for bedtime and read alouds. :) The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet -- This is a chapter book. Written in the 1950s and it's never went out of print, which is a testament to its greatness. It's a really good adventure story with young boy protagonists who take off on a trip to outer space in a ship they made themselves. The Time Machine and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Classic Starts series) -- These are shorter kid-friendly versions of the classic works by HG Wells and Jules Verne. My boys adored both of these. Great science-y adventure stories with lots of imagination. DK Eyewitness also has good reference style book on robots for kids. It's a bit outdated though. R Is For Robot is a cute robot themed alphabet book. What Do You Do With An Idea? is an awesome little book about ideas, confidence and a lot more. Good for character education, inspiration and just a neat little read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clementine Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Take a look at hummingbirded.com for theme ideas - I used that site about 13 years ago & just loved it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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