Classical Mom and Un-Classical Boys!

[Melis]

Good Morning! :)

 

Some days I just feel like we've started too late and we've ruined them! (insert a tiny bit of drama there as they are wonderful little un-classical boys) We have read to our children since the day they were born, but unfortunately, Miss Charlotte would probably say our selections were mostly (and more than likely still are) "twaddle"! Oh, how I wish I'd instilled a love of classical books into my boys from the very beginning, but titles such as Winnie-the-Pooh and various fairy tales would send them scurrying away. We opted to read books that interested them. Our selections consisted mainly of books that centered around trains, cars, trucks and dinosaurs. Thomas, Dr. Seuss and Skippyjon Jones were the last tales they heard about each night before they went to sleep. My oldest (about to turn 8) read through the Magic Tree House series in K-1 grade.

 

I was wondering if anyone else has found themselves in a similiar situation. Are boys generally more reluctant to read classics? It does seem logical and a bit comforting to know, but it doesn't really help matters! LOL I'm not really sure what to do at this point as I am really struggling with getting them to listen to, nevermind enjoy, classical books. The language (wording) is so foreign to them and sometimes I look up and they seem off in another world or they are looking at me, "Like, huh? Why do they talk so funny?" LOL My youngest (about to turn 6) is having the most difficult time...

 

So I guess my real question is, "Anyone have a tried and true plan to help your boys enjoy the classics after spending their first years reading "twaddle"?" I do feel badly calling some of beloved and treasured stories "twaddle", but you know what I mean! ;)

 

Thanks in advance for your thoughts! :)

~Melissa

Edited March 14, 2009 by Melis

[Haiku]

My suggestion would be to start getting books on CD for them to listen to. Some of my kids' favorites have been The Trumpet of the Swan (read by the author), Tales from the Odyssey, and anything by Jim Weiss. Books on cd will help the kids get used to the language of better books in a relaxed manner. You can also find tons of free audiobooks for kids on Books Should Be Free and Librivox.

 

Were it me, I would also start restricting twaddle. I don't read twaddle to my kids. I have read a few Disney fairy chapter books to my daughter and some Thomas books to my son, but now that they are old enough to read, I don't do that anymore.

 

Tara

[JudoMom]

The way we do read alouds here is to do one good book (maybe not officially a classic, but a good book nonetheless) followed by a Hank the Cowdog. They know if they don't enjoy the current read aloud, they'll get some Hank after.

 

Some books my guys have enjoyed:

 

Mrs. Frisby & the Rats of NIMH, The BFG, Mr. Popper's Penguins, The Castle in the Attic, and A Christmas Carol. Often, they don't like a book in the beginning, but they get sucked in by the end (The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, Johnny Tremain). Others we've all given up on (The Wind in the Willows, A retelling of Don Quixote). Right now we're reading Charlotte's Web and they all ask for extra chapters.

 

We also do our read aloud at night as a family activity. So dh is there, and he helps keep the littler guys focused (or at least quiet in the case of the 3 year old, but even he'll sit and listen). They don't listen as well when I read during the day, but I'm hoping to do more read alouds this coming school year now that I don't have an infant or toddler, so hopefully that'll change.

 

So I guess I would say, start off with some good books, still give them some twaddle, and work up to classics with funny language and what not.

[Colleen in NS]

Our selections consisted mainly of books that centered around trains, cars, trucks and dinosaurs. Thomas, Dr. Seuss and Skippyjon Jones were the last tales they heard about each night before they went to sleep. My oldest (about to turn 8) read through the Magic Tree House series in K-1 grade.

 

I am really struggling with getting them to listen to, nevermind enjoy, classical books. The language (wording) is so foreign to them and sometimes I look up and they seem off in another world or they are looking at me, "Like, huh? Why do they talk so funny?" LOL My youngest (about to turn 6) is having the most difficult time...

 

You probably haven't ruined them :D - I don't think transportation, dinosaurs, and Dr. Seuss (and currently Magic Tree House) are so bad!! (I've never read the others you mentioned) You might just need to experiment a bit, to find some good books that they *will* enjoy hearing read aloud (hearing aloud might be key to get them interested in reading on their own later, too). Check out this link for a long booklist to choose from.

 

http://www.classical-homeschooling.org/celoop/1000-primary.html

 

And this one for a bit more advanced reading, or for you to read aloud from.

 

http://www.classical-homeschooling.org/celoop/1000-elementary.html

 

Pick books from these lists that you think they will enjoy hearing aloud - start off simple so they start to get used to nice language and well constructed sentences. It's a learning process for them to get used to hearing nicely written books. And it does get more enjoyable as they get more familiar. The key is to not bombard them with an original Charles Dickens at first:lol:.

 

EDIT: just read another post - I meant Charles Dickens things like Tale of Two Cities - A Christmas Carol is a great read aloud for younger kids!

 

hth

[Mallory]

We also usually have three or even four read alouds going at the same time.

 

One that I picked, one book of poetry, and then one they have picked. Sometimes even a fourth if I have say a history and science literature going, or sometimes they both have something they really want read, so we start both.

 

So each night I at least read a chapter from my pick, a poem or two, and then a chapter from the more fun one.

[G5052]

Early on, mine where the same way, so we did books-on-CD and I read to them at meals. Over time, I read to them while the Legos were our or when they were drawing. Along the way we did a lot of light books too -- transportation themes, Curious George, Magic Treehouse, Hank the Cowdog, etc., but always classics in the car and some classics during the occupied times.

 

Now both are in the logic stage or nearly so, and they adore the classics and are voracious readers of even adult-level materials. They are very discerning in their own reading. But we still like a little Hank the Cowdog on CD here and there! A little humor can go a long way...

[Amie]

I agree with finding some great books on cd for them to listen to. I will add that I think you could let them listen during some sort of free time (if possible)--like while they are coloring, playing with cars or trains in one area, etc.--something a bit quiet. But then not worry about them being totally quiet or making sure they are paying attention. Just let the stories play in the background and I think they can pick up on a lot more than you may realize. Maybe they will become more accustomed to the sound of it, the language, etc., and they may even get pulled into a few stories. (I wouldn't give up read-a-louds though--those are still important.)

 

ETA: I must have been posting at the same time as GVA--so yes, as GVA said "while they are occupied"!

Edited March 14, 2009 by Amie

[Kisa in CA]

You have not ruined them! Remember, each book you read IS giving them language exposure. Think of all the kids who never hear a read aloud from their parents. I have 2 active boys who are not too academicly inclined. Here's my thoughts.

 

CD's didn't work for my boys. They just spaced out. Neither did letting them play with Lego's or color. They cannot do 2 things at once! But they might be good suggestions for yours.

 

Focus on easier books with lots of discussion. Get the kids involved in the reading. Why did Peter Rabbit want to go in the garden? Ask with lots of enthusiasm. I am constantly making a 'mystery' out of my questions. Things like, "OK, now today in the story you will see a change in one of the characters. See if you can find out who it is!" Ask them to tell you which character is their favorite, what do they think is going to happen? What is the setting? What is the conflict? This engages them.

 

Also, read with different voices and inflection. Slow down and speed up as the tone changes. This makes a HUGE difference.

 

Don't get books which are too difficult. Your kids are young! Sometimes us classical ladies push too much too fast. I think the most important thing is instilling a love for reading. I had one classical author tell me she used comic books with one of her children because it was the only thing she was interested in. That chiild is now an avid reading adult. And that was from a classical author!

 

So go easy on yourself. You are doing a great job. Afterall, you are on these boards looking for ideas. That just shows the type of mom you are!

 

I would also suggest books like Mr. Poppers Penguins because it is short, easy chapter with lots of pictures or picture books. My 10 year old still loves books with pictures. To tell the truth. so do I! Virginia Lee Burton picture books are favoties of my boys. Thomas the Tank Engine Treasury (from the original writings) has wonderful language. Books like the Ox Cart Man, Stone Soup, A New Coat for Ana, Floss, The Story of Ping, are great picture books that foster many subjects to discuss.

 

Sorry I've been so wordy! HTH!

[swellmomma]

You have not ruined them! Remember, each book you read IS giving them language exposure. Think of all the kids who never hear a read aloud from their parents. I have 2 active boys who are not too academicly inclined. Here's my thoughts.

 

CD's didn't work for my boys. They just spaced out. Neither did letting them play with Lego's or color. They cannot do 2 things at once! But they might be good suggestions for yours.

 

Focus on easier books with lots of discussion. Get the kids involved in the reading. Why did Peter Rabbit want to go in the garden? Ask with lots of enthusiasm. I am constantly making a 'mystery' out of my questions. Things like, "OK, now today in the story you will see a change in one of the characters. See if you can find out who it is!" Ask them to tell you which character is their favorite, what do they think is going to happen? What is the setting? What is the conflict? This engages them.

 

Also, read with different voices and inflection. Slow down and speed up as the tone changes. This makes a HUGE difference.

 

Don't get books which are too difficult. Your kids are young! Sometimes us classical ladies push too much too fast. I think the most important thing is instilling a love for reading. I had one classical author tell me she used comic books with one of her children because it was the only thing she was interested in. That chiild is now an avid reading adult. And that was from a classical author!

 

So go easy on yourself. You are doing a great job. Afterall, you are on these boards looking for ideas. That just shows the type of mom you are!

 

I would also suggest books like Mr. Poppers Penguins because it is short, easy chapter with lots of pictures or picture books. My 10 year old still loves books with pictures. To tell the truth. so do I! Virginia Lee Burton picture books are favoties of my boys. Thomas the Tank Engine Treasury (from the original writings) has wonderful language. Books like the Ox Cart Man, Stone Soup, A New Coat for Ana, Floss, The Story of Ping, are great picture books that foster many subjects to discuss.

 

Sorry I've been so wordy! HTH!

 

:iagree:

[Melissa in CA]

Your boys are still quite young...you have lots of time to 'reprogram' them. :D

 

You didn't mention what you are currently reading to them, but I know my youngest at those ages would not have wanted to listen to anything booooring and extremely wordy such as Henty and the like. Here is a list of some of my son's favorite read-alouds that I think would be appropriate for your boys' age range. I don't know if they are considered "classical" but they surely are not twaddle.

 

Gentle Ben

Cricket in Time Square

Follow My Leader

Old Yeller

Five True Dog Stories

Charlotte's Web

Rascal

Summer of the Monkeys

The Boxcar Children

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase

My Father's Dragon

Mr. Poppers Penguins

Tales of Robin Hood

Homer Price

The House at Pooh Corner

 

These are not in any order of preference, nor is this an exhaustive list by any means. We have other favorites, but I just listed those off the top of my head that I thought your boys might enjoy at their ages. YMMV ;) As you can see, I mostly steered clear of girl books. My son always preferred boy topics, with animals or comical characters. He seemed to zone out when the main character was a girl. :lol:

 

If you don't have a Sonlight catalog, I highly recommend acquiring one. They list for you appropriate grades for using a book as a read-aloud or a reader. I have found that very helpful when selecting books. Not that SL carries them all...but they do use a majority of the very best books in their various Cores. There is a Title Index in the back of the catalog to help you find a particular book without searching through all their Cores.

[Melabella]

I don't know what your school day looks like, but I can tell you what I do for my dd9. She was in ps for K - 2nd grade and was primarily reading a lot of twaddle. It's one of the reasons I pulled her out. So, we didn't do a lot (but some) classic literature reading until about age 8. She loves the classics and Sonlight books, but she still likes her twaddle, too.

 

We are using Sonlight this year, so we usually have a literature and history read-aloud each day. This takes anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour. She also has an assigned reader which is usually on the easy side for her and she finishes them ahead of schedule. She spends 30 to 45 minutes during "school" time reading to herself.

 

Then, I put her to bed and she reads for an hour before lights out. She has to read a specified amount of the classic literature book I have assigned (from earlier in the day) - usually a certain number of chapters. It depends on the difficulty level of the book. I try to determine what will take her about 30 minutes - sometimes it's a chapter, someitmes it's three. After that, she is free to read any of her twaddle books until lights out.

 

I work from home at night, so I can't read to her at bedtime and this system works for us. Your children may be too young to spend that much time reading each day, but perhaps you could use a similar situation that would require the classic literature and allow for some twaddle. I LOVE the classics and have since I was a teenager. However, I also remember reading Sweet Valley High and VC Andrews books as a kid.

[Tired_Mama]

There are a ton of great book suggestions here and I think many of them your boys will find interesting. My 6yo boy has particularly liked Mr. Popper's Penguins, the entire Chronicles of Narnia series and Chitty-Chitty Bang Bang, to name a few.

 

One of our family's favorite things to do on the weekends is have a book night. We make a huge deal of it. We haul down blankets, pillows, etc. into the living room, DH pops popcorn and the kids all settle into a cozy spot. We turn all the lights off and the reader reads by candlelight. My DS can still get a big squirmy (he is a 6yo boy, after all! ;) ) but the whole family loves those nights and I can't imagine your boys not becoming engrossed in a good book if you started the book out this way. The keep reading a chapter or two a day and pretty soon they'll be begging you to read it! :)

[Suzannah]

Yours may be too old for this, but when I wanted to read something to #1 DS (when he was little) that he wasn't too sure about, I'd read to him while he was in the bathtub. He played in the water and had little choice but to listen. He actually learned that he couldn't always tell whether a story would be good before he heard it. I also used to read to him while he played in the sandbox, played Legos (quietly) and during breakfast or lunch (I'd eat before or after him.)

 

I would also heartily recommend books on CD. You can listen in the car, during lunch, after dinner in front of the fire (this is one of our family's winter traditions). My kids also have CD players in their rooms and listen to books at night. Since they've been doing it most of their lives we haven't had too much trouble with staying up late. I'm not sure how introducing it to older kids would work, but eventually I'm sure they'd get too tired to stay up very late.

 

But you probably want to choose books carefully. Henty's books are nice, but they're pretty weighty for young kids. Original versions of books are likewise difficult to instill a love of reading in young children. But boy oh boy can you fire up those imaginations with retellings of the Odyssey, Beowulf, and Treasure Island!

 

Blessings!

[rafiki]

.

[Spy Car]

Kids are different, my little one (4.7) wasn't much interested in Winnie-the-poo, but give him a little classically inspired mayhem on he's all ears.

 

If Polyphemus gets his eye poked out (The Wanderings of Odysseus by Stucliff), or Beowulf rips off Grendel's arm (James Rumford), or Hudson Talbott's King Arthur series, or things of that nature, I've got an audience.

 

For better or worse, "classical" tales are often gore-filled, so story-time is popular here :D

 

Bill (bad influence :tongue_smilie:)

[Sahamamama]

My suggestion would be to start getting books on CD for them to listen to. Some of my kids' favorites have been The Trumpet of the Swan (read by the author), Tales from the Odyssey, and anything by Jim Weiss. Books on cd will help the kids get used to the language of better books in a relaxed manner. You can also find tons of free audiobooks for kids on Books Should Be Free and Librivox.

 

Were it me, I would also start restricting twaddle. I don't read twaddle to my kids. I have read a few Disney fairy chapter books to my daughter and some Thomas books to my son, but now that they are old enough to read, I don't do that anymore.

 

Tara

 

THIS is excellent advice, especially the recommendation for audiobooks. During your children's play time or lunch time, start listening to something "classic" (for children) but entertaining -- for example, "Just So Stories" or "Stuart Little." Your children will be exposed to so much wonderful language, they will begin to feel at home with it. Your library might have some of these (our favorites :001_smile:):

 

When We Were Very Young (A.A. Milne) -- read by Peter Dennis (hilarious)

Now We Are Six (A.A. Milne) -- ditto

The House at Pooh Corner -- ditto

Winnie the Pooh -- ditto

 

Just So Stories (Kipling)

Jungle Book (Kipling)

 

The Little Peppers and How They Grew (Margaret Sidney) -- my 4 yo daughter LOVES this, I can NOT fathom why. Talk about old-fashioned language! But she asks for it again and again. That whiny voice for the little sister sends me into the other room....

 

The Three Little Kittens (... or Pigs.... or Billy Goats) -- any of the nursery rhyme stuff adapted by Paul Galdone (books and a tape)

 

Little House Series -- read by Cherry Jones

 

Stuart Little; Charlotte's Web; Trumpet of the Swan -- E.B. White, read by him

 

Tales from the Old Testament -- by Jim Weiss

 

The Bible Experience -- read by various actors and actresses, with music (this is actually pretty cool, I was surprised how much my kids got into it)

 

If your children still don't seem interested, then I'd start with audiobook versions of the stories they DO like -- Harry the Dirty Dog, Make Way for Ducklings, Blueberries for Sal, Dr. Seuss, etc. Get them accustomed to listening during a certain times of day (NOT quietly sitting still, just playing or doing art or a project and listening to the story or poems). Talk about the language they hear, explain a few words to them now and then, listen to your favorite poems over and over and over, read along with the book (some come with books) -- get into the listening part of audiobooks, then gradually move them towards listening to short sections of "classic" books -- Narnia Chronicles, Little House Books (we LOVE these, read by Cherry Jones), D'Aulaires Greek Myths... they will get there! Your oldest is only 8? :D Geesh, you did not start too late! (Deep breath, Mom, you're doing great)!

 

As far as eliminating twaddle, I agree somewhat, but I do think that your children are very young for some things considered "classics" -- maybe the best strategy is to lead them to fall in love with the look and feel and sound of language -- my two year old twins SWAY and LAUGH when I read certain poems... it's thrilling to see them LOVE the language and the story AND, yes, the pictures! Your children are absorbing so much, and lap time is precious, don't be in any hurry to leave Thomas the Tank Engine behind.

 

HTH. Gotta go, pizza's hot. :D

[StaceyL in Canada]

Good Morning! :)

 

Some days I just feel like we've started too late and we've ruined them! (insert a tiny bit of drama there as they are wonderful little un-classical boys) We have read to our children since the day they were born, but unfortunately, Miss Charlotte would probably say our selections were mostly (and more than likely still are) "twaddle"! Oh, how I wish I'd instilled a love of classical books into my boys from the very beginning, but titles such as Winnie-the-Pooh and various fairy tales would send them scurrying away. We opted to read books that interested them. Our selections consisted mainly of books that centered around trains, cars, trucks and dinosaurs. Thomas, Dr. Seuss and Skippyjon Jones were the last tales they heard about each night before they went to sleep. My oldest (about to turn 8) read through the Magic Tree House series in K-1 grade.

 

I was wondering if anyone else has found themselves in a similiar situation. Are boys generally more reluctant to read classics? It does seem logical and a bit comforting to know, but it doesn't really help matters! LOL I'm not really sure what to do at this point as I am really struggling with getting them to listen to, nevermind enjoy, classical books. The language (wording) is so foreign to them and sometimes I look up and they seem off in another world or they are looking at me, "Like, huh? Why do they talk so funny?" LOL My youngest (about to turn 6) is having the most difficult time...

 

So I guess my real question is, "Anyone have a tried and true plan to help your boys enjoy the classics after spending their first years reading "twaddle"?" I do feel badly calling some of beloved and treasured stories "twaddle", but you know what I mean! ;)

 

Thanks in advance for your thoughts! :)

~Melissa

 

...re the "unclassical boys" (or, in my case, "boybarians.") I also read to my children from birth, and *did* read aloud to them numerous classics--and still they are far from being the voracious readers I always hear about in hs'ing circles. My own academic background is in literature, so I have often wondered if they were switched at birth (all except son #4, who was born at home--my Last Great Hope.) However, I don't consider Dr. Seuss or Thomas the Tank Engine (original versions) "twaddle" at all--especially Seuss, whom I consider the great "poet manqué" of the 20th C :) Despite my sons' lack of interest in "good lit", however, they can all read well, write well, express themselves well, and mock their mother well re her enjoyment of such things as literary analysis and sentence diagramming. To my shock, son #1, who attended a private school for gr 12, actually loved his English class (well, not the Shakepseare, portion sadly) and pulled off a 90%. I can't help but think that *something*of what I read to them (and made them read) over the years finally sank in.

 

So fear not--you have received plenty of good advice here. I'm not sure if someone else has already suggested this (haven't read all the posts), but have you tried the Little House series? Even though the main characters are girls, my sons all loved these as read-alouds, and the language is simple yet far from twaddly. Ditto re the Chronicles of Narnia--beautifully written, yet very accessible. Perhaps you are trying to read to them books which are still somewhat beyond their level, so a simpler start might help. Your sons are so young--you have years ahead to indoctrinate--er, I mean, gently guide them into a love of literature :)

[Sahamamama]

"Farmer Boy" is a Little House book that has a boy for the lead character (Almanzo Wilder, Laura's husband, as a boy).

[Annie Laurie]

 

One of our family's favorite things to do on the weekends is have a book night. We make a huge deal of it. We haul down blankets, pillows, etc. into the living room, DH pops popcorn and the kids all settle into a cozy spot. We turn all the lights off and the reader reads by candlelight. My DS can still get a big squirmy (he is a 6yo boy, after all! ;) ) but the whole family loves those nights and I can't imagine your boys not becoming engrossed in a good book if you started the book out this way. The keep reading a chapter or two a day and pretty soon they'll be begging you to read it! :)

 

I LOVE that idea! We have game night and movie night regularly, why did I not think of book night? Reading definitely deserves to be emphasized more than movie watching. Thanks for sharing that idea.