If you're a "real mom" whose kids read...

[Susan Wise Bauer]

This reporter is looking for you. (This is from a news service for reporters.) There is, of course, no requirement for you to mention TWTM. :001_smile:

 

SWB

 

 

Name: Kathleen M. Reilly

Email: katereilly@nc.rr.com

Title: Freelancer

Media Outlet/Publication: National parenting magazine

Anonymous? No

Specific Geographic Region? Yes (See below)

Region: United States

Deadline: 5:00 PM EASTERN - April 28

Query:

"I need "real life" moms who can tell me a little about how you get

your kids to read and/or how reading brings your family closer

together. Do you have a "family book club"? Or maybe you talk about

books around the dinner table? Love to hear your ideas! Please use

"family books" in the subject line. Thank you!"

[HRAAB]

I wonder how she would respond to, "I don't send them to school"?

 

Janet

[specialmama]

Real moms, huh? hmmmm.... highly philosophical debate happening in my mind right now.... :lol:

[Susan Wise Bauer]

Worth a try, Janet. ;)

 

I think "real moms" means "no one who has a vested interest in selling books about reading" or I'd have answered myself.

 

SWB

[LaxMom]

Have you been faking that mom thing, Susan? Renting kids and whatnot seems like an awful lot of trouble. :D

[TeacherZee]

Real moms, huh? hmmmm.... highly philosophical debate happening in my mind right now.... :lol:

 

cognito, ergo sum :lol::lol:

[WTMCassandra]

I think I will refrain since I can only think of snarky answers to her questions ; ). But thanks for letting us know about this opportunity!

[Aubrey]

I can't think how to answer, either. I mean, how would I get them to *stop* reading? Even my 1yo will sit during school time w/ a pile of books, flipping the pages slowly. Sometimes for an hour.

[Aubrey]

Ok, so in the spirit of "If they see you reading, they will read," I just asked mine if dh & I read.

 

Ds8--no, not that I know of. (3 fully loaded bookshelves would not hold all of mine & dh's non-kid books)

 

Dd5--yes, y'all read chapter books. I didn't read the label. :lol:

[LizzyBee]

I can't think how to answer, either. I mean, how would I get them to *stop* reading? Even my 1yo will sit during school time w/ a pile of books, flipping the pages slowly. Sometimes for an hour.

 

Exactly. DH and I never thought we'd say things like, "Put that book down and set the table" or, as the child heads to the bathroom, "You don't have a book in your hands, do you? Just go to the bathroom and come right back."

[Highereducation]

Dd 8 carries at least 4 books with her at all times. She can't bear to finish one and not have another immediately available. We call her the bookmobile.

[LG Gone Wild]

Not sure if I put homeschoolers in a good light when I emphasized that my kids weren't particularly gifted or well behaved but managed to read nonetheless. My point was that kids want to read and that we don't need tricks or gimmicks or junky @ss trinkets to do it. Sorry, it just annoys me when libraries have these read-a-book-get-a-hamburger drives. I even mentionned that I have one kid who keeps saying he hates reading yet continues to disobey bedtime orders with sneaky reading.

[Carrie12345]

I started to write something up, and then I realized it was more of what everyone else here is probably submitting. Start early. Make it a way of life. Get rid of the chore/reward idea.

 

Chances are, the author is going to write toward parents who've already missed a boat or two. :-x

[Mommy22alyns]

Ok, so in the spirit of "If they see you reading, they will read," I just asked mine if dh & I read.

 

Ds8--no, not that I know of. (3 fully loaded bookshelves would not hold all of mine & dh's non-kid books)

 

Dd5--yes, y'all read chapter books. I didn't read the label. :lol:

 

 

I took inspiration and asked Becca if Mommy and Daddy read. I got a classic furrowed brow expression like, "Why are you asking this silly off the wall question Mommy?" If she had been less polite, she might have said, "DUH!" :lol:

 

I guess I couldn't really reply either - our method started from birth. :D

[Tree House Academy]

"You don't have a book in your hands, do you? Just go to the bathroom and come right back."

 

hmmm...does that apply to adults too (cause if so, I am guilty) :sneaky2: (I have always wanted to use the "sneaky" smiley!)

[dragons in the flower bed]

I wonder how she would respond to, "I don't send them to school"?

 

Janet

 

My thoughts exactly! It's not about what I do. It's about what I don't do.

[cathmom]

My mom used to tell me, "Stop reading and go outside and play!"

[Loupelou]

As I read the other posts I kept thinking, "Wow, that's what we do!". I also wanted to state this observation, and I don't mean it to sound prideful or elitist: Most of the people I have observed on these boards are very different from the majority of people I come into contact with in my daily life when it comes to views on educating our children.

 

Yes, we all have different religious and political views, and many other differences including our reasons to home school. That being said from my own observations every mother on this board lives and breathes learning. Our primary focus is to, in any way possible, instill a love for all knowledge to our children. The crazy part is we believe we can and we are!

 

So while we may find the question of how to get children to read simply absurd, for many others out there it is a valid question, and one that they really do struggle with.

 

My house is literally filled with books, I have shelves, baskets, and yes, piles! My dh wonders why we need to go the library once a week:D. However, I do not have any friends whom I could say the same. The only people I know who cherish reading are my family. I have a friend who teaches in an elementary school who has pledged to read at least one book a month because she doesn't feel that she reads enough. I remember being asked by a young man if he could borrow one of my books and if I would mind discussing it with him, it was his first full length novel, he was 16. For many, many children the day does not end with a bedtime story and may not have included reading from a great book the entire day- I don't consider Captain Underpants a great book, and yes I have known teachers who read that to their class. :tongue_smilie:

 

I guess I am just so grateful to my parents and grandparents who believed that reading to me was the best use of their time. It has made all the difference in my life and in the lives of my children.

 

Thank goodness for library programs to help children who may not have been shown the world inside the covers of a book!

[Stacia]

I wish more kids would read. Unfortunately, reading doesn't always appear to be highly valued in our society. I figure if I can pass along a tip that might result in even one more child becoming a reader, then I'm all for it. So, I responded to the lady (an excerpt because my email to her was too long to fit here)....

 

-Have books for your children, no matter their age. Babies need books that can withstand chewing. It’s part of the beginning of how they learn to be around & love books.

-For young children, place a stack of books at the foot of their bed at nighttime. I did this in my dd’s crib when she was 1 (board books which were safe for her) & she would spend about an hour every morning when she woke up, sitting in her crib talking to herself & looking at her books before ever calling out for us to come get her.

-Put some fun reading in the bathroom. You have a captive audience, lol. Joke books, trivia books. Not all reading has to be challenging or hard, long novels. Hang an interesting news article or magazine article on the wall across from the toilet. Switch it out every day or two.

-I highly recommend that parents read Jim Trelease’s “Read-Aloud Handbook”. Many libraries have a copy. It will give you a wealth of ideas and inspiration to bring reading into your lives.

-Take an interest in what your kids are reading. Currently, I’m reading the Death Note manga series (not my first choice in reading) because my 13yo nephew just read them and asked me to read them so we can discuss them. So, I’m reading what he’s reading, even though it’s not my first choice of reading material.

-If possible, simplify your schedule so that kids have time to read. This is critical. My dd still loves to have time to lay in bed in the mornings and read before getting up for the day. Make sure your daytime, evening, &/or weekends have enough down time that kids actually have time to plop down, read, & get engrossed in a book.

-Try to find something that will appeal to your children. As I said previously, not every book has to be challenging, or long, or hard. Get picture books, even if they are too ‘easy’. Try fairy tales or fables. Find some non-fiction books about animals or science topics your child would like. DK makes some wonderful books about a number of topics. Different books appeal to different children. Go to the library with your child. While they pick out books, you pick out a bunch for your child too. Pick at least 2 books from each section of the children’s library. There are so many fascinating books out there. When you get home, put all the books in a library basket. Establish a reading time every day. Either read to your child or sit around reading to yourself while your child is also reading. Try starting some of the new books as read-alouds. And, if a book is a flop, don’t be afraid to ditch it.

-Find different variations on the same story. This can provide some great discussion fodder. For example, there are many, many variations on the Cinderella story. Find some of the versions (Korean Cinderella, Persian Cinderella, etc…), read them together and then discuss the similarities and differences. Decide which were your favorites or which ones you didn’t like. Fables and tall tales are also great categories for doing this.

-Hold a book & movie comparison/contrast. Read the book, then see the movie. Discuss similarities & differences.

-Check out audio books from the library or download them. Jim Dale is an awesome reader & so engaging to listen to. Jim Weiss also has some great audios for kids. Audios are great for playing in the background when kids are playing with play-doh, legos, etc… or when riding in car, doing errands, etc….

-If your child has a particular interest, look up books that relate to that interest. Cooking? There are lots of recipe books that have lots of other info in them too (historical cookbooks, geographic cookbooks,…), funny foods books, books about how various foods are made or grown,…. Armies & soldiers? Books about war machines and armies throughout history, DK books about different wars, books that cover a soldier’s life, science books about weapons, gunpowder,…. Princesses? Fairy tales and fables from around the world, costuming/dress books, biographies or historical fiction about real princesses,….. Mysteries & tricks? There are many ‘trickster’ tales/fables from around the world, puzzle/mindbender books, mysteries (Encyclopedia Brown, Cam Jansen,…).

-Check out magazines. There are magazines to appeal to almost every interest. Get a subscription to one that your child would like. It’s fun to get things in the mail & they will look forward to getting new reading material every few weeks. Also, check with your library. Libraries often let you borrow slightly out-of-date magazine issues.

-Share something you’re reading that you find interesting – a quote from an article, a funny paragraph, a human interest story in the news, etc…. And, I’ve said it before, spend time reading together. It can be bedtime, lunchtime, just a quiet time during your day, but spend time reading to your children. Also, make time for your children to read to themselves.

[ConnieB]

Exactly. DH and I never thought we'd say things like, "Put that book down and set the table" or, as the child heads to the bathroom, "You don't have a book in your hands, do you? Just go to the bathroom and come right back."

 

This had me laughing out loud......I too have actually had to tell my children, "NO, you may take a book into the bathroom, there is only 30 minutes until dinner and it's your turn to set the table."

 

Seriously....it's truly called the reading room in our house. :lol: I still have posters that rotate through each bathroom....before the kids could read it was things like sign language charts, alphabet, animals, etc. This month it's algebra and latin!

[HollyBee]

Seriously....it's truly called the reading room in our house. :lol: I still have posters that rotate through each bathroom....before the kids could read it was things like sign language charts, alphabet, animals, etc. This month it's algebra and latin!

 

 

OMG what a great idea! Where do you get the posters?

 

I've had to ban reading before breakfast and morning chores are completed. My dc would just lounge on the sofa for hours if I let them. I mean, I try to let them as much as possible, but there are other things that need to be done around here!

 

We were watching American Idol tonight (the only regular show we watch) and dh looked over to see ds8 reading Call of the Wild. Dh was stunned, as was I--a few months ago, I was ecstatic if he would read anything at all!

 

Holly

[LibraryLover]

I know lots of hs'd kids who don't read for/with pleasure, so not sure why so much snark about that.

 

My kids all enjoy reading, even the schooled one, but that's not true for all families/kids.

[Mom-ninja.]

Stacia, great response!

 

 

 

 

 

Seriously....it's truly called the reading room in our house. :lol: I still have posters that rotate through each bathroom....before the kids could read it was things like sign language charts, alphabet, animals, etc. This month it's algebra and latin!

 

That's like in the book "Cheaper By the Dozen." Have you read that book? The father teaches his kids lots of stuff. One way he taught them was by painting things on the walls of the bathrooms and bedrooms. It's a happy book.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I agree that most of the members of this board do have a love of learning. They may have grown up with it, or they may have come to it despite their youthful learning environment. But most of the posters here value even rather esoteric things like the social structure of ancient societies or tricks for teaching division of fractions.

 

I used to get brochures when my kids were little that had checklists for how to develop a reader. They generally had things like, read aloud to your children, have books around the house, show that reading has value. DH and I used to laugh at these, since we consider our decor to revolve around which bookcases are in which room. For us a major part of moving is either deciding which categories of books have to go into storage or rejoicing over getting them all back under one roof again. Here, a $150 book cataloging program and scanner is an appreciated gift.

 

My dream retirement volunteer activity is to be a volunteer reader in waiting rooms at places like the social security office or the employment office, where stressed out parents have stressed out kids with them. I would love to go in each day with a tote full of books, read them and hand them out for a child to love on at home.

 

I fully believe that who controls presses and libraries also controls thoughts and actions. That a man who can't read will never live totally free and that a man who can read will never be wholly enslaved. This is why the way that recent legislation (CPSIA) has rendered whole categories of children's books off limits (by limiting their sale and lending) is so offensive to me on a visceral level.

[Guest]

:iagree: Down with that stupid law!

[kmreilly]

Good morning!

 

I'm the writer who posted the request that Susan passed along (thank you, BTW!). I really appreciate everyone who took the time to respond to my call for input -- I'm very grateful.

 

A couple people mentioned this forum in their reply to me, so I came over to visit, found this thread, and I wanted to mention a couple things. Not everyone in The Media (insert ominous music) is opposed to homeschooling or thinks you're crazy for doing it! And I would be a hypocrite if I did think that, anyway: First and most importantly, we're a homeschooling family ourselves. We started when my oldest was kindergarten-aged (he's now 11). We've used TWTM as a guide for many years, and we've enjoyed SOTW in text, activity book, and audio book versions. When I get responses to my requests from homeschoolers, I react like this: "Of course!" I'd have been surprised not to get good responses from parents who view reading as a family lifestyle. I wrote a feature on homeschooling for a national parenting magazine last fall, and all the families profiled were very pleased with the result (I was tickled, too!). We're not all mainstream ogres in the media! Just some of us. And you can tell who they are because they send you lots of rejection letters.

 

And for my request, "real moms who 'get' their kids to read" ...yeah, I know. Nice phrasing, Kate! Should have worded it differently. But as Susan pointed out, in journo talk, "real moms" means "not a PR person selling something." As for the "getting your child to read" part -- I should have phrased that much better. (Hey, in order to squeeze everything in, I start my writing day at 4 in the morning. Lesson learned -- wait for coffee before seeking sources!) Unfortunately, sometimes in this biz, to get the info I need, I've got to ask questions that seem like the correct answer would be, "uh...duh."

 

Anyhoo. Just wanted to pop in and say thanks for the responses. I do appreciate everyone's input. And now that I've found this forum...I'd love to stick around if that's okay!

 

Thanks again,

Kate

www.kathleenreilly.com

www.polkadotsuitcase.com

[Stacia]

Anyhoo. Just wanted to pop in and say thanks for the responses. I do appreciate everyone's input. And now that I've found this forum...I'd love to stick around if that's okay!

 

Hi, Kate. Welcome! :001_smile:

[ladydusk]

And now that I've found this forum...I'd love to stick around if that's okay!

 

 

Please do! We have rollicking good fun here :)

[Colleen in NS]

Good morning!

 

I'm the writer who posted the request that Susan passed along (thank you, BTW!). I really appreciate everyone who took the time to respond to my call for input -- I'm very grateful.

 

A couple people mentioned this forum in their reply to me, so I came over to visit, found this thread, and I wanted to mention a couple things. Not everyone in The Media (insert ominous music) is opposed to homeschooling or thinks you're crazy for doing it! And I would be a hypocrite if I did think that, anyway: First and most importantly, we're a homeschooling family ourselves. We started when my oldest was kindergarten-aged (he's now 11). We've used TWTM as a guide for many years, and we've enjoyed SOTW in text, activity book, and audio book versions. When I get responses to my requests from homeschoolers, I react like this: "Of course!" I'd have been surprised not to get good responses from parents who view reading as a family lifestyle. I wrote a feature on homeschooling for a national parenting magazine last fall, and all the families profiled were very pleased with the result (I was tickled, too!). We're not all mainstream ogres in the media! Just some of us. And you can tell who they are because they send you lots of rejection letters.

 

And for my request, "real moms who 'get' their kids to read" ...yeah, I know. Nice phrasing, Kate! Should have worded it differently. But as Susan pointed out, in journo talk, "real moms" means "not a PR person selling something." As for the "getting your child to read" part -- I should have phrased that much better. (Hey, in order to squeeze everything in, I start my writing day at 4 in the morning. Lesson learned -- wait for coffee before seeking sources!) Unfortunately, sometimes in this biz, to get the info I need, I've got to ask questions that seem like the correct answer would be, "uh...duh."

 

Anyhoo. Just wanted to pop in and say thanks for the responses. I do appreciate everyone's input. And now that I've found this forum...I'd love to stick around if that's okay!

 

Thanks again,

Kate

www.kathleenreilly.com

www.polkadotsuitcase.com

 

Hi and welcome!! I sent you an e-mail last night, too. Nice to have you here - it's a lot of fun and helpful and I'd like to know how you didn't find us until this morning, if you've been using TWTM for years! :D Enjoy!

 

Thanks for the peek inside journalism, too. I did a tiny bit of journalism many years ago.

[kmreilly]

Thanks for the welcome -- and I can see already how addictive this forum can easily become!

 

Kate