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A couple of general questions
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I have two things that I’ve been wondering about.
1. So many hs moms post about reading during lunch or breakfast which I think is a nice idea. Exactly how does this work? By the time I have everyone’s food and drinks to them, some of them are done eating and my food is cold. Are you eating at a different time? I just don’t get the logistics of it, but I think they would enjoy a book during lunch or breakfast.
2. How do you handle multiple read alouds. Right now we have:
- The Inidan in the Cupboard (literature)
- Ben and Me (history chapter book)
- Eggleston’s Stories of Great Americans and First Book of Am History (history non-fiction)
- Opal Wheeler’s Boy From Thuringia (composer study)
- Linnea In Monet’s Garden (picture study)
- Children’s Book of Virtues (character study)
Is this too much? We read our lit book once a day, history 3x/week, and the rest once a week. I usually get through a chapter at each reading. My DC do seem to enjoy it, but I often wonder if it wouldn’t be better to have fewer books at once. What is the “official” CM recommendation on how many books to have going on at once?
I really enjoy getting our reading done during breakfast and lunch. It accomplishes so much more for us that way. We read our Bible at breakfast, then usually 2 books at lunchtime. I eat my breakfast/lunch while I’m making theirs, that way my mouth is free:) Don’t call anyone to the table until everything you need (including extra water pitcher, fruit, etc) is on the table. Then you are ready to read as soon as they sit down. I pass out fruit to everyone before I start, then no one is asking people to pass things while I’m reading. They do pass the water pitcher, but they ask quietly, or just go pour it for a sibling.
I read one book that the younger crowd will enjoy, and on Wed. we read our geography books then too. Then I read the one for the older ones, usually literature like My Side of the Mountain, or right now Misty of Chincoteague. The little ones can listen to that one if they want, or get down when they are done. I guess we also usually have something from Thornton Burgess going too, so I may do that, or read that instead of the other literature book. Hope that helped for question #1, feel free to ask more questions if it didn’t:)
I download the books from librivox.org and listen to them during lunch while we all eat.
Last year we did have all those types of books going, and it was fine. They did tend to remember a lot of details out of them.
However, I also had several different literature books going (audiobooks) and that started seeming overwhelming after a bit. So this year we will listen to one until it is done and then start another. Since we started in August we have listened to several classics this way and enjoyed them. It is working better for me this way.
Lunch:
I serve all of us at the same time. Kids don’t get to start eating before me at lunch or dinner. They are at the age where they can help get lunch together, either by filling drinks, getting napkins, toast bread, stir soup, etc. It is important to me that we all eat together, not them first and me later on. So, we all sit down to eat together with all of our food. This keeps me from having to get up several times to get so-and-so a drink or so-and-so whatever. I usually finish my food first, simply because I’m a fast eater. While they finish up, I read aloud our literature–currently Chronicles of Narnia. If we all finish at the same time, we clean up then head to the couch to read after lunch.
I don’t think there is a CM recommended “number” of books to have going at once. We’ve always had lots of books going at one time, and it’s never been a problem. Just take it one subject at a time, one book at a time. As soon as you finish one reading, have a narration, go on to a subject like copywork or poetry, then move straight into another read aloud and keep your schedule flowing.
Blessings,
Lindsey
I read my kids a fun book at lunch. I eat after they do. If we have no where to be they have a quiet time by themselves after lunch so I have time to eat. My impression is kids in CM’s school would have had many books going at once.
Nebby
Thanks for the help! I’ll have to try some of your breakfast/lunch ideas and see what works for us.
I was all set to have their food plated up and then call them to the kitchen for lunch and a read-aloud. Halfway through plating, my oldest walked in and yelled “Dinner’s ready!!” to the other DC who then came running in. lol Maybel we’ll try again Monday (we have a dentist apt. tomorrow).
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