Name: CHEC Rocky Mountain Homeschool Conference
Start: 2025-06-12T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-06-14T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Denver, CO

Tagged: Beginner Reader, delightful reading, Reluctant Reader

This topic has 12 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 11 years, 9 months ago by 5heartsathome.

Viewing 13 posts - 1 through 13 (of 13 total)

Author
Posts
August 10, 2013 at 3:24 pm
AFthfulJrney
Participant
For those of you who have used it, or know of someone who has, do you think it would be beneficial for me to use with my reluctant 1st grader who has no desire whatsoever to learn to read? We are using ETC for phonics and lots of read-a-louds as well as BOB books to help with her reading, but she just hates it. She enjoys the ETC books because she loves workbooks, but sitting on her own and trying to read, she hates. :/ I really want to instill a life long love of reading in her and I know CM’s approach is gentle so I am wondering how this particular curriculum would or would not work for us.
Also, would the Pathway Readers be more appropriate over the BOB books? She likes the BOB books wells enough, but I am looking for something else and I see the Pathway Readers mentioned a lot on here!
Any advice I would so greatly appreciate!
Oh…I also have a 4 and 1 year old that may also eventually be able to benefit from this curriculum as well…if it is something worth investing in!
Thanks! 🙂
August 10, 2013 at 7:00 pm
eawerner
Participant
I haven’t used DR but the pathway readers my dd7 has liked quite a bit. Even when she wasn’t in the mood too read, finding out what happened next in the “Peter and Rachel book” was enough to get her to read a chapter.
It does seem like they are fairly sight word heavy where the bob books are pretty stricktly phonics. Don’t know if that matters to you but I thought it was worth mentioning.
August 10, 2013 at 7:19 pm
Richele Baburina
Participant
Hello. We used Delightful Reading with our second son who was a reluctant reader. Our experience with Charlotte Mason’s reading lessons were wonderful and if you want to see a summary, I wrote about it here. We made our own before Delightful Reading came out but I was so happy to invest in DR and not have to do all that manual labor myself – plus our son absolutely loved getting his Delightful Reading Kit out each day. It was a great experience and free from the “dreary grind” of reading lessons that Charlotte talks about.
Warmly,
Richele
August 10, 2013 at 7:42 pm
my3boys
Participant
We are still using DR with our 2nd/3rd grade son. He enjoys getting it out and usually doesn’t want to end the lessons, but we still try to end before any frustraton or lack of interest sets in.
HTH
August 10, 2013 at 10:43 pm
Katrina in AK
Participant
I have used both BOB books and Pathway Readers so far. The BOB books were nice for my son at first as they were quite easy and built his confidence. We both like the Pathway Readers better. I am amazed at how the authors can create an interesting, plausible storyline by just adding a new word here and there. My son likes the story, and that there are chapters in the books.
August 11, 2013 at 7:11 pm
AFthfulJrney
Participant
Richele…thank you for your response. Did you use any readers with her program…like Pathway Readers, or something similar?

August 11, 2013 at 8:09 pm
Richele Baburina
Participant
No, sorry, @AFthfulJrney, we never used the Pathway Readers so I can’t comment on them. In general, I’ve tried to follow Charlotte Mason’s advice, “Even for their earliest reading lessons, it is unnecessary to put twaddle into the hands of chlldren.” My son loves animals, adventure and poetry so I did intentionally choose stories and poems along those lines of interest.
Best,
Richele
August 11, 2013 at 8:19 pm
missceegee
Participant
I haven’t used DR, but the Pathway readers are lovely IMHO and I wouldn’t classify them as twaddle. We read them through 2nd or 3rd grade level.
August 11, 2013 at 10:12 pm
5heartsathome
Participant
missceegee, what is your preferred reading program if you haven’t used DR?
August 11, 2013 at 10:58 pm
missceegee
Participant
Ok, no stones please. Dd12 learned with SWR. Ds9 with alpha phonics. Dd6 on her own. I’m a great reader and an excellent speller, but I prefer a phonics based approach. It’s really my only holdout from being 100% CM, I guess.
August 12, 2013 at 1:28 am
AFthfulJrney
Participant
missceegee…what is SWR?
August 12, 2013 at 1:32 am
missceegee
Participant
Spell to Write and Read. It is a MOST INTENSIVE spelling/reading program. We’re slowly morphing to only prepared dictation, but with SWR tools for word analysis as needed.
August 12, 2013 at 5:16 am
5heartsathome
Participant
Thank you missceegee. I was wondering if you would be brave enough. LOL! But I don’t think anyone here expects everyone here to do everything the same. 🙂 Thank you for “admitting” your curriculum choice to us. I love everything CM and I, like you, do all things CM, except reading. I am very phonics oriented so I have combined two reading programs to get the phonics balanced out with the sight words. I love the SCM literature selections in the Delightful Reading program though. That is the only thing I do feel I am missing out on. I try to fill in that gap with rich copywork.