Does everyone use a "Free Reading List" in their CM schooling?

For me, I use it as a list of books that I consider to be high quality reads, but they are often books my kids wouldn’t naturally gravitate toward. Sometimes I purposely have books on there that will stretch them a bit, sometimes books that I just feel like they will love, etc. There are just WAY more great books to read than we will ever get to! lol  Free reading lists help me expose my children to more great literature than I can read to them or than they would randomly pick off a shelf at home or the library.

So I might have them pick one at a time to read for however long (but making steady progress), and they are reading other books of their own choosing too during this time. A couple of recent ones that were just loved: Strawberry Girl, Little Princess, Lad: A Dog. I do not require narrations or other such things with “free reading” choices (although I am sure to ask about them casually if the kids don’t start mentioning it on their own).

If they really don’t like a book though, we talk about why and I would let them stop. I think that’s only happened twice though and they were able to articulate what they didn’t like so I respected their opinion on that.

Basically, if I didn’t have a list of “suggestions” for my girls, they would just read Nancy Drew mysteries and Fodor’s travel guides every day! But I have very loose rules about reading from the free reading list. I used to schedule it every day, but now it’s a little less often because I do want them to have time to pursue their own fun reading, even if it’s “Duct Tape Projects for Kids” or “Fodor’s Paris.” (They keep telling me that covers handicrafts and geography….)

We have assigned literature that includes oral or written narration and must be read at the pace I prescribe. This is read from 1-2 times per week for us this year. I have a long list of Free Reading from which they can choose any title to read at any pace. It must be read to completion, but I don’t require narrations. I have a 30-45 minute free reading block each afternoon when they are required to reqd from these books. Other times they can read their Free Read books or any of their own choosing. This insures they get many more wonderful books of substance and not too many Nancy Drew or other similar books. Because our home library is so large, it helps make sure that we are reading a good variety of excellent books. I am assigning fewer as literature and more as Free Reads this year. 

I make one free read list with fiction, biographies, supplemental history, poetry and they simply pick. I do have a separate natural history time with a list for that once per week. Right now everyone has geology books on it.

Here are free reading lists for my kids for this year.

DS10 – would rather be outdoors playing ball, swimming, golf, anything than read. Reads at 4th/5th grade level. Some of these will be easy, some will stretch. He gets to choose what to read from this list and he’s liking that.

Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes

Siege! Wilma Pitchford Hays

Madeleine Takes Command, Ethel Brill

We Were There with the Mayflower Pilgrims, Robert Webb

Sword in the Wilderness, Elizabeth Coatsworth

Zeb, Lonzo Anderson

The Big Ride, Dorothy Erskine

Railway Children, E. Nesbit

Silver Chief, Dog of the North, Jack O’Brien

Traitor in the Tower, Dave and Neta Jackson

Imprisoned in the Golden City, Dave and Neta Jackson

The Avion My Uncle Flew, Cyrus Fisher

Shelters, Shacks, and Shanties, Daniel Beard

Surrender! Robb White

Walter Raleigh by Ronald Syme

Magellan: First Around the World by Ronald Syme

Geronimo: The Fighting Apache by Ronald Syme

Balboa: Finder of the Pacific by Ronald Syme

Conquista! By Clyde Robert Bulla and Michael Syson

The True Adventures of Grizzly Adams by Robert M. McClung

The Kid from Tomkinsville by John R. Tunis (Baseball Diamonds Book 1)

World Series by John R. Tunis (Baseball Diamonds Book 2)

Keystone Kids by John R. Tunis (Baseball Diamonds Book 3)

Rookie of the Year by John R. Tunis (Baseball Diamonds Book 4)

DD7 – Voracious Reader, reads at a 6th grade level, she will read 3-4 times this much and many more challenging books, but these are ones I don’t want her to miss.

Viking Adventure by Clyde Robert Bulla

The Matchlock Gun by Walter D. Edmonds

Elin’s Amerika by Marguerite de Angeli

Skippack School by Marguerite de Angeli

The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh

Sarah Whitcher’s Story by Elizabeth Yates

Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong

The Moffats series by Eleanor Estes

All-of-a-Kind Family by Sidney Taylor (series)

Mystery in the Pirate Oak by Helen Orton

Mystery of the Lost Letter by Helen Orton

The Secret of the Rosewood Box by Helen Orton

Rip Van Winkle Coloring Book w/ Complete Text by Washington Irving

Meet Andrew Jackson by Ormonde de Kay, Jr.

Meet the Men who Sailed the Seas by John Dyment

Boys and Girls of Colonial Days by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey

Seaman’s Journal by Patricia Reeder Eubank

Meet the North American Indians by Elizabeth Payne

Wagons Over the Mountains by Edith McCall

Meet the Pilgrim Fathers by Elizabeth Payne

Meet George Washington by Joan Heilbroner

Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan

 DD13 – Voracious Reader, reads at 10th grade level. She will read more than this. These are related to her history studies. I will likely add more. 

• Eagle of the Ninth, The Silver Branch, and The Lantern Bearers all by Rosemary Sutcliff
• The Centurion, Horned Helmets, The Queen’s Brooch, and Viking’s Dawn all by Henry Treece
• Lucius, and Three Greek Children, by Alfred Church
• The Spartan, Forgotten Daughter, and The White Isle all by Caroline Dale Snedeker

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I like variety. I choose from here or there and make a list. Some are related to history, many are not. I pull some that I esp want to read with them. There’s no right or wrong with it, just pick a few good ones and go from there.