Name: Spreading the Feast Gathering
Start: 2025-07-11T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-07-12T23:59:59-05:00
Location: LaGrange, KY

This topic has 4 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 12 years, 6 months ago by jmac17.

Viewing 5 posts - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)

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November 22, 2012 at 12:55 pm
Anonymous
Inactive
Hi potpourri,
My kids are a bit younger than yours- 4.5yo and 3.5 yo. I have at least one “literature” book set aside that I pull out to read a new one each week, and then we do a lot more reading- things they (or I) choose at the library or from our home book shelves.
November 23, 2012 at 12:56 pm
Tristan
Participant
If you’re working with the read aloud list from Simply Charlotte Mason for the early years you’ll see that age 5 (which is my guess for your K age child) lists only 18 books. Its here: http://simplycharlottemason.com/planning/eyguide/eyreadalouds/
Some are chapter books you would need to read for a while to finish (ex: Little House in the Big Woods).
Here are my thoughts:
Read aloud every day! If that means you’re reading a picture book each day or on the other hand you may be working through a chapter book a bit at a time. Do what works for you. It really depends on you and your child what you decide to read or how much you read.
At my house we’ve got 7 children and we do a lot of reading aloud. It is really important to us and we’ve been reading aloud since my oldest was born. Right now we read one literature book aloud daily, scriptures, a poem, and then something for history or science. For my K child he’s already reading chapter books well on his own (he taught himself,most of my kids aren’t reading at that age, he started reading at 3 on his own). So he reads a lot of books just because he wants to. Then I have stacks of books I read to the younger kids and he can join in those (he has3 younger siblings and 3 older). Then the kids have one book going as an audio book each day (during quiet time and bedtime).
What we read as ourfamily read aloud varies in level. We’ve done short chapter books and full-length classics. This month we are reading fairy tales. Last month was The Story Girl by LM Montgomery. Next up – I don’t know! I’m narrowing it down right now.
Do what works for you!
November 23, 2012 at 6:56 pm
Tristan
Participant
It’s 100% okay if he struggles with listening to chapter books at his age! A few thoughts related to that – if you’re wanting to try a chapter book choose a great one that you think will appeal to him. Then read it for just 5 or 10minutes each day during mealtime. If his mouth is full and his hands are busy he just might listen long enough to get hooked on the story. Once he’s hooked it is easier to read at other times when he’ll need to sit nearby and be relatively quiet while he plays so he can still listen. There is nothing that says you can’t read a chapter book just a few pages at a time!
Ideas for picture books that are not all short board books – what about checking the past Caldecott Medal winners and honorees? My library has these allon a set of shelves so they are easy to find. Titles we’ve loved from there include:
Me … Jane, written and illustrated by Patrick McDonnell
Abraham Lincoln by Ingri & Edgar Parin d’Aulaire (and any others by the D’Aulaires)
Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
Yonie Wondernose by Marguerite de Angeli
Castle by David Macaulay
Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg
Snowflake Bentley, Illustrated by Mary Azarian, text by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
Hopefully those ideas get your gears turning!
November 23, 2012 at 11:07 pm
sheraz
Participant
Another suggestion for wonderful pictures books that aren’t board books are the book lists for Five in a Row and a resource I just looked up (and now want, lol) mentioned on that other thread you asked about Catholics. We do not necessarily use the FIAR curriculum, but their books choices are great. Here are the FIAR book lists:
FIAR Reading List
Before FIAR

__Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear?
__Yellow Ball
__My Blue Boat
__The Little Rabbit
__Ask Mr. Bear
__Blueberries For Sal
__Goodnight Moon
__The Big Green Pocketbook
__The Runaway Bunny
__The ABC Bunny
__If Jesus Came to My House
__Caps for Sale
__The Carrot Seed
__The Snowy Day
__The Quiet Way Home
__Play With Me
__Prayer for a Child
__I Am an Artist
__Angus Lost
__Katy No-Pocket
__We’re Going On a Bear Hunt
__The Red Carpet
__Corduroy
__Jenny’s Surprise Summer

FIAR #1
__The Story About Ping*
__Lentil
__Madeline*
__A Pair of Red Clogs
__The Rag Coat
__Who Owns the Sun?
__Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
__The Glorious Flight
__How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World
__Grandfather’s Journey
__Cranberry Thanksgiving
__Another Celebrated Dancing Bear
__Papa Piccolo
__Very Last First Time
__The Clown of God
__Storm in the Night
__Katy and the Big Snow
__Night of the Moonjellies
__Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

FIAR #2
__The Giraffe That Walked to Paris*
__Three Names
__Wee Gillis
__Owl Moon
__A New Coat for Anna
__Mrs. Katz and Tush
__Mirette on the High Wire
__They Were Strong and Good
__Babar, To Duet or Not to Duet
__The Story of Ferdinand
__Down, Down the Mountain
__Make Way for Ducklings
__The Tale of Peter Rabbit
__Mr. Gumpy’s Motor Car
__All Those Secrets of the World
__Miss Rumphius
__The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray __Bridge Follow the Drinking Gourd
__Harold and the Purple Crayon
__When I Was Young in the Mountains*
__Gramma’s Walk

FIAR #3

__The Bee Tree
__Andy and the Circus
__The Wild Horses of Sweetbriar
__Paul Revere’s Ride
__Henry the Castaway
__The Finest Horse in Town
__Truman’s Aunt Farm
__The Duchess Bakes a Cake
__Andy and the Lion
__Daniel’s Duck
__Warm as Wool
__The Salamander Room
__Climbing Kansas Mountains
__Amber on the Mountain
__Little Nino’s Pizzeria
* See additional books for this title in the Supplemental List

FIAR #4
__Roxaboxen
__The Raft
__Mailing May
__Snowflake Bentley
__The Gullywasher
__Arabella
__Higgins Bend Song and Dance
__Cowboy Charlie
__Grass Sandals
__Albert
__The Hickory Chair
__Hanna’s Cold Winter
__The Hatmaker’s Sign
__The Pumpkin Runner
__Angelo

BEYOND FIAR
Volume 1:
__The Boxcar Children
__Homer Price
__Thomas Edison, Young Inventor
__Betsy Ross, Designer of Our Flag

Volume 2:
__Sarah Plain and Tall
__Skylark
__The Story of George Washington
__Helen Keller

Volume 3:
__The Cricket In Times Square
__The Saturdays
__Neil Armstrong — Young Flyer
__Marie Curie-And The Discovery of Radium

Above and Beyond FIAR:
__Hitty: Her First Hundred Years

Additional Enrichment FIAR
__My Rows and Piles of Coins
__Bintou’s Braids
__The Butter Man
__Silent Music
__Monsoon
__The Firekeeper’s Son
__Mia’s Story
__Cocoa Ice
__Jingle Dancer
__Buffalo Song
__Calling the Doves

Supplemental List

Madeline
__Madeline’s Rescue
__Madeline and the Gypsies
__Adele and Simon
__Everybody Bonjours!
__Belinda in Paris
__The Inside-Outside Book of Paris
__The Cat Who Walked Across Paris
When I Was Young in the Mountains
__In Coal Country
__Night in the Country
__Kindle Me a Riddle: A Pioneer Story
__That Book Woman
__Appalachia: The Voice of Sleeping Birds
__Mary On Horseback: Three Mountain Stories
__Snakes
__Slinky, Scaly, Slithery Snakes
The Giraffe Who Walked to Paris
__Zarafa: The Giraffe Who Walked to the King
__America’s First Elephant
__Big Max and the Case of the Missing Giraffe
__How Big Is It? A Big Book All About Bigness
__Chee-Lin: A Giraffe’s Journey
__The Warm Place
The Story About Ping
__Daisy Comes Home
__The Seven Chinese Sisters
__Angus and the Ducks
__Little Pear
__Ducks Don’t Get Wet
__Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats: A Treasury of Chines Holiday Tales, Activities & Recipes
I cut and pasted that from my documents so I apologize for any spacing/italics issues. I put the little line in fromt of them so as I get them I can mark it. Another way to use those lines is to jot down the dates the books were read. HTH
November 24, 2012 at 2:02 am
jmac17
Participant
My kids are 7, 5, and 3. We do many of our preschool read alouds at bedtime. Every time we are at the library (about every 2 weeks), DD3 chooses 3 or 4 books, just randomly off the shelf. The older two are both reading, so they pick their own books, approved by Mom. Little Sis needs to be like them, so I let her pick some too. Then I pick a whole stack, often ones that I put on hold beforehand. All the books go into the library basket by the couch, and each night DD3 chooses one book, DS5 chooses one, then I choose one. The books DD3 picked at the library usually get read once, then taken back to the library. The quality books get read over and over and usually the kids insist on renewing them. Then we do a longer book (The E.B. White books have been favourites), or an audio book (We’re listening to Narnia right now.) DD3 usually stays just for a before-bed cuddle, but that means of course that she is hearing the book too. DD5 sometimes stays to listen to the longer books, and sometimes just goes to read his own books in bed (Narnia isn’t catching his attention right now, but DD7 loves it).
We love the picture books of fairy tales, especially reading different culture’s versions of the same stories. They tend to have more text per page than some of the other picture books, so they are a good transition to listening to longer stories, but still with pictures. We have also used all the suggestions from SCM and AO for this age level. There are several that have chapters, but still a few pictures. They help in developing the listening skills as well. Winnie the Pooh and Paddington Bear are the first ones that come to mind.
When we read during the day, I let the children do something quiet while they listen (colouring, puzzles, stringing beads, etc.) DD7 actually narrates better when her hands are busy while she listens.
Joanne