Reading

The kids have the benefit of seeing Dad and I reading and their big brother reading quite a bit. It's just sort of something we do around here! They all know reading is important and so far the older ones seem to find reading enjoyable. Hopefully the younger kids will as well.

For Social Butterfly, reading is mostly for content at this point. She is a very good reader and reads quite a bit for enjoyment. Her History curriculum requires a lot of reading so it's a good thing she enjoys it. It's not uncommon to find her on the couch or near a sunny window reading one of her books. She also reads out loud to her brothers which is a blessing to me and them. It allows me to get a few things done while they are sitting quietly for a time ... as brief as it may be!

Jetter is still in the learning stage of reading and it's been a challenge for him. He's a real trooper though and keeps on plugging away at it. We started him off with phonics rather intensively. Last year I used many Montessori materials to help him get the sounds of the letters. Tactile letters were very helpful for him. Now he is doing better, combining these sounds into words and remembering many of the common words he reads on a regular basis. Here he is using a device called a "Wispy". It's very simple and I've heard of making them with PVC pipe. It's pretty neat though. He can whisper out loud as he practices his reading. The Wipsy takes the sound directly to his ear to he can hear himself loud and clear. He thinks it's fun so the added bonus is more reading practice time. Currently I am using a series of readers with him called "Little Angel Readers". They come with a workbook as well. He's really enjoying reading as he advances to more difficult levels and is able to find books off the shelves that he can read too.

Builder is at the beginning stages of learning to read. I use a lot of hands on materials for him. Here he is showing off his reading pocket chart. As he learns his sounds he can place a felt object in the pocket that corresponds to that sound.

Here he is with another hands on activity that he enjoys. I also use a series of workbooks for Builder called "Explode the Code". With these workbooks, he is learning about one letter sound per week. He is doing quite well and will be off and reading in no time.

Of course, this wouldn't be complete if we didn't include Night Owl. He still loves reading even though he's not home much.

So from the youngest...

To the oldest >>

We're a family that loves to read!