Imagine my surprise when I decided to take a peak at my blog and saw that people are still reading it even though I haven't blogged in almost two years!
I hope those who have been reading it have found it useful. I also hope you stick around because I've decided to bring it back!
I truly enjoyed blogging but wasn't able to find the time to keep up with it. Hopefully I won't have that problem this time.
To start, how about a brief update on the family?
Bryce is now 10 years old, Noah is seven and Abbie is five.
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| Recent picture of the tribe on a mini photo shoot during one of the hottest days of the summer. |
I am no longer babysitting. Eric has completed his degree in Computer Engineering and is looking to start on his Masters in November. We have added two more cats (Gracie and Eleanor) to our family. We've also moved since I stopped blogging. We are in the same town, just further away from city limits.
Our 2013-2014 school year is starting up September 2nd so I am busy prepping. I decided to not only change ALL of our curriculum but to also write my own unit study....apparently, I think I need a challenge. :-D We still homeschool all year long, taking breaks whenever we need them.
Today I've been working on reading lists, primarily for Bryce. He is going into the 5th grade and currently reads at a 7th grade level. He loves to read! I've always heard it can be difficult to foster a love of reading in boys (it has proven true for Noah) but that has never been the case for Bryce. The problem is that he likes the books he likes and doesn't often read anything new. In order to expose him to a wider variety of books and language, I am choosing the books he reads for his required reading.
Bryce's Reading List (2013-2014)
Bridge to Terabithia
Number the Stars
Island of Blue Dolphins
Zia
Inkheart/Inkspell
Hatchet
The Hobbit
LOTR Series
Over Sea, Under Stone
The Chronicles of Prydain
Holes
A Wrinkle in Time
Because of Winn Dixie
The Sign of the Beaver
The Tale of Despereaux
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
The Whipping Boys
The Chronicles of Narnia
The Diary of Anne Frank
The Devil’s Arithmetic
Old Yeller
Tuck Everlasting
Series of Unfortunate Events
Wayside School
Tom Sawyer
The Coffin Quilt
The Good Earth
Where the Red Fern Grows
The Wind in the Willows
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Harriet Tubman
The Raven
The Grimm Legacy
Treasure Island
Call It Courage
The Dark is Rising
The Notorious Benedict Arnold
Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Wildwood Chronicles
Indian in the Cupboard
The Giver
The City of Ember
The Watsons’ Go to Birmingham
Now, some of you are probably thinking I've lost my mind but you have to remember this is a child who loves to read and I have no doubt that he will be able to complete this list in a year. I would never put a list like this in front of a reluctant reader as I believe it would do more harm than good.
Some of you may be wondering why I have books listed that are below his reading level. This is because I believe these books are valuable for a variety of reasons and I want all of my children exposed to them.
I hope everyone has a great day and I hope that you enjoy reading my blog. If you have any questions/comments, please feel free to post them.
Bridge to Terabithia
Number the Stars
Island of Blue Dolphins
Zia
Inkheart/Inkspell
Hatchet
The Hobbit
LOTR Series
Over Sea, Under Stone
The Chronicles of Prydain
Holes
A Wrinkle in Time
Because of Winn Dixie
The Sign of the Beaver
The Tale of Despereaux
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
The Whipping Boys
The Chronicles of Narnia
The Diary of Anne Frank
The Devil’s Arithmetic
Old Yeller
Tuck Everlasting
Series of Unfortunate Events
Wayside School
Tom Sawyer
The Coffin Quilt
The Good Earth
Where the Red Fern Grows
The Wind in the Willows
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Harriet Tubman
The Raven
The Grimm Legacy
Treasure Island
Call It Courage
The Dark is Rising
The Notorious Benedict Arnold
Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Wildwood Chronicles
Indian in the Cupboard
The Giver
The City of Ember
The Watsons’ Go to Birmingham
Now, some of you are probably thinking I've lost my mind but you have to remember this is a child who loves to read and I have no doubt that he will be able to complete this list in a year. I would never put a list like this in front of a reluctant reader as I believe it would do more harm than good.
Some of you may be wondering why I have books listed that are below his reading level. This is because I believe these books are valuable for a variety of reasons and I want all of my children exposed to them.
I hope everyone has a great day and I hope that you enjoy reading my blog. If you have any questions/comments, please feel free to post them.
Some of you may be wondering why I have books listed that are below his reading level. This is because I believe these books are valuable for a variety of reasons and I want all of my children exposed to them.
I love your reading list. The great thing about homeschooling is you know your children, you know when they need to be pushed outside their box and can come up with how.
ReplyDeleteThank you and I agree, I absolutely love being able to customize to fit their needs. :-)
DeleteI love the reading list you created. But just to give you heads up on something I didn't learn until I was an adult The Giver is part of series and the way the book ends you have to read the others to make it make sense.
ReplyDeleteThank you. :-)
ReplyDeleteI discovered the same a few days after completely his reading list.