Wonderful compilation of strategies and ideas Kerri! I especially like the curated book box that Sarah Clarkson's parents used. Preparing the reading boxes for my kids had always been a highlight for the start of the school year, and you've offered me lots of new inspiration here. Thanks also for the mention - I'll add your post here to the "further reading" links :)
Ruth can say more about how she uses them in her home, but usually a book box is a box or basket of books that have been curated for a particular child. How they use it depends on the method you set, like I shared in this piece - some use it at random, and some use it in a particular order.
We have a veritable library in our home where all kids can cruise the shelves. In addition to that I prepare a specific reading box, ours happen to be 12 by 7 inch fabric boxes, containing all the titles to be read for the coming months as part of their school work.
This is all so true! Part of my attitude towards it all, is that if they truly live with learning and books as part of their lives they don't have to absorb or "get" everything on the first go around. I want them to read picture books, fairy tales, then the classics, and even if they don't remember them, the books and stories have been with them for so long that when they encounter them again they'll recognize them at the very least. Or at least that's what I'm telling myself as I begin packing what must be thousands of books in this very tiny house. And I'm not giving any away!
I was chatting to friends recently and saying that even if a two year old doesn’t consciously remember the art or stories, all that goodness is soaking into her somehow- and worth doing just for that!
We might be moving to a cottage… I have no idea what we’re going to do with all our books 😅
Love the bathroom tip!! My mom had a bible verse (“she is not afraid of the snow for her household”) in our bathroom…and I still remember it hahah!
The binge reading vacation sounds DREAMY. 100% going to suggest to Matthew that we do this.
And never announcing something as being “educational” - I’m so there 😂 When I tutored I would suggest activities for parents to do with their children to help them with certain skills, and it was always with some horror that I would later discover they had done the activity, but introduced it to their child with “now we’re going to bake some cookies, so you can get better at maths for your test”🤦🏻♀️
Also…even though this wasn’t parentally planned, my brother learned braille because it was in a Pokémon game as a code to decipher 😅 He probably went overboard, but he had fun.
Braille in Pokémon- who knew? That’s a great tip. I think making learning fun (and not in an announcement kind of way!) is really key. I’m not a fan of video games, but I’ve heard that something like Minecraft does impart certain skills.
This is a great post! We do a lot of these already but the "Use the spaces they're already in" is not one I've thought about enough. I'm planning to hang more poetry in my bathrooms! :)
It just made me remember that my friend's family used to have laminated maps hanging in the shower for some passive geography education haha. The possibilities for this kind of informal learning are endless.
I love the idea of strewing and it is exactly how I teach parents to encourage independent play. Intentionally strewing intentional play materials gets kids playing! It can be very simple. For an 8 year old, for example, try putting out some beads, string and scissors on the kitchen table without saying a word. For the littler ones, a lump of playdough with a few figurines on a child sized table in the kitchen. If you walked into my home right now, you'd find a bowl small colorful connectors. Everyone who sits down there can't help themselves but to play. Even the teens and adults. Thanks for the great article.
This is a great idea! I hadn't thought much about intentionally strewing play materials, but it's a wonderful idea. I actually just read something similar about hospitality - how it can be a nice thing to leave out a puzzle or little blocks or other manipulatives so that people (of any age!) feel like they have something to "do". I've noticed how often people want to help with things like chopping veg or setting the table - it's like we're all a little more comfortable if our hands have a bit of 'work' to do.
Do you have any links to things like the connectors (or others) that you mentioned?
Last year we began an annual family “jolabokaflod” (Icelandic book flood) on New Year’s Eve, getting new books for all the children and letting them stay up until past midnight reading. They absolutely loved it and a (very popular) new family tradition was born.
That sounds wonderful! I remember an episode of Read Aloud Revival talking about this idea. What a perfectly calm way to ring in the New Year :) Thanks for sharing it!
It may have started out calm…but as the clock ticked down to midnight they had long since set their books aside in favor of…more rowdy activities. Ha! It was great, though.
I did "reading parties" with my kids when they were little! I called them that, too! Mom sits and reads her book and you sit by me and read YOUR book. They loved it! I need to bring it back. The idea of my kids being older and us all going to a park (or a hotel!) and reading all day sounds incredible. I audibly gasped.
It's so true that modeling a learning as just life is so much more effective than "teaching" them things. No one wants to be "taught" too badly; but we do all innately want to learn.
Thanks, Dixie! I'm glad to highlight some new strategies - and yes, a binge-reading vacation does sound dreamy! Sometimes my husband and I bring a read-aloud book when we go on vacation, and it's always a fun thing to enjoy, when, for instance, sitting by the sea. :)
Wonderful compilation of strategies and ideas Kerri! I especially like the curated book box that Sarah Clarkson's parents used. Preparing the reading boxes for my kids had always been a highlight for the start of the school year, and you've offered me lots of new inspiration here. Thanks also for the mention - I'll add your post here to the "further reading" links :)
Thank you, Ruth! It's an honor to be able to offer some inspiration to a seasoned home educator.
I've only become "seasoned" because I continue to get inspired by the people and ideas I encounter :)
What is a book box? Is it in lieu of a shelf and they can only read what’s on top?
Ruth can say more about how she uses them in her home, but usually a book box is a box or basket of books that have been curated for a particular child. How they use it depends on the method you set, like I shared in this piece - some use it at random, and some use it in a particular order.
We have a veritable library in our home where all kids can cruise the shelves. In addition to that I prepare a specific reading box, ours happen to be 12 by 7 inch fabric boxes, containing all the titles to be read for the coming months as part of their school work.
This is all so true! Part of my attitude towards it all, is that if they truly live with learning and books as part of their lives they don't have to absorb or "get" everything on the first go around. I want them to read picture books, fairy tales, then the classics, and even if they don't remember them, the books and stories have been with them for so long that when they encounter them again they'll recognize them at the very least. Or at least that's what I'm telling myself as I begin packing what must be thousands of books in this very tiny house. And I'm not giving any away!
I was chatting to friends recently and saying that even if a two year old doesn’t consciously remember the art or stories, all that goodness is soaking into her somehow- and worth doing just for that!
We might be moving to a cottage… I have no idea what we’re going to do with all our books 😅
Love the bathroom tip!! My mom had a bible verse (“she is not afraid of the snow for her household”) in our bathroom…and I still remember it hahah!
The binge reading vacation sounds DREAMY. 100% going to suggest to Matthew that we do this.
And never announcing something as being “educational” - I’m so there 😂 When I tutored I would suggest activities for parents to do with their children to help them with certain skills, and it was always with some horror that I would later discover they had done the activity, but introduced it to their child with “now we’re going to bake some cookies, so you can get better at maths for your test”🤦🏻♀️
Also…even though this wasn’t parentally planned, my brother learned braille because it was in a Pokémon game as a code to decipher 😅 He probably went overboard, but he had fun.
Haha more proof that bathroom exposure works!
Braille in Pokémon- who knew? That’s a great tip. I think making learning fun (and not in an announcement kind of way!) is really key. I’m not a fan of video games, but I’ve heard that something like Minecraft does impart certain skills.
Thanks for the mention!
This is a great post! We do a lot of these already but the "Use the spaces they're already in" is not one I've thought about enough. I'm planning to hang more poetry in my bathrooms! :)
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I hope your kids enjoy more poetry in the lav, too :)
It just made me remember that my friend's family used to have laminated maps hanging in the shower for some passive geography education haha. The possibilities for this kind of informal learning are endless.
Haha that’s great!
I love the idea of strewing and it is exactly how I teach parents to encourage independent play. Intentionally strewing intentional play materials gets kids playing! It can be very simple. For an 8 year old, for example, try putting out some beads, string and scissors on the kitchen table without saying a word. For the littler ones, a lump of playdough with a few figurines on a child sized table in the kitchen. If you walked into my home right now, you'd find a bowl small colorful connectors. Everyone who sits down there can't help themselves but to play. Even the teens and adults. Thanks for the great article.
This is a great idea! I hadn't thought much about intentionally strewing play materials, but it's a wonderful idea. I actually just read something similar about hospitality - how it can be a nice thing to leave out a puzzle or little blocks or other manipulatives so that people (of any age!) feel like they have something to "do". I've noticed how often people want to help with things like chopping veg or setting the table - it's like we're all a little more comfortable if our hands have a bit of 'work' to do.
Do you have any links to things like the connectors (or others) that you mentioned?
Last year we began an annual family “jolabokaflod” (Icelandic book flood) on New Year’s Eve, getting new books for all the children and letting them stay up until past midnight reading. They absolutely loved it and a (very popular) new family tradition was born.
That sounds wonderful! I remember an episode of Read Aloud Revival talking about this idea. What a perfectly calm way to ring in the New Year :) Thanks for sharing it!
It may have started out calm…but as the clock ticked down to midnight they had long since set their books aside in favor of…more rowdy activities. Ha! It was great, though.
Haha! That’s good to know in case others trying it experience the same :)
I did "reading parties" with my kids when they were little! I called them that, too! Mom sits and reads her book and you sit by me and read YOUR book. They loved it! I need to bring it back. The idea of my kids being older and us all going to a park (or a hotel!) and reading all day sounds incredible. I audibly gasped.
It's so true that modeling a learning as just life is so much more effective than "teaching" them things. No one wants to be "taught" too badly; but we do all innately want to learn.
Reading parties for the win! This seems to be a dreamy idea for a lot of moms… maybe we need to start a movement :)
These are such great ideas! I have heard of the cliffhanger and strewing, but not of the others. A weekend reading binge "vacation" sounds amazing!!
Thanks, Dixie! I'm glad to highlight some new strategies - and yes, a binge-reading vacation does sound dreamy! Sometimes my husband and I bring a read-aloud book when we go on vacation, and it's always a fun thing to enjoy, when, for instance, sitting by the sea. :)
I’m grateful to have good strategies to share!