My husband and I spent three glorious nights in New York City last week. I will be posting a blog series about Ironic Travails (or something more witty than that working title).
While we were gone, my mother-in-law looked after Vivian and William. Before my husband and I left Calgary, I recorded the next three chapters in the book we’re reading aloud, Sea of Monsters (Book 2 of the Percy Jackson series).
It worked fine.
Then this weekend, I was reminded what it’s like to read aloud to my kids in real time.
I also remembered that I posted about this same thing two years ago.
Not much has changed.
From the archives then…
Now that my kids are six years old, I have the pleasure of reading chapter books to them. No more reciting the same picture book over and over again until I’m tempted to bash my head through my kids’ black-out-blinds in search of sharp glass.
Lately, I’ve been on a Roald Dahl kick. He’s hilarious, his books read well aloud, and there’s some adult-level humour. James and the Giant Peach is the book we’re reading now. I especially enjoy doing the voices: the centipede speaks with a snooty BBC accent, and the earthworm sounds vaguely like Grandpa on the Munsters.
Generally I enjoy this readers’ theatre, and Vivian and William are attentive. But not last night. Maybe it was the Valentine’s Day candy. Maybe there was a full moon somewhere in the universe. Maybe the plastic from the Tupperware glasses finally leached into their brains. Whatever the cause, Vivian and William were rambunctious. They didn’t interrupt me, but rather did things that caused me to interrupt myself.
This is how story time went.
Read, read, read.
Read, read, read.
Read, read, read.
Read, read, read.
Read, read, read.
Read, read, read.
What books have you read aloud to your kids?
What books did your parents read aloud to you?
My twins are still in the “I’d rather eat the book than read the book” phase. I cannot wait for chapter books! P.s. your kids singing “Born to be Wild”, officially means you’ve succeeded at parenting. Rock on young twins! Rock on!
Ha. William said last week, “That song never gets old.”
Currently I am trying to read books that involve speaking a low monotone and induce deep sleep. Seriously though, we’re reading Kidnapped. So I get to put on a cool Scottish accent also peppered with, “No, I don’t know if he wore boxers under his kilt” and so on.
My dad read Kidnapped to me and and wonderfully thrilling dramatic poetry like The Highwayman. And other great classics like Kim. He is a fantastic storyteller.
I’ve never read Kidnapped, but The Highwayman has such an intoxicating rhythm. Must go back and reread.
I still love the HIghwayman. Kidnapped is a wonderful adventure story. Robert Louis Stevenson – pirates and cutlasses and shipwrecks. Brilliant.
My mom would interrupt herself while reading to us, too. She’d fall asleep, book still in hand. All 4 of us would look at each other wondering what to do…
…to her while she slept.
There were 4 of you? No wonder why she fell asleep.
That was my dad reading to us. I can still hear his drowsy version of “When Fred Was Sick in Bed”.
There was a time when both my kids went through the “dinosaur” stage, around 5 years old. EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT. it was the SAME DINOSAUR BOOK!!!! “SHOOT ME NOW!!!” was all I could think of. We would read another type of book but it was always back to that same book about dinosaurs. Needless to say I knew more about dinosaurs then, then I did when I was in school. Repetition is definitely the key to learning.
Oh, those rereads are horrible. When my kids were younger, I’d recycle some of the “horribly written” books they liked. I just couldn’t read them anymore. And I wasn’t about to donate them to inflict on some other parent…
But misery loves company! I would have donated them all!! 🙂
Ha. You’re evil. Love it.
We’re at the peak of story interrupting with our almost 2 year old. He gets his own reading time (to spare his life and the sanity of his brothers).
I never really thought of the implications of reading aloud with kids of different ages…
Funny stuff! AWESOME idea about recording yourself reading the books you and the twins are enjoying together. I may steal that one (if the Missus and I ever get away ALONE some time!).
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Steal away. And get away! It’s so awesome…
I’ve been reading Harry Potter books to #5 since they came to live with us. Since I’m only home 2 or 3 nights a week, and he used to have the attention span of a gnat, we’re only up to book 4. He’s much better now and most nights I can read a whole chapter. Last night he interrupted me three times to show me the various incarnations of a Narwhal that he was sculpting out of Silly Putty.
The theatre life! (American translation: The theater life!) 😉
I think I love #5.
Very fun and they sound energetic! Just what you want right before bed. I read a bunch of Nancy Drew and other mysteries found at a garage sale and The Secret Garden. But we always read at night until they had too much of their own reading to do…
We are planning on moving them into separate bedrooms. Soon-ish. Maybe…
my “horrible reread” – book for 3 years (between the age of 2 and a half and 5): Richard Scarrys “Cars and trucks and things that go” . Nevertheless, my son didn’t become a mechanic…
William loved that book. But (thankfully) he *read* it on his own.
Both my kids read to them self now..well my oldest dose, I’m not sure about my youngest as she not much of a reader. With both being in the bubble numbers their to old for mommy to read to them unless it’s “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” on Christmas eve. LOL
Thought when my son was younger he had two fav’t book both by Dr. Seuss “The B book” and “Bears at Night”. To this day I can almost say the whole “The B Book” by heart and he’s teen now.
Why is it that we can remember the words of those books but not where we put our keys?
You know I never thought of that…LOL
I am still in the picture book stage, but the interruptions are the same. I was laughing and reading your post to my husband. We are both grateful to know we’re not alone on that front!
A comedy of errors, that’s for sure!
Thanks for a view into family life, LMAO.
Your archives rule, Leanne!
I love that you are still reading aloud with your kids every night and that you even prerecorded when you went out of town. You’re a great mom!
I love reading aloud to my kids. Eliza and I have read a few chapter books together so far, but The Hobbit has been the most memorable. My stepdad read that to me when I was 6 years old, so reading it to my 5 year old has been really great. Bonus that she loves the story, too!
I don’t remember my mom reading aloud to me, I’m sure she did. Funny what you do and don’t remember. Right now we are reading Spider-Man and Batman and Superman. Riveting!
When my mom used to read to me, I’d go find the book and read ahead. It drove her crazy but I just couldn’t wait!
I meant to ask my Grandma if I could record her reading aloud, but I never got around to it. Wish I had..
We read aloud every night. We are currently reading Lord of the Rings to my oldest, Robert Munch to the Middle and Sandra Boynton to the youngest.