I think these Monday reading posts are going to become my favorite ones to write.
I’ve been thinking over the last few days about why I am so passionate about reading to my kids, and I guess there are a couple of reasons. I’ll discuss the first one today, and it pertains to my career. Prior to being a stay at home mom, I taught developmental English at a community college. Developmental courses are for students who aren’t quite ready to take the standard freshman level courses. I absolutely adored my job. I loved getting to know my students, and I loved helping them develop confidence. That’s what they lacked the most — the confidence to actually put themselves out there and work their hardest at something they weren’t always so successful with.
Each week, I would have my students write a journal entry, and I would usually start out by asking them what their favorite book is and how they feel about reading. In an average class, I might have one student who enjoyed reading, and they were usually pretty adamant that they don’t read “smart” books.
As an English instructor, this obviously always bothered me. I think if a person finds books that suit them and their interests and they don’t put pressure on themselves to read at a certain speed or at a certain vocabulary level (which many reluctant readers do) then anyone can love reading. The problem is that these people were never taught how to love reading. They weren’t read to often as children, and then when they got to school, reading became a chore and a chore that they may not have been very good at due to how little experience they had with it.
And so I vowed that when I had kids, the number one thing I would do to set them off on the right foot academically would be to instill in them a love of reading. I believe the passion for reading must come before the mechanics of reading. So we read all sorts of books – picture books, lift the flap books, seek and find books, series books, classic books, even Disney princess books which are lowest on my list of books I enjoy. We read anything and everything. I often like giving them total control over what we read so they really can focus on their passions and they can truly enjoy it and feel free to follow their hearts when it comes to reading material, but I also like to sometimes pick books that they wouldn’t ordinarily pick out so that they, too, can find the joy in reading books that they might not otherwise think they would like. There is no such thing as a “smart” book or a “dumb” book. Reading isn’t about impressing people. Yes, we want to grow from the books we read and push ourselves, but this must be balanced with reading that is done just because it is fun.
What are your goals when you read with your children? What types of books do you usually prefer? What books do they prefer?
For my spotlight book of the week, I’m going to choose Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert. Magoo and I bought this book about a year and a half ago when I thought that perhaps she should get to know some more about science. We don’t have a place where we can easily grow a garden in our yard, and I was a bit disappointed that she wouldn’t get to experience that first hand at this point in her life. So the next best thing was to get a book about gardens.
This books is beautifully illustrated, and it presents the process of growing flowers. It also has illustrations and labels dozens of different types of flowers. I think I’m learning just as much as she is. But the thing I enjoy most about this book is how it shows the whole process of planting and growing as being fun, exciting, and almost whimsical. It glorifies the process and helps the reader see the beauty and the miracle in it. And perhaps that’s more for the adults than for the children because children are usually able to see the miracle in anything.
There are a number of fun and educational activities you could do in conjunction with reading this book. I bought a little pot with some forget me not seeds from Target for $1.00, and we are going to plant them and watch them grow. If you don’t have room for a garden and don’t want to grow indoors, you could also take a trip to an arboretum or park and look at all the flowers and label them. We live out in the country, so whenever we pass farms, we look at how the crops are growing, and we discuss what they need to grow and thrive. Note — three year olds tend to think the idea of fertilizer (cow poop!!) is absolutely hysterical.
As I said, Magoo and I have been reading this book since she was about 2 1/2. The book was at a great level for her then as it is now. She loves learning the names of the flowers and reading through the process. I am guessing she will be interested in this book for at least a couple more years, and I’m thinking the Goose will probably start getting into it even earlier than 2 1/2. The illustrations are just fabulous. All in all, I highly recommend it. You will learn as much as your children!