Reading Aloud

I began reading chapter books to Delaney in December. It's so important to read to your kids...it builds their desire to learn how to read, improves imagination, teaches vocabulary, improves grammar...I could go on for a long time. We read short books all the time, but I decided to see if Delaney had the patience to listen to a whole chapter with few pictures. We started with "Because of Winn-Dixie", which she loved. When I read aloud to her, I read a chapter, and then we talk about it. She asks about anything that she is interested in, or has questions about, and I ask her comprehension questions to make sure she is understanding the story. She amazes me with her ability to understand and empathize with the characters.

I chose to read the first Laura Ingalls Wilder book, "Little House in the Big Woods", to her this month. I absolutely loved the Little House series when I was young and read everything I could find that Laura Ingalls Wilder had written. I still love the stories as an adult, and was excited to share them with Delaney. We are almost to the end of the book after 2 weeks of reading, and we are both hooked. Hailey listened with Delaney during chapters 1 & 2, and decided to read the book herself for her monthly novel for Language Arts. She is currently about 1/4 of the way through the second book, "Little House on the Prairie". I am so glad that she is reading them with us...they are WONDERFUL.

Delaney is so interested in the characters and the facets of their life in the Big Woods, like hunting, making butter, butchering, sewing...all of the things that we take for granted in our modern lives. She talks about it all the time, and we play "Mary and Laura" a lot. Since it has been so nice outside, we pretended that the playhouse was our House in the Big Woods. I was Laura, she was Mary and Sophie was Baby Carrie. :) Then Delaney was Ma for a little while, too.

She drew a picture of Pa with chalk.

I found some fun printables at www.LapbookLessons.com for Little House in the Big Woods. Delaney colored the logs brown with a little blue, and we talked about how the heat from the fire can turn wood different colors, then she marble painted the logs. She hadn't done that before, and thought it was pretty fun. We are going to try to make butter with heavy cream. I wish I knew of someone that has a butter churn. I think she would really like to see what a real one looks like!

She is reading really well independently now, and it is definitely her favorite activity. She made herself a little reading pit the other day and it kept her comfy and busy for a long time.

I'm so glad she is growing into a little book worm!