Afraid I'll miss some Read Alouds

[mamanlait]

After leaving a different "literature-rich" curriculum I'm feeling like I need to supplement with more historical fiction so I don't miss out on some of the great books. I don't believe I'm feeling this for competitive reasons...I just like reading lots of books. I'm not sure I'll ever feel satisfied that we are doing enough! It's not that we aren't reading great ones now, I just want to read ALL of the good ones!

Anybody feel similarly? We have *loved* Tirzah (Preparing) and we're sad to be finishing. Anybody feel similarly?

By the way, if anyone is looking for a VERY engaging Advent read aloud, Bartholomew's Passage is wonderful (but scary for younger than 8-9 year olds). I highly recommend it!

Thanks,
Amy

dd 8.5 (Preparing)
dd 5 (LHTH)

[3musketeers]

Hi Amy,

I am a children's literature junky. I do identify with your feeling of not being able to get enough. There are too many good books out there and not enough time .

We also switched from a curriculum that had us reading more books in one year. I have to admit that, even for this childrens book addict, I am loving the switch. I feel like with HOD we are able to actually sink our teeth into a book, take the book in smaller chunks, and have the opportunity to savor. Before I felt so much like we were craming so much into our heads that we might explode. But the other wondrful thing about HOD is that since it is so flexible there is time to add other books. My kiddos are reading some of the D'aulaire books right along side our Bigger american history this year and they fit perfectly. My ds has finished several DITHOR books and projects early. This year he was shocked he got a little break. There was time for free reading or another quick book between (but he took the break ). Last night we were only supposed to read 1 chp. of Justin Morgan and we read three (they begged).

I think HOD has so many great books and Carrie has done such an awesome job in her choices. I wouldn't feel like you are not getting enough school wise. My friends who have children in private or public school may read 2-3 whole living books a year. They use mostly textbooks with snipets of good books or text written by some education "expert" somewhere. With HOD you are breathing in the sweet aroma of living books all year long. But if it's that you and dc love to read and have a craving for more, I think HOD allows you to fit in extra without feeling guilty if you don't get to it. For this book lover I had to finally admit each dc wasn't going to be able to read all the great things that are out there. But we got a great head start .
Sounds like your family does too.

Fellow literature lover,
Cindy

[juliekay]

[quote="mamanlait"]I just like reading lots of books. I'm not sure I'll ever feel satisfied that we are doing enough! It's not that we aren't reading great ones now, I just want to read ALL of the good ones!
Thanks,
Amy

Dear Amy,
We also love LOVE books. That's one of the reasons why I like HOD so much. It gives us great books for our immediate curriculum - both fictional and non-fictional, but it also allows me to add books. This way you can look at what those other literature rich curriculum's offer and choose a book one of their recommended books from your library, but still stick to your HOD schedule. I don't know about you, but my "other" literature rich curriculum overwhelmed us with books AND we LOVE books. We are also doing Preparing - gobbling up all the books in the program, but we've also added some wonderful books on tape and extra read-alouds that I am afraid that I never would have had the opportunity to do if I were still using a literature rich curriculum!
Here's what we have added this year:
The Mysterious Benedict Society (audio)
Keeping Holiday - great allegory concerning redemption via Christmas!
FIAR books for my 8 yr. old and 4 yr. old
Wise Words - Family stories based on a moral via Proverbs. Excellent.
The Kingdom Series by Chuck Black (audio)
Each of my older children have also added to their own reading via DITHR and their own choices. We have also read Jothom's Journey and Bartholomew's Passage - yes, scary, but for boys 8 & up - excellent thriller centered around the birth of Christ!
I just love the freedom that I now have to add on the books that I want to read-aloud! Have fun READING!

[mamanlait]

Thank you, Ladies! Your responses to my post were very helpful! If nothing else, I now know what to call myself (a children's literature junkie .

I sooo want to stay away from "school at home" and teach in a natural environment. I worry sometimes that HOD provides so much in terms of comprehension that I'm not allowing my child to develop a love for what is being studied...but retention would certainly be lacking if comprehension questions and pre-set projects weren't completed. That Montessori mom in me is coming through strongly, I guess, where we are expected to trust that a child will learn from their environment (as long as it's a nurturing one).

I believe that reading aloud and to oneself provides such a natural and intuitive way of learning. I think HOD does provide this, especially with the use of the Extension packages. I think I'll either be adding more literature during my journey with HOD or adding a lot of the comprehension and hands on (and Bible and Poetry and .... ) should I ever journey with another literature only curriculum. It's nice to hear from those who have done both and what others have experienced.

Thanks to Juliekay for the literature suggestions! It's always good to add more books on my wish list My thoughts are a bit scattered tonight...but I appreciate your thoughtful replies.

God Bless,
Amy