Reading Prevents Alzheimer's

Probably.

this article about Alzheimer's disease, without being conclusive (because what studies are conclusive), explains that people who read are two and a half times less likely to have Alzheimer's disease, whereas TV watching may actually be a risk factor for getting Alzheimer's.

TV may indeed rot your brain and reading may indeed grow it. Maybe.

If you do decide to be bold and daring and turn off the TV this summer (you won't regret it!), you can use this article as ammunition. You can proclaim this summer an experiment. You can ask them if they can feel their brains growing as they read or play or do other intellectually stimulating activities as opposed to when they used to watch TV and play video games. You could involve them in the process and the decision. You could sit them down and explain to them the benefits of reading and how you want them to live long, satisfied lives. Summer is the chance to separate test scores and multiple-choice questions from reading, because so many kids associate reading with school and school with pressure and tests. How many of our kids associate reading with pleasure and growth?

The one thing I can promise you is this: if you talk to your kids about decisions like this and explain why you are making them, they get it. They understand. My boys do not play any video games whatsoever, and they seem to be the only ones around them who do not, but they never complain. Really. So far. I promise. I am not delusional. Except for sometimes.

So since summer reading should be reading for pleasure, and because I am giving up on the idea of Battle of the Books, this is what my kids are reading right now—for fun:

Mary (nearly 13):

Heist Society by Ally Carter (and its sequels)

and

Family Tree Book #1: Better to Wish by Ann M. Martin (This totally surprised me. She loved it so much, she wanted to see if the next in the series was out yet. This is out of character for this girl who tends to pick up whatever is lying around, start it and not finish it).

Lucy is reading


for this first time. And she's very confused about how the books line up with the movies. But she'll get over it.

Calvin is reading


The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart and its sequels.

Shaemus is reading

Captain Awesome by Stan Kirby

and

Dinosaur Cove by Rex Stone

and (don't tell him I told you this—a girl detective!)

Cinderella Smith by Stephanie Barden

Flannery is loving sticker books by Roger Priddy right now:

Does anyone out there have any really great sticker books to recommend? Our family is going to a family fiddling camp in a little over a week and Flannery and I are going to have lots of staring time at each other while the others are off making music...

Great Book Series for Summer

I get the real sense that most parents are concerned about their kids losing academic ground over the summer. I hear parents describing plans to get their kids reading and writing and doing math wherever I go. This is wonderful! We should be doing this, we should be concerned. I've done these plans before, every year. My Battle of the Books plan is a piece of this.

But I've had a deepening recently. A deepening? you say. What in the heck is that? I don't know, I'm making it up, but I've had several experiences recently that have deepened my belief that the best thing you can do for your kids is to immerse them in whatever you want them to excel at.

If you want your kids to play music, you've got to expose them to music often, regularly, in many different venues. This includes listening at home, concerts, practicing, etc...

If you want your kids to be great at math, you've got to expose them to math. Singapore, a tiny country that can't compete with the US in most areas, kills us every year in math. This is such an amazing phenomenon, entire curriculums have been drawn up to model what Singapore does with math in their schools. But these curriculums haven't helped kids in the US much, because the real truth is, math is part of the culture in Singapore. The children there are such a part of the family economy, they are buying and selling from the time they are preschoolers. How many children in this country reach the age of twelve without really having to deal with money or numbers at all outside of school? Plenty.

If you want your kids to be great at literacy—reading, writing, interpreting data, analyzing, reasoning—you have to immerse them in language.

They have to read, and they have to be engaged in their reading. It has to be a part of your family's fabric. That fabric can look very different from mine—it should—but it needs to be important to everyone.

If you want your kids to be good writers, they have to write, and they HAVE TO READ! (This is a link to an article about Malcom Gladwell's 10,000 hour rule and how it applies to writing)

Lucy has her EOGs next week, and her teacher (who we love) has been sending home practice sheets for the language arts portion of the test. I cannot tell you how ridiculous these questions are. On one of them, she had to read a small passage from The Secret Garden and answer questions pertaining to the passage. The first question was supposed to relate only to the passage, but you couldn't possibly get the answer right unless you knew the entire story. Someone made a mistake somewhere. (This is a link to a question on the NY State tests for 8th graders. It is such a ridiculous question, so impossible to answer, the head of NY State's School board apologized publicly and promised the question would be removed from all future tests. It's about a talking pineapple. Please read it, if only for a laugh.)

All this confuses kids. It frustrates them. My Lucy, who is an excellent reader and writer, is in all the gifted language arts classes, got into a gifted and talented school, was in tears yesterday because some of these questions and passages were so ridiculous. School's today are often ridiculous.

But we have summer to make up for that. We have summer to just read. Read for enjoyment. Read for pleasure. Read to learn. Read to know. Kids still get that. Kids still want that. And it isn't about a test that means nothing and tests nothing.

Reading makes you a better reader. A better scholar. A better thinker. A better interpreter.

So consider this summer, as you are making your plans for your children, simplifying those plans. Consider making this summer a summer about books. Consider turning off the TV! Consider buying a set of books your kids might love. A series.

That's what I've posted down here. Really quite affordable sets of books your kids might love. Bring them in the car on the family trip (and turn off the TV!). Have them spread across the kitchen table throughout the day.

Our children have such a better chance to succeed in this life if they are readers.


Horrible Histories! You can't buy them new on Amazon, but you can get awesome deals on this series on ebay. Same on the series below, Horrible Science. We have both sets and my kids LOVE them. They also make Horrible Maths (the British way of saying Math), and Horrible Geography. I want to get my hands on those...


Do you remember Mother Westwind by Thornton Burgess. I loved these books as a kid, and my kids love them too. They are as plain and simple as anything. No fancy publishing here. They are stories of talking animals living in the forest. Boring sounding, I know, but they are HYSTERICAL! And so well-written. Great language. Short. Easy to digest in one sitting. We bought the whole set from Dover. Twenty-six books for less than fifty dollars.

Candlewick Press publishes my favorite series of nonfiction for younger children. It's called, Read and Wonder, and you can now buy a six book set that includes Audio CDs:

This is such a great series. I love them 100%.

Rainbow Resource is one of my favorite places to buy curriculum and books. It's a homeschool curriculum clearing house, and they have a section on their website called, Library Builders (that's where the above link takes you). You can get great discounts on all kinds of books and series like Mr. Putter and Tabby and The Little House on the Prairie. 

Summer is a great time for series reading! Any other series suggestions???

Great Summer Reading and a Free Book

Summer is infectious. Infectiously wonderful. Especially when you live in a mosquito ridden place and you finally discover that if you actually pay people money to come kill the mosquitoes at your house, the people will come, and they will kill the mosquitoes and you will be

MOSQUITO FREE.

Summer reading has nothing to do with mosquitoes, fortunately, but it is also infectious. Infectious and delicious, and I think lots of kids, if given the right sorts of encouragement, will take it up with vigor. (Can you take reading up with vigor? The answer, I believe, is yes.)

Here are a few delicious summer reading options for your middle grader. 

The Cats of Tanglewood Forest by Charles de Lint

I'm just going to post the reviews of this book here, because I'm not feeling articulate enough to convince you to give this a try without help. 

A New York Times Editors' Choice Book

A Spring 2013 Kids' Indie Next List Pick

"Thoroughly delightful....Lillian Kindred is a first-rate heroine, brave and bright and kind....Bewitching and wonderful." (New York Times )

* "De Lint zestfully combines the traditional and the original, the light and the dark, while Vess's luminous full color illustrations, simultaneously fluid and precise, capture Lillian's effervescent blend of determination and curiosity." (Publishers Weekly, starred review )

"Sweetly magical.... A satisfyingly folkloric, old-fashioned-feeling fable." (Kirkus Reviews )

"The story's lyrical, folkloric style is well suited to a tale of magic and mystery." (Booklist )

* "Has a wonderfully old-fashioned fable-like feel to it, imparting a message of 'be careful what you wish for' through beautifully descriptive, finely tuned prose that leaves no doubt about the lesson being taught, yet makes the learning of it a joy." (Quill & Quire, starred review )

We loved it.

And now:

The Water Castle by Megan Blakemore

Here are the reviews:

"Weaving legacy and myth into science and magic, old into new and enemies into friends, Blakemore creates an exquisite mystery ... With keen intelligence and bits of humor, the prose slips calmly between narrative perspectives, trusting readers to pick up a revelation that Ephraim and Mallory don't see--and it's a doozy. ... This one is special. (Fiction. 10-14)"
- Kirkus 11/15/12 STARRED REVIEW

Blakemore (Secrets of Truth and Beauty) skillfully explores the intersection of science and magic in this multifaceted story.
Publisher's Weekly 11/26/2012

"The Water Castle is full of ad­ven­ture and mystery, but mostly it's about the importance of family, friendship and home."
- Tracy Grant, The Washington Post 1/4/2013

"What [Mallory, Will, and Ephraim] discover has the power to upend their understanding of their own family histories, to reveal the point at which science meets magic."
- Meghan Cox Gurdon, Wall Street Journal 1/18/2013

"What shines through ... is Blakemore's tender understanding of how these children -- and all children -- feel about their lives and the adults who control them. Just as Ephraim wishes the Fountain of Youth would turn back time and heal his father, Mallory wishes she could return to a time before her family fractured, and Will, most heartbreakingly of all, wishes his father could be . . . someone else."
- S.S. Taylor, The New York Times

We loved it.

And in case you didn't know, if your kids read eight books (of any sort) over the summer, they get a free book from Barnes and Noble. 

Here's the link to the form you need:

http://img1.imagesbn.com/pimages/kids/summerreading/2013/bnsummertearpad.pdf

And here's a list of the books you can choose from (and your first grader does not have to pick a book from the first grade list... Some of these choices are not so hot, but there are a few great ones on here. AL CAPONE DOES MY SHIRTS, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, THE TAIL OF EMILY WINDSNAP, TUESDAYS AT THE CASTLE. All worth the trouble of writing down eight books and heading over to Barnes and Noble. 

GRADES 1 & 2

Calendar Mysteries Series #1: January Joker

DK Readers: Lego Legends of Chima: Tribes of Chima

Fancy Nancy: Nancy Clancy, Super Sleuth Jorge el curioso: El baile My Little Pony: Meet the Ponies of Ponyville National Geographic Readers Series: Dolphins Pete the Cat: Play Ball

GRADES3&4

The Adventures of Captain Underpants Ellray Jakes Walks the Plank How to Train Your Dragon Ramona Quimby, Age 8

Traitor in the Shipyard: A Caroline Mystery

GRADES5&6

Al Capone Does My Shirts

Books of Beginning Series #1: The Emerald Atlas

Esperanza renace

Hoot

Remarkable

The Tail of Emily Windsnap

Tuesdays at the Castle

Wings of Fire Book One: The Dragonet Prophecy

Summer Reading—how can we make it happen?

So I found this list of ten ways to keep your kids reading over the summer on greatschools.org, and I found them a bit depressing. Here's the link if you want to read the details:

http://www.greatschools.org/students/homework-help/67-summer-reading.gs

1. Use Hollywood to inspire your child to read

2. Play a summer reading game at your local library or start your own book club

3. Involve your child in planning your family vacation

4. Start a collection 

5. Visit a comic shop

6. Read cookbooks and packaged food labels

7. Read instruction pamphlets

8. Read the newspaper aloud

9. Get a magazine subscription for your child

10. Be a reading role model

Hmm. How to keep your kids reading over the summer? Read instruction pamphlets? Read cookbooks and packaged food labels? Wow, that sounds fun. Makes me want to go read a food label right now, just to find out what happens.

Sorry for the sarcasm, but surely, we can do better, and surely the best way to keep your kids reading over the summer is to get them to read, um, books. 

My kids have never been interested in library reading programs or really any reading programs where there is a reward at the end like pizza or free tickets to a hockey game. And I've noticed sometimes that the kids who are into the reward at the end don't seem very into the reading itself.

Read this awesome quote from Esme Coddell about how to reward kids for reading in a way that encourages them to become lifelong readers (this is a long quote, but worth reading, I promise!):

Change the way reading is rewarded.
Many big businesses offer reading incentive programs that are well-organized and seemingly generous, offering things like free pizzas and passes to amusement parks when children have read a certain amount. No wonder so many schools participate. However, consider that there is something vaguely insidious about such promotions. After all, do we reward every ten pizzas eaten with a free book? Besides the confusing mixed message that we send children by linking the potentially pleasurable act of reading with corporate branding, oftentimes it is a strain on families to actually redeem these rewards. What family is going to go get a personal pan pizza for one child, and not the whole family? The reward has actually pressured the family to patronize a restaurant in order to reward reading, which seems kind of odd. Another example: the child does not generally earn a family pass to an amusement park, he earns his own ticket, but of course, the child cannot drive himself there and supervise himself, so the parent gets to buy an adult-priced ticket, too, along with tickets for all the younger siblings and perhaps a friend or two who may not have participated in the promotion. After admission, a few hot-dogs and a tank of gas, the free pass may have actually cost well over a hundred dollars. Which is fine, if you've got it. But wouldn't it have been nicer to choose the reward, instead of having the reward choose you?

Many parents are unaware of how much these promotions may really end up costing them, and once they know, they may be very willing to arrange something the whole family can enjoy. Then, you can set your own reading goals and modify them to fit the individual needs and reward schedule of your family. What child wouldn't look forward to an end-of-the year book-themed masquerade party? The family pet that you were planning on getting anyway is extra coveted when it's thought of as a family reward. A special trip that even Miss Frizzle's class would envy (such as to a ballgame, bowling alley, a candy factory, a favorite museum) is another way to tell a whole family "congratulations for meeting your reading goals." Or keep within the spirit of literacy with a trip to the bookstore to choose their own books or books for your family library.

Individual reading achievements can be inexpensively rewarded with coupons: chore-free nights, an extra hour up past bedtime to be spent reading, a favorite breakfast, a late-night read-a-thon with a parent. These kinds of coupons are also helpful for keeping children with low interest or ability engaged, because they reward smaller steps toward the goal. 

Pretty good ideas, right? What if you promised your child if they read every day of the week for an hour, they could go to the bookstore at the end of that week and pick out a book? That's the kind of thing that makes me happy just thinking about it. A Saturday reward trip to the bookstore. Awesome. 

I know another mother who made pancakes and homemade syrup every Saturday morning and along with the delicious food, her kids were allowed to read books at the table. She said those breakfasts lasted for hours, and her kids LOVED them. (Or you could be like me and let your kids read at the table whenever they want, except dinner, and have most of your books covered in bits of food).

Here's a link to other ideas from Esme:

http://teachers.net/gazette/AUG03/esmeprint.html

I don't love them all, but you might find one that works great for you.

We are definitely going to do Battle of the Books in our house again. The idea of it worked great last summer, but my execution of it stunk. I've got to figure out some sort of Round Robin way of working the competition. Kids love to compete, but it is so much better to have them rooting for their favorite books than competing with each other on number of pages or number of books read. In fact, having them read different books to pick their favorites is a way to take number of pages off the table. I'm going to confess that I am not a big fan of making kids count the number of pages they read. There are so many reasons why this is stupid, the biggest one being that the number of words on a page varies drastically by book. The second one being, what a bummer! Having to count the number of pages you read as you are trying to learn what it means to read for pleasure. 

Because that is the goal, right? We want our kids to read over the summer FOR PLEASURE. So reading becomes an easy thing, like breathing. So they choose reading over video games. 

So at the end of this rambling post, I am going to suggest an idea that, I swear to you on my future deathbed, will get your kids reading over the summer.

Turn off the TV.

Turn off the computer.

Turn off the video games.

Your kids will read when reading is the only entertainment left, and your house will be a calmer, more peaceful place. I can promise you that too.

What other ideas do you have to keep your kids reading over the summer? (Besides reading the phone book :) )

Getting Ready for Summer

These books have nothing to do with summer, but they make me think of summer, a time for lots of light, fun reading. 

Which reminds me, I'm working on my plan for summer reading with my kids. I'm thinking of doing a Battle of the Books thing again but more organized and under control than last year (that was a bit of a disaster).

Does anyone else have a fantastic idea to keep your kids reading for the summer? I know for some, they will just be grateful if their kids read. I will be grateful if I can get my kids to read something other than these:

So I'd love any ideas about fun, family-oriented, summer-reading programs (I hesitate to say the word "programs"—it makes reading sound like a drag!)

On to the list!

The Bugliest Bug by Carol Diggory Shields

Billy Twitters and his Blue Whale Problem by Mac Barnett

Rabbit and Robot: The Sleepover by Cece Bell

It's Monday, Mrs. Jolly Bones by Warren Hanson

Princess in Training by Tammi Sauer

This Monster Cannot Wait! by Bethany Barton

Spike and Ike Take a Hike by S.D. Schindler

It's a Book by Lane Smith

 

Track-out

We're on year round school this year, and we are right in the middle of four weeks of track-out.

I love track-out. I love the relaxed feeling around our house. And I love how much time my kids have to read books.

Here's what we've been reading and loving:

Shaemus (6):

How to Seize a Dragon's Jewel by Cressida Cowell, book 10 in the How to Train Your Dragon series. I know this series isn't for everyone, but I sort of don't know that. We LOVE this series. Calvin stole this first and Lucy is demanding it next.


Calvin (9):
Just a Dog by Michael Bauer. Calvin started this yesterday and devoured it.


Lucy (11):
Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl


Gustav Gloom and the People Taker by Adam-Troy Castro


Mary (12)
My Double Life by Janette Rallison (I do not like this cover—it does not represent the book well)


Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson


And this is what I've been reading:

The Case of the Deadly Desperados by Caroline Lawrence (I think this would appeal to most ten to twelve year olds, particularly if they like mysteries or westerns).