I agree with C. S. Lewis’s pronouncement that “reading oneself to sleep,” is a “deplorable practice,” but I do think that bedtime reading can serve other purposes. When I reflect on my childhood, straining to recall my earliest memories, one that surfaces most distinctly is bedtime reading. My mother, whether consciously or unconsciously, fulfilled the role of “Super Mom.” She… Read More Bedtime Reading
If you have read my opinion about children’s literature very often, you know it is unapologetically emphatic in preferring old books over those written in the last 50 years. I subject “new” books to more stringent scrutiny and few meet my standards. For the record, I hold older books to the same standards, but many, many more of them… Read More Old Things Become New
I’m trying to get back into the habit of posting topics in our Top Picks section, every other Wednesday. (Now that that is in print, it’s a little scary! I hope I can keep up the pace with a new baby due in a few months.) This week let’s look at some great books for… Read More Top Picks: American Revolution
The house is quiet, the kind of quiet that makes listening easy, when you can hear the softest sounds: a page turning, a little sniff, the sound of someone shifting position In a chair. That’s the way readingtime sounds in our house. There are often little breaks in this quiet, groans of dismay or disgust at who-knows-what predicament,… Read More Family Reading
Part 3 of our interview with Charlotte Mason Institute is available now. In this segment we focus on what we’ve learned about Reading in the 21st Century.
Have you ever noticed that life runs at a gallop more than at a stroll? Time truly flies. Our children are growing up too swiftly. Do you ever panic at the things you haven’t managed to accomplish with them yet, or, like me, do you ever feel like that clock is your enemy? Time. It is… Read More Finding Time to Read
Here in Virginia we are having an unusual amount of snow and very cold winter weather…it doesn’t exactly encourage us to get outdoors for Nature Study. Maybe you are experiencing a similar reluctance to venture outside? We would be missing an important part of our natural history education if we neglect this more hostile season.… Read More Top Picks: Winter Nature Study Books
Today, I’ve written a blog post for HighlandsMinistriesOnline.org, about the value of reading to your children. Perhaps you’d like to read it too?
The second installment of our interview with Carroll and Andy Smith of the Charlotte Mason Institute is now available. Join us for 5 minutes as we discuss the importance and value of story in books.
Recently I had heard or read about Anne Shirley in several places, so I suppose that’s what brought her to mind. For some strange reason, I missed her growing up and didn’t actually meet her until I was a mother myself. That’s the wonderful thing about a classic: it’s good at every age. I don’t know… Read More For Hearts to Grow On