So far this summer, Sam has heard Anne of Green Gables, Sounder
, The Swiss Family Robinson
and Focus on the Family's Chronicles of Narnia radio theater
(lent to us by a friend). I've found that Amazon (once again) is a great resource for these if you want to purchase them. The Swiss Family Robinson set I found was a retired library set of 7 cassette tapes (obviously used, but in excellent condition) for $7.
(Not hiding. Just intensely listening.)
While I still enjoy reading outloud to the kids (I'm currently reading The Little House
series to Sadie), books on tape give me the chance to get work done in the kitchen while the kids are being read to (a great alternative to TV!). What books on tape/CD does your family enjoy?
We recently listened to "Robinson Crusoe" in the car while on a trip. We had checked it out from the library. That was the first time I had done that, but certainly won't be the last.
ReplyDeleteI SHOULD HAVE HAD THIS INSTEAD OF THE BOOB TUBE TO KEEP DEVIN AND KATELYNN BUSY. IF HE BEEN INTENTLY LISTENING INSTEAD OF BORING TV AND GETTING IN TROUBLE HE WOULD NOT HAVE CUT KATELYNNS LOCK OFF. SHE IS 2 1/2 YEARS OLD AND SHE HAS HAIR ABOUT THE LENGTH OF SADIE'S,NOT ANYMORE---IT WILL GROW BACK---KIDS
ReplyDeleteLove those suggestions! We've read most of them already but their good for a repeat, too.
ReplyDeleteOther ones we've loved on tape/cd:
Wind in the WIllows
How to train your Dragon
Adventures in Odyssey (Focus on the Family)(someone gave us a whole box of old cassettes with these, and the kids love them).
More of the books our kids have adored:
Charlottes Web, The Trumpet of the Swan, Where the Red Fern Grows, the Junie B Jones series, The Jungle Doctor series, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter (just the first few for now), Cricket in Times Square, Asterix books and Calvin and Hobbes!
What an excellent idea! We had some books on tape I used when we were in the homeschooling years! Gave mama a break, and the kids enjoyed them, too.
ReplyDeleteI love the photo of your little guy all bent over, listening intently!
These pictures are priceless. What a love of reading!
ReplyDeleteBrian's River and other books by Gary Paulson are spellbinding!! You may want to preview them first as they are fairly intense.
ReplyDeleteI love how close Sam must be to listen to his book, that's great! I am sooooo looking forward to two months from now when we can pick up books and books on tape from the library each week. I may have to make some kitchen counter space like this for my kids :)
ReplyDeleteAudio books are a great idea - way better than TV!
ReplyDeleteYou may still be getting free Amazon gift certificates through Swag Bucks or whatever, but if not, you should know about betterworldbooks.com - they take donated books (and DVDs, audiobooks, etc.) and sell them online to fund literacy projects. Notably, they're often cheaper (used items are usually not expensive [My Friend Flicka and Pollyanna are both $3.48, and they have free shipping with no limits!) than Amazon (although Better World Books also has links to Amazon Marketplace style items). *And* for each item, they have a "find at a local library" link. Anyway, it just seems like it would be your cup of tea (provided, of course, that you're not getting the books free with Swag Bucks - free costs less than cheap!).
Ashley,
ReplyDeleteSomeone else recently recommended the Adventure in Odyssey tapes- I think it's a sign I should be looking into them:-).
Rebecca,
We're read a number of Gary Paulson's books and really enjoy them (we do read these ahead of time or read them aloud) because of that intensity factor. Sam loves them.
Anonymous,
Thanks for the website tip. I've never heard of betterworldbooks and will have to check them out!
I love it...and I love that he's laying all over the counter...that's hilarious!
ReplyDeleteOh how I wish I'd done a few things differently when my boys were small. I think this books on tape thing would have been great for Ian to listen to while building amazing Lego scenes.
I love that you can download audiobooks to your computer from Library for free.
ReplyDeleteTim
My kids listen to tapes CONSTANTLY. Right now Sugar Creek Gang is a fav.
ReplyDeleteJane,
ReplyDeleteYou should look into librivox and lit2go, they are free resources for open source audiobooks. All you have to do is download them and they will play on your computer (or you could burn a cd for the kids). As an adult I have spent hours listening to these! Some are for slightly older students, but they are all classics and worth a check.
http://librivox.org/
http://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/
Happy listening!
p.s. I'm so happy you went with Jane!
Me again--you can listen to Adventures in Odyssey online for free--at least you could find out if you like them and then purchase more. Here's the site http://www.whitsend.org/radio/
ReplyDeleteMy girls love Adventures in Odyssey. and on our incredibly long beach ride last week we listened to Ramona and Beezus and Ramona and her Father by Beverly Cleary as well as Charlotte's Web. Although I'm an avid reader, I never really thought about listening to the story, but now I'm hooked just like them!
ReplyDeleteI love audio books! I need to get a few to keep me company in the kitchen on my big baking days. My sister and I usually listen to a story while we're canning. I need to find some for my kiddos. I'm not sure they can sit still long enough to get hooked.
ReplyDeleteI wish our kids could play together. They would get along wonderfully!
ReplyDelete