RAR #27 Summer Reading: Making memories (& having fun)
We all want our kids to read over the summer, right? But how can make that summer reading both memorable and fun – a treasured childhood memory rather than another thing to do and check off our lists?
For today’s show, I talked to one of my very favorite people on the whole planet–Pam Barnhill.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
- ideas for how to motivate your kids to read
- how to motivate yourself to read aloud to them
- and which books are best for summertime
Just wait till you hear some of the reading party ideas!
Click the play button below:
(All links are affiliate links.)
Links from this episode:
- The Scholastic Study that Pam references in the podcast
- Reflex Math Fluency Game
- Anne Bogel’s 2016 Summer Reading Guide
- Crystal Paine’s posts on finding pockets of time to read are here and here
- A cute YouTube video for the Ooey-Gooey Train Tracks poem Pam mentioned
- Exodus Books’ 2016 Summer Reading Program
- Carole Joy Seid’s RAR episode #22
- The Audible version of Winnie the Pooh by Peter Dennis
- The Audible version of Redwall (Sarah’s son’s favorite)
Am I the only one who comments on old podcasts? haha. I’d heard about RAR before, but my children are finally at that age that I was looking for more reading inspiration beyond picture books – and boy, have I found it! I’ve been DEVOURING the podcasts for the past few weeks and I just finished watching Simple Reading Journals, next I’m heading over to listen to the summer episode for 2018 that was just posted (and catching up on as many of the archived podcasts as I can during your 6 week break here). I totally agree that reading should be fun, and I loved all the ideas Pam Barnhill made for summer reading!
I’m looking for the guide Sarah references at the beginning of #27 about what questions to ask your kids after they finish reading a book, so you don’t have to ask, “Did you like it?”
The revised and expanded Quickstart Guide is available in the RAR Shop!
https://readaloudrevival.com/product/5-questions-2/
I really enjoyed some of the book recommendations for dads. It would be so neat if you could do a podcast that would give more book recommendations for dads. I have a hard time finding good books for him to read aloud that he would enjoy.
On the Winnie the Pooh audiobook through Audible: just buying the audiobook is $11.95. HOWEVER, if you by the Kindle version ($3.94), you can buy the Audible book to “whispersync” (switch between reading yourself & audiobook) for $3.99. Ends up cheaper overall, and you could probably have an emerging reader follow along?
This is the first of your podcasts I have listened to as I have just downloaded your read along notes. I was shocked at your suggestion about watching the film of Pride and Prejudice rather than reading the book. I suggest watching the BBC/masterpiece production as a better introduction to the book rather than the film.
I’m fortunate that my son enjoys reading. Our difficulties arise from the fact that we live in Europe and the whilst I spend a fortune on books in English for him to read, we are limited at the local library to books in Spanish or Euskera. Do you think that you would get the same enjoyment reading books by English-speaking authors in another language? I have noticed that when choosing books at the library he selects books that were originally written in a language other than English such as the Geronimo Stilton series or Asterix.
Alison, that’s really interesting- I have no idea! I wonder if some of the cadence of an author’s word choices is lost in translation? That’s something I’ll have to think about…
And hey- welcome to the Read-Aloud Revival. :)
Sarah, what are your thoughts on Geronimo Stilton books? Are they Twaddle?
Series like these can be an important part of building fluency as an independent reader. They might not be enduring literature, but if they catch a kid’s imagination, they can be a great stepping stone. Susan Wise Bauer talks about books like these in Episode 28: https://readaloudrevival.com/28-4/
I absolutely loved this episode! Thanks so much for all your great thoughts and ideas, Pam (and Sarah!). I was truly inspired.
I just wanted to give one listener’s input (mine, haha) and tell you that this type of guest (an ordinary mom in the trenches) is my favorite kind to listen to (Heidi Scovel from Mt. Hope was another favorite of mine–and I did not know anything about Heidi before listening, although I’m now a regular reader of her blog).
I like the variety of guests you have on the podcast, and I learn so much from each one, but I hope that normal, every day moms (and dads) will always be among those you feature (even if they haven’t written a book or developed an educational tool). It’s so enlightening to see how different families implement reading aloud.
Looking forward to the new episodes this fall! Thanks so much, Sarah, for this amazing resource!
Oh, that’s so helpful to know, Amy! Thank you for letting me know. :) (I enjoy recording those kinds of podcasts a whole heck of a lot, too…)
I added so many books to my wish list bc of this episode. Oh my word.
My question…I have a new 8 yo who enjoys reading sometimes. Legos are often more exciting. She’s just starting to bring books occasionally with her in the van while driving…but then go days w/o thinking of reading unless I remind her. She’s an excellent reader but has a very limited pallet. She loves being read aloud to in any genre but she wants to read nonfiction interactive “can you survive…” books. Like “Can you survive An Earthquake” or the titanic or storm chasing. It will put the child in the story & it does have elements of fiction. She loves these. There’s also a historical series…underground railroad etc…we are just finding these.
I’d love to help her expand her pallet. We are doing the journey through the pages summer reading and I’m hoping it will encourage her to try other books. She has read Charlotte’s Web months ago & had a massive emotional reaction to it. It was so cute. I know it’s inside her but would love books that may cross over from some nonfiction concepts to fiction to expand her tastes.
Hi Elizabeth!
I loved those books where you got to choose your own adventure when I was a kid too. :)
I think I’d keep letting her read whatever her heart desires on her own, and then when YOU read to her, see if you can choose a book outside of her normal genre choice for every book that is within it. I bet you’ll hit on one at some point that triggers something for her. Or maybe go the route of very non-fictiony fiction, like American Girl books or some such thing? My kids really liked the mysteries by Carole Marsh, like this one:
http://amzn.to/1CNToGf
There’s a whole series, and there be enough adventure and nonfiction to capture her interest?
I would like to read the Scholastic reading and book study to which your guest refers repeatedly. Could you please identify that study or add a link to it in your show notes? I really enjoyed this podcast. Thank you.
Here’s a link, and I’ll it to the show notes as well. :)
http://scholastic.com/readingreport
I have listened to several podcasts this week. They are amazing. I thought I heard someone mention a book about the Oregon trail that they listened to on tape. But I cannot find it in any of the show notes. Could you help me? Thanks, Karen
Could it be On to Oregon, perhaps?
http://amzn.to/1Jh7eID
Your comment about math is so accurate, we continue math through the summer, and it sure pays off!
Sarah, keep up the good work with the insightful conversations.
I love when you have Pam on the show! You two are just so much fun and I always walk away with so many great ideas for my boys. I’m particularly excited about having a family challenge over the summer. That will be an excellent way for them to see that reading is a life long love!
My 8 year old son and I would LOVE an interview with John Erickson, author of Hank the Cowdog series! We love these books.
I love your podcast and always feel inspired! Which being a very rural homeschooling mom is wonderful! Imagine Laura Engalls home, my nearest neighbor is 10 miles away and it takes more than an hour to get to town. So thank you! But as a catholic mom I would be very hesitant about Harry potter. I read all of them! And loved them but…The author uses actual witch spells and a 6 year old boy was possessed. The priest asked how the demon got in the little boy and it replied “Harry Potter”. I used to think that as long as children were reading it didn’t matter, but now I see how stories really develop the soul! There be dragons might be a good podcast suggestion.
Loved this podcast and feel so inspired for the summer! This might be obvious, but I wanted to ask, is Pam’s reading program (Traveling through the pages) mainly for older kids or kids who can more or less read on their own? My almost 7 year old is not quite confident yet to read on his own, but I love this idea. There are also so many categories included but I feel we may only get through half of the suggested books on the map :) Any suggestions would be very appreciated, thanks!
You could definitely read aloud all the selections on the map. If you chose picture books to match the categories, you’d be able to get through the list, I bet. :) Or maybe you could do it checkerboard style- just doing every other square?
Great podcast, and I love all the book suggestions! I would make one caveat, though. I think parents should know that Ender’s Game, though a fascinating and well-written book, has some very graphic and intense violence, and I believe some language, if I remember correctly. I know I’d want to be told this before starting a read-aloud or handing the book to one of my kids. I know the main character is a child, but I do not believe Orson Scott Card ever intended these books as a children’s series. That’s my two-cents. :)
Thank you, Carolyn! I haven’t read it.
Yes, Carolyn I read it with high school students. I am sorry if that didn’t come across in the podcast.
I listened to episode #27 and you guys mentioned a chart that was used as a summer reading challenge. It challenged them to read books from different genres and could mark it off when they were done. Is there a link anywhere for it?
http://edsnapshots.com/summer-reading-program-2015/
Love them all, but this one was just FULL of great ideas! Can’t wait for the new ones in the fall!
Thanks for yet another great podcast, Sarah. While I agree with all of the comments about Winnie the Pooh made in this podcast I wanted to suggest another version of the audio book which makes it an absolute delight. Peter Dennis does a great job and his audio is endorsed by Christopher Robin himself, after all, but the dramatized audio with Dame Judy Dench, Steven Fry, Geoffrey Palmer and more is our favorite family audio – second only to Focus on the Family’s Chronicles of Narnia.
Oooh! Another good one to add to the list. Thank you!
So as if listening to you, Sarah, isn’t delightful enough… listening to you AND Pam is such. a. joy. Love the incentive ideas (ringing a bell- so awesome) for the family goals of reading.
Another little fun anecdote ~ we’ve been reading like crazy lately for some reason. Maybe it’s that I have learned to let my 3 year old talk to himself the entire time we’re reading aloud (this drives me so crazy. I seriously had to get over it.). Anyway, we’ve been reading more than we usually do and my sensitive son said to me the other day, “Mom, I love when you sit down and pull out a book to read to us. It just makes me feel safe; we’re all there, listening and everything is good. I just love that.” Um, that was all the incentive I needed. Thank you, Jesus:)
“We’re all there, listening, and everything is good.” Oh gosh. No kidding about that being all the incentive you need!
Thank you for this sweet comment. It’s such a treat to me that you get as much delight out of the podcast as I do in creating it! :) Pam is just so much fun to talk to.