Summer reading

As a homeschooling mom, I sometimes get frustrated that I can't pack a lifetime of knowledge into a single school year. I have found, though, that we can take a bite out of it at a time and can add a little salt and flavor to the necessary schoolbooks by stretching it into summer fun reading. The kiddos have already completed their summer reading programs through the library and we're just getting started. They love reading on their own but love for me to read with and to them, still. I love to learn as much as they do so it is time well spent. And all the snuggle time is good for this mom's heart and health! We're working on completing the series of DK Eyewitness Books. They each have different authors but are designed basically the same. This summer, we are checking out 2 of them at a time, giving each of my kiddos a chance to pick the one they are most interested in, every time we go to the library and in addition to their own solo choices. There are hundreds of them on every conceivable topic...states, travel, medicine, etc. The one on skeletons and epidemics is slightly disturbing. Maybe a little more than slightly. Be forewarned. Ike loves the science and history ones, and definitely the spy one. Izzy loves the bug and animal ones. I love them all but dig the ones on anything discussing medical, geography and science. I think that pretty much covers all of them. The electrical and technology ones are fun but can be a little "yawn" for me. Just not my thing. I'm just not "wired" that way. We own a few of these DK books and have loved pouring over the pages. They are laid out almost like a magazine with a bunch of insert pictures with short descriptions and tidbits, longer paragraphs, and are a little more comprehensive than an encyclopedia (do you still remember those pre-google things?), but also provide fun and little-known facts.

I took some pictures to show you but I believe my computer has just been infected or taken hostage so I switched computers so I could finish this post. I'll have to deal with that one tomorrow. Yikes!

Ike picked out the Civil War one this time. There was a little picture and description that told how some of the boys that were under 18 enlisted and didn't want to lie about their ages. So, they creatively decided to write the number 18 on a piece of paper and tuck it into their shoes so that when they were asked if they were over 18 they felt like they could honestly answer "yes". Or the story of how one general lost his right arm, another lost his left arm and they joked that they could buy a pair of gloves and split them. Too funny! Izzy's butterfly and moth one talked about the differences and similarities of the two like how butterflies' antennae are clubbed on the ends and moths rest their wings flat. These books are full of information and are great for little ones with colorful pictures and old people like me that like to review and learn new things. They hold your attention but are easy to pick up and put down for little ones with short attention spans. Go check a few out at the library. They are a great way to identify the different areas each of your kids are interested in and maybe open a new joy of learning for you, too!