Audiobooks That Parents and Kids Can Enjoy Together

Let's be honest. Some audiobooks that kids love to listen to can be the most insipid and annoying stories we adults have ever heard (or forgotten, as it were). Are there audiobooks that can truly be enjoyed by both adults and children?

Yes, of course! We've put in a good 23 years of audiobook listening with our kids so far, and we thought it was time to share our favorites with you. We happily still have 10 weeks of summer left here in the western hemisphere, so crank up the audiobooks and pour the lemonade!

Conversely, if you're reading this in the winter, light a fire and pop the corn!

These are affiliate links below (thanks!) but we often find what we love to listen to from free sites like HooplaDigital and Librivox.

Audiobooks to Enjoy With the Youngest (Ages 3-6)

(This list does not include shorter picture books.)

Riki Tiki Tavi

When We Were Very Young

The Complete Tales of Beatrix Potter

James Herriot's Treasury for Children

Winnie the Pooh

Audiobooks to Enjoy With Tweens and Middle Kids (7-12)

Just So Stories

Hank the Cowdog

From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

All the Wrong Questions series - Lemony Snicket

The Chronicles of Narnia

Swallows and Amazons

Adam of the Road

The Adventure Collection: Treasure Island, The Jungle Book, Gulliver's Travels, White Fang, The Merry Adventures of Robin

The Ralph S. Mouse Audio Collection

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

Wonder

There are plenty of classics and options for older kids that are enjoyed by both both parents and teens. We're choosing not to create a list here in the interest of time, but are happy to help with specific suggestions.

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Teens, Tweens, Toddlers - How to Manage Multiple Ages and Homeschooling

It seems like a lifetime ago, but when we started homeschooling, our oldest son was four. We also had a two-year-old and a newborn, and as life went on, we added another baby about every other year or so. Pretty soon we had a big group of eight kids from 15 down to the baby, and I felt like I was drowning every day.

I have learned and implemented a lot of management techniques over the years.

Sometimes the things I try work and other times I have to scrap the whole shebang just an hour or two into it. Quite honestly, my current frustration is teens who see the systems, know the systems, and ignore the systems. Systems, it seems, aren't the stuff of which relationships are made.

I'm not so good at relationships. I'm very good at projects. For all the homeschooling moms out there who love to while away the afternoon with a cup of coffee and a long conversation on the couch, I'm the homeschooling mom who would rather organize paperwork and cook dinner. I'm the one to whom administration and organization come naturally. I'm the one who is socially inept most of the time, so if you want to throw a party, I'll get it all up and running for you. Just don't ask me to host. Ha!

I'm working on the relationship part, and I love reading books by homeschooling moms who are relationship rock stars.

Are you needing help knowing how to not drown while homeschooling?

How to not go completely under? I can do that. In fact, I have a whole site dedicated to helping you figure out how to homeschool older kids well while managing little ones, too. It's called Preschoolers and Peace, and it's been around a long, long time.

Help is here!

I also have two eBooks that might come in handy, particularly if you want to cut to the chase and not have to poke around the site for the info you need. The first is called Preschoolers and Peace: Homeschooling Older Kids With Success While Loving the Little Ones at Your Feet (affiliate link), and it covers everything from home management to kid management to schedules to food to school ideas.

The other is Circle Time: Plan the Best Part of Your Day (affiliate link). I was struggling getting to all of the subjects we wanted to cover, such as Scripture memory, art, writing letters, etc., and so I implemented a group time around our kitchen table that includes all the kids. It's been the anchor to our homeschool for the past 15 years!

Here's to thriving in our homes!

-Kendra, who is off to focus on some relationships here . . .

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9-Year-Old Boys and Homeschooling and Moms

I have an almost-9-year-old boy. I've raised three of these creatures prior to the current one, and as he pulls his typical 9-year-old antics, I remind his disgusted/annoyed/frustrated older sisters that this is perfectly normal. 9-year-old boys are disgusting/annoying/frustrating.

Case in point:

Big sister said, "Take those out of your ears or you'll ruin them."

He replied, "That's the point."

I am confident that his goal was not to actually ruin the pencil or his ears, but as soon as sister made a comment, he felt the need to put her in her place and communicate that he is above the need to worry about a mere pencil/eraser/ear drum.

Also, get aload of these fingernails:

Gross.

But most of us moms-of-9-year-old boys can look past the smell and the muddy shoes and the constant activity. Most of us see a future right around the corner that all too soon includes careful clothing selections and Axe Body Spray. No hurry.

What we struggle with as homeschooling moms of 9-year-old boys is some variation of this:

Hiding under the bean bag because, math. Poor kid. I asked him to do his two pages of math and it was surely a sign to him of the coming apocalypse. 

I'm sure the big question here for those of you moms who are currently homeschooling a 9-year-old boy is, "So what do I do when he collapses on the floor because I dared to present him with school work?"

A few tricks that have worked for me:

• Turn on some motivating music. The day of the pencil-in-the-ear, we listened to the Star Wars playlist from Apple Music.
  
• Give work in short bursts, followed by activity or "brain breaks". Favorites here are jumping jacks, sprinting up and down the stairs, running laps around the yard, and getting to use the bathroom. Just kidding. But no, really.
  
• Liberally use the stop watch on your phone. My boys in those middle ages love to be timed, whether it's a math workbook page or emptying the dryer.

Homeschooled Boys: Why Apple made a stopwatch on every iPhone.

• Allow food. A bowl of peanuts, a handful of carrot sticks, and yes, even that gum you and I were never allowed in school. I get it - they wanted to preserve their flooring - but in our home, gum often allows a student to focus on the task, much like doodling or knitting or coloring helps us adults to focus on a speaker or podcast. 
  
• Remind them that you are their teacher, and as such, they do need to get their school work done. But when they've finished, let 'em go! Give them the freedom to play/exercise/read/whatever.

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Need more good resources all about boys?

Did you know that other parents struggle with the 9-12-year-old boy group, too? Our friends Hal and Melanie Young over at Raising Real Men have a whole "boot camp" (encouragement/major cryfest/boost) just for parents tackling this stage of life.

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You can get FULL ACCESS to bonus interviews, exclusive content, and cool free stuff by joining theHomeschoolingIRL community, and you can do that by subscribing (and telling your friends about us, too!)

The Lifegiving Home

This post contains affiliate links.

We generally don't talk a lot about homemaking on our episodes of Homeschooling in Real Life, but we do mention family culture and we certainly talk a lot about creating a home that makes kids feel safe to live transparently. We definitely do talk a lot about pointing each other to Jesus, too, don't we? 

Sally Clarkson was one of the first homeschooling moms I (Kendra) listened to and read almost 20 years ago when we started homeschooling. She was an encourager, a passionate lover of Jesus, and a gentle voice who reassured me in my dark moments. In particular, I remember a story she told in one of her early books about being frustrated with her kids as she heard them goofing off down the hall, until she discovered that they were actually oohing and aahing over their baby sister. That was confirmation my Type-A self needed to hear.

Sally's the big sister I never had. She might be the mentor you are yearning for, too.

Right now in the Fletcher home, a thousand plates are spinning and threatening to crash at the slightest provocation. My heart is desirous of creating a home that doesn't feel like a freeway collision, but my flesh is weak, friends. When Sally's book, The Lifegiving Home, arrived in my mailbox a few weeks ago, I knew this was the right time to read it. I read what I need.

The Pinterest pressure is off, though. I was leery of that, you know. I don't need another idea screaming at me in the face and revealing what I loser I feel like. I'm pretty good at doing that myself. So then, this, which Sally and her daughter Sarah wrote together:

"We want to show women (and men, if they're interested) how to create a space that supports vibrant, productive living and supports growth of body, soul, and spirit."

Yes. Me, too! I want to create a home that is all of those things. A place that feels like a refuge rather than what I currently feel: the place where all my work is and that I can never escape all the work. And maybe, if I create a place of rest and refuge and beauty for Fletch and me, all of that will spill over onto our kids and seep into our souls, don't you think?

I'm still reading The Lifegiving Home, so I can't tell you how this story ends. But I can tell you that it's a lovely winter read, perfect for the days I'm anxiously awaiting the almond blossoms next door and a warmer breeze and flip flops every day. 

One more thing? Don't try to be Sally. Don't try to be us. Just be you. God created your home to be a place that reflects the unique ways He has gifted you, and that's a beautiful truth.

“Nothing is required for the making of a home except a heart that loves God, an imagination fired by His Spirit, and hands ready to create.”

— Sally Clarkson

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More from Sally Clarkson:

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Adventurous Mailbox Review - Give Your Kids a Cultural Adventure!

Oh! How happy kits and things that come in the mail make our children! When the opportunity to review The Adventurous Mailbox came up for us, I jumped at it because I knew this would be something our 11-year-old and 8-year-old would potentially love.

So yes, we were given a subscription to The Adventurous Mailbox for the purpose of reviewing it for you. We were compensated for our time, but we certainly have the freedom to let you know if we think something stinks. In this case, not at all!

An Educational Gift That Arrives in the Mail!

The day the box arrived, our two kiddos were beside themselves with excitement. It was hand-addressed to them, which nicely set the tone for what was in store.

It came from Taiwan (cool!) and was from someone named Crameye Junker - very intriguing. Both kids wanted to immediately set to work, which they did, and they soon found out that Crameye is the the narrator of the story and creator of the workbooks. 

So what's in the box? Eight beautifully illustrated books, each with an adventure through a different country: Finland, Taiwan, Brazil, Thailand, Greece, Tanzania, and Peru (there are two books that cover Peru.)

There are also personalized letters to each child you've signed up. This feature scored major cool points with our kids because - hello - a letter, for them, with a secret code that gets them started on their adventure around the world. What's the secret code for? The Adventurous Mailbox online hub! Several characters in the stories have a "blog".  There are also terrific educational resources to learn more about each culture, including how people live and work, what kinds of food they eat, what animals are present in those places, and more.  It's a safe site that we allowed them to explore once we saw how well it is built and monitored. 

Annesley gets her letter

Christian is into it immediately

A Cultural Education Right From Home

It's important to us to give our kids a view of the world that is not North-America-centric. We read about what's going on in the rest of the world and host exchange students and take or send our kids to faraway places when we can, but the reality is, we can't afford to do so as often as we'd like.

Short of hopping on an airplane, The Adventurous Mailbox is one of the most engaging approaches to studying world cultures and people that I've ever seen. The box that arrives, the letters addressed to the student, the quality books, and the online hub are all excellent components of a quality curriculum, and I'm just getting warmed up!

This is a screen shot of the area of the site that is just for members. There is so much humor, I actually laughed out loud when we watched an animated pig welcome us to the forums and say, "Please read the rules at the top of the forums before you get started. Don't question my authority just because I am a pig. I'll have you know that in some circles I am a rather important fellow. Plus, I am a talking pig and you have to admit that's kind of cool. So let's just save everyone some time and do what I say." Ha!

There's more: a teacher's lounge where you can find hundreds of lessons, from fill-in-the-blank vocabulary pages (with very funny sentences!) to writing sentences using target vocabulary to fun crossword puzzles. It's integrated and very well done. I've got a coupon code for you below that also gets you the teacher's lounge resources for free!

Exclusive Coupon Code

$10 off the Adventurer Package and ree ccess to the Teacher’s Lounge with coupon code HSadventure - Valid until 06/30/2015.

Adventurer Package ($79 inclusive of shipping)

Teacher’s Lounge ($20) This is an upgrade chosen after the base package is chosen.  

In addition to the Adventurer Package, The Adventurous Mailbox will soon be rolling out E­book versions. Later in 2015, they will also have Series Two ready for purchase. Ultimately, The Adventurous Mailbox will have a total of five series (40 books), all with accompanying lessons. 

Recommended for ages 8-12.

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Want to learn more about The Adventurous Mailbox? Find them here:

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Instagram - @theadventurousmailbox   

Google+

Five For Friday: How to Respond to Homeschool Critics

Typically on Five for Friday, we highlight 5 posts related to the topic of our most recent episode, which happens to be Answering Homeschool Critics. But instead of drawing your attention to 5 posts, we think you'll be super happy to read a whole list of posts from the bloggers at the iHomeschool Network.

Covering everything from "How are you qualified to be a teacher?" to "But you went to public school and you turned out fine", the bloggers and homeschoolers at iHomeschool Network have a lot of great experience and wisdom to share. We hope you feel encouraged.

Answering the Homeschool Critics

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Flow Charts and Schedules For Homeschoolers

Hi Kendra & Fletch!

I listened to your podcast on organization today, and would love to look at your flow chart for planning your day. I've been homeschooling 8 years and have yet to find a schedule plan that works for us!!

Thank you and blessings to you for your gift to the homeschool world!

-Katrina

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Happy to help, Katrina!

Back when we began homeschooling, I knew we'd have to have some sort of routine to our day or I was going to drown. At the time, our oldest was 4 and a half and we also had a 2-year-old and a newborn. I was breastfeeding, so there was that, and also involved in stuff at church. If there wasn't a plan for the day, nothing was going to get accomplished.

We went along swimmingly until school became more academic. Somewhere in there I learned about strict scheduling and decided that would take care of any little issues we were having. I made a great color-coded spreadsheet with a plan for what everyone would be doing, half hour by half hour. It looked so gorgeous!

Unfortunately, children do not pay any attention to color-coded spreadsheets. My babies cut teeth, skipped naps, and needed to nurse longer, while my toddlers had diaper blow-outs, the dog threw up, the eggs were left to boil too long on the stove, and my husband had an emergency patient at the end of the day. More often than not, we found ourselves 2 hours behind and reading aloud at night instead of in the afternoons. I also became majorly grumpy, barking, "Stop fooling around! We're 10 minutes late for starting math!" Not pretty.

One morning I sat down with the kids at breakfast and pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. Super high tech. I made a list that looked a little like this:

Breakfast/Clean-up
Circle Time
Math
Art
Lunch Prep/Lunch/Clean-up
Babies down for naps
Mom Read Aloud
English/Handwriting
History or Science (depending on day)
Free Time
Dinner Prep

And peace returned to our days. We had a backbone, but it was flexible and able to take into account the changing needs of each person in our home. When we found ourselves in the hospital for long stretches with one child or another, those at home could follow the flow and get some things done, even if Mom wasn't home.

I actually wrote a post over on Preschoolers and Peace about why a flow chart works for me, so hop over there if you want even more info.

-Kendra

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