Blog and other resources for homeschooling families and parents.
Choose several lovely Christmas books to have on hand and return to each year. As they become favorites, the story of Christmas and its meaning will sink in and be carried into our kids' adulthoods. Precept upon precept.
Read MoreLet'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.
(This list does not include shorter picture books.)
The Complete Tales of Beatrix Potter
James Herriot's Treasury for Children
From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
All the Wrong Questions series - Lemony Snicket
The Ralph S. Mouse Audio Collection
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
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.
affiliate links below
Books that inspired us, made us laugh, made us think, showed us a bit more about God, and engaged our children, here on our list of top seven books we read in 2014. Fletch has openly admitted that he's not much of a reader, so the list is Kendra-heavy. But if we had a top ten podcasts list? Fletch's list would be the whole post!
Fletch
Live in Wonder is a book that will help you engage in the art of conversation, with your family, your friends, your co-workers.
Live in Wonder Journal accompanies the book in a thoughtful way.
Kendra
New Morning Mercies is Paul Tripp's new devotional, and it has been a wonderful treat for me. I recently wrote about it on the Preschoolers and Peace site: My Favorite Devotional of 2014 (and It's Not Just For Moms).
Wonder - Our daughters and I started this one when we knew we'd be in the car a lot this fall. A boy born with a severe facial deformity, a loving family that seeks to protect and defend him, and a world that tries to come to terms with a different definition of "normal". The girls are 15, 13, and 11, while I am 44, and we all were deeply touched by Wonder.
Say Goodbye to Survival Mode is Crystal Paine's (Money Saving Mom) treatise on getting control of the life that's making you feel as if you're drowning. Even though I'm already an organized person who loves to chase balance, I found nuggets in Crystal's book that helped me pinpoint the most important ways to spend my time and shave off what needed to go.
Miss Buncle's Book - What happens when the most unlikely person to write a book about the whole town writes a book about the whole town, and it becomes a bestseller? Written in the 1920's, Miss Buncle's Book was nothing but a pleasure to read.
My Escape From the Auto de Fe - I've read literally hundreds of chapter books aloud to our kids over the past 20 years or so, and I'm always looking for interesting, engaging historical fiction that stands the test of time. My Escape From the Auto de Fe was a new title for us, and it quickly rose to the top of the list of really great titles to read aloud. The Spanish Inquisition, Christians escaping, and plenty of adventure!
The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches is the 6th book in a series of murder mysteries set in 1950's England. The heroine is a spunky 11-year-old girl who loves chemistry, her father, and their dilapidated English manor home. If you want to start at the beginning of the series, pick up a copy of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.
David and Goliath - I'm a big Malcolm Gladwell fan, and was particularly interested in his newest title, David and Goliath. Are underdogs really behind the 8-ball, or is there something working in their favor when what seems like the impossible comes true?
So, that was actually 9 ;)
What are the easiest, sweetest moments in our home? Any time I pull a book out and read aloud. It seems so simple, because it is. Never feel as if grabbing little ones, middle kids, and teens aside to read aloud is not exciting. Oh, the stories to be shared and the moments of laughter and emotion. Even our adult kids reminisce about the books we've read together.
Need some ideas for what to read this Christmas season? I've compiled a list of our favorites over the years and written several posts about Christmas reading:
Best Christmas Books for Your Collection
The Ultimate Guide to Christmas Books
Five Christmas Books That Top Our List
And do you know what else? You, too, can take a break from the stresses of the season and allow a story to change you. When was the last time you read the story of Christ's birth without assigning it to a church service or nativity play? Just enjoyed and savored each word and drawn deep breaths of the glory that is the birth of Christ? Pour that cup of coffee, curl up in a chair, and unravel the stress. That story is meant for you!
Coming up tomorrow: Christmas Movies for Stress-Free Family Nights
Day One: Golden Rules of Making Stress-Free Christmas Memories
Join the bloggers of the iHomeschool Network for 5 Days of Christmas. So much goodness there! And then enter to win over $400 in cash - our Christmas Stocking Stuffer Giveaway just for you. Enter below!
