Oh For Reading Out Loud!

I have never been a big fan of reading out loud.

I know what you're going to say. I have preschoolers in my house (full of books, by the way) almost 60 hours a week and I am using Sonlight curriculum to homeschool my daughter which is entirely literature based.

I had read Gwen The Secret Garden and Treasure Island before she could crawl, and Charlotte's Web before she could read. I do a storytime at the Way Station once a month and read to the kids at church all the time. How can I say I don't like reading out loud?!?!

Well that is my confession today. I am a fast silent reader. I like to find out what is going to happen and I like to find out now. When I read out loud I stumble over the words and inflect the wrong parts of sentences because my eyes and brain are traveling faster then my mouth!

When you were in elementary school (or for those of you with elementary age kids) do you remember using a piece of paper to help you keep your place on the page? I don't... but that is what I do now! And let me tell you. That was very hard to do while holding an infant and a big heavy book in my lap. 

Some of you may know of my love of normal, rectangular bookmarks. Well, now you know why I like them. If I'm not careful Gwen gets frustrated and takes the book away from me and reads it to herself!

Talk about embarrassing!

So why do I read to the kids so much? Well, because I like the results of my continuous reading.

When little boys stop running around and choose to cuddle up with me and a book, I am filled with happiness.

When they sit down by themselves voluntarily and 'read' a book it makes everything worth it.

When Gwen and I sit quietly on the couch, porch, or blanket in the yard for an hour or more, each engrossed in our own book, I know I've done something right.

When Gwen is not doing what she is supposed to and I find her reading instead... Well, that's a little annoying. But seriously, reading is possibly one of the best things she could be doing while hiding from her responsibilities. The only thing that might be better is if she was cleaning :)

When a child runs up to me, book in hand, light in their eyes, and says "Miss Colleen, did you know...." My cup runneth over.

Does that sound extreme? Yeah, well, I AM extreme when it comes to books and reading. And I hope each and every child I come in contact with leaves with a little book excitement in their veins.