Why is it that some people can read in the car, and others (including me) can't. I can read words upside down or sideways sitting at home, but not anything on a train or car, or even for very long on a plane. All that wasted time when I could be reading!
Sometimes it even depends what I am trying to read that makes the difference if with my processing- I can't read textbooks after about 8:30pm when the children go to bed. I can read novels, and sometimes news, but as I sit a read assigned chapters, I just go over the same paragraph again and again, and nothing goes in. I was trying to glean some info from Whaley and Wong's Pediatric Nursing a couple nights ago- the classic text on the matter, and although I think I had some fair questions about why a bunch of the content is being taught in the class I am working with (do I need the students to know about Legg-Calve-Perthes disease), it really didn't matter because it was not being processed. So I had to read it again the next day.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Friday, February 15, 2008
Old is new again
I went to the library today because I had two appointments with an awkward amount of time in between. So of course I came out with an armful of books and videos. It is easy to get things for my boys, there are just so many things they are into, but I am not supposed to get things for me right now because of my school schedule. Well, I cheated and got something... I saw a display ( I am a sucker for a good book display) that had an old favorite- Taking Care of Terrific by Lois Lowry. I remember reading this when I was a pre-teen. It is a story of a 14 year old girl and her summer babysitting job, but of course so much more.
I have already re-read the first half and was a little jolted by how it starts- she is talking about how she may have to go to jail...! I remember trouble- swan boats and bag ladies, and something about rootbeer popsicles and crayons with the tips not broken off, but jail?! I may have to read this more than once again, because I already feel myself racing through to find out what happens. When I do that I miss details- like when I was reading in the Witch of Blackbird Pond in high school, I totally missed that one girl had a physical handicap (it was kind of important to the story too), until a teacher pointed it out to me.
But anyway, since I have now read other Lois Lowry children's works and respect her craft, I want to enjoy that part of the book too. At least since it's children's book it shouldn't take too long to read it twice. As an adult reading with an appreciation of history and literature and developmental issues and differing points of view, it is a whole new experience. Have you ever reread a childhood favorite and found new things to love (or hate)?
I have already re-read the first half and was a little jolted by how it starts- she is talking about how she may have to go to jail...! I remember trouble- swan boats and bag ladies, and something about rootbeer popsicles and crayons with the tips not broken off, but jail?! I may have to read this more than once again, because I already feel myself racing through to find out what happens. When I do that I miss details- like when I was reading in the Witch of Blackbird Pond in high school, I totally missed that one girl had a physical handicap (it was kind of important to the story too), until a teacher pointed it out to me.
But anyway, since I have now read other Lois Lowry children's works and respect her craft, I want to enjoy that part of the book too. At least since it's children's book it shouldn't take too long to read it twice. As an adult reading with an appreciation of history and literature and developmental issues and differing points of view, it is a whole new experience. Have you ever reread a childhood favorite and found new things to love (or hate)?
Monday, February 4, 2008
Party Time
We seem to get invited to a lot of children's birthday parties. Since we don't really watch any commercial television, it can be hard to know what is the "in" thing for children's gifts, and even if I know what the child's interests are, I worry that they will already have what I get for them. So I decided a few years ago that we would give books as gifts, pretty much all the time. I have a chest in my closet where I put great books I find in their school book order forms, at my library book store and half price books. When a party comes up- sometimes without much notice- I choose by age, interest, etc. I still have to shop sometimes but many times I am all set.
This weekend we went to a party for a neighbor girl who turned 9. That's third grade- so she got Muggie Maggie by Beverly Cleary, Judy Moody (1) by Meagan McDonald, an Arthur chapter book, and a Cam Jansen Chapter book. I also picked up something a little different at my half price books- The King of Things and the Cranberry Clown. It was an empowerment story and had beautiful water color full color illustrations by some well know cartoonist. I try not to get Princess/Barbie/Movie related etc stuff, only literature I would actually recommend to people.
Problem- this neighbor isn't that into reading- Answer- fine then she probably doesn't have these books! What if they have these already books? Well I figure they are easy to pass on to someone else. If it is above her reading level- she can have a read aloud with her Mom.
I don't think kids would be happy only receiving books and not getting Pokemon cards or stuffed toys, but I love that at the end of the day, they will have something in their pile that they can read. My husband says people will stop inviting us to parties if we keep giving books- that's OK too, a couple fewer parties might be nice.
This weekend we went to a party for a neighbor girl who turned 9. That's third grade- so she got Muggie Maggie by Beverly Cleary, Judy Moody (1) by Meagan McDonald, an Arthur chapter book, and a Cam Jansen Chapter book. I also picked up something a little different at my half price books- The King of Things and the Cranberry Clown. It was an empowerment story and had beautiful water color full color illustrations by some well know cartoonist. I try not to get Princess/Barbie/Movie related etc stuff, only literature I would actually recommend to people.
Problem- this neighbor isn't that into reading- Answer- fine then she probably doesn't have these books! What if they have these already books? Well I figure they are easy to pass on to someone else. If it is above her reading level- she can have a read aloud with her Mom.
I don't think kids would be happy only receiving books and not getting Pokemon cards or stuffed toys, but I love that at the end of the day, they will have something in their pile that they can read. My husband says people will stop inviting us to parties if we keep giving books- that's OK too, a couple fewer parties might be nice.
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