Posts from the ‘Activities: at home’ Category

“New” Classics for Young Readers

Written by Kira from Just the Right Book

We’ve been thinking a lot about classic books lately here at the JTRB office, in light of our Contemporary Classics Quiz, which highlights some of the best books for adults from the last 75 years–many books that were written decades before I was born, and that I love. That’s the thing about really good books–they have staying power.

The phenomenon of classics also applies, perhaps even more so, to children’s chapter books. It’s no surprise that what we read when we’re young tends to stick with us. Maybe that adage that you never forget your first love applies to books as well as people. The first books we read and fall in love with are often the ones we remember most fondly and vividly. And there are many, many examples of children’s classics getting new life today, some in their original forms and some updated for a new generation of readers. Parents are re-reading these beloved books and introducing them to their children. Read more

Down Time is Their Time

Written by Beth Clay

It’s been a couple of months since school started, and I bet your kids are starting to show some signs of stress. Maybe you’ve even had a call home from the teacher already.  And then you start to show signs of stress. The antidote: humor, creativity and play.  And some alone-time (hint – that’s where the books come in).

Helping my three kids find the best way to diffuse stress was like diving for pearls. Sometimes I would come up with something that glowed. Sometimes I just got a handful of seaweed. Like when I mistakenly thought that routines were a good idea. They are, of course, to some extent, but the more I tried to get them to sit down and a chat about their day, the deeper the seaweed got.

After a day of schedules and expectations, they really just needed true, unscheduled down-time. Not veg-in-front-of-the-tv time. Real, all-about-them down-time. My son needed to organize his toys and read. My older daughter needed to go outside and play with friends. My youngest needed to pull the pots out of the cupboard and drum on them like the rock star she is. Instead of drilling them about their day, we found ways to laugh. And then they would begin to talk about their day. Read more

The Family That Listens Together…

Written by Beth from Just the Right Book

One day when my kids were little, an audio book fell into my hands, unsolicited and out of the blue. It was Patricia Cornwell’s Isle of Dogs. When I put it in the tape player (yes, it was that long ago), something unexpected and wonderful happened. My kids gravitated to the Southern drawl emanating from the stereo the way they might have followed the scent of cookies to the kitchen. The family ended up listening to Isle of Dogs as a group over dinner – that night and every night after until we’d heard the whole book.

Enjoying the ritual and the conversation it sparked, we next chose The Life of Pi (read in rich Indian accents and taking us all out to sea, stretching our imaginations as we ate our meal at the earth-bound dining room table). Then DaVinci Code. Then Agatha Christie. And the rest is history. A family tradition had firmly taken hold. Read more