Karen recently wrote a great series of blogs in Homeschooling about reading aloud. Some mothers are able to read hours and hours to their children without tiring. So far, I’m not one of them. I’m trying to put Karen’s suggestions into practice and read more with my older children. It has gotten better through the years. After seven or eight readings of “Button Goes to the Park” to a four year old, my voice would be about gone. That’s how I discovered stories from the library.
A lot of libraries offer them. The kids are so excited to get to use the phone (and it’s a good skill building time) that they want to hear the librarian tell the stories over and over again. It doesn’t matter to them that it’s the same story. And the “librarian” doesn’t care because she’s recorded with a voice that doesn’t give out or tire. They’re not going to take the place of a parent reading, but they’re a great supplement.
Having a list of different libraries means that they’ll get different stories. I’m assuming, of course, that you have unlimited long distance. (If you don’t, read here about Sunrocket VOIP). If you don’t have free long distance, try calling your local library to see if they have a similar program. For free, it’s hard to beat!
Here are some library stories that I’ve called and checked for you. If you put the list near the phone, your child can dial and listen at his pleasure.
(574) 268-2222 – Warsaw Community Library, currently playing Punxsutawney Phil
(717) 295-2665 – Lancaster Library, Three Little Pigs
303-220-8935 – Arapahoe Library District, The Itsy Bitsy Spider
(479) 936-5444 – Rogers Public Library, The Cat and the Parrot
(602) 262-4868 Phoenix Public Library, Riley and the Sheep (Also in Spanish at (602) 262-4039)
If you’re a little more techno-savvy, there are also some free audio stories for kids that are available to download to your iPod. StoryNory is one of our favorites because, while it contains many stories for the pre-school crowd, there are stories for elementary aged and older as well.
Do you have a favorite library story to add?