Even More Great Places to Read Everyday, Everywhere

I started this series about a week ago, looking for great places to read and ways to find extra time in your life to read … You can find details for the first 15 here and here.  Here is a review:

1. Read in Bed.

2. Read while on the Phone, waiting on hold for Customer Service.

3. Read at the Library.

4. Read while waiting at the doctor’s office.

5. Read in the car.

6. Read while sitting in your potty chair.

7. Read in a lawn chair while watching your children playing.

8. Read on a blanket, under a tree.   

9. Bring a book for little ones to read during church.

10.  Read as you have your private lunch.

11. Read on your commuter train ride

12. Read while waiting for water to boil/cooking in the kitchen.

13.  Always, always, always bring a book when you are visiting relatives, especially in-laws. 

14.  Read on a Plane Ride.

15. Read while you are waiting for the movie to start at the movie theatre.  

Thanks to Jen Robinson from Jen Robinson’s Book Page who shared these ideas:

16. Listen to audiobooks while doing chores around the house.  Jen mentioned folding laundry and cooking, I might try this while dusting and cleaning this weekend.  Anything to make housework a little more pleasant!

17. Listen to an audiobook while driving in the car.  I have tons of friends who do this to make the commute pass quickly; I am looking for the perfect book now to give it a try.

And some more ideas I been thinking about:

18. Turn off the TV and read.  One night a week (or more) turn off the TV and have personal or family book time.  My Lil guy loves to be surrounded by piles of books on the couch.  He will sit and read reclining on one side of the couch while I recline on the other side.  It’s a peaceful 20 or 30 minutes that I cherish.

19. Read in the bath.  It’s so indulgent to take a bath with a book.  While my e-reading habits don’t really promote this habit, for those of us who enjoy a nice soak, a book can add to a relaxing experience.

20. Read in bed (part 2). Many of us read before we fall asleep, but how many of us read before we get out of bed in the morning.  There is something about the morning that peaceful, especially after a goodnight’s sleep.  It might be a challenge to some of us, maybe after we’ve woken up a bit and brushed our teeth, or after we make the bed for the day, we should relax with a book before starting our day.  I know many of you are not convinced, but perhaps it’s a challenge you can attempt. 

So now we are finished with numbers 1 to 20.  Hopefully next time around I am going to look at how you can "pretend like you are doing something important when really you are actually just finding an excuse to read in peace".  Later I will explore how to build extra time with books into your family schedule and then finally how children can capture extra reading time at school.  I really have enjoyed this series of posts and hope to keep up with more ideas.  Please leave YOUR ideas in the comments and I will add them onto the list.  Thanks.  :-)

More Great Places to Read Everyday, Everywhere

I’ve already started talking about great places to read and today we are adding to the list.  Here is what we have so far:

  1. Read in Bed.

  2. Read while on the Phone, waiting on 
     hold for Customer Service.

  3. Read at the Library.

  4. Read while waiting at the 
     doctor’s office.

  5. Read in the car.

  6. Read while sitting in your 
     potty chair.

  7. Read in a lawn chair while watching your children playing.

  8. Read on a blanket, under a tree. 

  9. Bring a book for little ones to read during church.

  10.  Read as you have your private lunch.

Now for the next five places, I thought I would focus on places to read a book that might otherwise be a giant waste of time.  If you are going to be held captive you might as well have a book, right?

11. Read on your commuter train ride;  Usually when I find myself on a train early in the morning or even after a long day at work, I don’t want to make eye contact with anyone let alone try for conversation, a book is the perfect antidote.

12. Read while waiting for water to boil.  I usually have a book nearby, but I admit, while cooking dinner I usually have my head stuck in a cookbook or in a newspaper.  I like short bites of information as I am reading, so this type of reading is perfect while waiting for water to boil.

13.  Always, always, always bring a book when you are visiting relatives, especially in-laws.  It may seem silly or even rude, but having a good book to lose yourself in while at a relative’s house can be a life saver.   Books not only can be calming, but also can be the perfect excuse to decline an invitation to play charades or join the annual ping-pong tournament. 

14.  Read on a Plane Ride. I would never get on a plane without at least one piece of reading material.

15. Bring a book to read while you are waiting for the movie to start at the movie theatre.  My husband is obsessed with getting to the movies early.  I don’t mind, as long as I have a book.

So, now we have numbers 1 to 15.  I am still looking forward to hearing from you.  What’s the best place to read a book?  Tell me about the places that help you pass your time.  Make sure to leave a comment and I will add it to the list.  Thanks.

Reading Everywhere, Everyday

I try to always carry a few books with me.  It’s like books are my addiction, and the thought of being without one is a little scary.  Being a mother to 3 year old Lil Guy, I also try to have a supply of book for him.  My purse totes an e-reader fully stocked with adult novels, YA books, a few kids picture books/easy readers, and interactive books for toddlers.  We have book baskets in all our cars, we also stuff diaper bags, backpacks, overnight bags, and even lunch bags with books.  Our shelves are overflowing as is my nightstand.  We simply can’t get enough books.  While I do spend a lot of time reading, I also find that I can read just about anywhere, in many situations.  I thought I would share some of them here on the blog in a cumulative list. Anyone who wants to add to my list of Reading Places, add a comment and I will add your ideas to the end of the list.

I will start with 10 places My Lil Guy and I have been reading lately:

1. Reading in Bed:  I read laying in bed at bedtime almost everynight with my Lil Guy, but I also read before bed on my own.  Since I have a backlit e-reader, I can even read in the dark!

2. Read while on the Phone, waiting on hold for Customer Service.

3. Read at the Library:  Sometimes I can’t wait to read a book I just picked up off the shelf.  With Lil Guy, sometimes we will read arm fulls of books and return them before we even leave the library.

4. Read while waiting at the doctor’s office.

5. Read in the car: If it doesn’t make you too queasy, reading the car is a great way to pass the time as a passenger.  My Lil Guy will check out book after book after book occupying himself on longer trips.

6. Read while sitting in your potty chair. Enough said.

7. Read in a lawn chair while watching your children playing: This is absolutely my summertime joy.

8. Read on a blanket, under a tree. 

9. Bring a book for little ones to read during church.

10.  Read as you have your private lunch: While it’s a luxury these days to find myself alone at a meal,  there is something comforting about bringing a lunch companion to the table in the form of a great book.

There is my start to the list.  I would love to hear about places you find yourself reading, your favorite places to read, or maybe even places you wish you had a book to pass the time.

The Story-Time Scene

I am quite new to the StoryTime scene.  I have read stories in school to children for years, but now that my Lil Guy is ready to sit and listen to stories we have been going to bookstores and local libraries to for storytime.  I wasn’t sure what to expect at first, but was happy to hear the kids sing a few songs, stand up and do motions, and some other really cute little activities.  The past few weeks I have been trying a new storytime at a new library that really hits my fancy.  At this storytime not only do we get to sing songs and hear stories but we also get play things.  I admit, before these story times I didn’t really understand the merit of felt boards (gasp!) or props that help children interact.  Now though, I am won over to the interaction with books, stories, and music that can come together during toddler storytime.

My Lil Guy is 2 and ½.  He loves books but sometimes storytime can be overwhelming with unruly tots and long stories that take too long to tell to a group since everyone really wants to see the pictures.  He also loves to sing-along (my fault, since I constantly sing at him) and is an enthusiastic singer for favorite songs like Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes or Row, Row, Row Your Boat.  All of this being said, he would still ask after each story, after each song or chant, “Are we finished yet?” Meaning he was just read to go home.  I was beginning to worry that storytime was more for me than him.

Well, a few props, felt board activities, and interactive songs later, and we both are enjoying storytime more.  Imagine a room of 10 to 15 toddlers sitting on a carpet in the library on a rainy day.  What do you think would be a great prop for them to play with?  How about umbrellas?  I wasn’t sure when they started passing out the umbrellas to the kiddos and expected them to all control themselves.  What I discovered was that every child wants to hold an umbrella, twirl it around, pop it up and down, and it is a perfect prop when tied to a song or story.  Another surprise was when our storytime leader turned off the lights and passed out flashlights to sing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.  Lil Guy loved this!  Egg shaped shakers, sticks to hit together in rhythm, puppets and stuffed animals, feathers, and rubber duckies in the hands of toddlers all inspire imagination and play.  

So, maybe every storytime has these creative and fun interactions, or maybe I just lucked out and found a great storytime with nice kids, fun interaction, and good stories.  How about you?  What do you think of storytime?  What’s your best experience with your Lil One and storytime?