In my house, everyone crowds around on Box Day. We all wait anxiously for the flaps to be opened, then peer in for a second and take in the sight.
All those books.
It’s intoxicating, isn’t it? All those new titles, all those stories yet unread. There’s a flush of gratitude (“We get to read all of these this year?”) and a palpable sense of optimism (“We will read all of these this year!”).
And then the year starts, and reality creeps in.
Folks, have you ever seen a complete Sonlight History/Bible/Literature program? How about an All-Subjects Package? That’s a lot of books! Consider: your average public school AP British Literature class requires a total of 6 titles to be read over the course of a year. Sonlight’s has 24.
Does that mean it’s not doable? Far from it. But what it does mean (aside from the fact that your child is going into the world with a greater cultural fluency than many of his peers) is that if you have to set aside a few titles in the course of the year, you’re not failing your kid. Not by a long shot.
Look, we all have books that just don’t get around to because they flop in the opening chapters, because they’re too heavy for the season our family is in, or just because we run out of time. That’s o.k. When you’re starting with a list so rich and well-rounded, if a few titles drop out, it’s not the end of the world.
But, my advice to you? Don’t ditch them altogether. Hold on to those well-selected treasures and revisit them later if at all possible. You most likely won’t be able to work them into the next year’s reading list (all those books, remember?), but there are still ways to incorporate those titles into your family’s lives if you choose!
Want to get around to those books that got cut in the school year? Here’s how:
Make it a family read aloud. Pull that book into an evening rotation for the whole family. This works especially well with some of the younger books that older kids remember as classics. Take turns reading out loud if you’d like, or let mom or dad narrate the whole time. Remember to save time for discussion, as the different ages and stages of your home will add depth and perspective to everyone’s experiences—without feeling anything like “school”!
Call it summer reading. Whether your family has its own summer reading program, complete with a fun end-of-summer event, record titles on a local library flier, or just keep a few books on hand for filling out those hot days, the summer months shouldn’t be devoid of all reading. This is the perfect time to play catch-up, and titles you missed during the school months bulk up series and “beach reads.”
Schedule a road trip read aloud. Audio versions are especially good for car trips, and are a painless way to fill the hours between your house and the beach. Time flies for all ages when the scenery is passing by and your mind is wrapped up in a great story!
Add the title to you family shelf. Sometimes, simply slipping the book on to your family “to be read” shelf is enough to sow the seed for a curious (or bored) kid to pick it up and dive in. So while the most organized thing to do might be to box it away with the completed books for the year, leaving it out might pay off, too.
Timely. We are using Omnibus (Veritas Press). She has already done more of it than an average high school senior would do in a year. She is 13. So, I’m not going to worry.