Making the most of your time in the car

Once everyone is back in school, it's that season again--car season.  Not only are we taking kids back and forth to school, but there's those added activities like sports, dance, sleepovers, or music lessons.  Some days it feels like you spend your day in the car, just driving kids back and forth.

Why not make most of that time in the car, and read a book!  Of course you won't be able to read a book in the traditional sense, since you have to keep your eyes on the road, but there's many great books on tape, CD and Playaway (MP3 format) that you can listen to in the car.

Listening to books in the car makes that drive time seem so much faster.  Better yet, if you're listening to a book series, it's even more fun!  Here's some popular book series you can check out of the library to listen to:  (Click on the title to reserve a copy via InfoSoup.)

• The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis
• The Magic Treehouse, by Mary Pope Osborne
• A Series of Unfortunate Events, by Lemony Snicket
• Harry Potter, by J.K. Rowling
• Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid, by Jeff Kinney
• The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien
• Percy Jackson and the Olympians, by Rick Riordan
• Junie B. Jones, by Barbara Park
• Great Classic Family Favorites (Includes Moni the goat boy, by Johanna Spyri -- An adventure on Island Rock, by L.M. Montgomery-- Torm Thumb, by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm -- The Tinman and the Scarecrow, by L. Frank Baum -- The emperor's new clothes, by Hans Christian Andersen -- How the rhinosceros got his skin, by Rudyard Kipling -- The mouse, by Saki -- Accidental magic, or, Don't tell all you know, by E. Nesbit -- Mermaids, by Louisa May Alcott -- Little Nell, by Charles Dickens-- The little mermaid, by Hans Christian Andersen -- The sun-dog trail, by Jack London.)

Start one of these series, and your next car ride will be the beginning of a wonderful adventure.  You'll find yourself actually looking forward to being in the car with your kids!

Going back to school--with books!

The backpacks have been purchased.

Crayons are ready, waiting, with fresh paper.

Folders are marked, waiting to be filled with papers.

Everything seems ready.

Are your children?

When you have a young child starting preschool or kindergarten, it can be hard to prepare them for that first day.  Most of the time, it's easier for the child to understand these things when it's told to them in the form of a story.  Here's a list of some great back-to-school stories to share with your child: (Click on the title to place a hold via InfoSoup.)

  Froggy Goes to School:  

 Froggy is nervous about his first day of school, but, even though it's hard to sit still, he has a wonderful time.

  Countdown to Kindergarten:

Ten days before the start of kindergarten, a preschooler cannot tie her shoes by herself and fears the worst.

  We Share Everything!

 On the first day of school, after their kindergarten teacher scolds them for not sharing, a boy and girl share their clothes and shoes.

  When An Elephant Comes to School:

With the help of his classmates, an elephant has a good first day of school.

  The Little School Bus:

An assortment of animals, including a goat in a coat, a quick chick, and a hairy bear, ride the bus to and from school.

  Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten

 Introduces the letters of the alphabet as Miss Bindergarten and her students get ready for kindergarten.

  My Kindergarten:

Join Emily, Roger, and all their classmates as they embark on their amazing journey through the kindergarten year.

  It's Back to School We Go!  First Day Stories from Around the World:

In easy-to-read text, describes what the first day of school might be like for a child in Kenya, Kazakhstan, Canada, Australia, Japan, China, Peru, Germany, India, Russia, and the United States. 

  Wemberly Worried:

A mouse named Wemberly, who worries about everything, finds that she has a whole list of things to worry about when she faces the first day of nursery school.

  I am Too Absolutely Small for School:

Describes all the fun experiences that the Peach twins have on their first day of school.

Have fun getting ready to go back to school with your child!

Social Networking for Readers

The internet is full of social networking sites these days.  Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Pinterest, they're all out there.  But did you know there's some great Reading social network sites?  Here's a list of some of the best:

• Goodreads: www.goodreads.com  A great place to get book recommendations from people you know.  You can also keep track of books you've already read, and books you'd like to read.  There's also fun ways to start a book club, answer book trivia, and collect your favorite book quotes.

• Shelfari:  www.shelfari.com   Shelfari is a community-powered encyclopedia for book lovers.  Create a virtual bookshelf, discover new books, connect with friends and learn more about your favorite books– all for free.

• Readernaut:  www.readernaut.com  Find the books you’ve read and rate them, store notes about them or review them.  Add books you’re reading and begin tracking your progress or write notes or comments.  Build your wishlist and see what others think of the books you want to read.  Or import your books from other services like Anobii, GoodReads, LibraryThing and Shelfari.

• Library Thing:  www.librarything.com  Join the world’s largest book club.  Catalog your books from Amazon, the Library of Congress and 690 other world libraries. Import from anywhere. Find people with eerily similar tastes.  Find new books to read.  Free Early Reviewer books from publishers and authors.  Enter 200 books for free, as many as you like for $10 (year) or $25 (life).

• Book Crossing:  www.bookcrossing.com  From the website:  "It's the World's Library. It's a smart social networking site. It's a celebration of literature and a place where books get new life. BookCrossing is the act of giving a book a unique identity so, as the book is passed from reader to reader, it can be tracked and thus connecting its readers. There are currently 948,137 BookCrossers and 8,147,968 books travelling throughout 132 countries. Our community is changing the world and touching lives one book at a time."  How does it work?  "Label. Share. Follow.  Breathe new life into books instead of letting your old favorites collect dust - pass them along to another reader. Our online archival and tracking system allows members to connect with other readers, journal and review literature and trade and follow their books as lives are changed through “reading and releasing”. Users are able to tag and track their individual books by marking them with BCIDs (BookCrossing Identity Numbers). Each BCID is unique to each book – once it’s registered on our site, the book can then be followed and journaled forever. BookCrossing is free to join and free to play. So don't be 'shelf'ish with your books!"

Did I miss any?  Do you have a favorite reading website?

I'm an adult. Is reading really that important?

We all know that our kids should be reading.  It helps them excel in school, and in their future lives as adults.

But why should we, as adults now, keep reading?

For one thing, it encourages our own children to keep reading.  Research has proven that when children see adults reading, they are more likely to read themselves.  Children model what they see adults do--they become interested in reading because they see adults in their lives enjoying and using books.  Even seeing an adult turning the pages teaches a young child how a book is used.  Plus, when you read with your kids, you're getting much-needed family time.  In these busy days, that can be hard to come by.

On another level, reading expands your own culture and understanding of the world.  I think of some of the books I've read this summer--taking in place in New York City, the lower banks of North Carolina, even in 1800's era England.  How else can I travel the world without spending a dime?  Are you going on a trip?  Head to the library and do some research on where you're going.  Reading those guide books can help you find the best--and worst--places to visit while you're there.

Reading as an adult also keeps your brain moving.  Think of reading as a way to exercise your brain, and keep it moving.  The more you use it, the better!  Reading makes you think, and when you think, you become smarter.  What's better than that?  It's also been proven that reading improves your memory skills.  While you're reading, you're stretching your "memory muscles," and you probably didn't even realize it!

Along the same lines, reading improves your concentration.  Reading requires your concentration on the words on the page--if you're distracted, you can't concentrate.  As you're doing this, your improving your concentration skills.  Many of this can use these skills, especially in our work!

Reading gives you something to talk about, too.  Brad Isaac, author of a great article on the advantages of adult reading, says, "Have you ever run out of stuff to talk about with your best friend, wife or husband? This can be uncomfortable. It might even make married couples wonder if their marriage is in trouble. However, if you read a lot of books, you’ll always have something to talk about. You can discuss various plots in the novels you read, you can discuss the stuff you are learning in the business books you are reading as well. The possibilities of sharing are endless."


The best part of reading as an adult?  It's cheap entertainment!  If you think about it, a trip to the movies or out to dinner could easily cost $100.  Plus, it's not very good for your brain.  Think of all the books you can get from the library, and for FREE!  There's nothing better than free, right?


So what are you waiting for?  Head to the library today, and get reading!