Homemade Books

Wonder what I was doing still up at 2 a.m. this morning?

(Ok, it was 3 a.m. - but don't tell Johnny.

He might start enforcing curfew!)

Well, here you go!
Making reading books!
When my girls are at various stages of learning to read, I’m often at a loss for books RIGHT AT THEIR LEVEL. For instance, right now two of them are reading short-vowel words. Most of the “readers” one can buy for that reading level toss in a plethora of long-vowel words which the child isn’t ready for! When I mentioned this problem to my sister, Kim (way back when I was teaching Emelie to read), she suggested making my own books. She showed me how simple it can be….use photos of the child, write the words with a marker, and bind it any way you want, even put it into a 3-ring binder, but keep it simple! So, that is how I started. Some of my earlier books were bound in various amusing ways: ribbons, string, 2 loose rings, etc., and they were all hand-written. But then I started using my computer and binding them more securely when I realized I’d be using these OVER and OVER again w/ the following children! I made some of them using pictures of the girls and their cousins, but then also started using pictures cut out of magazines. The girls LOVE these books! We often laugh about the pictures, or end up discussing what the people in the photo are working on, etc. Well, I needed some more books for this exact short-vowel level, so yesterday I had Emelie go through my box of magazine pictures and select the most striking, interesting ones she could find…. Then from that pile, we kept out all that we could pair with small short-vowel words. Then came the printing on card stock, cutting, and pasting. I’ll get my comb/wire binding machine out on Monday, and then they’ll become actual books! It’s a lot of fun….sort of like scrapbooking is for others. I can totally lose track of time and end up still wide awake in the wee hours of the morning! I think I got 6 books done this time around, each with 12-14 pages. I keep them short enough so that we can get through a whole book in one sitting/lesson.


Note #1: If you decide to try this, make some books with just one word for each picture......................and then progress to phrases and sentences in subsequent books.


Note #2: Funny pictures are always a hit, and be sure to always have a person or animal in every picture. Landscapes are not captivating enough for a child. They need to be really pulled into the picture! Sometimes a corny picture is the best!

Note #3: If you are just about ready to dash off an e-mail to me about the wonderful reading program you use for your children...that you just love, and would save me all these hours of time....may I kindly say thanks, but...........no thanks! :) I went through no less than 3 or 4 different reading programs with Emelie til I found my own style that works for us....so leave me to my ignorance! It is bliss at this point! HA!

Note #4: The pictures that go on the front of each book have nothing (repeat: nothing) to do with what is in the book usually. They are simply a way of recognizing each book separately from the others. For instance, "The Biker Book", "The Horse Race Winner Book". It's a way to use up great pictures that the kids like, but which I don't have a place for in the book.

So in a few weeks, I’ll be at it again, making more long-vowel books, I guess….
I think I have enough of those already, but maybe I can think up an excuse to make some more!