heartofdakota.com

Do any of your children have difficulty understanding the stories?
I like that the stories are short and fun. But I find myself explaining a lot to my 5 1/2 year old. Is this OK? It seems to defeat the whole purpose of story time. I am assuming he will eventually get used to the language, right?
Dorla

I think some of the language used may go over my 5 y/o dd's head, but that is okay with me. Often she will ask me what a word means and I can explain it to her. I think she understands the basic story in each book and she has really come to enjoy the characters. We just started the Danny Meadow Mouse book last week and she was thrilled that it had Reddy and Granny Fox in it. Overall I think they are wonderful books and it is okay with me if some of it goes over her head. It will give us a reason to read them again in the future. HTH!

Gina

Dorla,

Thornton Burgess stories do take some listening practice to understand, but that's what makes them worth reading (in my opinion). It helps to train little ones in the transition from picture books to short chapter book stories with fewer pictures.

The reason I chose them is because they have so many moralistic dilemmas throughout the story that kids can relate to, and they stay with the same group of characters for a lengthy period of time. So, your children get to know the characters and begin to guess how they will react. They are drawn into the story.

As you go on throughout the year, you'll notice your child looking forward to the stories more and more. Comprehension will increase greatly, and so will your 5 year old's ability to listen and enjoy the stories. You are, in essence, training your little one to be a more seasoned listener. This is a skill that is so often overlooked. So, hang with the stories, and you'll be pleasantly surprised. My older boys look back fondly on them and still remember them from when they were 5 (and they are 8 and 12 now!)

For what it is worth, we also had a similar reaction from my 5 year-old, but I can already see that he is gaining as a listener bit by bit.

Blessings,
Carrie

Thank you Carrie! Your explanation is exactly what I needed to hear. I understand the benefits so we will continue reding them.
Dorla

Gina,
Thanks. Sometimes I forget that this is the way we learn new things!
Dorla

In the Storytime box, there are occasionally words to watch for in the chapter. The first time I came to a box with that suggestion, I thought...wow...what a great idea! So now I try to read ahead and tell them a word to listen for (i.e. "snare") and then tell them to listen to the whole chapter and see if they can figure out what the word means themselves. Then we discuss it after I've finished reading.

We LOVE these stories and feel like the characters are "friends" now. My kids love that some of the same characters and in every book. (It also helps if you can read as animated as possible with a slight southern accent! )

I just had to bring this subject back!
4 months after I posted this question I am amazed at how well my 5 year old is listening and comprehending, answering questions and retelling the chapters.
For any of you with doubts about this part of the curriculum - keep reading them, do the activities Carrie has listed and wait for the rewards. They will come!
Dorla

Ok!
I am so glad to read this thread, which I never saw before!

I feel so much better and down-right eager to read these books, now!

When I see, read "Reddy Fox pages 1 - 4" I was so worried that we'd have a ton of begging to read more. Please know that I have never seen these books and the titles sound so storybookish to me. I worried that it was like reading four pages of a kiddy-book. I am SO delighted to read all this!

Thanks for the update Dorla!!!
I know that I have plans to start reading the KJV to my Lil Bit in a few months. Most will go over her head for a while, but I know the exposure to the wonderful language while she is young will help her to understand it better when she is a couple years older.
Thanks again!! I sooo look forward to reading the Burgess books with my dd. They just seem soo sweet!! What a wonderful privillige (of forget it! I am a terrible speller. sigh) to not only be mommies, but to be able to hs with such a wonderful curriculum.

We keep a dictionary next to the rocker to look up words we don't know. It helps.

Dorla wrote:I just had to bring this subject back!
4 months after I posted this question I am amazed at how well my 5 year old is listening and comprehending, answering questions and retelling the chapters.
For any of you with doubts about this part of the curriculum - keep reading them, do the activities Carrie has listed and wait for the rewards. They will come!
Dorla

Thanks so much for the update, Dorla! You know, I was thinking as I read your post how wonderful it is to be able to see growth in our children. Without really taking note where our dc are on the spectrum of a given skill, we sometimes miss the treat of seeing how they've grown so superbly into it - almost as if it happened when we weren't looking! My 5 yo. ds often looks like a rocket ready to launch himself off of the couch during any reading I am doing, but I feel like the Burgess books have taught him to listen carefully and respond to the reading. I am seeing this skill grow even more as he learns to listen to books with fewer pictures - a progression I've been thankful for as we read the history book selections in LHFHG. I feel like it's getting him ready for Beyond... so nicely. Thanks for sharing this Dorla - it's so important we celebrate the journey together!

In Christ,
Julie

That's great Dorla! I'm in no rush to get through LHTH, but I love reading about all we have to look forward to in LHFHG! (And it's so good to know that even if my kids don't look like they're "getting it" right away...no need to worry.)

Dorla,

Thanks so much for sharing that update! I agree that we need to rejoice as our children grow, and sometimes our children change so gradually that we forget where they were when we first began!

I can't believe how much my own little 5 year old has come along with the Thornton Burgess stories and his listening ability over the course of this year too. It really is amazing how they grow and change with steady practice over time.

Thanks again for the update! I love reading things like this!

Blessings,
Carrie

This is great to hear! I just started the TB books with my 5.5 yo, and he is struggling a bit with the story and questions at the end. I find myself explaining what's going on, but know that is okay. We just read where Reddy Fox gets winged by the bullet. All of a sudden my son piped up with--where's Granny Fox--who hasn't been mentioned for at least 4 chapters. So, I know he's picking up something. I'll keep plugging along. I've found that for now it's better to ask the questions as we go, rather than wait until the end of the story. This will change I'm sure--I'm just trying to train him to be a better listener in baby steps.

Thanks for the encouragement!