I love reading out loud to the minions! Although both of the kids are getting older they still enjoy "story time." I also noticed that they tend to remember more details of the stories when I do read aloud. It allows them to relax and just sit back and listen, and just enjoy a good story. Not to mention all of the benefits your children receive, like encouraging children who are slow or struggling readers, and kids who just have no interest in reading books. And it's never too late to start or to continue to read to your children as they get older. Here is a great article I found and highly recommend: "Why I Read Aloud With My Teens."
The Boxcar Children, by Gertrude Chandler Warner is a story about a family of orphan siblings who are running away from home because they do not want to live with the grandfather. I'm not going to give too much away but the kids find an old abandoned boxcar in the forest and decide to make it their new home. Each day is an adventure for The Boxcar Children, so this book really keeps the reader's interest. We finished this book in about a week, reading a couple of chapters in a day.
Lessons
Reading comprehension questions for each chapter can be found on The Garden of Praise site , (There are also word study guides available to help introduce new vocabulary.) They are questions and have prompts for the answers to be written in complete sentences.
The Box Car Children Activity Guide available on their website, this guide includes a crossword puzzle, word search, writing prompt and create your own book cover.
Videos
Watch the Movie currently on Netflix! It's pretty close to the book and is a great choice for family movie night or rainy day.
Fun Crafts and Activities
Make blueberries and milk (cream)
The Boxcar Kids ate this when they found blueberries growing near their home. Blueberries and slim milk is no fun for the kids so I highly recommend using heavy whipping cream or even better frozen blueberries with a dollop of real whipped cream or cool whip. Stir gently just enough to swirl them together.
Make Jessie's Stew
Jessie's stew in the book consisted of a bit of meat and some baby vegetables. Include the kids in helping to wash, peel and cut (if they are old enough) the veggies. Talk about each ingredient and it's nutrition benefits or how it is grown or raised to add more depth into this lesson.
Make A Boxcar
This one sounded like a lot of fun but we never got around to it because we were pressed for time. I saw some ideas on Pinterest where you can use either a shoe box and make a diorama or a refrigerator box to make a big boxcar the kids can actually play in. (We may still go back and do this one just because it sounds like so much fun, if we have the time).
It's really easy to get carried away with this series because it is so much fun, there are over 160 books in the series! There's even a Boxcar Children Cookbook!
--Have Fun Learning!