Reading Rockets offers a wealth of reading strategies, lessons, and activities designed to help young children learn how to read and read better. Our reading resources assist parents, teachers, and other educators in working with struggling readers who require additional help in reading fundamentals and comprehension skills development.
Sound It Out
Along with her background as a researcher, writer, and teacher, Joanne Meier is a mom. Join Joanne every week as she shares her experiences raising her own young readers, and guides parents and teachers on the best practices in reading.
My 8-year-old wants an iPod
September 16, 2008
My husband loves music; there's always something on in our house. His enthusiasm is contagious, and Molly has announced that "her own iPod" is on the top of her Christmas list. Which she's started. In September.
I'll admit I'm not crazy about the idea. I envision her wearing her ear buds all the time, tuning us out. She's promised she won't do that, and that she'll still talk to us! Even at dinner time!
Listen To Your Buds, is a campaign sponsored in part by the American Speech Hearing Association (ASHA) that helps parents and teachers learn more about volume levels and portable music players. From the site I learned that kids should wear earbuds that fit outside the ear rather than the kind that you cram in your ear. There's other good information there too, about loud noises and hearing loss and how the ear works.
What will Molly listen to? Mostly Camp Rock songs, I think. And a handful of other pop music that she's heard — Hannah Montana, and (gasp!) a Talking Heads song she heard during Nim's Island. At least that's something the whole family can dance to!
Parents' Choice released a Spring 2008 Audio Award Winning CDs
which might be a good place to start looking for music to load on an iPod, although 8 year old girls are interesting. Most days she seems to be 8 going on 15 and wouldn't be caught dead listening to "baby CDs." As Molly puts it: She likes "real music."
I'm going to dig around some more and do some research on audio books for kids (I'm familiar with AudibleKids, but their prices seem high!) before making a final decision. I'll let you know what I find out.
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How about creating your own personal audio books with your child? Of course they aren't for public use, but for your own personal use. You or your daughter, or your husband could read the book into a player that makes podcasts. There are players such as garage band (mac), or audacity (pc) which require some small learning, but can be great fun for you and your kids once you get familiar with it.
It might stimulate your child to create even more wonderful things, or tell their own stories through podcasting.
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Reading Rockets is a national multimedia project that offers research-based and best-practice information on teaching kids to read and helping those who struggle. It is an educational service of public television station WETA in Washington, D.C.
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How about an audio book swap with neighborhood families or through your daughter's school? An audio book exchange might even lead to some interesting discussions or a kids book club!