June 21, 2011 10:24 AM
Audio book CDs for family travel, vacations
A friend was looking for audio books for her family's three-week vacation coming up soon. In case you haven't considered these as a bonding experience for your family travels, I thought I'd rerun this from last year.
We've listened to audio books cross-country and our travels to Nags Head each year. They have added more foundation to the things we share as a family and my grown-up kids frequently reference them in conversations together. A truly worthwhile investment:
My daughter Maddy was an audio learner. She LOVED listening to stories on tape and reveled in the huge collection of Adventures in Odyssey series* passed down to her by many older brothers and sisters.At 17, Maddy is now a fairly enthusiastic reader, but I think that her enormous audio appetite kept her vocabulary and thinking skills up and built a bridge which eventually translated into more interest in books.
I remembered this today when I noticed someone had purchased The Screwtape Letters through my Amazon link - which reminded me that some of you might be interested in these audio resources too.
Our whole family has enjoyed the marvelous dramatizations produced by Focus on the Family. Like the Odyssey series, they have the highest production values - fantastic voice talent - and will rivet the attention of even those who are not audio learners. When we traveled cross country from California to Virginia in 2002, we listened to them all again. Still enjoying them today:
* The Odyssey series serve up doses of history, philosophy, theology, psychology, and lots of vocabulary while delivering solid stories about everyday people and everyday situations - all with a strong moral message and biblical perspective. Here is a sampling of what's available - it's hard to pick, since there are over 50 volumes. Each volume contains six tapes:
There are lots more - and Amazon gives you the content so you can choose age -appropriate episodes. Odyssey has tackled everything from dishonesty to divorce to abortion - but in a way that leaves kids better equipped to face the realities of life as Christian boys and girls - eventually men and women.
Comments
My 5 year old daughter can't get enough of Adventures in Odyssey. I HIGHLY recommend their "Truth Chronicles," "Cause & Effect," and "For God & Country."
Posted by: Kristina | June 21, 2011 11:49 AM
I have a HUGE collection of children's audios. The Jonathan Park ( creation science) collection is well loved by my 8 and 10 year old. Audios are a great resource for slow readers. It helps to build their vocabulary. I have heard that the G.A. Henty ( fictional history) audios are AWESOME. I ordered one of these from library and ed.com...but can't give an opinion since no one has listened to it yet. :)
Another lesser known series is Jay-Jay the Jet plane. ( also endorsed by focus on the family) My children like this series when they are about 3-7.
Just curious, Barbara... Do you think a 10 year old would enjoy the screwtape letters? I am looking to stretch his mind a bit... Too young, or just right?
Posted by: Lisa | June 21, 2011 1:05 PM
Lisa -
I'm always one for stretching - reading aloud above the child's current reading level. I think it helps build vocabulary and intelligence as the mind works to connect the dots. Then a second listening becomes more enjoyable and the child picks up even more.
Posted by: Barbara | June 21, 2011 1:15 PM
We check audio books out of the library with every visit. My 11 year old has some attention issues and audio books are the only way I can get her to finish the job of cleaning her room. Also, if she's had a particularly stimulating day, actually reading a book before bed can be too much -- audio books are a life saver on those nights.
One of our favorites is the Penderwicks.
Posted by: Bridget | June 21, 2011 5:20 PM
