Guess Who's #1?

You'll never believe what the #1 selling book at Amazon.com is right now, and it isn't even going to be released until May 10!

I'm convinced, along with Coach Dave from Pass the Salt Ministries that Dr. Paul represents the ideals of the majority of Americans. How sad that there actually is a candidate in the race that represents what most people think and believe, and that a Christian could vote for in good conscience, yet so many people are uninformed and don't even know a thing about him. I could say a lot about what makes good people give up their hard-won freedoms to a government elite they don't even agree with (another post for another day!), but one of the most obvious reasons that Americans just aren't informed, is that most of them don't read. Reading is fundamental to the essential life skill of being able to think for oneself.

Here are a few things I've done to encourage my children to be readers and thinkers.

1. TURN THE CABLE OFF!!!! (Of course, there are at least a thousand other good reasons to do this as well)

2. Stay out of the Wal-Mart junk toy aisle. Buy them a few toys that encourage creativity and don't make any noise or require batteries! Better yet, give them a gun, cape, sword, hat, and packed lunch, and send them outdoors!

3. Get them a good reading light for their bedrooms, and make them go to bed early.

4. I require my older children (8 and 10) to read 2 chapter books each month. Anything beyond the required 2, I pay them $5 for each book at the end of the month. They usually earn between $10-15 each, which means they're reading at least 4-5 chapter books each month. This, of course, requires frequent trips to the library. Also, if the book is especially long, I will allow it to count as 2 books. For example, Caleb read "The Hobbit" last month, which was a challenge for him, but he was excited that he got 2 book credits for it.

5. Require them to WRITE! I'm not scientific enough to explain it, but I know for sure there is a connection between reading and writing. Get them a cool pencil, an attractive notebook, and a jar filled with slips made by you with interesting ideas for topics, and require them to write everyday. For mine, they only pull ideas if they can't think of anything to write, which is rare. Don't be too critical (maybe pick one or two easily corrected mistakes) of their entries. This is not for publishing; it's to build confidence and to practice. For it to be effective, it must be a daily part of their routine. I start out requiring a few sentences, then gradually work up to a full page as they get older. Don't stress them, just teach them to enjoy it. The writing topics should be fun and interesting for them. ("My Favorite Kind of Play Day", "I like _____ because....", "One day, I'd like to ____", "This is My Family", "My Favorite Birthday Present")

6. This may sound a little strange, but help them acquire a taste for calm music without words or lyrics. This helps relax their minds and calm them down to sit and be attentive, yet there are no distracting lyrics.

These are a few of my ideas. I'd love to hear yours as well!