Reading etc
Any suggestions for books after the ORT-type but before ‘proper’ chapter books?
C is pretty fluent at level 7 now but gets tired reading a page with loads of words on (Animal Ark type stuff) - I need something with more words & paragraphs but instant gratification 
She’s read the Leapfrog ones already.
We’re doing the same old things - nearly finished SM1B, I’m very pleased with her progress & she’s really enjoying it - I’ve been making a real effort to read more & J’s daytime sleeping has settled down again which is helping (this was one of yesterday’s, C & I took it in turns to read, it’s a lovely book). We’re ploughing through HP again. She’s doing an awful lot of writing, she wrote in her diary yesterday:
“23 July
Todai I was going to go swiming But Dady woke up Jasper and so He hAD to go late into Work”
;)
Trying to decide what activities to do next year - she wants to do everything (few time/money issues there), she loves everything she does, she likes being in a group, adores her teachers, likes doing her own things. I like her having relationships with adults beyond & independent of me & Simon. Still we can’t manage ballet, tap, swimming, diving, gymnastics, trampolining, ice skating, art club & the usual HE activities. Hmmmm.
She’s looking very tall & grown up atm.
Very cross about two things (i) religious nutter has infiltrated my knitting group (it isn’t the religious bit or the nutter really that annoys me, it’s that they are fucking stupid - Dante’s Inferno is not a manual of satanic rituals fuckwit) (ii) BUCKLE CRUNCH arrrggghhhh. The car has very long seat belt anchor strap thingies and there is only one stage 1 car seat on the market that fits safely in it - and none that can be used rear facing. I am mightily pissed off - he can’t stay in the 0+ one because his head is over the shell & he can pull the straps off. The curse of big babies he would be so much safer rear facing 
We’re busy & I’m not sure I like it Haven’t got any free weekends again.
Got a plasterer coming around on Thursday though 
For reading books - Usborne blue banana type things are good we found - we’re away now until Friday evening, but come round at the weekend and have a look through our shelves if you want, or turn up one evening, C’ll be here. Ordinary picture book scan be good, but tend to have harder words in them as they’re more designed for reading out loud than the child reading them to themselves I guess.
Re the seat belt anchor strap - with ours, I poked them back through the hole, wrapped it round some iron bar that’s under the seat, and poked it back up (as recommended on the Bongo forums!) - don’t know if that’ll work for you as you might not be able to get under the seat!
Comment by Alison — 24 July, 2007 @ 10:38 am
Oh, more books - the library have shelves of ‘Early Reader’ books, graded 1-4 with stickers. Have done lots of them over the years! Sort of stuff that’s not worth buying to read once.
Comment by Alison — 24 July, 2007 @ 10:39 am
The fairy books got mine through this stage really well, as did books such as Milly Molly Mandy, they have pictures which seem to ease the pressure of whole pages of words. Both my girls HATED Animal Ark books much to my disgust as I’d bought the lot thinking they’d love them.
Can’t help with the car seat as mine all went front facing at 9 months.
Comment by Roslyn — 24 July, 2007 @ 8:40 pm
fairy books here, but also things like Usborne (which we mainly borrowed from Alison
)
Car seats, had an excellent one for Small that was rear or forward facing, have you tried that sort of thing? Kept him rear facing in it for ages, even though he was long. I still have it actually, if we’re seeing anyone who will see you and would have room to transport it, would happily send it on. Can’t find a link anywhere or I’d link to it, but it’s a four year old seat, so guess it’s out of stock everywhere.
Comment by Jax — 24 July, 2007 @ 11:15 pm
would the Magic Tree house books be any good? We’ve read one of them and my 2 really enjoyed it. Short chapters and lots of pics.
Comment by Kirsty — 26 July, 2007 @ 10:07 am