Last week we attended the Midwest Homeschooling Conference (our first ever) and it was quite an amazing event. I am assuming that the organizers have quite a crew of people working behind the scenes to pull off such a large (we heard there were over 4,000 families in attendance) and well-planned event. Otherwise it would have been a circus!
We enjoyed milling about and meeting people and taking it all in. One of the little gold mines we stumbled across (due to a recommend from some friends) was Greathall Productions. Jim Weiss has been recording stories for over twenty years, and he has a great selection of cd’s for kids of all ages. We ordered four, and we took home one (they were sold out by the time we got down to business). Due to arrive soon is “Uncle Wiggly’s Storybook,” and I’m looking forward to that one! Doug and I listened to “Tell Me a Story” on the way home from the airport, and we were very impressed. I know the grandkids will eat this stuff up.
Our kids grew up with lots of stories. My husband read to them, I read to them, and we had (of course) Narnia on tape. Later we bought the Lord of the Rings and listened to that one while we made a cross-country trip. And my son listened to the New Testament on tape for years every night when he was in elementary school.
Jim Weiss knows the importance of stories, and he knows how to tell a good one. So now my conscience is clear. I’ve passed on the hot tip.
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Sounds like you found some fun treasures to listen to, and to have on hand for the kids to listen to. I will have to go check it out for myself.
Just in time! I was just asking my friends about their favorite children’s stories on cd’s.
Thank you, -again!-
A love of having stories read to me is something I don’t think I’ll ever grow out of. I’m so grateful to have electronic options of fulfilling that enjoyment! Another terrific production is Peter Leithart’s Wise Words. And if you’re really cheap (like me), and are willing to put up with some significant variations in quality, Librivox.org is like a candy store…only FREE! Oh, and best of all, you can find some good free MP3 Bibles online. Here’s my favorite. I have the Bible on my iPod, and it’s a blast to have the thing on shuffle and get randomly selected chapters of Scripture popping up amid my music. It’s impossible to read everywhere in the Bible at once, but with the audio version, I can hear chapters from all over the place throughout a day of puttering about the house. And speaking of puttering…I think that first load of laundry is done and is calling my name….
We greatly enjoyed meeting both you and your husband in passing at the recent MHC. It was an excellent conference with so many thought-provoking and instructive speakers (you and your hubby included 🙂 ). After attending a couple sessions done by Jim Weiss, we were “sold.” Although we have always been convinced of the value good stories, he got my husband excited about telling stories to our own five little girls. And we went ahead, made the plunge, and got the entire Weiss collection. I’m quite sure we won’t regret this investment.
My 7 y.o. daughter is a big Jim Weiss/Uncle Wiggly fan. She has listened to that one several nights a week for the past year or more. She must have most of it memorized by now. I should probably go check out Greathall website to add a little variety to her bedtime listening! I’m sure your grandkids will enjoy the adventures of the bunny rabbit gentleman.
I second the Librivox recommendation. It’s a veritable treasure trove. My kids like to listen to “Our Island Story” for history.
We also love Jim Weiss. He’s a lot of fun. 🙂
Mrs. Wilson,
I have a couple questions for you…
What do you believe are some good guidelines for friendships between teenaged boys and teenaged girls? Should a girl’s friendships with other girls be different than her friendships with boys? Is it ever appropriate for a girl to consider a boy her “best friend?” How would you define the difference between “just being friends” and flirting?
I will third the Librivox recommendation (my kids love to listen to books as they read along with the printed version)….and also say what a blessing it was to meet you and your husband at the conference.
Jim Weiss is wonderful. We have several of his CDs and the kids have enjoyed them all. We were at the conference and went to his session on G.K. Chesterton . . . it was phenomenal. If you ever have the chance to hear him tell a story in person, take it – it’s great.
Anonymous,
Canon Press has a set of CD’s called Keep it Simple: Scriptural Wisdom for Teenage Girls, which is a study I taught with mothers and daughters. I believe I cover a bunch of your questions in these studies.
We have loved Jim Weiss’ storytelling CD’s for years, The Jungle Book, Paul Bunyan, Greek Myths, etc. My sons do indeed “eat them up.” Nothing like a good story!
Ditto on Jim Weiss! We have many of his stories on tape.
His articulation is great, his voices are fun.
Sounds good… I love stories on tape. Thanks for sharing this!
Blessings,
Kate
Jim Weiss is the best narrator I’ve listened to. I think one of his best recordings is “Old Yeller”. Fantastic.
We had tapes Jim Weiss performing abbreviated versions of “Taming of the Shrew” and “A MidSummer Night’s Dream.” The voices still echo in my head–but no one would get it if I quoted him.