186: Most-Loved Episodes #7: Where Audiobooks Count

We're sharing some of the most-loved episodes from our archives. Here's #7!   We do two episodes a week—this is our free one. Join us on Patreon to unlock a NEW episode every week for just $5/month!   #7: Where Audiobooks Count This episode originally aired on February 24, 2020.   "Do audiobooks count?" We're here to shout it from the rooftops: YES! Listening to audiobooks, or "ear-reading" as it's also known, is a valuable and legitimate form of reading, with some of its own unique benefits not found with eye-reading. Let's demystify the idea of eye-reading superiority and celebrate all the amazing things about ear-reading and audiobooks!   We'll each be sharing our Top 10 audiobooks for kids in a bonus episode for our Squad on Patreon. That's 20 audiobooks total! Hop on over to Patreon to get this bonus episode and alllll the other rewards.   Highlights from this episode:  -Listening to audiobooks can help readers develop a writing voice, understand sentence structure, boost their vocabulary, make connections with abstract thinking and metaphors, and learn naturally some elements of writing that might get missed with eye reading. -Audiobooks are a way to help more people experience the joy of books. Eye-reading is not accessible for everyone. Plus, audiobooks can be a perfect match for differently wired kids or readers with non-visual learning styles. -Audiobooks can help our readers to know that reading is fun, especially when eye-reading is difficult.  -Hearing stories can help build scaffolding and support for readers as they work toward eye-reading.  -Ear-reading exposes readers to more genres and more information at an earlier age. This can help readers grow their love of books. -Audiobooks can give our kids the best example of reading: the best narrators, the best pronunciation of words, the best way to read the story as it is written.      It's all happening on Patreon! You can always get new content on Patreon! Join our $5 Squad on Patreon to get an extra episode every week. Every month, you'll get 2 Listener Q&P (Question & Process) Episodes, an LTW Extra episode, and a monthly check-in where we get real about what's going well, what's hard right now, and what we're doing for self-care. You'll also get plugged into our community of like-minded parents for support, encouragement, and fun!   More About Homeschool Unrefined We are an inclusive and nonsectarian podcast. We believe Black Lives Matter, and we are LGBTQ+ affirming (for more, read our piece on Romper). We are listener supported and are donating 10% of all Patreon income and product sales to The Conscious Kid, a Black and Brown-led organization that has been instrumental in our own evolution and in leading the way in both ideological and tangible change with their work in "parenting and education through a critical race lens." Read our full ABAR Statement here and on Instagram.   Connect with us!  Visit our website | Sign up for our newsletter. | Support us on Patreon. | bookshop.org Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Youtube Angela on Instagram: @unrefinedangela | Maren on Instagram: @unrefinedmaren Email us any questions or feedback at [email protected]