In preparation for our trip to Boston, I had read that Louisa May Alcott, the author of Little Women, had lived in Concord, Massachusetts. So I thought it would be neat to read the book together with D on the trip. As usually happens when we “read together”, she takes the book when I’m doing something else, and gets ten chapters ahead of me — so I spent the rest of vacation trying to catch up.
But this tag-team reading was really cool. We loved the book and D was so interested in learning more about the author, that we made an unplanned sidetrip to Concord, so we could visit Louisa May Alcott’s cottage home.
It was an excellent tour, and our guide explained all the comparisons between Louisa’s own family, and the family in Little Women. Louisa is Jo, and her three sisters’ lives parallel those of Meg, Beth, and Amy.
D was enthralled with the home, and it was fun to discuss the comparisons as we finished the book. Sometimes passing the torch is letting my kids determine what we’re going to learn together. Works for me!
You can pass the torch every week, by sharing simple and stupendous times kids make us proud, as well as the ways we see adults passing the torch. Just blog a story or share it in comments. My comment plugin will leave your link automatically. Former PTT posts. Complete Guidelines.
The Boston Series:
Happy Independence Day
Mom and Daughter Trip to Boston
Passing the Torch – On Cranberry Pond
Bed and Breakfast Review
Biking on Cape Cod
Whale Watching
Reading Little Women
Salem, MA Wrought Iron
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12:58 pm
My 4-year old and 2-year old can’t read yet. But they love to pretend to read. My 4-year comes out with his own version of the story by simply looking at the pictures of a book. My 2-year old … well, hums the sound effects.
Mike
http://somethingaboutparenting.typepad.com/
http://www.mikeleonen.com/
1:03 pm
I have read several Louisa’s books and have loved all of them. That is a really neat piece of history… I tend to get goose-bumpy when I am able to visit a historical site like that. I love that you read the book at the same time. Anna and I are enjoying reading together… nothing as fancy as Louisa May Alcott yet (the running series of Junie B. Jones), but one day we will.
Mine is up too.
1:17 pm
Aw…I hope that Flicka and I one day can do something similar!
4:47 pm
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4:49 pm
What a fun thing to do! When did they get so big????
Hugs,
Holly
6:48 pm
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12:14 am
one of the movies (Little Women) had a house that look identical to that. I remember crying when I read the book, and crying when I watched it with my daughters…. when Amy died.
12:15 am
I mean beth.. ooops
as soon as I wrote that I tried to hit stop…
sigh
2:36 pm
[...] Independence Day Mom and Daughter Trip to Boston Passing the Torch – On Cranberry Pond Bed and Breakfast Review Biking on Cape Cod Whale Watching Reading Little Women Salem, MA WroughtIron [...]
7:26 pm
Orchard House has a lovely tour and educational programs for school groups and families. Well worth investigating for your next visit.
7:28 pm
What I meant to say is that you ought to investigate the programs for the future, if you visit the area again.(You had already visited the home.) There are also some other programs in Concord – both literary and historic.
7:28 am
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7:31 am
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