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Friday, February 15, 2013

Milky Tea, Music and Middle Earth

My youngest child has reached a momentous stage in his life.  He's finally allowed to visit Middle Earth with J.R.R. Tolkien's masterpiece, The Lord of The Rings. As my daughter Bryana pointed out last week, he has eagerly awaited this milestone for over half of his life. Often, snatches of the epic sparked his curiosity from his older siblings, but they have taken an oath of secrecy. The boy shall not know the tale until he is of age. Whenever the uninitiated walks in the room, conversation ceases. He must wait until he is old enough to really appreciate it. And it is worth the wait. In fact, half of the enjoyment for my children has been the anticipation.

Well, 2013 is the chosen year for Micah, and now, every Monday evening, our home becomes an enchanted portal for the imagination to enter. After supper, in front of our warm hearth, the children light candles and drink milky tea while reading aloud the next chapter. We face our enemies, learn the value of courage, the rewards of faithfulness, and the power of faith and love in the midst of deep darkness. We end the night inspired to reach higher up and further in. We make memories together and they are very good. These memories will last a lifetime and beyond.

This year, we found a jewel that I want to share with you because it has added an element to our evening readings that completes the atmosphere for our adventures in Middle Earth. We like it VERY much.

The Lord of the Rings: Complete Songs and Poems by The Tolkien Ensemble (four CD collection) is the first complete musical interpretation of all the poems in the J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Christopher Lee is one of the many soloists along with 150 musicians. It took ten years to complete.  We listen to the songs as we encounter the poems in the books. Wow!

 A preview of The Tolkien Ensemble and more about its origins:
                


one step at a time...

6 comments:

  1. Kris16.2.13

    What a neat resource! I was wondering what age you let your children read Lord of the Rings? And do you find the $40 price tag for this appropriate for what you get? Thank you!

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  2. lindafay18.2.13

    We usually begin The Hobbit around 10 or 11 years of age and then LOTR the following year. We felt the price was worth it. You can listen to samples of it on youtube.

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  3. Beloved's Redheaded Bride24.2.13

    Oh, I sure hope I remember this when my Little Ones get to this stage. I must book mark it. Thank You so much. And, thank you for letting me take a quick peak into your blog.

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  4. Nala Geiger7.5.13

    Do you read aloud these books to your children? If so, how did that work with your older daughters when your son was too young?

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    Replies
    1. lindafay7.5.13

      Sometimes we read books to all the children. Sometimes we divide them up in groups of two. I will read aloud to the oldest children while the younger children play in another room or their dad reads to them. I've never read a book to three of the children and left the last one out.

      hth

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  5. boyschooling6.8.13

    With my older two, I read before bedtime to them, and insisted they read it before they saw the films. I'm glad we read it together so the films now make more sense.

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