When I had three kids, four and under, I learned about Charlotte Mason and her principle of spreading a wide feast of ideas. Practically, this looks like 20 different subjects in a Charlotte Mason classroom that get covered during the week.
Before we were in the formal school years, I got into the habit of discovering where all the different sections of books were at the library so I could just walk the shelves and grab some that covered a wide range of ideas without any preplanning. For years, we have had this system in place that has provided an educational cushion through all the ups and downs in our lives and given our kids a lot of learning in a very natural way.
For years, we have had this system in place that has provided an educational cushion through all the ups and downs in our lives and given our kids a lot of learning in a very natural way. I also supplement by putting books on hold at the library that deep-dive into what my kids want to learn more about so that I’m not hunting for specific books once we get there.
In this week’s episode, I’m sharing practical tips for not losing the library books and keeping free books free, bringing some great books into your home, and some of our recent favorites.
How we avoid fines and the library to keep our books free:
We moved all our personal books upstairs to a home library and have a separate bookshelf downstairs for the library books to create separation.
We have ONE library card, so we don’t lose track of the books we have checked out, what’s on hold, and what we have to return.
We try to get to the library on the same day every week so that we don’t have many different due dates to keep track of.
I try and go to our library account after we get home from the library to renew any books that we might have missed returning.
We have a library book bag that holds between 20-30 books, which creates some margin.
Recent Library Book Favorites That Were So Good We Would By Them
Professor Wooford McPaw’s History of Astronomy
Papa is A Poet A Story about Robert Frost
The Planet Hunter: The Story Behind What Happened to Pluto
Nothing Stopped Sophie: The Story of Unshakable Mathematician Sophie Germain
Hawk Rising
Send a Girl!: The True Story of How Women Joined the FDNY
Find Me! Adventures in the Forest
The Apartment: A Century of Russian History
Under Your Feet... Soil, Sand and Everything Underground
Charles Dickens (Little People, Big Dreams)
A Walk in London
Cooking Class Global Feast!: 44 Recipes That Celebrate the World’s Cultures
Transitioning Back Into Family Routines After Summer [Episode 278]
My Morning Routine [Episode 277]
Living a Minimalist and Faith-Filled Life With Dawn Madsen from Minimal Mom [Episode 276]
Our Family Zone System To Keep Our Home Tidy [Episode 275]
My Favorite Books To Get Excited About Homeschooling in the Elementary Years [Episode 274]
The Ultimate Guide To Family Road Trips [Episode 273]
Why Your Kids Need to See You Win with Gabe Cox [Episode 272]
Why You Might Be Holding Onto Stuff [Episode 271]
How We Can Cultivate a Growth Mindset in Motherhood with Kate House [Episode 270]
The Power of a Risk List [Episode 269]
5 Steps to Prepare For Survival Mode [Episode 268]
Our Family Priorities This Summer [Episode 267]
How I Teach My Kids About Habits [Episode 266]
Easy Car Organization On A Budget [Episode 265]
10 Essential Principles for Creating a Fun and Productive Summer Schedule with Kids! [Episode 264]
Scripture Memory Box [Episode 263]
An Introduction to The 5 Step Path From Surviving to Thriving [Episode 262]
Surviving Burnout: One Tip for Busy Moms to Cope with Overwhelming Seasons [Episode 261]
Bringing Truth, Goodness, and Beauty into Our Days: A Conversation with Autumn Kern from The Commonplace [Episode 260]
Our Favorite Homeschooling Curriculum for 2023: PreK, 1st Grade, 3rd Grade [Episode 259]
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Dr. Laura Call of the Day
Focus on the Family with Jim Daly
Calm Parenting Podcast
Great Expectations
A Tale of Two Cities
Good Inside with Dr. Becky
The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast