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
How to Get Support From Your Husband with Your Projects and Goals [Episode 238]
How to Find Fulfillment In Your Everyday Life [Episode 237]
Becoming the Parent You Want to Be with Emily Hamblin [Episode 236]
What Our Family Scripture Study Looks Like Every Day [Episode 235]
How to Use a Big 5 For a Smoother Morning [Episode 234]
Why I Don't Manage My Time To Get Things Done - and What I Do Instead [Episode 233]
The Miracles Behind the 2022 Soaring Mothers Summit [Episode 232]
Adding a Mom Time Morning Block Into Our Homeschool Day [Episode 231]
Being the Hero of Your Story with Arielle [Episode 229]
How my Vision Helps me Function Even When I don't Want to [Episode 228]
4 Reasons You Might Feel Like You Are Surviving Motherhood [Episode 227]
Lessons I Learned This Summer [Episode 226]
Rethinking Motherhood with Unyime Oguta [Episode 225]
Successful Family Road Trip Systems [Episode 224]
Contributing Financially as a Stay At with Home Mom Kaeli Wood [Episode 223]
What is Working for Our Homeschool 2022 [Episode 222]
Letting Go of Control with Hannah Brown [Episode 221]
5 Tips For a Successful Homeschool Experience [Episode 220]
Embracing an Ordinary Life with Megan Dilworth [Episode 219]
Starting a Prayer Journal [Episode 218]
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