Books Books Books!

If you paid a visit to my home, you would find out about my sickness. I am a Book-a-holic. It’s true – but it’s fun! The trouble is, I have trained my children to follow my ways and now every room in our home is bubbling over with books! The other problem is that my kids used to run up to me in a thrift store and say "Mom! Here’s a great book!" and then I’d buy it. Well, they no longer run up to me. They are old enough to love books and want to start their own libraries, so they don’t share the treasures with me any more…they just hoard them for themselves! I have learned to run to the book section first – but really, I am thrilled, for this only means that I have successfully passed on a love of books and learning to my children. All my children…it’s a good problem to have.

I am famous for telling folks who attend my workshops, "It’s all about the books." If you get a stack of books on any given topic and read them to and with your kids, you are bound to learn a lot and enjoy the relational, relaxed style of teaching and learning that the Unit Study Method provides.

Do your kids love to go to the library? I know, mine do! I just took my 8 year old to our small town library. I usually go to the larger county library, but she wanted to run up there, so we did. What a treat. It was quiet and relaxing and I found some great new books. I left with a stack for the present topic we are studying: Medieval Times, but I also found some others, managed to find a pen in my purse, and wrote down the titles for future reference!

Living Books

We often hear the term "living books" tossed around, and people wonder what on Earth a living book is. My definition of a living book is…one that is not dead! Charlotte Mason explains …"a living book is one that pricks your heart and stirs your emotion," so we might categorize a book like this as more of a novel, but we broaden the term to include books that entice you and excite you toward learning.

Use the Library

Take the kids to the library and let them choose several books, but plan a separate trip to go without the kids when you are getting ready to plan your study so that you can concentrate and not be interrupted. Using the library can really help with the curriculum budget.

The Trouble with the Library?

The only real trouble we have with the library is losing books and paying late fees. I try really hard to get my kids (my younger ones) to put their library books in a basket in our entry hall so we can know where they are. Nothing makes me more grumpy than searching for lost or late library books! Now you can renew online in most places…so don’t let these road blocks keep you from using this wonderful resource.

Hunting for Resources

So often I hear moms say they can’t find books that are on their resource list. One thing I would say is that usually if you at least get something close, you should be fine, especially when it comes to nonfiction. You will find that most nonfiction books cover much of the same material…so don’t stress if you can’t find a book. If there is a book you MUST have, a little planning ahead can give you the time to search for a book online. Try www.amazon.com or www. adddall.com when looking for used books.

Teaching Your Kids to Use the Library

Hey, you could make up a unit study on books and using the library. One of the first things they need to know is how to use the Dewey Decimal System. Teach them about the library categories: reference books, JE books, Young Adult, Biographies etc.

Heres a fun little Resource you can print off and use in your Library Unit

The Dewey Alphabet

Airplanes 629.133

Basketball 796.323

Cats 636.8

Drawing 741

Earth 550

Folklore 398.2

Ghosts 133.1 (you can skip this one or explain the fascination with darkness)

Holidays 394.26

Insects 595.7

Jokes 808.882

Kites 796.158

Libraries 027

Mythology 292.13

New York 974.7

Oceans 551.46

Planets 523.4

Quilts 746.46

Robots 629.892

Sign Language 419

Trains 385.37

UFO’s 001.942

Volcanoes 551.21

Whales 599.5

X Rays 616.075

Yo-Yos 796.2