Since I was a child the library has been my go to for American history. This has long been my topic of choice. First, I love the library because of the great resources. Second, I love the library because of price. You can’t beat free. Third and final reason is the fact that my home shelves do not get more cluttered.
It its important to also note the libraries also have access to other libraries more quickly. So many books are now available quickly. It is a homeschool mom’s dream. So, as you see the library operates on the two things I love to blog about; frugality and homeschooling. Here are a few reasons to consider using the library as a homeschool source.
Decide on a Historical Theme
At the beginning of the year when I plan homeschool lessons I look at what we will be studying from the timeline. That is my framer work. From there, many biographies, autobiographies, geography and events are written in my planner. Choose a strong time period that will hold many options for the year. For example, next year we are studying wars. This will cover the American Revolution, The War of 1812, The Civil War, WW1, WW2, The Korean War, The Vietnam War, and the Gulf War. It will cover many different time periods, but I will draw out the topics I want to cover in each.
I chose this topic for my second oldest because he is graduating next year. He likes to study the wars and I am going to over them all.
Building on spine texts for learning.
For fifteen years’ I bought curriculum. There are many reputable companies to purchase any subject you need. To this day, I still purchase some curriculum. But, not for all of the kids’ and not all of the subjects. Now, I buy what I need and limit it to one or two subjects per kid. Most learning comes from being self taught. Using spine texts for learning has been very beneficial.
Instead of buying multiple subjects for one child, I can glean out multiple subjects from one spine book. Granted, it is more work on my part because I create the curriculum. First and foremost I have to read the book to understand what I am teaching. Reading isn’t my problem, time is. Most homeschool moms struggle with time. Don’t let that hold you back. Research some highly regarded older books on Ebay or curriculum. Also the library is a great resource for spine books that are very useful.
Add Biographies for Depth
Biographies and autobiographies are my favorite books to read. Of course, it makes sense because I love to read history. This week our homeschool spine book has taken us to early America. The topic is about the constitution and all of the men involved in the writing of that wonderful document. In the chapter several important names are mentioned. So, first I wrote them down. Went to the internet and researched the names in children’s books. Some of them popped up, and some didn’t. My first go to resource for historical books’ for kids is the “Who Was” series. Those books are great for teaching because they get to the important topics about a person or place, and are inexpensive. The library holds those books also.
Biographies are perfect digging deeper to learn more about the people in history and not just events. After reading a biography the historical even is more concrete and solidified in the mind of the reader. Another reason to read a biography is to build the character and learn strengths and weaknesses that they was brought to the table of history by them. Right now I am currently reading Alexander Hamilton and am learning so much about his life. He was very influential in creating our financial system, but I never dove into his past. I encourage all homeschool moms to start a morning time read aloud to start the day. Grab a good history biography and learn together.
Incorporate Historical Fiction
Homeschoolers are going to be more interested with a story versus a bunch of dates. I can personally testify to this topic. When I was in school in the fourth grade a teacher read to us “The Other Side of the Mountain”. To this day I remember almost the whole book. Therefore it confirms in my mind that stories related and hold our interests far longer than any facts being spit out. As much as I love history it is sad for me to say that I have not dove into the world of historical fiction, but do have it on my subject list for next year. One more thing, whatever you read to, or with your children do not make it seem a task. They will relate that book and information in it to arduous.
Begin a read aloud time before or after school. Someone at a homeschool convention suggested that to me when my children were very young. She informed me how wonderful and bonding it was to have special reading time with mom and all of the homeschoolers together. I thought she was crazy. I had four very active little boys’ and for them to sit still and listen while I read seemed like a fantasy. Turns out it wasn’t. We grabbed some legos’, building blocks, drawing paper and other quiet activities and began our daily reading. We do get more read now, but I limit our read aloud time to one chapter a day.
Reading about history has been very beneficial for our family and now we are connecting the historical dots with field trips to see what we read about. Homeschooling is a wonderful journey full of open roads. Don’t close them. Open the roads and embrace the rabbit trails of deep dive learning.
What is the best book you have read recently with your homeschoolers? Comment below!
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