a librarian & her bookworms| Librarian in the House
We are largely staying the course, so to speak, and savoring this season. Someone recently mentioned the sweet spot between diapers & driving- life is sweet, by that definition! The “baby” potty trained this summer, and we have a few years till the oldest gets behind the wheel. I’m acutely aware of the speed at which these kids are growing, and there are certainly micro-stages within this sweet spot. But here we are, scaffolding into independence bit by bit and leaning into new interest...| Librarian in the House
My kids enjoy memorizing! We've been part of a "classical-lite" co-op since my rising 5th grader was in kindergarten, so memory work has been a staple. As I often spend a good chunk of my summer searching for new memory work for the upcoming school year, I thought it might be helpful to share our list of what we've memorized over the years, in case anyone might be in my shoes!| Librarian in the House
Our read alouds have been feast or famine this winter: either we read hundreds of pages per day until my voice gives out, or we go weeks without snuggling up together with a book! In those weeks of famine, the kids and I are likely reading independently for our homeschool co-op book club. And so, I’m including those in this list as well, as we each read them and enjoyed discussion together. Worth noting: the books we’re reading now have more of a maturity about them. Several of these I pu...| Librarian in the House
We now have a bookish birthday tradition that I adore. Each year, I ask my birthday boy for his favorite chapter books read over the past year. (This is when the blog comes in handy, because I have them all listed!) It is so much fun, and just a touch sentimental, to re-live the memories of reading together– to recall favorite characters and scenes. I present to you, my new Six-Year-Old Bookworm’s list of…. Favorite Books I Read While I Was Five (Family Read Alouds): This post conta...| Librarian in the House
A third of the year is nearly over, but I didn't want to forget to update the blog with our family's favorite books from the previous year. I made a list of all the titles we read together, and we voted on our top faves. My kids were age 9 and 11 when the year began, and just turning 10/ almost 12 as it ended. For detailed reviews of any of these titles: type the name of the book into the search bar on my site and it will bring you to the monthly update that it was reviewed in! This post con...| Librarian in the House
This list feels like cheating, because we didn't read the majority of these as family read alouds! Instead, we all read many of these novels independently and discussed them with our sweet little co-op Book Club. I brought a book-themed snack and helped moderate, but the kids 100% ran the book club discussion themselves! They crafted questions for the group based on Sarah Mackenzie's 10 Questions to Ask About Any Book (found in her book The Read Aloud Family, and abbreviated in this post on h...| Librarian in the House
I never regret the time spent reading books with my kids, but finding the windows of time for longer books feels challenging with a toddler in the mix. We have relied heavily on audiobooks in this season. I have dreams of reading aloud to the bigs once the toddler is in bed, but I seem to always run out of energy. Seasons change quickly, though. At any rate, here are the novels we read in the last few months, 5 via audiobook and 2 via my voice. This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon...| Librarian in the House
A niche topic, but in my opinion footwear is something that’s not talked about in the homeschool world nearly enough! Am I showing my age or what, sharing about supportive footwear?! Several years ago I jumped onto the minimalist footwear bandwagon. I researched and read a ton (surprised?) and I was obsessed with zero drop and wide toe boxes and all things minimalist shoes. I still think that is a valid and lovely option for some people. (I found several minimalist shoes that I LOVED, which...| Librarian in the House
Sixth grade feels different. Bit by bit, my boy is changing, so I suppose it makes sense that our homeschool ought to change a bit along with him! Some of our curriculum and rhythms will remain the same, and some will shift. I'm grateful for homeschool freedom to set out on a course, with the knowledge that we can change direction down the road. Sometimes curriculum choosing can feel so rigid. While I don't want to be foolish in my choices, waste money, or lack consistency, I need the mental ...| Librarian in the House
Our family read alouds this quarter had some winners! My 9yo went so far as to predict that one of the novels will be in the top of our end-of-year rankings! (The first book summary below!) This post contains affiliate links. As an amazon associate, I earn a small commission on eligible purchases, at no extra cost to you. Glitch by Laura Martin. We all enjoyed this exciting take on the time travel novel. The two protagonists alternate telling the story, as they unravel the mystery of their mi...| Librarian in the House