Library Card Schooler: Let's say I wanted to be one!

[5wolfcubs]

My homeschool budget is frozen until we sell our house. At first I was distressed and upset with dh, despite his valid and logical points. How could I possibly survive?! Note, this is about me, not the children. :nopity:

 

But I realized it is only a temporary situation and surely I could start the year on what I had bought or not finished from last year.

 

Plus, my girls are both using NAHRS for the coming year and have several self-designed courses which which they can invest extra time in until I can make purchases.

 

And then it occurred to me that I could be a Library Card Schooler! At least for a month or two (or more). I'm not talking about someone who elaborately plans go-along books like in this thread. I'm already that person to an extent.

 

I'm talking about just going to the library and getting a bunch of books on a bunch of topics and then actually spending 2-3 hours a day learning from them. No course of study. No mom-driven agenda. No quizzes.

 

Just the time and the books and us.

 

Of course, since I had this thought, I've gone through my shelves and can practically school my boys with previously purchased curriculum. Which takes the fun out of my idea. :lol:

 

But I could hold off on making my 36 color coordinated folders (yes, I read the whole thread) until I can purchase curriculum.

 

Couldn't I? (Where is the I-need-validation smiley??)

[Guest]

You're leaving the heat? :tongue_smilie: Just wanted to say best wishes on your move!

[JoyfulMama]

SWB mentioned somewhere in TWTM about library trips when she was a child (please correct me if I am way off on this). IIRC she was required to pick books from a list of categories each trip. So, one poetry book, one biography, etc.

If you want to create a paper trail, (or feel the neeeeeeed to start your weekly file folders) you could easily decide that each week each student needs to copy a poem that struck them from that week's book, and do a KWO on some non-fiction topic, and do a notebook page (narration/summary) on a literature piece (can be a chapter of a book if needed). And of course you could keep a list of the books used.

[johnandtinagilbert]

I follow plans, but we are truly library card schoolers b/c we check out a ton of books. I only buy a few books for my lit. based programs b/c I simply cannot afford to buy everything since I have dc in all levels of learning: Rhetoric, Dialectic, and both Lower and Upper grammar.

SO...receive the affirmation.....you can do it! :)

[Another Lynn]

Wow! THe freedom... the simplicity... the LEARNING! You'll probably have the best year yet.... and start a whole new trend.... even here on the board! :D

[shinyhappypeople]

Wow! THe freedom... the simplicity... the LEARNING! You'll probably have the best year yet.... and start a whole new trend.... even here on the board! :D

 

:iagree:

 

I've done it this year quite a bit. Granted my girls are younger than yours, but it was *so much fun* we're doing it again this year for history, geography, read-alouds and readers, despite having a much more generous homeschool budget than normal.

 

It is magical watching how much my kids learned despite the lack of any kind of an agenda on my part.

[crazyforlatin]

At any one point during the week, we have about 100-150 books checked out. I buy a few but our library system has most of the books in our SOTW Guide, so we've been reading about Ancient Egyptians using library books. Sometimes our library is kind enough to override the maximum number of books one is allowed on one card - there are just those times when 150 is not enough for all of us:blushing:.

[Diana B]

At any one point during the week, we have about 100-150 books checked out. I buy a few but our library system has most of the books in our SOTW Guide, so we've been reading about Ancient Egyptians using library books. Sometimes our library is kind enough to override the maximum number of books one is allowed on one card - there are just those times when 150 is not enough for all of us:blushing:.

 

Wow! I thought the 20-30 we often have is a lot! :) Wow!

 

We do a lot of this type of schooling. Especially this summer! Basically we're doing 'animal studies' by picking out an animal and then finding books and books and books to read. We do both non-fiction books to study as well as fun picture books and when we can find it, a chapter book. Of course, if something else comes up, we'll just go get lots of books on that (for example, the 4th of July).

 

I love the idea of making them pick out one book from each category. Maybe when my son can use the library better, I will do that.

 

But you can pretty much teach everything through the library - if you have a good system - and you have the guts. One of our local libraries even has the entire Explode the Code series!

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

I love that idea! I might do that during the summers. We had considered unschooling during the summer so they can feel in charge! I really like that!

[greensummervillian]

150 books!? Do you have to bring a wheelbarrow?

[crazyforlatin]

150 books!? Do you have to bring a wheelbarrow?

 

Every week we return about 20-30, and get another of the same number. It's less of a trek now since we are moving away from picture books and into longer chapter books, but books like Magic Tree House take up a lot of our allotment. DD refuses to return any of them, so we have all 43 (44?) and all of the Time Warp Trio (17?) :glare:.

[momto2Cs]

Wow! THe freedom... the simplicity... the LEARNING! You'll probably have the best year yet.... and start a whole new trend.... even here on the board! :D

 

:iagree: The more I try to plan for next year, the less I want to. Why not just allow the kids to follow interests? Develop new interests? Find fascinating books...

[5wolfcubs]

Thank you all so much! I'm really excited about this chance. I think the temporariness of it is the most freeing part for me.

 

Last night I got out 2 FIAR manuals and Living Memory thinking "I could just add these two things." But I didn't even open them. I'm going for NO pre-planned...maybe a little recording though, like JoyfulMama suggested.

 

SWB mentioned somewhere in TWTM about library trips when she was a child (please correct me if I am way off on this). IIRC she was required to pick books from a list of categories each trip. So, one poetry book, one biography, etc.

If you want to create a paper trail, (or feel the neeeeeeed to start your weekly file folders) you could easily decide that each week each student needs to copy a poem that struck them from that week's book, and do a KWO on some non-fiction topic, and do a notebook page (narration/summary) on a literature piece (can be a chapter of a book if needed). And of course you could keep a list of the books used.

Thanks for these ideas -- I might do this. The post-learning record...simple and file-able, too!

 

Wow! THe freedom... the simplicity... the LEARNING! You'll probably have the best year yet....

I'm hopeful that we'll have all these things!

 

It is magical watching how much my kids learned despite the lack of any kind of an agenda on my part.

I am missing this with my carefully ordered curriculum plans. Plenty of knowledge but no magic.

 

At any one point during the week, we have about 100-150 books checked out.

Us too. But we don't ever use them all or even get around to opening some. That is going to change!

 

But you can pretty much teach everything through the library - if you have a good system - and you have the guts.

I believe this but never had the guts. Now is my big chance!

 

I love that idea! I might do that during the summers. We had considered unschooling during the summer so they can feel in charge! I really like that!

I loving it more and more (in my mind anyway!). I'm not an unschooler and when schools out, it's out (not necessarily a good thing). But I think this may change my mindset and be a blessing to us all.

[5wolfcubs]

You're leaving the heat? :tongue_smilie: Just wanted to say best wishes on your move!

Yes! We've been here ten years and are ready for something green-er!

 

SO...receive the affirmation.....you can do it! :)

Thank you! PS Love your blog!

 

Every week we return about 20-30, and get another of the same number. It's less of a trek now since we are moving away from picture books and into longer chapter books, but books like Magic Tree House take up a lot of our allotment. DD refuses to return any of them, so we have all 43 (44?) and all of the Time Warp Trio (17?) :glare:.

We have a similar revolving cycle here. And my dds are the same. Although their series have fewer numbers of books these days. They probably take up equal shelf space though!

 

:iagree: The more I try to plan for next year, the less I want to. Why not just allow the kids to follow interests? Develop new interests? Find fascinating books...

Yes! My boys don't seem to have any interests (save the computer, and for the younger two, Playmobil). I feel I've squelched all natural curiosity with my planning and my schooling style.

 

I don't want to change though. I love to plan! I want my huge RR resource order! I have file folders day dreams! Their test scores were amazing!

 

But suddenly I have this little window of opportunity...to just BE with my kids...to read and to learn and to enjoy. :D

 

Library Card Schooling...here I come! Once we move, of course. No more checking out books in AZ!

Edited July 14, 2010 by 5wolfcubs
glaring grammar error

[Medieval Mom]

We did this for a while, immediately during and after our move. I had a newborn, too! ;) Ds had math, handwriting (too young at that point for more), reading aloud to me out of McGuffey, then gobs of books from the library. We loved it! Good luck and enjoy! :)

[Rhondabee]

SWB mentioned somewhere in TWTM about library trips when she was a child (please correct me if I am way off on this). IIRC she was required to pick books from a list of categories each trip. So, one poetry book, one biography, etc.

If you want to create a paper trail, (or feel the neeeeeeed to start your weekly file folders) you could easily decide that each week each student needs to copy a poem that struck them from that week's book, and do a KWO on some non-fiction topic, and do a notebook page (narration/summary) on a literature piece (can be a chapter of a book if needed). And of course you could keep a list of the books used.

 

I think it's actually in Jessie Wise's Introductory chapter, if you want to look it up. We did that for a while last year, and the boys really liked it.

[NanceXToo]

I love that idea. I REALLY, really love that idea!

[vonfirmath]

Every week we return about 20-30, and get another of the same number. It's less of a trek now since we are moving away from picture books and into longer chapter books, but books like Magic Tree House take up a lot of our allotment. DD refuses to return any of them, so we have all 43 (44?) and all of the Time Warp Trio (17?) :glare:.

 

Ah. At that rate, we could not have more than 90. (3 week checkout period)

 

Could you mention to DD that no one else can read the books while she has them out? Appeal to her unselfishness?

[beccad777]

Ah. At that rate, we could not have more than 90. (3 week checkout period)

 

Could you mention to DD that no one else can read the books while she has them out? Appeal to her unselfishness?

 

 

:iagree: There is no way she could read them all at one time. Maybe limit her to 5? Then she finishes those and can get the next 5.

 

If I checked out over 100 books there would invariably be 5-10 that get lost and I would have horrible fees. I limit my kids to 5 each at a time so I can keep better track of them. Of course I have 4 kids so that's at least 20 books at a time to keep track of. Did I mention I hate library fines? :confused:

[NanceXToo]

^I agree, too. I can't even imagine taking out that many at once, and I wouldn't let my child take out so many more books than she could POSSIBLY read in a week, since that would mean those books would not be available to other children who might want to read them.

[Diana B]

SWB mentioned somewhere in TWTM about library trips when she was a child (please correct me if I am way off on this). IIRC she was required to pick books from a list of categories each trip. So, one poetry book, one biography, etc.

If you want to create a paper trail, (or feel the neeeeeeed to start your weekly file folders) you could easily decide that each week each student needs to copy a poem that struck them from that week's book, and do a KWO on some non-fiction topic, and do a notebook page (narration/summary) on a literature piece (can be a chapter of a book if needed). And of course you could keep a list of the books used.

 

BTW, sometimes the kids want to create the paper trail! We read a picture book (staring a snake, our current animal study) and my ds says "I want to tell it to you shorter and we can put it in my animal book!" We've been doing FLL and he wanted to narrate the story we just read. He did an EXCELLENT job (much better than FLL narrations) and was so proud of it! Just because you give them a little free-range doesn't mean they won't do anything that resembles academic work! :)