A Homeschool Day In the Life

A Homeschool Day In the Life

  

Reading Time: 4 min 48 sec

When we first decided to homeschool, we had a vision to create a certain type of atmosphere for our children.  We wanted to foster deep family relationships, build life long memories, dive down rabbit holes, and allow our children to bask in the magic of childhood. We wanted our children to have the freedom to play, to explore and to create. We wanted to foster independent thinkers, lifelong learners, and courageous children.

 

And above all else, we wanted to encourage a deep, lifelong relationship with Jesus. We wanted to raise men and women of faith who live out of their identity as beloved children of God.

 

Every time we listen to Anne of Green Gables, giggle over board games, get down on our knees to pray, dance to the blues, and pour over logic, we are making small choices that move us toward our big vision.  

 

When you look at our typical homeschool day,you need to understand that this is what works for our family in this season. I know it can be easy to get caught up in what you are or are NOT doing, we all want to do it RIGHT, but that misses the point of this article. You need to do what’s right for you, what fits your personality, and the needs of your family. 

 

Mama’s, we are in this together! We are stepping out on faith, working hard, and imaging a different type of future for our children.  So, don’t get too caught up in the details (we do not all have to use the same schedule) and let’s give ourselves A LOT of grace, and make choices today that move us toward our vision for the future. 

 

Daily and Weekly Rhythm: 

We found that it helps our day flow smoothly when we follow a rhythm instead of a schedule.

Years ago, I created a schedule, and it totally stressed me out. I always felt like the clock was the master of our day, and we are always struggling to keep up. 

Now, we take our time, and after completing a task, we just move to the next thing on the list.

Every day we work on core subjects but each day has a different emphasis. 

 

Borrowing from Brave Writer our weekly schedule looks something like this: 

Monday– Poetry Tea Time and Free Write 

Tuesday– Nature Study

Wednesday– Art and Music

Thursday– Extra Curricular Activities, Games, and Languages

Friday– Field Trips

 

Morning 

I stumble out of bed and head downstairs to make coffee in the wee hours of the morning after my alarm goes off for the second time.   I realized quickly that I am more productive in the morning than waiting to work until the afternoon. I have found that these early mornings of silence set my day up for success and I actually miss it when I sleep in.  

 

I check my e-mail, work on my blog, and other projects until about 7am.  My children stumble down the stairs ready for snuggles. After helping my husband get out the door for work, we finish up breakfast and start working on our chores for the day.

 

We then move to some type of exercise, in the warmer months we go for a walk, run or bike ride, in the bitter cold of winter, we will use an exercise video to burn off that excess energy.  On certain days of the week, the kids are involved in extracurricular sports.

 

While they finish up chores and play quietly, I go to my room (the quietest place in the house) for devotions. 

 

We officially start the day by lighting our candle to remind us that God is in us and with us. We then spend some time in prayer inviting him into our day.  We move to read our Bible (we ABSOLUTELY LOVE this one) and memorize scripture. Depending on the day, we will either sing some worship songs or work on interactive projects, to help the kids move from head knowledge to heart experience of God.

 

We then snuggle under a huge blanket and start reading through a huge stack of picture books from the library. Books are the foundation for our daily curriculum. We choose books based off of our monthly unit study, the kids’ interest, core subjects, and just for fun books.

 

We then move to work on math, reading lessons, logic, and handwriting. We discovered a great French handwriting book this year that has dramatically improved their handwriting skills. 

 

We intermix lessons with reading aloud to give them a break.  A large amount of our learning can be done together but I do work with my six-year-old on reading separately, while I have my eight-year-old work their handwriting. 

 

Here are our daily goals that we try to make happen FIRST each day. If nothing else gets done, at least I know that these things were accomplished.

Time with Jesus

Outside Time

Read Aloud (Books, Books, and more Books)

Games & Music

 

We will finish out the morning with either free play, listening to an audiobook, art, games and stem activities. 

 

 Afternoon

At around noon, I start making lunch while the kids play. After eating, we begin afternoon quiet time. Where the kids either nap, read books or play quietly in their rooms. I have found that this is a necessary part of our day, as tempers can flare without some time to themselves.  I spend this time working on the blog and completing work projects.

 

At about three-thirty, everyone comes back together to play outside, go for a walk, or depending on the weather, to watch their favorite tv show.

 

Before I know it, it’s time to start preparing dinner and cleaning up the endless art projects, massive forts, and the sticky messes of the day. 

 

Evening 

After dinner, we spend the rest of the night playing a variety of board games together as a family.  We are HUGE fans of board games. We include them wherever we can all throughout our day. They not only are FUN, create lifelong family memories, but they allow us to improve core skills (math, logic etc).

 

After putting kids down to bed.  I finish preparing for the next morning, working on some projects, and reading. Before I know it, its time I am in bed. And yes, I am asleep in about two minutes (morning comes FAST). 🙂

 

That’s our day! What about you? What does your homeschool day look like? Leave a comment, and don’t forget to follow Most Important Work on Pinterest

You Got this Mom!

 

 

How to Avoid these Five Homeschooling Mistakes

How to Avoid these Five Homeschooling Mistakes

  

Reading Time: 5 min 22 sec

Are you a new to homeschooling or in the thick of figuring out how to start? Are you dreaming of newly sharpened pencils, child prodigies, and Von Trapp family adventures?  We are going to come alongside you on your journey and talk about the five common mistakes first-time homeschoolers make and how YOU can avoid them (and save hundreds of dollars).  

 

I have spoken with a lot of new homeschool parents over the years who are overwhelmed, frustrated, burned out and about five minutes away from shipping their kids off to boarding school in Switzerland. They start to wonder about their ability, sanity, and if homeschooling is really doable for the average mom.

 

Homeschooling is very possible but sometimes we can unintentionally shoot ourselves in the foot by making decisions out of a lack of experience.  We need people to come alongside us and help us through the minefields of those early days so that we can go back to enjoying those amazing family moments.  

 

We are going to be addressing these 5 common homeschooling mistakes today:

 

 1.Homeschooling without Direction

2. Duplicating School at Home

 

3. Bowing to a Teaching Philosophy

 

 4.Requiring Too Much Too Soon

 

5.A Boxed Curriculum is the Answer 

 

1. Homeschooling without Direction

We have an endless supply of amazing resources for homeschooling mamas and their students. It can get very easy to get caught up running to the latest teaching philosophy, schedule, curriculum, or activity hoping that it will solve all of your learning woes. Now I am all for exploring new teaching resources (We love you, Life of Fred) but it can get very exhausting and can give your kids whiplash if you don’t have a roadmap in place to help you figure out if that latest thing fits your family.

 

You need to know what your vision and values are because they influence the goals and atmosphere of your homeschool.  You can’t set or accomplish your goals if you have no idea what you are aiming at.  

 

 For instance, does your vision for the future include children who grow up to be lifelong learners, self-starters, out of the box thinkers and mighty followers of Jesus?  Does one of your values include forming quality family relationships?  

 

If so, the decisions you make, your teaching style, activities, schedule, curriculum choices, and atmosphere all should flow out of your vision and values.  They are a roadmap to a successful homeschool and when used properly, can help prevent burnout. Do not move forward without taking the time to talk over your vision, values, and goals with your spouse or a friend. 

 

When things get challenging, instead of completely changing direction, and giving into fear and self-doubt, you can rest in the knowledge that you have an overall plan in place. By establishing your vision, values, goals, and atmosphere ahead of time it allows you to not have to make big decisions in a time of crisis.

 

2. Duplicating School at Home

You have just decided that you are going to homeschool and you are scared but also super excited. You rearrange your home, choose a homeschooling room, and rush out and buy (borrow or steal) desks, chalkboards, and inspirational posters for the walls.  Three days into your homeschool adventure you realize that no one wants to sit at cold, hard desks when they can be snuggling on the couch reading books with mom. 

Homeschooling is not public school at home.  Homeschooling is a way of life.  If your only exposure to education has been in a corporate setting, it might be helpful for you to think of homeschooling as private tutoring (with a lot of snuggles, family adventures and laughter thrown in).  

Homeschooling is not just when you open your “school books” but all throughout the day, at the grocery store, gardening, listening to audiobooks in the car, while doing the budget, and fixing the sink, you are giving your children the benefit of real-world experience.  

 

Save yourself tons of money, homeschool regrets (and your children a lot of frustration) by taking advantage of the benefits of teaching your children at home; one on one time together, comfy couches, and real-life learning to find out and own what works for you and your family.

 

3. Bowing to a Teaching Philosophy 

As you start to research homeschooling it can feel like there are HUNDREDS of teaching methodologies out there. You are told that time in nature, memorizing information, giving them time to play, structure, no structure, textbooks, only living books, experience, and facts are crucial to your child’s success in life.

 

The options can not only feel overwhelming but restricting to a new homeschool parent.  You get sold on a teaching philosophy and jump in 100% only to find out that it doesn’t quite fit your family.  I have seen moms ignore the downsides (every philosophy can have negatives) and keep pressing on only to feel miserable because it is not a perfect fit.

 

You can save yourself time, energy, frustration, and money by realizing that you will need to adapt any philosophy to your family not your family to the philosophy. This is where knowing your vision, values, goals is crucial to setting the tone of your homeschool. Listen to your mom instincts, and don’t feel pressured to teach in a certain way if it doesn’t fit the needs of your family.

 

4. Requiring Too Much Too Soon 

 

You are excited to get started on your homeschooling adventure. You sit down with your five-year-old and dive into your new stack of curriculum.  The first couple of days are wonderful, and things are moving along brilliantly until suddenly they aren’t.

 

Your child whines when you get out the books, you find yourself constantly encouraging him to do one last problem or activity. You just find yourself working harder than they are to complete your list of studies for the day. You feel frustrated, demoralized, and you wonder if this homeschooling really works in real life.

Save yourself (and your child) frustration, by focusing on your values (strong family relationships, fostering a love for learning, character development etc.)  instead of focusing on checking “educational” boxes.  

When you have a ten-thousand-foot view of the future, you won’t get hung up on whether or not you completed the allotted math problems for the day.

 

Enjoy these early years, they won’t last forever. Encourage your child’s curiosity and rest in the knowledge that they are constantly learning by living life with you at the perfect pace for them.    

 

6. A Boxed Curriculum is the Answer 

You spend hours researching a comprehensive curriculum, you want to make sure that every base is covered, and that your kid won’t end up going to college, not knowing how to do long division. You find a curriculum that you think will be a good fit, shell out a couple hundred dollars, only to find to out that you love the math, are “ehh” about the social studies, and absolutely hate the language arts program.  

 

It is rare (and I mean RARE) that a boxed curriculum will meet all of your needs. You know your child, you know their strengths and weaknesses, you know the vision and values of your homeschool, and you are the best person to hand select curriculum.  Save yourself hundreds of dollars (do you see a theme here) by choosing the best resources for your child.

 

When you handpick curriculum, not only is it a smaller monetary investment but if it doesn’t work, you aren’t stuck with it (trying to get your money’s worth) or desperately scrambling to replace an entire curriculum midway through the school year.

 

Are you wondering HOW do you actually find a great curriculum for each subject? I created a How to Find Excellent Curriculum checklist (grab it below)  to help you on your journey.

You Got this Mom!

 

What about you? What is your number one frustration when it comes to figuring out this homeschooling adventure?  Leave a comment, and don’t forget to follow Most Important Work on Pinterest!

How to Stop the Tears with 50 Out of the Box Math Resources

How to Stop the Tears with 50 Out of the Box Math Resources

Reading Time: 4 min 40 sec

 

I hated math after second grade. Math in K through 2nd-grade was full of fun pictures, simple problems, and little challenges that grabbed my interest.  3rd-grade hit and so did purely text-based learning, and my joy of problem-solving DIED! 

 

If your child is anything like me, math can feel overwhelming, and it can be a struggle to draw connections between solving difficult math problems and how that info will be used in real life. It’s frustrating to teach a child who obviously would rather be doing anything else (even visiting the dentist) than spend time learning math.

 

My overriding goal is for my kids to fall in love with learning. No matter their strengths and weaknesses I want to encourage them to wrestle with all aspects of education. I do that by not sticking to one way (a math textbook) of communicating concepts but by taking a multi-tool approach.  Imagine teaching your child math concepts through playing a game, reading a story, listening to music, beating levels on an app, mastering brain teasers, or by solving a problem in a real life application?

 

There is a self-motivation that arises when kids make direct connections between what I am learning today, and if it can be applied directly to my life. Who doesn’t want to practice logical thinking, if they know it can be used to win at a game or to make purchases with their money?

 

Creating an atmosphere of fun, family relationships and multi-tool approaches allow you, as the parent to foster a love of learning at home.

In this article, we will be talking about:

 

  1. How to Make Math Fun

  2. How to Make Math Practical

  3. How to Make Math a Treat

  4. How to Make Math Unforgettable

  5. How to Make Math an Adventure

Make Math Fun 

 

Forget math drills and grab a board game. As your child practices their math skills, your family builds lifelong memories, and connections are drawn between math and FUN! I have seen a significant improvement in my children’s math skills and abilities to think logically after playing these board games!Here are a couple of math board game suggestions to get you started:

 

Quoridor(pronounced like Corridor) blew me away, with its modern, well made, wooden set. You want to leave this game out as a decorative piece, it’s that impressive. This game is a little on the higher end of the price tag, but WELL WORTH IT (I have already bought it to give away as gifts)! It takes anywhere from ten-twenty minutes to play the game so it is easy to use when you only have a short window of available time.  I have seen a significant improvement in my children’s ability to think logically after playing this game!

          

    1. Quoridor                              Logic
    2. Math Dice Jr.                       Math
    3. Rush Hour                            Logic
    4. Brain Builders                      Logic
    5. Sum Swamp                         Addition
    6. Money Bags                         Money
    7. Sequence                            Logic
    8. Clumsy Thief                       Addition-Money

                           

Make Math Practical

What seems to be the biggest hang-up with Math curriculum is the question, “How does this apply in real life?”  This issue seems to grow throughout upper elementary years and beyond. Here are some amazing alternatives to traditional textbooks. What I appreciate is that children get to see immediately a direct correlation between math concepts and real-life application.

 

9. Life of Fred Series

Is an amazing alternative to a traditional math book. Written in story form, it follows the adventures of a 5-year-old prodigy named Fred who shows children how math applies to real life. At the end of every chapter, there are several math questions that pertain to the lesson for your child to answer. My children love this series and beg for more “Fred, please”!   There is an elementary, middle school, high school series, and college.

 

10. Bedtime Math Series

Bedtime math is a three-part book series aimed at Pre-K- 2nd-grade students. This book is full of funny questions designed to make math fun for kids.  I love that each question only takes about 5 minutes to answer so it’s easy to add to any part of your day. The genius of this series is that it offers three difficulty levels for each problem so the whole family can participate together.  

 

 

11. Logic Lollipop Series

I started Logic Lollipop in 1st grade and Pre-K for my kids, and they fell in love with the books. What makes Logic Lollipop unique is that it is picture based book instead of text-based. This makes this series perfect for pre/beginning readers. I appreciated the program because it helped my children develop their critical thinking skills at young ages. There are three books in the series and are targeted to K-2 grade students.  Love it!

 

12. Logic Safari Series

Is the next series following Logic Lollipop. It is text-based and builds upon the skills in the Logic Lollipop series. I would read aloud the problem aloud and have my children give a verbal response.   There are three books in the series and they are targeted to 2-6 grade students. It is definitely challenging but my children have enjoyed working their way through the problems. These books teach kids to look at life logically and have helped my children understand math in a whole new way.

 

13. Math Skills Workbooks

If you worry that your child isn’t getting enough “real” practice, grab a workbook. These workbooks are affordable and they offer a great overview of the math skills per grade without a lot of unnecessary busy work.  

 

Make Math A Treat

Math Seeds is by far our favorite math app. It is so engaging and fun that my kids beg to play “just one more game”.  Math Seeds has really transformed my children’s math aptitude. Using challenges, games, songs, and tests, it teaches core math skills to kids ages 3-9.

We bought the program for my oldest, but my youngest who was in Pre-K at the time, got a hold of it, and after playing for several months ended up skipping K and most of 1st-grade math due to using this program.

Love it! What’s also great is that you can use it for two weeks for free and find out if it’s a good fit for your family!  Win!

14. Math Seeds

Make Math Unforgettable

You know when a song gets stuck in your head and you just CAN’T GET IT OUT?! We have found these CDs to be a great way to memorize the multiplication tables. They are so much so that our kindergartener couldn’t help memorize them without even realizing it (she will thank me later).  Each cd has a fun beat and perfect for taking advantage of time spent running errands in the car (we all have had those last-minute milk runs).

 

15. Multiplication “rock”

16. Multiplication Songs  

 

Make Math an Adventure

Who knew math could be so fun? What I love about the power of picture books is that kids connect the warm feelings of snuggling on the couch, experiencing the magic of adventure with math!  These are some of our favorite math picture books.  Bon Voyage! 

 

Math Books by Cindy Neuschwander 

17. Sir Cumference series

18. Amanda Bean Amazing Dream   

 

General & Logic Math Books

19. A Math Book You Can Count On – Dan Green                                                                                                                                                                                                                20. The Rabbit Problem – Emily Gravett                                                                                                                                               21. Math-terpieces the Art of Problem Solving – Greg Tang                                                                                                                                                                                                22. The King’ Chessboard  – David Birch

 

Famous People in Math

23. Counting on Katherine                               Helaine Becker

24. The Boy Who Loved Math                           Deborah Erdos

 

Addition

25. The Grapes of Math                                       Greg Tang

26. If you Were a Plus Sign                                  Trisha Speed Shaskan

27. The Doorbell Rang                                         Pat Hutchins

28. Each Orange Has Eight Slices                          Paul Giganti Jr.

29. Mission Addition                                             Loreen Leedy

30. How Much is a Million?                                    David M. Schwartz

31. Beyond a Million-An Amazing Math Journey      David M. Schwartz

32. Infinity and Me                                                Kate Hosford

33. Place Value                                                     David A. Alder

34. Two of Everything                                            Lily Toy Hong

35.Six Dinner Sid                                                   Igna Moore

 

Subtraction

36. Subtraction Action                                            Loreen Leady

37. If You Were a Minus Sign                                   Trisha Speed Shaskan

 

Telling Time

38. The Clock Struck One- A Time Telling Tale         Trudy Harris

39.Bats Around the Clock                                       Kathi Appeit

40. A Second is a Hiccup-A Childs book of Time       Hazel Hutchins

41. Telling Time                                                    Jules Older

 

Measuring and Shapes

42. Measuring Penny                                             Loreen Leedy

43. The Greedy Triangle                                       Marilyn Burns

44. If You Were a Quadrilateral                             Molly Blaisdell

 

Multiplying and Dividing

45. Minnie’s Diner- A Multiplying Menu                   Dayle Ann Dodds

46. Divide and Ride                                               Stuart J. Murphy

47. One Hundred Hungry Ants                                Elinor J. Pinczes

 

Fractions

48. Lions Share                                                      Matthew McElligott

49.Full House: An Invitation to Fractions                Dayle Ann Dodds

50. Apple Fractions                                                Donna Townsend

 

 

 What about you? What are your favorite ways to foster a love of math at home?                      Please feel free to leave me a Comment and don’t forget to follow Most Important Work on Pinterest!

 

Want to Dive in Deeper? Check out these 2 Bonus Resources:

 

  1. Give Your Child the World Jamie C. Martin
  2. Read A-Loud Family Sarah Mackenzie

Short on Time? 40 Ways to Homeschool on the Run

Short on Time? 40 Ways to Homeschool on the Run

Reading Time: 3 min 14 sec

Have you ever felt like you spend way too much time in the car running the kids from activity to activity?  There are seasons throughout the year where no matter how you slice it, time in the car seems to grow exponentially. Doctors’ visits, milk runs, trips to the library, vacations, soccer practice, church, field trips, swim practice, Starbucks runs (just being real), you get the point. There is A LOT of driving.  

 

I am a big proponent of allowing space for great conversations and even silence on road trips. However, there are times when you need to pull a Mary Poppins and grab an activity out of the bag.  What I love about car schooling, is that pretty much any subject can be learned in the car.  Chemistry? Memorize the Periodic Table. Math? Memorize the Multiplication Tables. 

 

 What I love about car schooling is that you have limited distractions, and you get to spend concentrated time fostering your child’s imagination.  You get the opportunity of exposing them to a wide variety of literature, music, history, science; all from the comfort of your own car. In this article, we are going to talk about our top 40 resources for homeschooling on the run.

 

The top resources are broken into four categories: 

 

  1. Individual Games

  2. Music

  3. Art

  4. Audio Books

 

So let’s dive in…

 

Car Games & Activities

 

Here are six individual and group games that are great for family road trips! Ages 4 & Up

 

    1. Geoboard                             Math
    2. Rory’s Story Cubes           Language Arts                 
    3. Math Dice Jr.                        Math
    4. Rush Hour                            Logic
    5. Brain Builders                      Logic
    6. Magna-Tiles                         STEM

                           

* Story Cubes is an amazing game that encourages children to tell a story using the story prompts on the dice.  This is a game, that even the driver can play.  Just have one designated person to roll the dice and call out the results. 

Music

Music is great for those times when you are running errands and the constant stops prevent you from really engaging in an audiobook.

My children have learned SO MUCH from listening to great music into their time in the car. We have not only listened to a variety of styles (classical, jazz, big band, country etc.) but we have also memorized multiplication facts, state capitols, and the periodic table.

The Classical Kids collection is AMAZING! Each cd tells the story of a famous composer set to music. We have listened to these CDs hundreds of times for years.  They have really fostered a love of classical music in my children. LOVE!

I would encourage you to browse your local library’s audio collection (or Spotify) but in the meantime, here are some of our favorite audio CDs. Ages Three & Up

 

7.  Kids Meet Composers                                                  

8.  Classical Kids-Mozart’s Magnificent Voyage         

9.  Classical Kids-Mozart’s Magic Fantasy                         

10.  Classical Kids-Tchaikovsky Discovers America

11. Classical Kids-Beethoven Lives Upstairs                      

12. Classical Kids-Mr. Bach Comes to Call                          

13. Classical Kid’s ChristmasBeethoven’s Wig Series 1                                   

14. Beethoven’s Wig 2, More Sing Along Symphonies 

15. Brain Beats                                                                                                                       16. Brain Beats #2

17. Multiplication Rock

18. Beth Manner’s Fun French for Kids

19. Beth Manner’s Magic French for Kids

Art

 We love these activity/art books! It is amazing to watch your children learn about STEM, Geography, Art, Math, History, and Language Arts on the way to grandmas just from an activity book! Ages 4 & Up 

Optional: You might want to think of finding a lap desk for your child, depending on how much they enjoy doing art in the car.

 

Here are some of my FAVORITE resources:

 

20. Extreme Dot to Dot Around the World   8+                                                                      

21. Rosie Revere’s Big Project Book for Engineers                     Andrea Beaty

  1. Impressionist Coloring Book                                              Patience Coster
  2. Draw Europe                                                                     Kristin Draeger
  3. Draw the USA                                                                   Kristin Draeger
  4. Draw. Write. Now. Series                                     Marie Hablitzel and Kim Stitzer
  5. Paint By Sticker Kids: Zoo Animals
  6. Etch A Sketch
  7.  Silly Putty

 

 

Audio Books 

Audiobooks are an amazing way to expose your children to great literary content while saving your voice. Woohoo!

Helpful tip: When choosing titles, take your child’s personality and the books recommended ages into consideration.  When you remove the task of deciphering the words, children can comprehend more advanced forms of writing.   

Ages 4 & Up

 

29. Amelia Bedelia Series                                   Peggy Parish                                                   30. Madeline Series                                        Ludwig Bemelmans                                                31. The Paddington Bear Series                        Michael Bond

32. Mercy Watson Series                                  Kate DiCamillo                                                      33. The Wind in the Willows                          Kenneth Grahame

34. Betsy and Tacy                                         Maud Hart Lovelace

35. Henry Huggins Series                                   Beverly Cleary

36. The Melendy Series                                  Elizabeth Enright

37. The Boxcar Children series                   Gertrude Chandler Warner

38.  Pollyanna                                               Eleanor H. Porter

39. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIHM             Robert C. O’Brien

40. Little Men                                              Louisa May Alcott

What about you? What are your favorite ways to take advantage of travel time? Please feel free to leave me a Comment and don’t forget to follow Most Important Work on Pinterest!

 Want to dive in deeper? Check out these 2 Bonus Resources:

 

  1. Give Your Child the World Jamie C. Martin
  2. Read A-Loud Family Sarah Mackenzie

 

 

 

10 Library Hacks to the Hidden World of Free Curriculum

10 Library Hacks to the Hidden World of Free Curriculum

  

Reading Time: 4 min 55 sec

Are you interested in Homeschooling but not sure how to get started?  Are you tired of spending money on expensive curriculum, that you will use only once? Me too! I balk at the very thought of buying expensive curriculum not knowing if we will love or hate it. Do you want to take finally take advantage of those hard-earned tax dollars and try out a new curriculum for free? 

 

We know the library has a lot to offer, but due to the lack of time or our full schedules, we settle for either checking out books or attending a toddler story time, without uncovering its vast resources. So, let’s discover the hidden gems of your library system. *

We will be talking about:

  • WorldCat

  • Elearning

  • Homework Help

  • Events

  • EAudiobooks

  • EMusic

  • EMagazines

  • Streaming Video

  • ENewspapers
  • Research Tools

 

* This article is to serve as an example of what things could be offered at your local branch. You will need to access your local library’s website for a full listing of the amenities they offer.  For all of these services, you will need a valid library card and you might need to download an app for your mobile device.

 

1. WorldCat

WorldCat allows you to borrow materials from participating libraries all across the United States.  I LOVE this feature, I have used it to for hard to find books, textbooks, and audiobooks.  The 5-10 minutes it takes to submit a request can save you literally hundreds of dollars!  You can typically find this feature under either the WorldCat tab or the library information tab.

To submit a request, you will need your library card number, the author, title, year and ISBN number (I grab that info from Amazon).  After you submit your request, the screen will populate with either the name of the book (and its location in the US) or an error message that lets you know the book is not available in the interlibrary loan system.

You can choose where you submit your book request (typically a library closest to your location) by clicking on the Libraries Worldwide that Own Item button, located under the Availability tab.

 Or you can just click the button Borrow this item from another library, (also found in the availability section), fill out your personal information and click submit.

 

It can take anywhere from 2 weeks to a couple of months to process your request. The library also has the option of denying your request, (typically when it is a popular book) if that happens you will receive an e-mail letting you know that your request was denied.  You can then submit another loan request to another library.

 

  1. Elearning 

I don’t know about you but I was over the moon excited when I found out that our local library offered the Rosetta Stone language program through the library system. I saved $200 with this life hack! 

 

The e-learning programs are not limited to just language, but also math, economics, computer skills, practice tests, songwriting, instrument lessons, universal classes (500 classes -babysitting, yoga, to accounting) to name a few.

 

You can find these tools typically under the ELibrary or the Research and Learning tab. You might need to download the app for a number of online programs.  

 

3. Homework Help Coaches

There are some subjects (Calculus, I’m talking about you!) that once you hit high school, I’m lost. The library offers an amazing resource in their one on one tutoring either in person or online,  FOR FREE, PEOPLE!

Typically, the tutors are available on a first come first serve basis. They are set up to help with a specific homework assignment. The program is usually available from late afternoon to early evening, during the school year.

 

4. Events

We are all well aware of the toddler story time events, but are you aware they also offer a plethora of other activities?  I remember being surprised to witness a concert, by a local musician, in the kids’ section of the library!   

Library events can include, preschool & family story time, book clubs, concerts, board game nights, science classes, crafters and needlers, edible discussions, ESL classes, etc.

 You can find a listing of upcoming events at the library or on the Events tab on the library website.

 

5. EAudiobooks 

 

I don’t know about you but I like to maximize car travel by listening to quality audiobooks. This is a great resource for not only saving major money but accessing popular and classic fiction and nonfiction audiobooks.

 

You can find digital audiobooks typically under the Elibrary or Go Digital tab on the website.  You will have to download an app to access this resource.  You can check out a list of my favorite educational music and audiobooks here!

 

6. EMusic

 

Stream various genres of music such as Popular, Jazz, Classical, American, Historical, and Contemporary World Music straight to your laptop.  I found the American music playlist fascinating because it contains songs written by pioneers, immigrants, and miners, etc..  

 

They have over 8,400 albums separated by genre in this online collection.  You can find this resource typically under the go digital, emusic tabs on the library’s website.

 

6. EMagazines

Who else doesn’t like spending $6 on a magazine that you will read only once?  The library does offer hard copies of magazines, however sitting down to read a magazine might be a luxury when you have munchkins trying to pull all the books off the shelves.  

 

The library (probably in self-preservation) offers up to 250 Popular Magazines through the RB digital app with no limits and no due dates.

 

 Some libraries also offer full access to Consumer Reports, and National Geographic for Kids; in addition to the library’s subscriptions to online magazines, journals, and Newspapers. You can typically find these resources under the E-learning or Go Digital Tab on the website.

 

So, curl up with your favorite magazine in the comfort of your home, ideally with a big bowl of chocolate ice cream and in your favorite fuzzy PJs.

 

 

8. Streaming Video

 

Stream FREE movies, classical music performances, opera, ballet, live concerts, and documentaries straight to your computer! You can also stream to your tv using Roku, Apple TV, Xbox, Chromecast, or Amazong Fire tv.

 

You can find this resource typically under the go digital/emovies/streaming video tabs on the library’s website.

 

9. ENewspapers

 

Here is another great research tool for older students! You can receive access to local and regional digital newspapers in addition to publications like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and World Newspapers.  You can find this resource typically under the elibrary or go digital tab on the library’s website.

 

10. Research Tools

 

This resource is great not only middle school and high school students but for anyone interested in amazing research databases. Topics include genealogy, ancient and medieval history, diaries, and local and world history etc. You can typically find this resource under the research and learning tabs.

 

What about you? What are your Favorite Free Resources?   

Please feel free to leave me a comment and don’t forget to follow Most Important Work on Pinterest!

 

Want More? Check out these Resources:

  1. Give Your Child the World    Jamie C. Martin
  2. Read A-Loud Family            Sarah Mackenzie

 

! Leave a comment, and d

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