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Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Count Me in for School to Begin: Using Your Local Library

***Check out the bottom of this post for some other back to school tips from my favorite bloggers!***

I can't believe it… it is that time of year again!  Back to school my friends!  And whether your kiddos go to public school, private school or are homeschooled… the local library is there to help :)
It is no secret, I LOVE the library… and for the beginning of this school year, I am going to share some of my tips for using the library to help with your child's education! :)



one

Get a Library Card and Set Up an Online Account

Simple as that.  Go to the library, get an account, and you can even get registered to vote while you are at it! And if your state is anything like Georgia… they have an awesome online system for your account!  Go home and set that up too!



two

Find Out About or Plan Out Your Curriculum

What is your child going to study and when?  This way you can check out books that will give your child prior knowledge for a study, support their study and help them explore beyond their study! 



three 

Make a Pinterest Board

People have already made 1,001 good book lists… use your resources and cut down on work! My board includes book lists that we will use for different subjects all year!  So email your teacher or set up your curriculum so you know the plan.
               Follow Stasia's board School Books on Pinterest.    



four

Make Book Lists and Use Your Libraries Hold System

Using your Pinterest book lists create your own book lists for each subject.  I don't know how every state works, but I make my book list straight on the library website (they have a My Lists section) and I can use it and adjust it year after year!  For example, last year I made a list of beach books around this time.  I was able to easily add more books this year and check out the ones I wanted because I had already done the work!



five 

Come Up with a System to Keep Track of the Books 

And this is key, and the main reason people stop using the library.  You have to, have to, HAVE TO keep up with when your books are due and where they are in your house.  When you are paying major fines and for books you can't find it makes the library no longer a good deal!  
For the due dates… put it on your calendar, in your phone AND sign up for email notices.  You can NEVER have enough reminders.
Keeping up with books?  Designate a spot in the house, a box or a bag, just for library books!



six… and the whole point of all of this….

Read Read Read

The more you read to your kids, the more they want to read, the better readers they become!
Now for my other friends and their back to school posts!!!!  Take a few minutes and check these out!!!
/3+ Ways to Show Love to Your Kids in School from Garay Treasures /
Count Me In Giveaway from Abiding In Grace /
Free Homeschool Pre-school Printables from All Kinds of Things /
Back to School Tips for Moms from Our Pretty Little Girls /
Back to School Boy Style from BYBMG /
Tips for Using Your Local Library from Our Life on a Budget /
Discovery Puzzles from Polka-Dotty Place /
10 Bible Verses to Encourage the Student Athlete from While I'm Waiting /
First Day of School Printable from Morning Motivated Mom /
Preparing an Anxious Child from Almond Place /
/  Tips to Stay Organized With School from Living In This Season //
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11 comments:

  1. 15 (+++) minutes a day every day :) Thanks for your tips - I need to start making better use of the lists! It would make life so much easier than wondering the children's section aimlessly while trying not to lose my children!

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    1. It really makes a huge difference. I can save and share my lists and reuse them year to year. Huge time saver!

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  2. We love the library! It is such a great outing! I love seeing my kids excited about it.

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  3. Great tips! I'm hoping to check out the public library in our new town ASAP. I want to get involved in a story time, get into a good routine of checking out books and READ!! I've never been good at using the hold system, but I can definitely see the advantage. Thanks for motivating me to get out to my library.

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  4. Just pinned! We love going to the library - Great ideas!

    Elizabeth
    allkindsofthingsblog.com

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  5. We are starting Kindergarten this week, we plan on using the library a lot this year! Now I need to check our online system, thanks for the idea!
    Visiting form the Shine Blog Hop!

    Anastasia
    anawins.com

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  6. Wonderful tips!

    We love the library and I use it for a lot of our curriculum. Our library has a fabulous email notification system. I get emails 3, 2, 1 and the day a book is due. No way to forget when you're reminded that often!

    Thank you for sharing (and for linking up to the #SHINEbloghop).

    Wishing you a lovely day.
    xoxo

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  7. I hope to get the library in my own community soon.
    Thanks for sharing!

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  8. Stasia, I love finding another book lover who knows how great the local library is! Yes! We go weekly, and my kids expect it now. It's wonderful.

    I'd love to invite you to join my weekly link up, The Cozy Reading Spot, where we share posts that express what is on our hearts, minds and bookshelves. I feel like you would be a wonderful addition to our community. It's open now through Sunday evening, and reopens every Thursday. I'll leave a link below if you are at all interested. I do hope to see you there!

    Marissa

    The Cozy Reading Spot on Reading List

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  9. Great tips! We love the library. Thanks for sharing #ShineBlogHop

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