Life-Schooling through Books

Library days are among my favorites. Getting to the library is always a challenge for us, especially right now that Paul is 13 months. I try to schedule library outings around nap-times, but he usually wakes shortly after arrival.

This past week’s outing came with a surprise...

a $55.50 fine! Yikes! Thankfully, in San Diego, juvenile accounts have an awesome system where kids can read off their fines at the library. Thirty minutes of reading removes $5 of fines. So this past week, Valene read off $10.

I love the library for so many reasons—mostly because I love books—but also because learning comes through reading. Reading at the library is one of my favorite avenues of educating my kids. Whether they are reading a science text or a whimsical fantasy book, they are enriching their minds, expanding their vocabularies, and gaining skills that can be used in most every aspect of life.

Since Abraham isn’t reading yet, I sit with him and read to him as his older sisters read on their own. This week we read How to Share with a Bear, The Little Red Hen, and Little Black Crow.

Little Black Crow was my least favorite, though it was still cute.  It was very simplistic and repetitive in style.  The abstract art was beautiful, but didn't really engage my 5 year old.  I kept his attention by asking him questions after each short page.

The Little Red Hen was a great read.  It is a timeless classic and this rendition was great!  The illustrations were cute and fun and there was an added bonus of colored text that helped Abraham "read" along!

Lastly, we read How to Share with a Bear.  This was a really cute story!  Especially for an older sibling.  It was about two brothers and the older brother's learning to share.  This was our favorite!

Meanwhile, Paul enjoyed chatting quietly with Nana. ;)