Library Learning

Sometimes a really great way to teach new things to your children can be done using very simple methods. One such simple method is the library. The small city I live in has a library and it is only a few minutes drive away from my house or about a 15 minute walk with my kiddos. I love how close the library is because when the weather cooperates, I get to walk with my kiddos to the library.

I started taking Monkey to the library at the beginning of summer. I just let him wonder around and pick whatever book he wanted to check out. We usually ended up with a wide variety, but Monkey enjoyed having "new" books.

The last few trips to the library, Monkey has wanted to get books about construction vehicles. The last month, Monkey and I have bee reading tons of books about construction books and what each vehicle does. Monkey can now spot and name all the construction vehicles he sees, and so can I! One book he really enjoys reading is about how an old road is torn up and replaced with a new one. This book, Road Closed,  is actually designed for much older kids. Despite paraphrasing some of the longer pages, I still end up reading most of the paragraphs Monkey absolutely loves Road Closed. He now explains the process of how a road is torn up and built whenever we encounter cracked roads and sidewalks.

This just goes to show how much a child can learn from reading books and going to the library. Here are some tips to make library learning fun and effective:

1. Let your child pick out the books they want to read
2. Don't be afraid to let your child take home an "advanced book" - you will be surprised what they can learn from the book.
3. Get some books about a topic that your child is obsessed with
4. Apply what your child is learning from the books to real life (example: discuss how construction vehicles help society out, identify shapes and colors when you go shopping, etc.)

I know a lot of us are blessed to live close to libraries. However, I understand that not everyone has access to a library. And the question is what can I do? Well, here are some suggestions that I even want to do!

1. Create a "library" at home. If you have a lot of books in your house, then create a a place in your house that can be a library. This can be a box, a tote, or even a small bookcase. Take some of your books and put them in the now designated "library" container. Make a pretend library card for your children and then allow them to come to the library and check out some books. This is a great way to cycle through all the books on your shelves!
2. Create a "library" with your neighbors, friends, and family. Find people who live close by to you that will be willing to "check out" their books to your children. This will allow your children to get new books and get the experience of a library. You can also create a library card so the experience is more real.

Please share your thoughts and experience about library learning because I would love to hear them!