February 2023 Monthly Newsletter
February 1, 2023
The following post will be a blog archive copy of Build Your Library’s February 2023 Monthly Newsletter. If you missed the email, you can subscribe to our mailing list here. [Scheduled to be sent by 1/1/23 8:00 AM EST]
[February 1, 2023 ] – Welcome to our February Video Newsletter!
You should have gotten our regular monthly e-mail newsletter in your inbox if you subscribed. But you can now watch the video highlights and read the full details below or watch the BYL February 2023 Video Newsletter on Facebook.
Hey everybody, it’s Emily from Build Your Library! If you are just going to skim the beginning, here are the main topics in this month’s newsletter:
Now that I have your attention, here are the details on those items and more.
Monthly Newsletter
“February is the border between winter and spring.”
― Terri Guillemets, “Years”
Is it just me, or is January always the longest month? It feels like this long slog between the holiday season and kicking off the new year. Now that it’s February, it feels like 2023 is really starting.
We have a lot of excitement happening at our house this month – my oldest daughter Sarah will be leaving in a few weeks to start her new career as an English teacher in South Korea! Our first baby bird is leaving the nest and I’m full of bittersweet emotions. She’s embarking on a huge adventure on the other side of the planet. So if I seem a little bit discombobulated and weepy for the next few months, you will know why!
As far as the newsletter goes, we have some new information to share, as well as some reoccurring monthly reminders!
Build Your Library Updates
In an attempt to answer when the next level update will be ready, we have compiled our projected schedule into a post for easy reference. We will periodically update the chart when we make progress or have any changes to our tentative schedule.
I am nearing the finish line with the Level 9 update! I should be able to share the new booklist by the middle of the month and I anticipate it being finished and ready for you to download by the end of the month!
I’m also still on the lookout for a new atlas for Level 0 – a surprisingly challenging undertaking. There are also a few new Lit Bites in various stages of completion from concept to rough drafts. So hopefully we will get some more of those out in the not-too-distant future.
I am always brainstorming and collecting books for various unit studies too. I have lots of exciting new things in the works! Hopefully I will be able to share more about those projects soon!
February Giveaway
Congratulations to our winner of last month’s Giveaway!
This month we will be giving away a $10 gift code, which you can use on anything in our store!
Each action gives you entries into this month’s drawing, with some allowing for daily clicks. Odds of winning depend on the number of entries received.
Check out the contest page for more details, and come back each month for new opportunities!
February Bookish Holidays
February is National Library Lovers month, and on the 14th it is Library Lover’s day! Make sure to plan a trip to your local library and let them know that you appreciate what they do for your community!
The first week of the month is also Children’s Authors and Illustrators Week. This is a great time to pull out your favorite picture books to peruse, or re-read a favorite children’s book!
For author birthdays, we have Charles Dickens on the 7th (1812), Mo Willems on the 11th (1968), Judy Blume on the 12th (1938), and John Steinbeck on the 27th (1902).
2023 Build Your Library Reading Challenge
Are you looking for a fun reading challenge for the whole family? Well, look no further! We had so much fun with challenges the past four years, so we’re continuing the tradition! For 2023, we created a new list of 40 reading prompts to help you and your children stretch your reading muscles. This year’s theme is Adventures in Science and Nature! It’s going to be an amazing reading year filled with fun challenges and lots of science and nature-themed reading! Head over to our blog and download your checklist today!
I’ve already checked off 9 out of the 40 prompts, I feel like this will be my year – I’m finally going to complete the whole challenge!
History Book by Book (HBBB)!
We have recently started to create some blog post articles on HBBB! You can check out our first couple on our HBBB Blog.
History Book By Book is our database collection of engaging, entertaining, and educational books about various historical topics. Whenever possible, we have cross-referenced topics, internally linked additional suggestions based on like subjects, and created useful categorized lists for you to search and browse. Hopefully, you will be able to glean a vast amount of information and find as many history-related books as you would ever want to find. We discussed it in depth during a recent Tea With Emily Livestream on Facebook, you can view the recording here.
As a long time homeschooling parent, and the author of literature-based homeschool curriculum, we designed HBBB to help:
(1) homeschooling parents looking for additional resources to read to their children,
(2) homeschooling parents looking for more historical based books to give their children to read themselves,
(3) any teen or adult looking for categorized historical reading material for their own enjoyment and knowledge.
Reading your way through history… one book at a time.
History Book By Book Main page
Homeschool Tidbits Blog and Video Series
We have an ongoing series on both our blog and YouTube channel called Homeschool Tidbits!
In this weekly video series, I will briefly discuss a homeschooling-related topic and will share some of my knowledge and expertise as a long-time homeschooling mother of 4 children, Three of whom have graduated high school, and one is also a brand-new college graduate!
This series will consist of an approximately 10-minute “quick-bit” YouTube video and a corresponding blog post article.
Our next Homeschool Tidbit will be up on Feb. 3!
Most Recent Episodes:
- Episode 38: Homeschool Tidbits: Homeschooling Through the Holidays Dos and Don’ts (12/9/2022)
- Episode 39: Homeschool Tidbits: The Case for Twaddle (1/6/2023)
- Episode 40: Homeschool Tidbits: Poetry Made Simple (1/13/2023)
- Episode 41: Homeschool Tidbits: Homeschooling the Middle School Years (1/20/2023)
- Episode 42: Homeschool Tidbit: Embracing Slow (1/27/2023)
“Tea with Emily” Facebook Live Streams
We hope you all enjoyed our last “Tea with Emily” Facebook Live Stream. If you missed our “Build Your Library Reading Challenge” in December, you can find a recording by scrolling through our Facebook or direct links on our past events page.
Our next episode is scheduled for February 10 at 1:00 pm (EST). This month we’ll be discussing “How to Get the Most from your Read Alouds.” Have you ever felt like you were reading aloud to a brick wall because your children just aren’t paying attention while you read? In this month’s live discussion, we’ll be chatting about how to make the most of your read-aloud time – from getting your children to focus to having great discussions!
Every other month, I host a 30-60 minute Build Your Library homeschooling chat. You can ask questions about homeschooling, using Build Your Library curriculum, book recommendations, etc. We will announce the date ahead of time, and you will be able to submit questions you would like to cover. Additionally, you can also ask questions during the interactive live stream. Grab a mug of tea (or coffee) and cozy up with our virtual hangout!
Build Your Library Support
For a comprehensive, everything you ever wanted to know about homeschooling with Build Your Library, check out our “Build Your Library University (for Parents).” We have collected the definitive list of articles, videos, and books about Build Your Library, Charlotte Mason, and general homeschooling, all categorized in a logical order for you to peruse.
BYL Social Media Shout Out
We always have our Social Media “chicklets” at the bottom of our newsletters and web page, but we wanted to ensure you follow us on our other platforms. The Build Your Library Facebook is our go-to social media site, and we post there frequently with cool Amazon products and book recommendations we think you would like, as well as all of our Read Aloud Book Club announcements, blog posts, full-year and unit study product releases and updates, and more.
Our Build Your Library Instagram page regularly posts pictures and insider info about projects I’m currently working on or what I’m doing with my kids.
We also have a BYL Twitter feed where I share links and information about BYL and homeschooling. Or you can stay subscribed to our email list and browse our monthly newsletters.
Wrap Up
I hope you have a wonderful February! I can’t wait to see what this new month brings!
“Late February days; and now, at last,
Might you have thought that Winter’s woe was past;
So fair the sky was and so soft the air.”
― William Morris
If you are looking for some more inspiration, here are some articles you might find helpful:
We have well over 100 blog posts on various homeschooling and book-related topics if you want to browse for more.
I think that is about all for this month. Again, please follow us on whatever social media you frequent, there will be periodic updates posted there as well, but we will try to keep everyone in the know wherever you are surfing!
Thanks and Happy Reading! Emily
See Also:
