The following post will be a blog archive copy of the Build Your Library’s July 2019 Monthly Newsletter. If you missed the email, you can subscribe to our mailing list here. [Scheduled to be sent 07/08/19 9:00 AM EST]
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.
This month’s newsletter is coming to you a bit later than usual, due the 4th of July holiday. The biggest project going on AGAIN this month is working on Level 12. Just keep reading, just keep lesson planning…
Family Reading Crates are still on hold. We have been contemplating what we will do as far as bringing the crates back or even trying something completely new so that we can include our international customers as well. I have a lot of exciting ideas brewing. Hopefully, I will have more to share this coming Fall.
If you miss opening a Family Reading Crate and do not have all of the previous ones, check out the remaining inventory on older crates! We still have several previous crates available.
The month of July is Read an Almanac Month, if almanacs are something that interest you. We’ve always been partial to the National Geographic Kids almanacs. They are so bright and colorful and full of fascinating information!
July also has quite a few author’s birthdays – Dean Koontz (July 9), E.B. White (July 11), Ernest Hemingway (July 21), Beatrix Potter (July 28) and one of my all time favorites, J. K. Rowling / Harry Potter (July 31).
While most of you do not need any extra encouragement to pick up some additional reading material – we have plenty of excuses for you here just in case! If you were looking for an excuse to make a cake, July 31st definitely requires some Harry Potter themed festivities. Or Harry Potter unit studies!
Later in July is also Shark Week on the Discovery Channel (July 28-August 4, 2019)! This is the perfect time to camp out in front of your TV to catch all or part of the over 20 hours of documentaries on all things shark related. It is also a great time to do the BYL Shark Unit Study! It is even 20% until Shark Week is over, using the code on our Shark Week page!
This unit includes a complete schedule, book list, documentary list, helpful internet links, copywork/dictation assignments, vocabulary, writing assignments, and a variety of projects, including 11 notebooking pages. It is scheduled over 3 weeks, but can easily be stretched to last longer if you only do 2 – 3 lessons per week.
We currently do not have any appearances lined up in the very near future, but we will keep everyone updated when more events are scheduled.
We hope you all enjoyed our third “Tea with Emily” Facebook Live Stream last month. If you missed our discussion on “The Art of Reading Aloud,” you can find a recording on our Facebook or the link on our past events page.
In case you haven’t seen, every other month I host a 30-60 minute Build Your Library homeschooling chat on Facebook Live. 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 some 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! Our next one will be at the beginning of August.
We recorded the Simple Families Podcast – SFP 162: Reading Aloud + Our Book Overhaul [with Emily Cook of Build Your Library] in June. In this episode, Denaye and I talk about reading aloud and choosing great books for our children. You can listen to the recording here.
Are you looking for help or advice on your homeschooling journey? We have compiled all of our helpful resources into one blog post for you. From the many BYL related Facebook groups to my book A Literary Education, there is a treasure trove of information and helpful parents out there to help guide you along your homeschooling adventure. If you have any questions, just ask!
We always have our Social Media “chicklets” at the bottom of our newsletters and webpage, but we wanted to make sure you are following 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 Family Reading Crate 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 what I’m currently working on or what I’m doing with my kids.
Although not 100% exclusively Build Your Library related, our Arrrgh Schooling YouTube channel has videos about books and homeschooling – but let’s be honest – it’s mostly books. If you want to see unboxing videos for the Family Reading Crates or just want ideas for books to read (either for you for your children) you are sure to find something useful! 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.
Summer is finally here! If you are looking for inspiration this month, here are some articles you might find helpful:
We have 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 where ever you are surfing!
Thanks and Happy Reading! Emily
See Also:
Have you been looking for a literature based homeschool curriculum that is secular? How about a way to incorporate narration, copywork, dictation and memory work into your child’s education? Or art study that ties into history?
