June 2020 Monthly Newsletter

June 1, 2020

The following post will be a blog archive copy of the Build Your Library’s May 2020 Monthly Newsletter. If you missed the email, you can subscribe to our mailing list here. [Scheduled to be sent 06/01/20 8:00 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.

Monthly Newsletter

Can you believe it is already June?! This year has just been flying by. By now you are probably wrapping up this school year and thinking ahead to the next. It’s my favorite time of year – I love the warm weather, sunshine, iced tea, and making plans for the new school year!

We have some new information to share as well as some reoccurring monthly reminders this month!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Unit Study!

If you missed our Facebook announcement, the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Unit Study has been completed and is ready for purchase! I’m so pleased with how this unit study series has turned out.

Each unit is a literature study for each of the seven books in the Harry Potter series. But rather than just study each book, you’ll also get to complete a “Hogwarts” course along with Harry and his friends. Each of the seven Hogwarts courses is a magic class for Muggles. Your child will study Herbology (Botany), Astronomy, Care of Magical Creatures (mythology), Potions (chemistry), and more! You can spread these complete units out over a few years or do them all in one school year and have an adventurous “Year at Hogwarts” with your children.

Turning Temporary “School at Home” to Permanent “Homeschooling”

Welcome to the club! A recent poll suggests 40% of families may be “more likely” to continue to homeschool their children when the COVID-19 pandemic ends. That remains to be seen. But just in case, I put together a blog post with some tips for taking that leap. For real.

How to Source Books for Build Your Library

The core of Build Your Library’s literature-based homeschool curriculum is a stack of great quality books. Building young minds, one book at a time! But how do you acquire all of these books? Some of the larger curriculum companies provide a one-box solution where they ship you the entire year’s worth of books all at once, for a ridiculously high price tag. In this article, we discuss some of your book sourcing options.

What Level Should I Choose?

If you are new to Build Your Library, you might find it overwhelming when deciding where to start. Should you go with your child’s grade level? Or just begin at the beginning so you won’t miss out on any of the fantastic literature selections? We wrote this article to help you weigh the factors involved in making the right choice for you.

12 Step End of the Year Homeschool Wrap Up

If you follow a traditional school calendar, then you are at the conclusion of another homeschool year! The following list of conversation starters is a great way to wrap up this year and plant the initial seeds of the next. Not quite done yet? Bookmark this article and tuck it away until you are ready!

“Read Aloud Book Club” Pack

Our sixth monthly “Read Aloud Book Club” subscription pack is now available for June! If you loved our Family Reading Crates, I think you will love the Read Aloud Book Club too! We have updated our RABC FAQ and will continue to share information as this new project rolls out. The June 2020 theme is “Make a Wish.” The book for this month is such a fun story – I had a smile on my face the entire time I was reading! It’s a perfect read-aloud for the whole family!

June Bookish Holidays

June is Audiobook Appreciation Month! We personally don’t listen to many, but audiobooks are great for getting some extra “reading” in (or more specifically having something “read to you”) while driving, cleaning, cooking, or when you just need to take a break from doing all the reading aloud.

As far as birthdays go, Joe Hill (June 4, 1973), Maurice Sendak (June 10, 1928) and Octavia Butler (June 22, 1947) all celebrate this month.

We also have a couple of Harry Potter character birthdays with Draco Malfoy (June 5), Dudley Dursley (June 23) and Dobby (June 28).

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! Or an excuse for cake. June 10th probably warrants a cake! Let the wild rumpus start!

“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 Virtual Homeschool Convention Booth,“ you can find a recording by scrolling our Facebook or direct links on our past events page. We think this was one of the best ones, it’s definitely the longest!

Our next Facebook Live will be later this week on Friday, June 5th at 1:00 PM EST, where we will discuss “Summer Schooling is Fun-Schooling.” Let’s chat about ideas and tips for continuing learning into the summer months. 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

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!

BYL Social Media Shout Out

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 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.

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 what I’m reading, join my Arrrgh Booked Book Club (we’re going to be reading The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins in June!), 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.

Wrap Up

I hope your school year is going well and possibly wrapping up! If you are looking for 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 where ever you are surfing!

Thanks and Happy Reading! Emily

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June 2020 Monthly Newsletter