March 2021 Monthly Newsletter
March 1, 2021
The following post will be a blog archive copy of the Build Your Library’s March 2021 Monthly Newsletter. If you missed the email, you can subscribe to our mailing list here. [Scheduled to be sent 3/1/21 8:15 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 March? Where does the time even go? March is my favorite month of the year – it’s when you start to see the first signs of spring AND it’s my daughter and my birthday month!
We have some new information to share as well as some reoccurring monthly reminders.
2021 Practical Homeschooling Reader Awards
Voting ended on February 20, so we have to just sit back and wait for the results to be announced. Thank you all so much for the support!
Build Your Library Update Schedule
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.
We have just completed the latest Level 1 update last month, and are now working on swapping Story of the World for History Quest: Middle Times and replace some art books in Level 2.
March Bookish Holidays
March is a pretty busy bookish month! The first full week of March is Read an E-Book Week. March 2nd is Read Across America Day, March 21 is World Poetry Day and March 25th is National Tolkien Reading Day.
As far as birthdays go, Dr. Seuss – Theodor Seuss Geisel (Mar. 2, 1902), Douglas Adams (Mar. 11, 1952), James Patterson (Mar. 22, 1947), and Kate DiCamillo (March 25, 1964) all celebrate this month.
We also have a couple of Harry Potter character birthdays with Sybill Trelawney (Mar. 9), Remus Lupin (Mar. 10), and James Potter (Mar. 27).
My daughter Sarah and I host the March Through History Readathon every March – it’s a month dedicated to reading history and historical fiction! You can learn more about it here: March Through History Readathon Announcement
Finally, Build Your Library will be “closed” on March 31st while I celebrate my birthday! You can still place orders, but I might be too busy eating cake to answer questions 🙂
Women’s History Month Book Recommendations 2021
March is Women’s History Month – a month dedicated to honoring and highlighting the contributions of women to history and society. In honor of that, I have some fantastic book recommendations for you to check out during the month of March! Each Wednesday I will share a selected book on our Build Your Library Facebook page from one on this list.
Nature Study When It’s STILL Winter
This blog post seems to be a toss-up each year when I try to update and reshare. When I first wrote it in 2014, we had over two feet of snow in our yard the first week of March. So it was a perfect opportunity to discuss “Nature Study When It’s STILL Winter.” But from the last time I updated the picture in 2017, you can see the dramatic contrast to near spring-like conditions with just sparse remains of snow.
So far this year, 2021 is leaning towards the latter – it’s going to be in the 40s this week here. Spring is so close I can smell it. Depending on your locale, please take a look at the section for how to do nature study with snow on the ground, or the updated section on nature study with more spring-like weather. Or read both and decide what to do if mother nature changes her mind. Our bare yard up here in New England is just a random snowstorm away from turning back to a winter wonderland. Even Texas had an unwanted snow-covered week or two not that long ago this year!
2021 Build Your Library Reading Challenge
Last plug for the 2021 BYL Reading Challenge. Are you looking for a fun reading challenge for the whole family? It’s still not too late to start! We had so much fun this past couple of years with the 2019 and 2020 BYL Reading Challenges, we created a new list of 41 reading prompts to help you and your children stretch your reading muscles in 2021. This year’s challenge is all about Hygge! Head over to our blog and download your checklist today!
We also created a YouTube video “Build Your Library 2021 Family Reading Challenge | Prompts and Recommendations” to help you out!
“Read Aloud Book Club” Pack
Our 15th monthly “Read Aloud Book Club” subscription pack is now available! The March 2021 theme is “Be the Change!” This month’s selection an epistolary story – it is told in journal entries from 8 students in a 5th-grade class. Told in unique formats, this story is sweet, relatable, and sure to give you plenty to discuss! It’s the perfect read-aloud for the whole family!
“Tea with Emily” Facebook Live Streams
We hope you all enjoyed our last “Tea with Emily” Facebook Live Stream. If you missed our “Burn Out: 2021 Style“ last month in February, you can find a recording by scrolling our Facebook or direct links on our past events page.
Our next one will be towards the middle of April, more details to follow in next month’s newsletter – but if everything pans out, what we have planned will be pretty neat.
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 pertaining to 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 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.
Wrap Up
I hope your school year is going well! If you are looking for inspiration during the long winter months, here are some articles you might find helpful:
- What Level Should I Choose?
- Why the Student Should Become the Teacher
- Build Your Library University (For Parents)
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
See Also:
I’m wondering if there will be a spring sale this year. Thanks.
Yes, our Annual Spring Sale begins on March 29!