March 2025 Monthly Newsletter

March 3, 2025

The following post will be a blog archive copy of Build Your Library’s March 2025 Monthly Newsletter. If you missed the email, subscribe to our mailing list here. [Scheduled to be sent by 3/3/24 8:30 AM EST]

[March 3, 2025 ] – Welcome to our March Video Newsletter!

If you subscribed, you should have gotten our regular monthly e-mail newsletter in your inbox. But you can now watch the video highlights and read the full details below or watch the BYL March 2025 Video Newsletter on Facebook.

Hey everybody, it’s Emily from Build Your Library! If you are going to skim the beginning, here are the main topics in this month’s newsletter:

Now that I have your attention, I have the details on those items and more for you.

Monthly Newsletter

“March came in that winter like the meekest and mildest of lambs, bringing days that were crisp and golden and tingling, each followed by a frosty pink twilight which gradually lost itself in an elfland of moonshine.”
― L.M. Montgomery

Welcome March! It’s the best month of the year – spring is in the air, and it’s my daughter’s and my birthday month! This month though, is a bittersweet time. My oldest daughter is off again on another adventure – this time she’s moving to Japan to work as an English teacher. She’s dreamed of living in Japan since she was small, so I’m very excited for her! But I also already miss her and she hasn’t even left yet!

Spring Sale!

It’s Time for the Annual Spring Sale! It’s my favorite time of year, not only for the weather or my birthday, but because it’s also time to start thinking ahead to the new school year!

This is also the perfect time to buy Build Your Library curriculum during our 2025 Spring Sale! For the next two weeks, you can take 20% off your entire purchase of our secular literature-based homeschool PDFs through March 16th with the code Spring2025 at checkout. So whether you were planning on buying a full-year program or just wanted to try out a unit study or two to test the waters, you’ll want to shop the sale!

Build Your Library Updates and New Products

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 currently working on the Level 12 update. This is a more intensive update as I’m going through and changing up some books, updating dead links, etc. I’m aiming to have it completed later this Spring.

I’m also about to start working on an update of the World War II unit study – this is long overdue! I’ll be changing out a few books and updating links – again, aiming for a Spring release!

But juggling two projects isn’t enough; no, I need one more thing to keep me busy, so I’m also working on the next Self-Education unit—World Cultures, Part 2! And you guessed it, I’m thinking of a late Spring release.

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In January, I released a new product – our first Morbid Curiosities Unit Study all about Cannibalism!

Morbid Curiosities is a set of high school-level unit studies focusing on history, science, and literature. Each unit includes a weekly and daily schedule, reading assignments, and activities based on a morbid topic. I want to reiterate that these units are NOT for every teen. They focus on the strange and unusual and sometimes (frequently?) disturbing. This is not for a sensitive teen!

But if you have a teen who is obsessed with horror or who enjoys long conversations about death, serial killers, and the ethics of cannibalism, well, you’ve come to the right place!

The first unit is all about Cannibalism! In this 5-week unit, you will learn the science and history behind cannibalism. This unit does not focus on serial killers (look for that later in the Historical Murderers portion of Morbid Curiosities!) but rather on why any species (including humans) resorts to cannibalism and why or how it could (or could not) benefit them.

CONVENTION ALERT!

Build Your Library is scheduled to be at the 2025 VaHomeschoolers [un]Convention on Sunday, April 13, 2025, from 10am – 5pm at the The Museum of History & Culture in Richmond, Virginia! If any of you are in the area or within a reasonable driving radius, please swing by and visit!

There is also a kickoff unConvention experience with unWind, a relaxed pre-event social the night before on Saturday, April 12th, 2025 from 2-5 pm. It will be a perfect opportunity to meet fellow homeschoolers, vendors, and speakers, setting the tone for a great weekend.

We will also attend the Maine Home Education Alliance Homeschool Conference in Augusta Maine on May 2 – 3! This is an inclusive homeschool conference, and one of the first for New England, so I’m very much looking forward to it!

Build Your Library Reviews and Testimonials

We have always needed to improve at keeping up with trying to compile reviews and testimonials. Over the past 11-plus years, we have gotten a few here and there, but we really should get on top of them. We would love to hear about your experience with Build Your Library! Your review could be as short as a few sentences or as long as you’d like.

Google reviews make up a significant component of the SEO algorithms. We are told it is as significant as ~1/3 of the equation. With that said… We would really appreciate it if you clicked the link below and showed your support by leaving us a Google review, Facebook Review, or testimonial for our website. Our growth has been focused on customer interactions and building long-standing relationships. Thank you all for everything and for making it so easy to love what we do.

March Giveaway

Congratulations to our winner of last month’s Giveaway!

good-luck

This month, we are giving away a free signed copy of my book, A Literary Education! If you are new to homeschooling or just in need of inspiration, this book will lay out how you can adapt Charlotte Mason’s homeschool philosophy in your modern secular homeschool!

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!

Collab with Soul Sparklettes Glitterbombers!

I’m excited to announce that we are collaborating with Soul Sparklettes Art! They have many fantastic art projects that blend incredibly well with Build Your Library. You can sign up for Glitterbombers membership through our affiliate link. Check the downloads on the Purchase Pages for levels 0 – 5 to see what projects align!

The membership includes hundreds of art projects, videos, and resources designed for homeschoolers and art teachers BY a homeschooler and art teacher team. There are three completely DONE-FOR-YOU curriculums: Global Art Hop, Elements & Principles (PEP), and a USA Curriculum. Everything is included when you join – there are no surprises and no waiting.

Glitterbombers HIGH is a brand new art membership for grades 7 – 12. If you’re looking for art for your teen or tween, the new Glitterbombers HIGH might just be the answer. From sketching to Procreate, Sculpey to watercolor painting, Glitterbombers HIGH is an all-video-based subscription where your teen or tween can explore different mediums and topics and develop their own art style. There’s even a monthly art technique class with a challenge and opportunity to earn prizes! Usually closed to new members, I have a special link for you where you can sign up right now and still get in at the introductory price. Have younger kids? You’ll love Glitterbombers, designed for PreK-7th!

And in honor of our newest release: Morbid Curiosities, Part 1 – Cannibalism, the team at Giltterbombers has offered a free project!

Free Download: Medical Illustration Skull-GB-Soul Sparklettes Art

This pen and pencil project is perfect for your preteens and teens. Combine art and science as you learn to sketch a skull like a medical illustrator!

If you enjoyed that project, why not consider signing up for a subscription? You can choose between a monthly, 6-month, or full-year subscription!

During the first week of March (3 – 8), while their enrollment is open, if you use my link below to sign up for a subscription, you will get a free Lit Bite of your choosing!

Sign Up for a Glitterbombers Subscription Here!

March Bookish Holidays

March is a pretty busy bookish month! The first full week of March is Read an E-Book Week. March 5th is Read Across America Day, March 21 is World Poetry Day and March 25th is National Tolkien Reading Day.

As far as birthdays go, Douglas Adams (March 11, 1952), Alice Hoffman (March 16, 1952), Lois Lowry (March 20, 1937), and Kate DiCamillo (March 25, 1964) all celebrate this month.

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 🙂

New Printing Partnership with Watson Family Press!

I’m excited to announce that we are partnering with Watson Family Press! If you are looking for a place to get your lesson plans printed, they have you covered! They are offering our customers a 10% discount using the code BYL at checkout!

I love supporting small businesses, especially fellow secular homeschool family-run businesses! I hope you will check them out!

BYL Online Used Book Super Store

We are pleased to announce our newest, most requested feature: an Author or Title SEARCH! We have also incorporated the bookstore into our regular website and consolidated shopping carts so you can purchase both used books and homeschool curriculum in the same place!

https://buildyourlibrary.com/usedbookshop

I have wanted to open an independent bookstore my whole life. A cute, cozy Hobbit hole of a bookstore with new books, used books, maybe tea… After many delays and setbacks, a brick-and-mortar store is currently out of the cards.

However, since I have a storage unit (and house) full of books I’ve been collecting for a store, we have decided to try to set up the BYL Online Used Book Super Store! We are so excited to announce that we are open for business! So yay! Happy book shopping!

We are adding new books almost daily, so keep checking back. We have something for every reader!

2025 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 six years, so we’re continuing the tradition!

This year, we are Reading Banned Books! With this set of prompts, we challenge you to read from a variety of diverse perspectives, with emphasis on books that have been banned or challenged in libraries over the years. Let’s fight back against censorship in 2025!

I’m looking forward to a great year of reading, and I hope you will join me on our reading adventure!

We are two months into the challenge now – how is everyone doing? I’ve completed 13/40 prompts!

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.

Unlike the last few years, 2025 is decidedly winter here in NH! We have over a foot of snow on the ground, and snowbanks next to our driveway that will likely still be melting in June. 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. Again.

History Book by Book (HBBB)!

History Book By Book is our database 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 helpful, 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 historically 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

We have recently started to create some blog post articles on HBBB! You can check out our first couple on our HBBB Blog.

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. I will share some of my knowledge and expertise as a long-time homeschooling mother of four children, three of whom have graduated high school and one who is a college graduate!

This series will include an approximately 10-minute “quick-bit” YouTube video and a corresponding blog post article.

After 70+ episodes, I stalled out and took some time off to spend some time brainstorming, but hopefully will have some more soon! Do you have a topic you want to hear more about? Send me a message, and I’ll add it to my list!

Most Recent Episodes:

“Tea with Emily” Instagram Live Stream

We hope you all enjoyed our last “Tea with Emily” Instagram Live Stream. If you missed our “Homeschooling for Newbies” in February, you can find a recording by scrolling through our Instagram.

Our next Instagram Live will be in April.

I host a 30-60-minute Build Your Library homeschooling chat every other month. You can ask questions about homeschooling using the Build Your Library curriculum, book recommendations, etc. We will announce the date beforehand, and you can submit questions you want to cover. Additionally, you can also ask questions during the interactive Livestream. 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 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 to help guide you along your homeschooling adventure. If you have any questions, ask!

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 logically 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 excellent 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. My co-host – Tanya from Project Happy Home and I will be reading Half Life by Jillian Cantor in March! I hope you’ll read along and join us for a great live discussion on the first Saturday in February!

You can also subscribe to our email list and browse our monthly newsletters.

Wrap Up

I hope you have a wonderful March! I can’t wait to see what this new month brings!

“Dear March — Come in —
How glad l am I hoped for you before –
Put down your Hat—
You must have walked –
How out of Breath you are –

Dear March, how are you, and the Rest-
Did you leave Nature well –
Oh March, Come right up stairs with me —
I have so much to tell -I got your Letter, and the Birds –
The Maples never knew

that you were coming – till I called
I declare – how Red their Faces grew –

But March, forgive me – and
All those Hills you left for me to Hue –
There was no Purple suitable –
You took it all with you -Who knocks’? That April.
Lock the Door I will not be pursued

He stayed away a Year to call

When I am occupied

But trifles look so trivial As soon as you have comeThat Blame is just as dear as Praise
And Praise as mere as Blame -”

― Emily Dickinson, The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson

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.

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

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March 2025 Monthly Newsletter