May 2020 Monthly Newsletter
May 2, 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 05/04/20 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
March felt like it went on forever and then April was over in the blink of an eye. Does time even exist any more? We are living in a stressful moment. We’re embracing all of the things that make us happy and looking for those bits of sunshine in a crazy situation. I hope you are all doing the same!
We have some new information to share as well as some reoccurring monthly reminders.
Harry Potter 7 Unit Study!
We are in the final stretch to get the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Unit Study completed. Look for the release announcement in next month’s newsletter, if it doesn’t get posted to our Facebook page sooner.
Homeschooling While Social Distancing
Nothing beats a great book, but this collection of online and digital activities are great supplements. So instead of providing an endless list of dozens of possible activities, I wanted to share some of the resources that we actually use on a regular basis in our homeschool.
Apocalypse Schooling
Inspired by a comment on a previous post, we came up with this thought-provoking topic for an article. We took her “apocalypse schooling” phrase and ran with it. Literally from zombies… What homeschooling materials would you hoard in a post-apocalyptic world? Click on this article and let’s explore this unique, fictional situation to see where it leads. What books would you select? Thanks Megan!
“Read Aloud Book Club” Pack
Our fifth monthly “Read Aloud Book Club” subscription pack is now available for May! 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 May 2020 theme is “Storms and Magic.” The book for this month is such a great story – it had me on the edge of my seat the whole time! It’s a perfect read-aloud for the whole family!
May Bookish Holidays
May is full of book-related holidays too, most notably Free Comic Book Day: First Saturday (May 2, 2020) and the second week of May for Reading Is Fun Week (May 4-8, 2020). The entire month of May is dedicated to National Get Caught Reading (From a Distance) Month and National Family Reading Month! 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!
As far as birthdays go, Mary Pope Osborne (May 20, 1949) celebrates this month.
We also have a couple of Harry Potter character birthdays with Victoire Weasley’s birthday and Harry Potter Day (Anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts) (May 2); and Pomona Sprout (May 15).
Again, some of these bookish holidays may end up being postponed or canceled due to social distancing. Free Comic Book Day will hopefully get rescheduled later this summer.
“A Literary Education” Book Bookiversary!
Can you believe my book is going to be 3 years old? We published “A Literary Education: Adapting Charlotte Mason for Modern Secular Homeschooling” on May 27, 2017. I’m so proud of this little book. It’s essentially the story of our homeschool and gives a great view of what a Charlotte Mason education can look like in the 21st century.
“Tea with Emily” Facebook Live Streams
We hope you all enjoyed our “Tea with Emily” Facebook Live Stream last month. 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!
After Livestream Notes from 4/10/2020: Our Virtual Homeschool Convention Booth ran for about an hour and a half! It was a really great opportunity for us to delve pretty deep into the background of Build Your Library. Both as a company, and also into the inter-workings and design of all of our products. There are a lot of moving parts involved and hopefully, you all enjoyed the commentary into my thought process. I consider this everything you ever wanted to know about the Build Your Library curriculum but were afraid to ask!
Our next Facebook Live will be on June 5th at 1:00 PM EST. 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 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 what I’m reading, join my Arrrgh Booked Book Club (we’re going to be reading The House on the Cerulean Sea in May!), 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! If you are looking for inspiration, here are some articles you might find helpful:
- Build Your Library COVID-19 Update
- Tips for Avoiding Burnout
- Happy, Hygge Homeschooling?
- “Are Worms Made Out of Metal?” And Other Great Rabbit Trails
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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