May 2021 Monthly Newsletter

May 3, 2021

The following post will be a blog archive copy of the Build Your Library’s May 2021 Monthly Newsletter. If you missed the email, you can subscribe to our mailing list here. [Scheduled to be sent 5/3/21 8:30 AM EST]

[ May 3, 2021 ] – “BYL May 2021 Video Newsletter“ – Welcome to our May Video Newsletter! You should have gotten our regular monthly e-mail newsletter in your inbox, if you are subscribed. But you can now watch the video highlights and read the full details below or watch BYL May 2021 Video Newsletter on Facebook here.

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

New England springs can be fickle, but once we hit May, the weather begins to turn toward warm and sunny more often than not, and all that new green growth makes me so happy! I hope you are all doing well as we enter the spring season!

We have some new information to share as well as some reoccurring monthly reminders.

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 finished swapping out Story of the World for History Quest: Middle Times in Level 1 and Level 2. (Check out last month’s “Tea with Emily” Facebook Live Stream, “Interview with Lindsey Sodano, Author of History Quest“)

Next on the agenda is updating the Prehistory Unit (mainly the art books and links, though I have found some really great options that may or may not find their way into the unit!) and the art books and out-of-print titles in Level 3. I expect the Prehistory unit to be available towards the end of this month, and Level 3 mid-to-late June.

May Bookish Holidays

May is full of book-related holidays too, most notably Free Comic Book Day: First Saturday (May 1, 2021) and the second week of May for Reading Is Fun Week (May 12-16, 2021). 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).

Please check ahead on the bookish holidays that may be modified or limited due to social distancing. The in-person events like Free Comic Book Day may have additional safeguards in place that you will have to consider, but should be running this year!

“A Literary Education” Book Bookiversary!

Can you believe my book is going to be 4 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.

“Read Aloud Book Club” Pack

Our 17th monthly “Read Aloud Book Club” subscription pack is now available! The May 2021 theme is “Camp Somebody.” This month’s selection a hilarious story about a boy who thinks he is a nobody but through a ridiculous turn of events and a case of mistaken identity, discovers that there is more to himself and to friendship than he realized! This one is not to be missed. 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 “Interview with Lindsey Sodano, Author of History Quest“ last month in April, you can find a recording by scrolling our Facebook or direct links on our past events page.

Our next Livestream will be on Friday, June 4th at 1 pm EST, where we will be discussing “History Book By Book!” We are pretty excited about this one and can’t wait to unveil this project.

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!

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.

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 are reading The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang in May), or just want ideas for books to read (either for you or 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 some springtime 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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May 2021 Monthly Newsletter