November 2019 Monthly Newsletter

November 1, 2019

The following post will be a blog archive copy of the Build Your Library’s November 2019 Monthly Newsletter. If you missed the email, you can subscribe to our mailing list here. [Scheduled to be sent 11/01/19 9:30 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.

turkeyMonthly Newsletter

Happy November! Can you believe the year is nearly over? I hope your school year is rolling along nicely. The weather is getting cooler and the holiday season is right around the corner.

November Bookish Holidays

November is another huge month for bookish holidays, most notably National Novel Writing Month. November 1st is both National Authors Day and National Family Literacy Day. The first Saturday of the month (Nov 2) is Book Lovers Day. We also have National Nonfiction Day (Nov 6), I love to Write Day (Nov 15), High Five a Librarian Day (Nov 18) and the third full week of November is National Young Readers Week and National Book Award Week.

As far as literary birthdays go,  we have Bram Stoker’s Birthday (Nov 8, 1847), as well as Neil Gaiman (Nov 10, 1960), Robert Louis Stevenson (Nov 13, 1850) and Madeleine L’Engle Camp (Nov 29, 1918). We also have a couple of Harry Potter character birthdays with Silvanus Kettleburn (Nov 22) and  Bill Weasley (Nov 29).

History of Thanksgiving Unit Study

We’ve all heard the story – the Pilgrims sailed to America on the Mayflower and landed on Plymouth Rock. After a rough start, they were saved by the Natives who then celebrated with a Thanksgiving feast… But how accurate is that tale? With this unit study, you and your child will explore the history surrounding Thanksgiving. Why did those brave people sail to an unknown land to start their own colony? Did the Native Americans really save them? Who were the Pilgrims and why did they come to America anyway?

I also have a bonus blog post with my favorite Thanksgiving books to read to younger children.

We also have a “Thanksgiving-themed” – Can Your Teach Creativity? blog post from a few years back. This was a fun and interesting twist on an old holiday decoration project.

Family Reading Crate Replacement Coming Soon

More details soon, but we’d like to tease an announcement of our new “Read Aloud Book Club” subscription pack, coming in January 2020! If you loved our Family Reading Crates, I think you will love the Read Aloud Book Club too! I’m very excited to unveil more information next month!

Is it time for NaNoWriMo again?

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo or nano for short) is a yearly write-a-thon that challenges aspiring writers from all over the world to write a complete 50,000 word manuscript in just 30 days. It is not for the faint of heart, and even some of the most gifted of writers still find themselves unable to complete the full 50k. But it’s a challenge that few writers can pass up…

For younger writers, I recommend checking out https://ywp.nanowrimo.org for their Young Writers program!  It’s basically the same thing as the main event, but the final word count and stress level is lower. Additional resources are also provided like workbooks for story-planning and daily writing prompts to keep the story going if you get stuck!

I am tentatively planning on trying my hand this year. I made an attempt many years ago and didn’t complete the challenge. But this year, I have a fun idea to play around with, so who knows? Maybe I’ll be able to finally check “write a novel” off my bucket list.

Build Your Library on Tour 2019

We currently do not have any appearances lined up in the very near future, but we will keep everyone updated when more events are scheduled. Next year’s convention season is just around the corner!

“Tea with Emily” Facebook Live Streams

We hope you all enjoyed our last five “Tea with Emily” Facebook Live Streams. If you missed it (or any previous one), you can find a recording on our Facebook or on our past events page.

Our next one is scheduled for the beginning of December. (Probably December 6th, but more details will follow)

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, 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 you’re school year is off to a great start! If you are looking for inspiration this month, 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


See Also:

October 2019 Monthly Newsletter

 

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