October 2020 Monthly Newsletter

October 1, 2020

The following post will be a blog archive copy of the Build Your Library’s October 2020 Monthly Newsletter. If you missed the email, you can subscribe to our mailing list here. [Scheduled to be sent 10/01/20 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

As much as I love the summer months – October is probably my favorite month of the year. Cooler weather, the changing autumn leaves, reading all the spooky books, and really, all things Halloween. As my heroine, Anne Shirley said, “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”

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

Election Unit Study

We have recently updated our Election Unit Study for the 2020 cycle. Very soon, our nation will be electing the next president. Our children are not too young to learn about the in’s and out’s of our election system. This is a very exciting time and they should be a part of it! Who will be our president in January 2021? How did these two candidates get chosen to run for president anyway? What are political parties? What is a campaign? Our children are full of questions, and this unit study will help them find the answers!

If you previously purchased a 2012 or 2016 version, there are a couple of ways to access this update:

1) If you still have your original purchase link, you can download the new version from there.
2) Send me a message with the name and email you used on your original purchase and I’ll be happy to send you a new download link.

If you purchase the 2020 Election Unit Study for the first time, you will automatically receive the newest version.

Build Your Library University (for Parents)

We featured this blog post last month, and the month before, but wanted to highlight it again in our newsletter for all of the new homeschoolers joining Build Your Library.

Are you just starting out on your homeschooling journey and feeling overwhelmed and not quite sure where to start? Have you ever received a snarky comment from an acquaintance along the lines of “Oh, you homeschool your children? I didn’t know you have a teaching degree”? Or are you a veteran, but looking to brush up or expand your knowledge?

Have we got a program for you!

October Bookish Holidays

October has a bunch of fun book-related holidays. The entire month has been designated Children’s Magazine Month, National Book Month, National Cookbook Month, and National Reading Group Month. The first full week of October is Mystery Series Week, the second week is National Newspaper Week, the third week is Teen Read Week and Friends of Libraries Week, and the last Friday of the month (Oct 30) is National Frankenstein Day.

For author birthdays, we have Anne Rice (Oct. 4, 1941), R. L. Stine (Oct 8, 1943) and Oscar Wilde (Oct 16, 1854). There are also a couple of characters from Harry Potter with birthdays, Filius Flitwick (Oct. 17) and Molly Weasley (Oct. 30).

“Read Aloud Book Club” Pack

Our tenth monthly “Read Aloud Book Club” subscription pack is now available! The October 2020 theme is “Thrills and Chills.” This month’s selection is just the right amount of spooky, with some magical elements. It was such a fun read I finished it in 2 sittings! It’s a perfect Halloween 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 “Welcome to Homeschooling“ in August, you can find a recording by scrolling our Facebook or direct links on our past events page.

Our next Facebook Live will be October 9, 2020, at 1:00 PM EST, where we’ll have a chatty informal Q & A session! We can discuss whatever questions you have right now, about homeschooling in general, book recommendations, or homeschooling with Build Your Library!

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 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 (this month we are reading The Night Watch by Sarah Waters!), 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 are all enjoying fall in your neck of the woods! Remember to get outside and observe the changing of the seasons. Even if you don’t do formal nature study, it’s a great time to get outside and note the transition of the seasons!

If you are looking for 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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October 2020 Monthly Newsletter