What’s New at Build Your Library
January 19, 2016
You’ve probably noticed that it has been quiet around here lately. I never mean to neglect social media and my blog, but life takes over and projects happen, and well…you get the idea.
So I thought I’d take a moment to share what I’ve been working on. 🙂
First, I’ve been doing a lot of writing. I started working on a book over the summer, and just yesterday I finished the first draft. I’m really excited about it, and finally feel ready to share a bit about that project with all of you.
I still have quite a bit of work to do, but I’m at the point where I feel confident that it is going to get finished. I wanted to write a book that I would have wanted to have read when I first started homeschooling. This would be useful to homeschoolers who want to teach with living books but don’t know where to start, as well as inspiring for those of us who have been in the trenches for a while. I am really excited about it and I cannot wait until the day when I can share it with all of you. As far as publication goes, well I haven’t gotten that far yet. I hope it will happen sometime this year, but as to when, I cannot say.
Second – now that my oldest child is a year away from graduation (!!!) and my twins are going to be starting their high school journey in the fall, I needed to start really thinking whether or not I was going to write high school level plans for Build Your Library. Well, gentle reader, I have embarked upon that quest. Ninth Grade plans are happening. I have been researching and collecting books like a mad woman, and I thought I’d share some of the results with you today. So here is your sneak peek at Build Your Library Level 9:
Third, I hope to tackle at least one more Harry Potter unit study this year. I had big plans of having all 7 units done in 2016, but then I got slapped with the reality stick. I will be happy to get the Goblet of Fire unit written and published this year, ecstatic if I get to the Order of the Phoenix unit.
And of course, in the middle of all of that furiously happy writing and reading, I’m still chugging away at homeschooling my 4 children – an 11th grader who aspires to be a writer, twin 8th graders who want to be heavy metal musicians, comic book artists and video game designers, and a 6 year old 1st grader who keeps us all on our toes with her wild antics.
Here’s to an exciting and successful 2016!
POST UPDATE: This post is from 2016
The book discussed above has been published and is available now at Amazon: A Literary Education: Adapting Charlotte Mason for Modern Secukar Homeschooling
Also for the latest updates, check out our Monthly Newsletter archive and see the latest post for more current “What’s New” topics!
I wanted to tell you how happy I am to have found your curriculum! We started homeschooling my kindergartener this year and have really enjoyed it, even though the curriculum we were using turned out not to be the best fit for us. I had been looking for a secular literature based curriculum, since we all love reading and I think that the lessons in living books are invaluable. We are just finishing up with his other work and are so excited to start your K program! Thank you for all your hard work and for creating a lovely literature based curriculum.
Thank you so much for all of your hard work. My child is super excited to see what 9th grade will be. (so am I)
I’m excited about both the book and 9th grade Build Your Library! Have you looked into “The Sixth Extinction” by Elizabeth Kolbert? I just read it a couple of weeks ago and I think it will fit really well with the other nonfiction books you have for 9th grade.
It’s mostly about the present extinction event and the human contribution to the same, but Kolbert also weaves in a lot on the history of science’s understanding of prehistory and evolution. She takes readers from the point when scientists knew for certain that the natural world is unchanging, through the development of the theory of evolution and extinction (surprisingly unrelated, at times) to present day scientists working to understand what is happening around the world to plants and animals today.
It’s a fascinating and truly enjoyable read.
I have seen that book in my browsing, but I didn’t know much about it. I will have to add it to my Grade 9 pile. Thank you for the suggestion!
Can’t wait. I have a ninth grader next year!
Just a suggestion of a book you might want to see if it ties in somehow. It’s not exactly on point, but interesting. It’s more science based, but the brain is a big part of evolutionary differences.
http://www.amazon.com/Phineas-Gage-Gruesome-Story-Science/dp/0618494782/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453512467&sr=8-1&keywords=phineas+gage+a+gruesome+but+true+story+about+brain+science
That is a great suggestion – and I already have it on my bookshelf! I’m adding it to my Grade 9 pile. 😉
We recently fell in love with your curriculum after previously leaving our CM inspired studies for something more structured and laid out (for the sake of my sanity). It turned out not to be a good change for us, and I am so thankful that we can turn back to the CM style using Build Your Library! I am definitely looking forward to your high school offerings, very excited to read that you decided to develop them!
Ok, so here’s the big loaded question… Will there be an “official” BYL 9th grade curriculum for the 2016-2017 year? I mean…I know you are writing a book and all… You ARE kinda busy… But just asking *with fingers crossed*
That is the plan! My goal is to have it ready by mid to late summer. I’m making pretty good progress right now, so I’m pretty confident that I can get it ready in time for the 2016-2017 school year.