One of the things that gets me every year is that Winter doesn’t start until about 4 days before Christmas. That most of the holiday season is actually fall. This year we are doing some really fun things around the winter season. We are hoping for snow, but if that doesn’t happen we are hoping to read about some snowy fun.
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I have worked really hard to raise my kids to love reading. I have read them so many books as children that to keep myself from going crazy, we have quite the collection of books. I think we are just a few shy of having a “library”. Even though my girls can’t read yet they will sit and look at books all day long. My oldest is rarely without a book in her hands. She is known to “read” a book so much it falls a part.
Tips on how to grow your library
- I shop second hand often. Some of my favorite places to shop are on BST/yard sale pages on Facebook. If I see someone who is selling books I will often message them and ask if I could come look through their collection to buy books in bulk. This works sometimes, other times I’m just quick to claim books when they post them. I love a good thrift shop. I have found a lot of books second hand and rarely come out of a goodwill without an arm full.
- I stay in touch with my teacher friends. I was a teacher before becoming a SAHM and I still have a lot of connections and will reach out if I know someone is close to retirement, or leaving the profession. They almost always have a great book selection and I can grab some books at a great price.
- My library has a “store” they sell books for less than $1 for kids, and I have snagged some really good classics there. I also look ahead because they will often have great school titles for really cheap that I know my kids will grow in to. Think Great Gatsby, Number the Stars, To Kill a Mockingbird, etc.
- Little Libraries! I love a little library! We have some really good ones in my hometown and I will often times have a few books on hand to trade for. With a lot of books we end up with doubles occasionally, or I will buy big sets of books and some of the titles won’t interest my kids, those go in the car to trade with.
- The Dolly Parton Imagination Library is also a great option. We recently got it in our area, and they send out some really great books! We always love when they arrive. All 3 of my kids have participated in this program.
- We are gifted books. We stress to our families that books are very important to us, and to please gift them when they can. It isn’t hard to see how much my kids love books, so my family happily obliges. We also have a fun Birthday Tradition that gifts us books over traditional books.
- And of course we get lots of books from the library. I will admit I am terrible about returning books, and often keep them past their due date, but I am trying to do better.
Winter Read Alouds
But with winter approaching we are diving into some fun stories for our homeschool reading. Here is a review of a few of my favorite winter stories! If you want to see some of our favorite books you can also check out this link for a more comprehensive list!
The Promise: A Cody and Summer Tale
Such a sweet story! This was a great read and it is about an unlikely friend pair who meet when the ice begins to thaw, after a long winter. The pair end up making an unlikely friendship that helps both of them. It is truly a really sweet story and I loved it.
My kiddos loved it too and I can’t wait to use this in our winter schooling here in a few weeks. The book is really well done and has some beautiful pictures.
Gah this is such a fun story. Our middle daughter is small, and struggles with being tiny, and this book has been such a great reminder that tiny doesn’t mean bad. This book is about a tiny yak who does a big job, that only his size could do!
While the book is wintery in theme and design, it could be used in any season. Its such a great story. Really really love it. My kids love it too, and its just a great lesson to be learned.
Another beautiful book! We were given this book by a dear friend and its so sweet. This mouse loves to play outside, and wants his friends to come enjoy the winter with him! But they don’t like the cold so he comes up with a plan to help them. Its a great story.
The pictures are beautiful, the message is great, and this is a book at the top of my list. We love to play with it and our mouse dollhouse! My girls really love stories about mice!
Full disclosure! This book doesn’t have any words. It is only pictures, and while this may be confusing to some this is how we use it. We make up our story while we look at the pictures. We love that we can be creative and the story can change any time. Sometimes I make up the whole story, sometimes we go back and forth, and sometimes we just describe the pictures.
I don’t think you need a ton of picture less books, but I think a few are fun!
Another beautiful book that talks about hibernation. We really enjoy this book and the story it tells. A great winter read and super helpful for learning about how animals hibernate.
My kids love the pictures in this book, and I think its a great book for a variety of ages to read together.
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