September 22, 1997
"Books!"
by Diana Waring

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Books. My house is crawling with them... well, in a manner of speaking. Books in the living room, books in the kitchen, books in the office, books in each of the children's rooms, books in the guest room, books in the basement, books in storage, books under my feet, books in boxes, books waiting for a new bookshelf to edge it's way into some yet-unlooked-for space. Books in the library, begging to be read... "Ooooo, we're interesting, soooo interesting to read...", as well as books piled up next to my bed demanding to be read... "Ahem. Diana, enough lollygagging around - get to work reading us!" Deliciously wonderful books my children have secreted off to their rooms to read and I spend hours roaming around looking for... "I know it was here the other day!" As another homeschooler once remarked to me, "So many books, so little time!" You know, when non-homeschoolers ask about what qualifies people to homeschool their children, the answer they expect to hear is, "Only people with college degrees in education are qualified to teach their children." But they are wrong!!! When I'm asked this question, my vigorous answer is, "The most successful homeschool parents are the ones who are willing to learn right along with their students!! That way, the enthusiasm of learning will be transmitted to the students by a process something like osmosis... it just oozes around the house!" You can tell it's taking place when the children keep learning "after hours"... when they choose to read books not assigned during reading class... when the whole family sits around the dinner table discussing how the Hanging Gardens of Babylon might have been built... when the announcement of, "Time for school!", is not met with extended groans... One of the best ways to fire up this enthusiasm in the heart of a family is through the introduction of wonderful, can't-put-it-down, read-till-you-drop books. Do you know the kind I mean? - Books that the family begs you to keep reading outloud, even though everyone is so hungry that your voice has to compete with the unrelieved gurglings of empty stomachs... books that are meant for children (the kind with lots of pictures, big letters, and lots of white paper), but you find so fascinating that you can't put them down... books that so open up the amazing world of God's creation that even a non-believer has to say, "That's the most incredible thing I've ever heard - nothing short of miraculous!!!"... books that transport us back in time to meet the people of history in such a way that we suddenly comprehend that these "historic figures" were real people, like you and me, dealing with real life... books that are considered classics, and for good reason! "Sounds great. Just where do I find these 'finds'?" Great question. Here are some of our family's answers: - the library - book stores - USED book stores (hold tightly to your wallet, the bargain prices can make you crazy!) - garage sales - library and school book sales - other homeschoolers - the Web - homeschool conventions - homeschool mail order catalogs - antique dealers - museum gift shops (one of my personal favorites) - USED book fairs for homeschoolers - grandparents' attic or garage - estate sales ... and there are probably many more. "OK. Now, how do I know that these 'finds' are really 'finds'?" Another great question. Not quite as simple an answer: this is where the parents becoming learners really helps - you must read. - Read books about books (like "Honey for a Child's Heart" by Gladys Hunt). - Read annotated homeschooling catalogs to discover which books might delight the heart of your children. - Read curriculums for their reading selections (like "Five In a Row"). - Read the newly borrowed or purchased books before giving them to your children, especially if you've never heard of the title or author before. Another answer: ask! - Ask homeschooled students for their Top Ten favorites. - Ask your librarian for great children's books. - Ask other parents what books have worked for their families. - Ask yourself what YOUR favorite books were when you were a child. "All set. I've got the best of the best, the cream of the crop, the reader's choice. Now, what do I do with them?" Perhaps the most important question of all. How does one get a child to willingly, nay, eagerly, pick up a book? Especially if what they have picked up is the impression that reading is boring, a drag, not worth the trouble? Some answers that have worked for us: - Read out loud. If I could convey to you the most dynamic tool available to homeschool parents for instilling a love of reading, this would be it. (Two suggestions: read with flair - we call it "hamming it up" in our family, and read books with some humor in them.) - Provide a smorgasbord for your children, and let them pick what looks "tasty". When we are studying something or someone, we pull out ALL of the books dealing with the subject that we can find on our own shelves and from the library. Then our students can browse through them until they find a "can't-put-it-down" book! It certainly makes our job easier. - Discover your child's passionate interest, be it baseball or zoology. Armed with this knowledge, search out appropriate books and magazines that deal with this interest. Set these before the student and watch what happens! One of my favorite stories is from a homeschool mom here in South Dakota. She told me that her oldest son (in high school) was very resistant to reading, and that was why she had decided to homeschool him. On the first day of homeschool, when "reading" time arrived, this wise mother set a magazine before her son to look through. Now, she didn't choose just any magazine. No, she very carefully found the one that would pique her son's interest - a brand new issue of a farm machinery magazine!! (Remember, this is South Dakota.) Then she told her son that his assignment for that day was to tell her about one of the new farm machines that was shown. With a twinkle in her eye, she confided to me that though he could savor the pictures to his heart's delight, he wouldn't be able to tell her much about his favorite new machine unless HE READ THE CAPTIONS!! After a few weeks of this delightful experience, her teenage son became an enthusiastic reader... of farm machinery materials! (But at least he's reading...) Books... the stuff-of-life to homeschoolers... the occupational hazard to your dwelling... the OPEN SESAME of learning. May your lives be filled with the best. Blessings, Diana Return to the List of the BOTCW Columns

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