We're pretty lucky here to have a library that stays open late on Tuesdays and Thursdays -- and actually 4 hours on Sunday afternoon!  So when DH and I had to share a car because his went into the shop for a l-o-n-g time, we started going on Tuesday nights.  Also on Tuesdays our Sonic drive-in restaurant has 5 for 5 after 5 -- 5 burgers for $5 after 5 pm.  So now we have dinner in town, go to the library, and pick up any needed groceries, etc., get stamps from the post office machine in the lobby, make any night deposits at the bank.  I like it so much that I think this will be our regular Library Night.

You wouldn't believe the bucks I've saved by not being able to go anywhere during the day because of no vehicle.  Do I miss it?  A resounding "No!"  It's a downright pleasure for me to not have to leave my house. 

We do have to go to Granny's and Granddad's to help care for them -- about a football field away -- and, guess what, now I'm having to walk! 

So this supposedly "bad" thing has turned out to be a God-send for me.  Besides saving money by not running to town when I feel like it, I'm getting caught up on all that stuff that we never get around to.  It really makes the days longer.  If I absolutely have to have something I need, I can call DH on his cell and have him bring it home when he comes. 

Now, I don't have kids that need to go here and there, all around the world, on a daily basis, so I'm able to do this.  Some of my friends' lives would come to a stand-still if this was imposed on them.  There's co-op classes, ball  and soccer practice, dance and gymnastics lessons, doctor and dentist appointments, and on and on. 

I'm also blessed because DH has a job where if it really was a necessity -- like a doctor appointment -- he could take us.  We have our TaeKwonDo class on Thursday evenings, so we can all go to that.  As far as grocery shopping, I do once-a-month menu planning and shopping, usually on a Saturday or Friday night when the boys can go with me to help.  A month's worth of food takes up more than one shopping cart! 

So Library Night has evolved now into sort of a tradition I guess you could say.  What do we do at the library besides let Jeff check out books and videos (which takes approximately 2 hours!)?  Here's my method:

I use the Full-Year Notebook System (have a link on the left).  This system has sreally worked for me, and I've been doing it 2 years now.  We have to do a variety of different curricula and teaching styles because of our special needs.  We use a lot of library books!  And a couple of text books -- a reading comprehension book and math.  Our Bible consists of reading The Children's Bible and getting resource books on whatever the theme is that we're reading.  For instance, when we were studying David, we found lots of great books at the library on him.  Also found a video "David & Goliath."  When we studied Solomon, there were some very good books on the "temple" for kids.  We studied "building" during that time, a natural flow from that book of the Bible. 

With the FYN system, I choose our topics that I want to study, listing them on a Library Topics form, then using the computer at the library look up call numbers and titles of books available.  This info goes on another form, a reference form.  Then you can plan when you will be needing the books and whether you will be reading a chapter a day, so many pages a day, or the whole book in a week, etc. 

There are also other forms for videos watched, biographies assigned, book reports, planning forms for your textbooks.  Lots of people have asked, "Well, can't you get free forms off the internet?"  Yes, you can, and I've done so -- I've probably killed an entire forest with the pages I've printed out from the web.  I just hadn't seen this "idea" until I stumbled onto the FYN system.  It was the "idea" that gave me that shot in the arm I so much needed to pull my teaching together.  For those just following an off-the shelf curriculum, you aren't in this boat with me. 

I have not actually filled Jeff's notebook with a full year of assignments.  At first I did 9 weeks, because that is our schedule--9 weeks of school, 2 weeks off.  Year-round.  Sometimes I change it when needed, but that's pretty much the way it is. 

Now, however, I'm putting the assignments and pages he needs into his book by the week.  Right now we are doing a Narnia unit study and for right now just putting the pages we do into his notebook in the "Language Arts" section.  When it gets pretty full, we'll transfer all the Narnia pages to a "Narnia" notebook of its own.  We do lots of notebooks.  It's the perfect style for Jeff. 

We're also doing a Seed and Gardening unit for Science, so this past Tuesday at the library I got some books on chickens and eggs, seed planting, and a really good book on compost.  We have a compost pile here on the farm, so Jeff is now learning exactly how that garbage that we throw out there turns into rich soil for our gardens.  Jeff picked out a Winnie the Pooh book about a giant Easter egg -- that's good.  We will be studying about Easter here soon and ...

            ... the season Spring! 

                              Oh, can it come soon????? 

                                        I want to be "warm" again and plant flowers.

Signing off for now -- it's time to read Library Books.  b.

Posted by KarlaKAkins

I love being "stuck at home!" I remember those days fondly! When my babies were little I didn't have a car or phone or TV. It was great! Those were the "good ol' days!" :-)
Karla