My favorite Homeschooling resource

    I firmly believe a child can be taught in the simplest environment with the simplest tools at their disposal.  If a mother and child were snowed in for a week with no toys or even paper and pencil, I think the child would still learn a thing or two- probably more.  I can not even tell you how much the princess has learned in the back seat of a car.  That being said, we do not spend every moment in a vehicle or snowed-in and I am very thankful for our valuable resources.  My favorite homeschooling tool is my library card.  I know that a library card sounds like it would constitute as one of the "simplest tools," but that is not the case.  A smile has crept up my face just now, thinking of how much of a dork I must sound like.  Homeschooling has made me excited about the idea of learning, helping my daughter learn, and the fun and inspiring things that help us learn.  So.. On goes the thick glasses, and up go the Urkel pants, because this post is all about my library card!
    The reason for my sudden excitement in my library card is that I have been out of town for a month and unable to go to the library, yet I've used my library card almost every day!  I enjoy our little outings to the local library, and nothing can replace that experience or turning the pages of a traditional book, but I am also thrilled by being able to sit down with a new book without ever having to change out of my pajamas or sweat pants (you know, those sweats that I have pulled up to my waist as I write this). 
    Several Maryland libraries participate in a program called Maryland's Digital eLibrary Consortium.  This is a library in itself, powered by overdrive, with several audio and digital books available.  I send my books to my Kindle, which is how I prefer to read my books anyway.   For the princess, I have downloaded a kindle app onto my ipad. I send all the picture books there instead of to my kindle that has a small black and white screen.  Now, I have to say, I do like paper more than digital formats when it comes to children's books.  I like holding one side of the book as the princess holds the other side and carefully watches my finger stroll on a trail from word to word on the page.  I feel like we bond less over a digital print, but it works well for the times that I can not make a trip to the library.  Digital prints are also fine to read in addition to paper books since it does not count against the limit of books I can check out at the library.  The audio books are what I really enjoy borrowing from the digital library.  There is a great selection of audio books available, including our favorite: the Fancy Nancy series.  The Princess loves listening to these audio stories and has most of them memorized.  The audio books do not take place of me reading to her but it is something to do when a break is necessary. 
    My latest discovery is Scholastic BookFlix.  This is yet another website that I have access to by entering the number on my library card.  I have only used this resource a few times, but there will be many more visits to this website in our future!  Here, Scholastic pairs books together by subject.  In each pair, there is one animated story book and one picture ebook.  We read and watched the books about thanksgiving when we were studying the first thanksgiving.  The princess really enjoyed it.
    I would never replace the traditional paper books in our home with a different format, but it is nice to have a variety of book formats available.  Like I said, its also nice to be able to check out books while on vacation or during those days when I simply do not feel like leaving the house.  I definitely recommend visiting your local library, signing up for a library card if you do not already have one, and look into what your library has to offer you and your family.