Children's book organization

This week was Scholastic Book Fair Week at both my kids' schools.

I like to take advantage of the 2 hours that my youngest is in preschool by helping at my oldest's school when needed. So 2 mornings out of my week went something like this:

Drive to school A and drop off kid #1.

Drive across town to school B and drop off kid #2.

Drive BACK to school A and help with the book fair for 2 hours.

Drive BACK to school B to pick up kid #2 to go home for lunch and nap.

Whew! I wasn't really stressed or rushed, I just felt like a cab driver or something. In addition, they started redoing the train tracks in town, which meant shutting down main roads that I use so I had to use detours, which was...ummm...not fun. I will have to get used to it though because the shutdowns will be here for awhile! And I will be doing the same running back and forth next week for mini-art and AR program things.

As I sat in my girls' bedrooms looking at their new books with them, I realized their bookshelves were in desperate need of some organization. We had accumulated quite a collection which I had never cleaned out because the youngest would eventually be reading them in a few years. But I realized that there were many books that neither of them had any interest in. So I started digging through and making piles. I ended up with almost 80 books to give away, or sell in a yard sale!

[caption id="attachment_618" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Looking for a new home...[/caption]

For the books we were keeping, I separated them into classics, early readers, and preschool. We have disney books from the 70s that belonged to my husband when he was little. I had bought shelving for them a couple years ago, but some of the books had wandered off to different shelves and different rooms so I got them all back together again. They didn't quite fill the bottom shelf but some dominoes and flash cards filled the spot perfectly.

[caption id="attachment_619" align="aligncenter" width="199"] Classic 70s Disney titles![/caption]



I don't have many early reader books, I guess because Kindergarten filled that need. But I do have a series of books from a company called Southwestern Advantage that I purchased from a young college student a few years ago. This company helps college students earn their own money and encourages them to be entrepreneurs by encouraging them to go door to door selling books. We have used the books quite a bit and they were well worth it. The set we bought has 26 books and covers everything from learning colors and shapes, to more advanced science subjects. This is great for us because with girls 4 years apart in age, this has topics for both of them. The names of the "Ask Me' series are cute - Laila's favorite is "Are My Bones Bendy?"

[caption id="attachment_621" align="aligncenter" width="300"] "Ask Me" Series[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_622" align="aligncenter" width="300"] "Explore and Learn" Series[/caption]



My preschool collection is still the largest! Taking 4 shelves plus a basket. But those are the books that us moms tend to tire of very quickly, so we need variety! I mean how many times can you read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom or The Very Hungry Caterpillar before you can recite it in your sleep?

[caption id="attachment_624" align="aligncenter" width="89"] Preschool age books[/caption]

I also had a few random books that I wasn't sure where to display. So I cleared off the top of one of the girls' dressers. Then found a piece of shelving unit leftover from our entryway closet makeover. I laid it on its end so that the taller books could just stand up, since they didn't fit anywhere else. And I used a piggy bank as a bookend. Works for me!



To Do:

There is one project that I've been wanting to do for over a year now! I first saw this idea in the Family Fun magazine a couple years ago. It is a book sling that allows your child to see the front covers of their books and allows for easy access for them. So as soon as I find some fabulous fabric for this project, I will start on it.



One of my favorite children's stories is Max Lucado's "You Are Special". If you haven't read it, you must! We got the book a few years ago and my oldest loves it. We can all relate to the Wemmicks in this story. It is such a great message for both children AND adults and reminds us that we are all special in God' eyes.



Another book I have to share with you is "I Know A Librarian Who Swallowed Some Books." It was written by my daughter's 2nd grade class this year. All the kids contributed and they sent it off to a company to be bound. My favorite is that they had it published with the students' own handwriting and illustrations!

I hope this encourages you to grab a book or head to the library and read with your kids!