We ended up spending the afternoon at local library. My eldest son got in five hours of chess practice with the local chess club, that just so happens to meet their every Saturday. My other son was able to grab a Star Wars book off the shelf (the same one he's reading at home) and enjoy an afternoon of reading. And I got to plug in my laptop, access their free wi-fii, and catch up on some work. Everyone was happy and the afternoon literally flew by for all of us.
Later that day, I couldn't help but think about what an incredible source public libraries are. Where else can you spend an entire afternoon and have access to so many resources? All at no charge. On top of that, unless you want to check out material, access to most library resources doesn't even require having a library card.
Going one step further, I had to acknowledge that access to a public library is probably one of the most critical resources for homeschoolers. I know that when my family first began our homeschooling journey, setting aside one day each week to go to the library was the best decision I ever made. It allowed me to begin my children's "education" without the purchase of any curriculum. As a matter of fact, we spent the first few months doing nothing other than just going to the library and checking out a ton of books and Bill Nye the Science Guy videos. My kids thought they had died and gone to heaven!
Almost 10 years later, we still have a day each week for trips to the library. Sometimes we all go and sometimes it's just me. Either way, every Wednesday I can be found logging on to my library's website to figure out what needs to go back and doing a quick survey to find out what anyone wants or needs this week.
If I had a record of all the books we have checked out over the years, I would have to say that having a library card has saved me thousands of dollars. On average, I usually have at least 10 books on loan from the library. If you do that math, that equals 520 books a year. Over the course of 10 years, that would equal about 5,200 books. And that's just books. And that's just on MY library card.
Of course libraries are so much more than just books. Most public libraries give us access to: CD Audio Books, Music CDs, DVDs, Videos, Boy Scout Merit Badge Books, and Digital Books. When my kids were little, they loved being able to use the computers at the library. They were thrilled to join up with "The Frizz" and take a ride each week on "The Magic School Bus".
When my family used to live in Tempe, Arizona, I had the good fortune of having access to 5 different libraries. Since the five cities were all in the same county, I was eligible to have a library card with each separate library. While it was a bit of work to keep straight which material was from what library, I never wanted for library material.
When we moved to Northern Utah, I discovered that since I lived in a small town, I only had access to one library and it had a very very small library collection. To become a member of next largest city library, I would be required to pay a non-resident fee of $163 a year. Ouch. At first I was not a happy camper. However, as I began to think about the value of a good library to my family... I realized that spending 50 cents a day (per year) to use a library was still a pretty good deal. I have never regretted that decision and each year when I have to write that check... I do it with a smile.
One thing that I have always loved about public libraries is the willingness of the librarians to help me. If there is a resource that I need I have usually been able to secure it through the library's free inter-library loan service. I have even found that the majority of the time that I ask for a book that my local library doesn't own, more often than not, they usually end up buying it. And as there way of thanking me for the suggestion... I am the first one that gets to check it out. How cool is that?
So if you are looking for ways to supplement your children's homeschool curriculum, you might want to consider spending some time at your local library. Or, if you are ever find yourself in another city, you might want to pop into the library and see what it has to offer. Exploring a new library can be really fun, because you just never know what new and exciting things you may find there.
"Perhaps no place in any community is so totally democratic as the town library. The only entrance requirement is interest."
- Lady Bird Johnson
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