The Chronicles of Homeschooling Part Two: Filling Your House with Books

 

You may have heard or noticed that the younger generations may not read as much as they used to. Is that due to the rise of technology? I think it is partly because the structure of our days may not allow the freedom to sit and soak in a good book. I counter this: a love and appreciation of reading often grows with us. 

It’s not that I did not like reading books when I was a young girl; it was that I preferred to play outside! Connecting with my friends, going on adventures, riding bikes, creative play, swimming…those were the most important things to me. Reading books in school was fine, but I was always longing to be outside doing things. Even in high school, I didn’t read more than what I felt I had to read for each subject, and it wasn’t until well into university and beyond that I started to read more for pleasure than out of necessity. And I found out how much I enjoyed it! I have many fond memories of when reading came alive for me. During our family visits to my grandparents’ farm in Saskatchewan, we devoured the boxes of comics available to us. TV was not really an option, and on those lazy summer days when we were cooling down from our adventures outside, crisp ginger ale and an Archie comic or superhero adventure were perfect. Even today I was reflecting on the pure joy of reading through a comic (like Archie!) with my siblings on a hot summer day without a worry in the world. My husband and I were at an antique store and saw an abundance of comics and the moment I laid eyes on them I was transported right back to the box of endless comics we devoured! It was more than just Archie comics, we read a host of other titles. My brother who is a an english major and avid writer himself likely has a better memory than I so I asked him what he recalled that we read on all those visits to the farm and all I can say is WOW! What a list he came back with and I have to share it here!

1. B.C.  by Johnny Hart  https://johnhartstudios.com/bc/
2. Heathcliff http://heathcliff.com/
3. Marmaduke
4. Garfield
5. Calvin & Hobbes (later years)
6. Family Circus
7. Archie Digests
8. Richie Rich the poor little rich boy
9. Peanuts, Charlie Brown, Snoopy (while eating endless sunflower seeds near the old fish tank)
    

1. Lots of Superman
2. Some Spiderman
3. Justice League (so all the friends, Aquaman, Flash, Batman, Captain America etc lol)
4.  Incredible Hulk

The unexpected beauty of homeschooling is that it filled my shelves with countless books (sorry, dear husband!) throughout the years, and those books, in turn, filled our hearts, minds, and souls with adventures. From real-life stories to creative mysteries to richly imagined worlds that would carry us off to another land, I was blessed to discover new favourites right alongside my kids. Homeschooling not only allowed for uniqueness and flexibility in how we managed our time, it also opened up a world of books to each one of us! That all began when we ordered Sonlight Curriculum.

For those of you with growing kids at home, you know the vicarious joy of watching them discover a favourite book, author or series. One of the greatest joys of being a homeschool mom is shaping and guiding your kids’ relationships to the written word, a relationship that they can hopefully carry with them throughout their lives. While my family and I were away over New Year’s, there was a moment I wish I had captured on camera where every single one of us had a book while on the beach. We were together yet all immersed in our own different world of words. What a joy it was to see that! 

Books are welcoming. They’re a safe haven, a place where we feel heard and understood and where we can learn to understand the experiences of others. Even God Himself revealed his Truths to us in a book! Without the Word of God, I would be lost and unsure of so much in life. His Word is hope; it is life-giving truth. Opening that daily has been one of the best reading gifts.

If any of you are looking for a wildly creative and theatrical audio series, I can’t recommend Lamplighter Theatre enough. My kids and I have enjoyed many hours of the audio series, and I know you and your family will enjoy it, too. 

 

What books have been meaningful to you throughout your life? 

For all you parents out there here is a great link from Tim Challies about books

For your worship today enjoy this album from Forrest Frank called New Hymns