Homeschool Book Clubs
Instilling the joy of reading, one month at a time
Every month during the school year, I get to ensure that my children are exposed to at least one quality book, usually a classic, and they almost always enjoy it. Okay, the fact is that my kids love to read, but my son prefers computer manuals and I have a hard time getting him to read much of anything else. How do I get him to read something of quality and NOT complain? It's simple — our homeschool book club.
Once a month during the standard school year (we take summers off for the usual reasons, plus the children's librarian is busy with summer reading programs) we meet to discuss 2-4 books that all of our children have read during the month, then pick up a new set of books to read and discuss the following month. Here are some tips on getting started with your own book club:
• Pick your place. We are lucky enough to have made arrangements with our local main branch library to use their facility once a month for our meetings, at no charge since it is under the auspices of our wonderful children's librarian. She makes sure the room is scheduled each month, she helps us with ideas, and she checks the books out of the system for us each time. Developing a good relationship with one of the librarians is key for this to work — our children's librarian loves homeschoolers, but it wasn't so long ago that even she couldn't do anything for us because one of her higher-ups didn't like homeschoolers. If you can work out a library arrangement, the advantages can be multiple. For instance, our librarian created an account just for our club, checks out all the books we're going to use on that account, and arranges the due date so that they're not due until the next meeting — a big plus since books can usually only be checked out for 3 weeks at a time, necessitating a renewal partway through the month.
Not using the library can have its advantages, as well. You may be able to find a home or meeting place that is more centrally located for more of your members. You aren't limited to books that are available through the library, although this may mean that members would have to purchase books each month if they don't already own them. There is no one to interfere with your book club if they decide to try and make trouble for homeschoolers.
• Decide your age range. Our book club accommodates members of all ages — we have children from about 5 to around 13 actively participating. Younger siblings are welcome, too, and while they don't usually participate in discussions, they are reaping the side benefits of being exposed to the books, and getting used to the book club format. In order to accommodate the wide age range, we usually have a selection of books: one or two for the older set (approximately 10+), one or two for the middle set (approximately 6 - 10) and some for the younger set. Sometimes we have to get more than one book for the older and middle children because there are not enough of one book in the library system, so we will pull a couple that are usually related in some way. For instance, this next month we will be picking up Misty of Chincoteague and National Velvet for the older kids. And while we don't always manage to get all of our books for one month on the same theme, that's what we try to shoot for.
Some book club groups aim for more individualized attention to the age groups, and only have one age group per meeting. This seems to be especially popular for the mid- to older teens, as they might prefer a more social event where they can get together and have fun as well as discussing the book with each other.
• Decide on a format. Are you going to ask the children to share book reports? Free thought discussions vs. answering a set list of questions? Does a grownup lead the discussion, or do the children? Do you want only discussions, or can the children bring other projects related to what they read?
For the most part, when we get together, the younger children go first. If they want to get up in front of the group, they may do so, or they can stay in their seats. The younger children usually just share a little bit about their favorite part, or a favorite picture from the book they read. The adults usually ask a question or two to each child to help get them going, if needed. Then we move to the middle children, and finally the older children. We usually dig a little deeper with the older children and really discuss the plot, the themes, etc.
In the beginning, we only had the children speaking about their books if they wanted to speak. However, a few months into having the club, I realized that some children don't want to get up and just go into a free-thought discussion of a book. So I suggested to the parents that if the kids want to do things differently, they are more than welcome to do so. Some kids write a book report of about one page long and present it to the group. Some just continue to get up and speak off the cuff about what they read. One month my daughter decided to do an art project — using craft sticks and stuff from our craft drawer, she created the four Pevensie children from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as well as a toilet paper tube Aslan. That month, we also made a batch of Turkish Delight candy and shared it with the group.
• Additional ideas are good, too. For the first meeting of the school year, it would be rather difficult for everyone to come by and pick up books to be discussed at the first meeting. So instead, we use our time differently that day, then pick up the books for the next meeting. Last year, we had a session with the library's computer counselor and learned how to use our state's virtual library. This year, the children's librarian gave a talk about the Dewey Decimal system and about what all the little abbreviations on the books mean, so that we know where to find things all over the library. For our first discussion month this year, we picked up a variety of books of poetry, and instead of discussing the poems, we're going to have a poetry workshop for the kids with a local poet. There is so much that you can do with a book club to make it more than just another book, another group discussion.
Our book club has proved to be a big asset to our homeschooling adventure. Each month my two children are exposed to books they might not otherwise care to read, or get to revisit some that they've already enjoyed. Then they are part of a discussion group that gets them to thinking about what happened, without having to writing a boring book report or have to listen to me ask them questions they don't want to answer just because I'm Mom. Best of all, it's free (if you go through the library), which is always a good thing. Assuming you get the right mix of parents and children and you can form a cohesive group, I think you'll find that a monthly book club is one of the best investments in your homeschooling time you can make.
