A friend of mine once told me that she won’t take her kids to the library because letting them handle all those books other people have touched just seems dirty. SHOCK. AWE. Seriously? Never in my life had I considered the library to be dirty.
It makes me feel quite the opposite. Something about mountains of shelves full of thousands of books makes me feel all warm and hopeful, a little lovey even. We try not to let a week go by without an outing to the library. It’s our favorite and most often made expedition.
How To Make A Library Outing Fun
I do a couple of things to make it stay fun for my kids:
- I allow us plenty of time to peruse, play, do any activities they have, and just browse through all those glorious books. Ours has a little puppet theater and computer stations, so it really never gets old.
- I read a few books to them while they’re there. My goal is to find something really fun and captivating so they get a little of my book contagion too.
- I find books for them that I know they will be into. Sometimes that’s hard to do because it isn’t necessarily what I would choose for them. Last week I found a book for my 9-year-old son about how to make cool paper airplanes. My first choice for him? No. Great literature? No. Important knowledge? No. But he loved it. And because he loved it he now loves books a little more than before.
- I get each kid his own library card with his very own name on it. They get to check out their own books and be responsible for finding all their own books when it’s time to gather them up and take them all back.
- I limit the number of books they can check out. This may seem opposite of my goal to get them to love books, but really, it makes them choose books more carefully and they end up getting better ones. They actually read all the books they check out AND they are begging me to take them back to the library to get more.
Library Outing Activities
Here are 3 printable library activities to try out on your future expeditions to the library:
The first one is a library scavenger hunt.
The second is an interview with a librarian. You may have to make prior arrangements, but often the librarians are available and happy to help you with anything when it comes to learning more about the library.
And the third activity is an Explore Your Library Challenge:
Hope you enjoy the activities and some fun expeditions to the library. The weekly library tradition is one we’re definitely holding on to. Germy books and all.
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My mother makes fun of me because I always spend a few minutes after a library trip wiping down the books with Windex and a rag. Let her laugh. I am victorious over my fear of dirt AND still get the pleasure of a good library trip in with the kiddos. 🙂
I enjoy your blog!
I always put books on hold that I want to get for the kids "school reading", but then let them check out whatever books they want just for fun. They read nearly everything we bring home, fiction, non-fiction, how-to's, and we also throw in a fun video each week.
Great ideas here!
As a librarian and a homeschooler, please know that homeschoolers are VERY welcome in most libraries! We love that you volunteer, take great care in your reading selections, and often visit at off-peak times!
In re: ‘handling books others have touched’ it’s a hazard we face in all places. Like anywhere else, I suggest that we teach our children to wash our hands after being in a public place or touching public items, and not put our hands anywhere near our faces until we’ve done so 🙂
Don’t miss out on the opportunities available in your local libraries! We are still free, and can offer advice and service to help you find what you need to homeschool at your best!
~Cristy S.
The library is one of our favorite places on earth! At our hometown library the librarians know us, bring us books they think we’ll like, and no longer have to ask us for our library cards, we come in so often and check out so much.
hello, I am a librarian and love you worksheets, can I use the scavenger hunt for my library? thanks so much Samantha
Absolutely! You are more than welcome to use it. 🙂