Homeschool Discoveries

Since I don’t follow a particular curriculum that schedules readers and read-alouds for us, I like to make my own list of books to read out loud and books to “assign” (or sometimes just suggest) for independent reading.

I did this in an organized manner for Miss M for the first time for our current school year (2nd grade).  Last summer I created a Google doc with a list of 20 or read-alouds and 15 books I thought she could probably read independently but might not be likely to find or choose on her own. As the year has gone on, I have added and subtracted from the list as needed, and marked books off as we complete them.  Even though I didn’t schedule the books, I’ve liked having a list to refer to as I take a few minutes to make new requests at the library or place an order on Amazon.  The research and “thinking” is already done for me!

I’m getting ready to make a new list for this summer and our next school year, when Miss M will be a 3rd grader and Mr E a kindergartener.

From lists suggested by various curricula to lists compiled by libraries to lists made by bloggers, I’ve found more ideas for books to read than we could possibly read in a year  🙂  The hard part will be picking a reasonable number for this next year’s list.  But I am happy to have such a wide variety of suggestions available to me as I need to find more reading materials in future years or as our needs and interests change.

If you’re looking to make a reading list or just find a good book to read today, here are some resources to consult:

Book Lists of Various Literature-Based Curricula (for both general literature ideas and history-specific ideas):

• Sonlight
• Ambleside Online
• Beautiful Feet Books
• WinterPromise
• Tapestry of Grace
• My Father’s World
• Simply Charlotte Mason literature guide (also see their early years book list)
• Robinson Curriculum (suggestions for younger children)
• Old Fashioned Education book list (.pdf file)

Book Lists from Organizations, Groups and Libraries:

• 1000 Good Books List from Classical Christian Education Support Loop (list divided into categories by genre/audience or type of book)
  
• 100 Books for Kindergarten @ Grow-Up Reading
• 100 Books for Kindergarten @ Woodbridge Library (many different than the list above!)
• 100 Books to Read Before Kindergarten @ GVPL
• Read-Aloud America Recommended Books
• Reading Rockets Award Winners (this is actually a list of more lists!)
• Recommended Reading from the New York Public Library (many lists)
• ALSC Award Winners (Newberry, Caldecott, etc)

Mass-Media Articles with Book Suggestions

• Best Kids’ Books Ever (Op Ed @ New York Times) — be sure to see the follow up articles here and here.
• “The Greatest Girl Characters of Young Adult Literature” @ The Atlantic Wire

Lists from Bloggers and Forums:

• Favorite Read-Aloud Chapter Books @ Simple Mom
• Huge Book List (for many subjects, organized by grade) @ Highhill Homeschool
• Required Reading List (at about age 10) @ School @ Home
• Sortable Children’s Literature List @ Satori Smiles
• Top 25 Read-Alouds @ Simple Homeschool
• Favorite Children’s Books @ Apartment Therapy (ages 3, 4 and 5)
• 75 Books that Build Character @ No Time for Flash Cards
• Best Classic Children’s Books @ Best Children’s Books
• Twaddle Free Literature by grade level @ Bright Kids (also @ Charlotte Mason Home)
• An Extensive Booklist by grade at the WTM forums

And while not exactly a “list”, I love to read about what other bloggers are reading out loud by checking out Read-Aloud Thursday each week @ Hope is the Word. I’ve gotten a lot of ideas from other bloggers’ posts in this weekly link-up!

Lists Specific to History Resources:

• Literature to Supplement History @ Paula’s Archives
• Sonlight Books Arranged by Well Trained Mind 4 Year Cycles
• A Book in Time — Well organized site with books listed by historical time period
• Library Book Lists (links to lists of historical fiction and other topics for children)
• Historical Fiction for Children and Young Adults

Books about Books

• Honey for a Child’s Heart
• The Read Aloud Handbook
• Read for the Heart
• All Through the Ages (History through Literature)

Happy List Making (and Reading!)  Do you have any other favorite resources to share?