Using good, “living” books can encourage delight directed learning. When children are interested in a topic, and we provide quality fiction and nonfiction that follow that interest, children will read good books and learn independently. In our home we use book baskets to encourage reading about topics of interest and various academic topics that we’re learning. Here’s a look at how to set up and ideas for using book baskets.
Choose good “living” books
The idea of living books comes from the philosophy of Charlotte Mason. Charlotte Mason was a teacher in England in the later 1800s. She proposed teaching methods that were gentle and natural, guiding children to learn instead of having them sit for long periods of time doing tedious work in a textbook. One of her methods was to use living books, books that inspire and teach and stimulate kids to think, books that have a lasting story and message, books that aren’t written down to children but are interesting enough for any age.
Fill your book basket with living books. You can find living book suggestions in many places, but one of the most often used resources for finding great books in a variety of subjects is Honey for a Child’s Heart by Gladys Hunt. There is a companion to this resource called Honey for a Teens Heart. Once you know what books you want for your book basket, you may not have to purchase them. Check your local library. Many libraries have an interlibrary loan system, so you can request books from any library in your system and pick them up at your closest library. Amazon has also has many great living books free for Kindle or as inexpensive, used paperbacks.
Choose a variety of books that fit the topic of interest
Ideally, your book basket books should focus on one or two particular topics at a time. As you discover a topic that your child has interest in, begin to look for books that fit that topic. Put a variety of books in the book basket- fiction, nonfiction, picture books, chapter books. Often we think of nonfiction as the only way to learn about a topic, but there are good fiction books that can work as well. If your child has an interest in ancient Rome, choose some nonfiction books about Rome, but also include some historical fiction that is set in ancient Rome. I’ve found that there are times we’ve learned so much about an historical time period by reading historical fiction.
Set up your book basket
Your book basket doesn’t have to be a literal basket. But it does need to be a designated spot. I’ve found that I can find and purchase lots of great books, but, if I simply stick them on the shelves with the other books, they get lost in the shuffle and are never read. We have a literal basket for our book basket right now, but we’ve also used a crate style box as our book “basket.”
Setting the books aside in a specific places makes them special. It also helps kids to find the books about their topic of interest. Instead of getting mixed in with so many books on a shelf, they are set apart and easy to see,
Rotate your books
Kids interests will change. Topics that you are studying and learning about will change. As your kids move on to another topic of interest, make sure to rotate out the book basket books. If you stay on a particular topic of interest for a long time, it’s still a good idea to rotate books frequently enough to hold kids’ interest.
This is easier to remember if they are library books and have to be returned. If they are books you own, it’s easier to forget about them and leave the same books sitting there for a long time. Change out the books as kids have finished reading them. There will be some books- especially picture books- that they may go back to repeatedly, but, after some time passes, they will lose interest and may stop heading to the book basket because there isn’t anything new.
Leah Courtney is a homeschooling mom of four. Her days are filled with being a mom, homemaker, and teacher. In her (very rare) free time, she enjoys blogging, reading, and reviewing books and curricula. These days she’s learning the joys of being a mom of teens. You can read about her family and homeschooling life at As We Walk Along the Road.
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