Book lists or Individual Book Shelves

Bookshelves as a booklist for each child

I enjoy using book lists as a guide to good literature and what my children could be reading at different stages and ages.

As I was getting into my organizing mode for 2008, I was contemplating writing a book list for each child, adding it to my homeschool planner and working off that - as a guide to literature they could read in their quiet reading time.

I started scouring the lists I have made, lists at the back of resource books, lists on the internet and then I checked out what was on my own bookshelves already.

I discovered that there are a huge amount of books (excellent literature, fact and fiction) which my children haven't read yet. These are the books I've picked up at garage sales, and fairs.

So, I decided I would re-arrange my bookshelves. (This means removing the little stickers I had on for keeping it neat!) I have now arranged the books on a shelf for each child. I intend to add stickers to the spines - coloured differently for each child, so they can keep their section neat. When they have finished their book, they can either put it in a big box of completed books, or keep it on their shelf to read again.

On their shelf, I have combined all subject areas. (Up to this point, I had Poetry in one section, Art in another, Bible stories in another, Science, History and so on.) Now, I have taken books from each section and added it age-appropriately to my children's bookshelves.

On their shelf, they have Childcraft encyclopedias, Science Nature Readers (Christian Liberty), Usborne Science books, Bible Story books, Books on experiments, Literature, Poetry, Art books - making and the artists.
A huge selection - according to their reading abilities and also their interests. (I have kept my history books separate, because these will tie in with our history time-period during the year.)

Of course, this is not to limit their reading, but rather direct them to explore what we actually have on our shelves.

Most homeschoolers love buying new books and I do too!
However, I have decided that I will try to use what I have before venturing out to buy a whole heap more.... maybe just a few...