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Children's Literature for May

Are you anxiously anticipating the upcoming end of the school year? Are you looking at the calendar wondering how in the world May could already be upon us? For me, it never fails. I always get to this point in our school year and wonder if we did enough schoolwork. Did we accomplish enough, did we learn enough? Yikes! Did we really do enough?! Enough already!

I'm so thankful Mary published her post about Why Foundations Memory Work is Enough several years ago. I reference it when I get lost in those thoughts that it might not be enough. Now that Classical Conversations has ended for us this year, I can look back and see all the beautiful children's literature we read alongside the memory work.

I can see how much truth, goodness, and beauty we added to our homeschool this year through the memory work and plenty of good children's books. 

We are still finishing up some books related to our Classical Conversations memory work this month. In addition, we will focus some of our reading time on books related to holidays in May - Star Wars Day, Cinco de Mayo, Mother's Day, and Memorial Day.

I love using good children's literature to help my children learn about the world around them. 

Children's Literature for May - Star Wars Day

My son is a huge Star Wars fan. Barely a week goes by that he isn't checking out a Star Wars book from the library. In fact, he has me checking our account at the library daily this week to see if the latest Star Wars book he has requested is available. 

Star Wars Day is "May the 4th Be With You." Just say it out loud and you'll hear why it's called Star Wars Day. It has become a day when Star Wars fans worldwide celebrate. I have found some Star Wars books that my son hasn't read yet that I'm adding to our list. I like to take advantage of fun "holidays" like this when they come along to encourage my children to engage with books and their own creativity. The Star Wars Origami and Folded Flyers books look really intriguing. I know he will love those in addition to the other books he'll pour over and read. If you have a young Star Wars fan in your family, you may want to add some Star Wars books to your book list for May also.

Children's Literature for May - Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo gives us an opportunity to learn a little more about the Mexican culture. I've added some picture books specifically about Cinco de Mayo to the Children's Literature for May list. If you would like to dig a little deeper into the Mexican culture, pick up a copy of Give Your Child the World: Raising Globally Minded Kids One Book at a Time. This is a great resource to have on hand to help you locate books to open your children's eyes to cultures of the world. 

Another easy idea to celebrate Cinco de Mayo is to make your own pinatas. We have made pinatas for my children's birthdays the last couple of years. They are really simple to make and so much cheaper than the pre-made ones you can find at the store. We usually make them out of cereal boxes or other boxes we have on hand. But I found this super simple tutorial for making mini-pinatas for Cinco de Mayo. You probably have all you need at home already to make these.

And of course, a yummy Mexican meal is a great way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo! 

Children's Literature for May - Mother's Day

So I know I'm not the only homeschool mom who longs for handmade cards for Mother's Day - the ones children make without mom prompting them! You know, the kind the kiddos would make if they were in a traditional school? It's such a small thing, but such a big thing to many moms. Maybe if I strew some books about mothers around the house, my kiddos will be inspired to make me some handmade gifts for Mother's Day. It's worth a try!

I saw this cute fill in the blank book about moms, and I think it would be such fun to fill out for my own mother. I am blessed to have her in my life and I hope she knows how much she means to our family. 

Children's Literature for May - Memorial Day

My children are still trying to figure out what it really means when we celebrate each 'holiday.' My littlest is still trying to make sense of the fact that some holidays we exchange gifts and other holidays we don't. So I like to use children's literature that helps them understand what days like Memorial Day are all about. 

We have participated in placing flags on the graves of soldiers at our local cemeteries on Memorial Day weekend. It is a sobering experience but one that I hope helps my children grow in their patriotism and respect for our soldiers. If you have a chance to do this in your community, I encourage you to participate with your children. Our local VFW organizes the event. 

Summary of Children's Literature for May

This list of children's literature for May includes books on the following topics:

  • Star Wars Day - May the 4th (be with you)

  • Cinco de Mayo - May 5th 

  • Mother's Day - May 14th

  • Memorial Day - May 29th

Other books we are reading this month include:

  • Horrible Histories - - Mary recommended these on Facebook and I purchased them for my son. He is thoroughly enjoying them. I love being able to give him interesting history books that he wants to read in his free time.

  • Pinkalicious - my daughter's favorite story books right now are the Pinkalicious books. She has checked out the Pinkalicious Cupcake Cookbook so many times from the library that her grandparents gave her her own copy for Christmas. She made cupcakes based on the ideas in the book for one of her Classical Conversations presentations at the end of the year. Needless to say, that presentation was a huge hit with her classmates.

  • Books related to our Classical Conversations memory work that we are still finishing up from the April children's literature list.

 

I hope you enjoy this list of books for May. Please leave me a comment below of anything else you would add to the list. Enjoy!

Won't My Homeschooler Miss The Prom?

I had such silly fears when we started to homeschool.

Will my children have friends? Will I have enough time to myself? How will I teach them math? 

and, of course....

What about the PROM? 

That question is actually laughable to me now, but I GET IT. I understand how this could be a hangup to homeschooling, because the question really isn't about "THE PROM", it is about something much larger.

 

Won't My Homeschooler Miss The Prom?

It's Not Really About THE PROM

The world has told you to put your children in school - to send them away to others for the majority of every day. Most people (myself included) have done this, dutifully putting our children into a system because we didn't know any other way. 

We have relied on this system (either as parents or students) for most everything "social" in our lives, haven't we?  

From Valentine boxes, field days, and perfect attendance awards in elementary school --- to Honor Society, Pep Rallies, and THE PROM in high school -- we have been taught that these are just the things children DO.  

When you begin to homeschool guess what happens?

You slowly start to QUESTION everything about the system. You begin to wonder what the POINT of so many of these rituals are. You ask yourself what the point in them is -- other than the fact simply "everyone else is doing it".

(After I read Weapons of Mass Instruction the homeschool deal was sealed - I was officially questioning everything about education as I had knew it.)

Because you see, once you have the courage to homeschool you then begin to have the courage to question most things surrounding traditional school, and that questioning redefines the experiences you provide for your children.

And guess what?   

You can give them experiences that are JUST AS GOOD (if not better).  YOU get to decide what is best for them. 

And yes, one of those experiences is THE PROM.... 

 

But What's So Wrong With The Prom, Anyway?

(Please let me explain, this is meant to encourage you if you're worried about missing prom - it's not meant as an attack on those of you who participate in prom. Not everyone shares my homeschool convictions, but we can still be friends. I've also seen some lovely young people participate in prom and not get caught up in the nonsense. I'm writing about this to show some TRUTHS about why we have chosen a different path.)

We encourage our high schoolers (really still children themselves) to ask dates to a formal event.  Do you remember the heartache, drama, and embarrassment that went into finding a prom date?  Then, there is the distraction of asking your date to prom (many times involving elaborate signs, declarations, and Instagram posts), when you should really be focused on LEARNING.   

Next comes dress shopping, which can be a financial strain, not to mention have you tried finding a sweet, modest formal dress for a teen girl lately?  It's not easy. 

Let's move on to the expense of the event.  Dinner, prom tickets (yes, they sell tickets to prom now), sometimes a limo, flowers, and gifts.  

I'm wondering if this is really teaching our children how to best steward their resources? 

Finally, the event itself involves our teens on their own, many times staying out until the next morning.

Is this really the experience we want for our children - drama, spending too much money, embarrassment, staying out until all hours on their own, competing for status on social media? 

Give Them Something Better 

Giving my children something better was the main reason I decided to abandon the ideal of public school. 

And, as with most things, the issue of prom has turned out to be something we figured out -- and I think we are giving  better in this area, too.

Our local homeschool group has its own version of prom - it is greatly scaled back and most kids go as friends.  But, the option for a formal event is there. We also have several groups in our area that do spring dances, English Country Dances, and other social events.  There are ample opportunities for our teens to be together and have wholesome fun. 

My own daughter has already been to two formal events this spring - the most recent being Classical Conversations Protocol.  It's such a great alternative to prom.  

The young people receive etiquette instruction.  They attend a formal dinner (either in someone's home or at a restaurant) and then a cultural event. 

It's a meaningful, purposeful way to give our teens that social experience they crave - without the expense, drama, or potential of drinking and harmful activities. 

And that's just it - purposeful training of our children that instills manners, appreciation of others, themselves, and things of beauty. 

Don't they look great? 

 

Won't My Homeschooler Miss The Prom?

I watched these kids use impeccable manners, while spending time with all of their friends in an age appropriate, wholesome manner. They were genuinely interested in each other, esteeming each other and taking part in thoughtful conversation. 

Isn't this what we want from them when they are adults?  

Consider this (from a protocol participant)

“Protocol creates polite, friendly atmosphere. Dressed in finery, our manners display our best; we are the same, but different. I like to think we reinvent our relationships from our day to day seminar experiences. I do. I relish my conversations; I esteem my dinner companions. The fellowship of a long, shared dinner is more than just eating. It is a banquet of hearts and minds.

I love opera: the musical drama of colorful costumes, of beautiful scenery, and of amazing singing. I reflect on emotions moved by brilliant orchestration combined with excellent libretto. Do people put a feather in their cap for seeing opera performances? Maybe, or maybe like me, they place their programs on a bookshelf to denote a special evening of dazzled senses. Either way, by making memories with management, by creating connections with context, and by reinventing relationships with relish, this marks more than an evening of artistry. This marks a slice of life that is worthwhile.”
— Protocol participant

So, in answer to the question "Won't My Homeschooler Miss the Prom?" I would say NO.  

After you have been homeschooling awhile the issue of not having a "prom" will seem very silly to you, too. You will already be in the habit of functioning outside the box, and prom will be no different.

Talk to me about prom. What do your high school homeschoolers do?  

Won't My Homeschooler Miss the Prom?