![[The River Houses]](https://riverhouses.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/arms-icon-100x100.png "The River Houses"){kind=icon}
On Copernicus’ birthday, introduce your homeschool students to one of the most important books ever published: “On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres” (1543).
📚 Homeschool Books & Libraries: Little Lessons for the Whole Year
I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.
Great homeschool teaching tips and wonderful little lessons on books and libraries from the River Houses Homeschool Network. Print your own homeschool calendars and planners on our River Houses calendar page, and subscribe to our free homeschool newsletter to get posts like these delivered right to your mailbox every week. 📫
❡ Discovering Dewey: This Homeschool Books & Libraries collection also includes our special series of monthly Learning the Library posts that introduce your students to the Dewey Decimal System. 📚
❡ Gotta find ’em all: Have you found all the libraries in your local area? There may be more than you realize, and the WorldCat Library Finder will help you discover them. Pick a convenient day and time and begin a regular pattern of visiting your favorite library on that day every week. It's one of the best ways to create a light structure for your homeschool year. 📚
🔭 HOMESCHOOL SCIENCE & HISTORY: The Starry Messenger
Remembering one of the great minds of history, the Italian scientist Galileo Galilei (1564–1642), on the anniversary of his birth.
🇺🇸 🦋 HOMESCHOOL HISTORY: Lincoln and Darwin (and Horace)
Our recommended homeschool history encyclopedia is just the thing you need on a notable anniversary like today: the birthday of both Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin (in the same year, 1809).
📚 LEARNING THE LIBRARY: Dewey Detectives at Home
![[Dewey Decimal System]](https://riverhouses.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/dewey-decimal-classes-150x79.jpg)
Did you know there are secret Dewey Decimal numbers hidden in the books on your very own bookshelves? It’s true! Here’s how you can send your homeschool students on a treasure hunt to find them.
🖋 ❤️ WONDERFUL WORDS: “Unwind the solemn twine, and tie my Valentine!”
![[Emily Dickinson]](https://riverhouses.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/dickinson-stamp-1971-96x150.jpg)
“Awake ye muses nine, sing me a strain divine!” (Our romantic homeschool poem-of-the-week, from Emily Dickinson, for Valentine Week.)
📚 LEARNING THE LIBRARY: The Linguistic 400s
Explore your local library and the whole universe of knowledge with our homeschool tour of the Dewey Decimal System. This month: the Linguistic 400s.
🖍 HOMESCHOOL ARTS: Color Our Collections Week!
![[Color Our Collections]](https://riverhouses.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Color_Our_Collections_web-scaled-150x103.jpeg)
Download a whole year’s worth of free educational coloring booklets from libraries and museums all around the world. It’s one of the best educational art opportunities you can find for your homeschool.
📚 LEARNING THE LIBRARY: The Social 300s
Explore your local library and the whole universe of knowledge with our homeschool tour of the Dewey Decimal System. This month: the Social 300s.
🇺🇸 LIBRARY LESSONS: The 119th Congress at the Library of Congress
If your homeschool students want to learn about the operations of the U.S. Congress, there’s no better place to look than on the website of the Library of Congress itself.
🎵 📚 HOLIDAY MUSIC MONTH: Olden Times and Ancient Rhymes
What did Christmas in America sound like a hundred years ago? The National Jukebox at the Library of Congress has the answer for you and your homeschool students.
📚 LEARNING THE LIBRARY: The Religious 200s
Explore your local library and the whole universe of knowledge with our homeschool tour of the Dewey Decimal system. This month: the Religious 200s.
📚 HOMESCHOOL BOOKS: A New World Almanac for 2025
![[2025 World Almanac]](https://riverhouses.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/world-almanac-2025-101x150.jpg)
The annual World Almanac and Book of Facts is a one-volume desk encyclopedia that every homeschooling family should have.
📖 🦦 LOUISA MAY ALCOTT Gets a Visit From Horace the Otter
![[Alcott Stamp 1993]](https://riverhouses.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/alcott-stamp-1993-118x150.jpg)
Our River Houses homeschool mascot, Horace the Otter, remembers the author of the popular American novel Little Women (1868) on the anniversary of her birth.
🦃 THANKSGIVING at the LIBRARY: Franklin Roosevelt Talks Turkey
President Franklin Roosevelt offers a stern admonition on how to prepare your turkey. (Oh, the things you can find in the library!)
📚 HOMESCHOOL LIBRARIES: Happy Birthday to Andrew Carnegie!
If you love libraries as much as we do, be thankful this Thanksgiving week for the life of Andrew Carnegie, born on this day in 1835. His philanthropy built more than 2500 libraries in cities and towns across the United States and around the world.
📚 🇺🇸 HOMESCHOOL HISTORY: The Veterans History Project
You and your homeschool students can contribute to an important historical documentary project by interviewing American veterans in your family or community for the Library of Congress.
📚 LEARNING THE LIBRARY: The Philosophical 100s
Explore your local library and the whole universe of knowledge with our homeschool tour of the Dewey Decimal system. This month: the Philosophical 100s.
⛏ HOMESCHOOL BOOKS & NATURAL HISTORY: National Fossil Day!
For National Fossil Day, why not explore a big collection of rare and beautiful books on paleontology made available by the Smithsonian Institution and the Biodiversity Heritage Library.
📚 HOMESCHOOL LIBRARIES: Classic Illustrated Children’s Books Online
The Library of Congress has put together a great collection of beautifully illustrated classic children’s books, all available free online. They’re ideal for homeschoolers.
📚 LEARNING THE LIBRARY: The General 000s
Explore your local library and the whole universe of knowledge with our homeschool tour of the Dewey Decimal system. This month: the General 000s.
📚 HOMESCHOOL BOOKS: Dover Thrift Editions for Your Students
The Dover Thrift Editions are a great way to build up an inexpensive library of classic literature for your homeschool students.
📚 LIBRARY LESSONS: Getting to Know the Library of Congress
As the new homeschool year gets going, why not get (re)acquainted with the Library of Congress, the world’s largest library. It’s a rich source of free educational materials for homeschoolers and a place every American should know.
📚 HOMESCHOOL LIBRARY LESSONS: Discovering Dictionaries
![[Samuel Johnson Stamp 2009]](https://riverhouses.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/samuel-johnson-stamp-2009-150x145.jpg)
On your next library visit, show your homeschool students the many wonderful kinds of dictionaries that are available to them — a lot more than they may realize!
🇺🇸 📜 THE U.S. NATIONAL ARCHIVES and Constitution Day
![[U.S. National Archives]](https://riverhouses.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/national-archives-logo-150x135.png){kind=logo}
The National Archives in Washington has a wealth of free teaching materials available that are ideal for homeschoolers. Why not pay them a visit this week to celebrate the signing of the U.S. Constitution on 17 September 1787.
📚 LIBRARY LESSONS: Discovering Local Libraries With WorldCat
Have you found all the libraries in your local area that might be able to support you in your homeschooling? There may be more than you realize, and the WorldCat Library Finder will help you and your students locate them.
📚 LEARNING THE LIBRARY: A Dewey Decimal Introduction (To Begin the Year)
Teaching your students to use the library independently is one of the best educational gifts you can give them. Join us this week as we begin our year-long homeschool tour of the Dewey Decimal system.
📚 SIX REFERENCE BOOKS for the Upcoming Homeschool Year
![[Horace's Homeschool Reference Library]](https://riverhouses.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/horace-homeschool-books-150x100.jpg)
The beginning of a new homeschool year is a good time to build up your homeschool reference library. We recommend six standard reference books for every homeschool.
