Tuesday Teaching Tip #1: Use your local library

(I started sending Tuesday Teaching Tip notes to the followers of my TeachersPayTeachers.com store, North Star Homeschool Resources., and decided to post the tips here as well. Enjoy!)

Tuesday Teaching Tip #1 is one of the best for homeschoolers: use your local library. Public libraries are gold mines of free resources for teachers and homeschoolers!

Huge Collection of Books, DVDs, and Audiobooks: Access to materials for every subject, age, and interest, far beyond what one family can afford to buy. Besides what is needed for your homeschool, borrow parenting and teaching books for encouragement and professional development (you are your child’s most important teacher).
E-Books, E-Audiobooks, and Digital Magazines: Free digital content available instantly from home (with a library card). Use apps such as Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy, etc. to borrow audio books, ebooks, view movies and documentaries, and more for free!
Premium Online Educational Databases: Free access to research tools like Britannica (various age levels), Gale In Context, A to Z Maps, and more for high-quality, reliable information for projects and research papers. These are so much more reliable that having your kids just do a Google search.
Online Learning Platforms: Many libraries offer free access to sites like LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com), Learning Express Library (test prep, skill-building), and Rosetta Stone or other language learning programs. These are great for learning computer skills and languages. Our libraries also offer test prep programs for SAT/ACT and TSI, exams our high school kids need for enrolling in dual credit classes and applying to college.
Free Educational Programs: Story times, craft workshops, LEGO clubs, coding classes, geography clubs, and special events (often tailored to homeschoolers). When my kids were in preschool we attended story time every week. In elementary, we attended the after school programs such as weekly art classes, science days and kids writing clubs.
Read-to-the-Dogs or other Literacy Programs: Opportunities for kids to practice reading aloud in a relaxed setting. My kids loved going to our local library when they were little to read to Chopper, a trained therapy dog.
Meeting Space: Free or low-cost rooms available to reserve for homeschool co-op meetings, study groups, or tutoring sessions. One of our homeschool groups was able to secure a weekly meeting space for 2 hours at no cost.
Summer Reading Programs: Encourage reading with fun activities and prizes, often a great way to meet other families. These are the best! And once they outgrow the programming, they can volunteer as teens to help out at the programming for those community service hours.
Free Wi-Fi and Computer Access: Essential for research, online classes, and school work when your home Internet is down.
Printing, Scanning, and Copying: Often available at a low cost, and home printers always fail at the worst time!

Go look up your library’s website. Check out the free digital resources and library calendar. Find an event appeals to you or your child. Plan a day to go to the library and explore books, videos, magazines, and other resources. If possible, plan a weekly library day to return checked-out items and get new ones. Over the eleven years of homeschooling we have saved thousands by utilizing our local libraries books, classes, videos, and online resources!