Go Girls! Virtual Summer Camp for Girls Ages 6 – 14
Disclaimer: Our family was provided with a complimentary 5-week session of Go Girls! camp in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions shared are my own.
For the past four weeks, my daughter has been participating in a virtual summer camp called Go Girls! at Home. I’m so glad this camp provides so much enrichment to help keep kids busy, learning, and having fun — while practicing safe social distancing.
Go Girls! at Home has been teaching my daughter how to be a confident leader, the importance of building community and teamwork, the art of music, song and dance and so much more! It’s a social and emotional camp specifically designed for girls and I have loved watching my growing girl blossom over the past few weeks. Bonus points for it being a Black woman owned business.
Go Girls! at Home is a virtual summer camp for girls and gender non-conforming kids ages 6-14 (rising 1st through 8th graders) to make art and media together – all while practicing the Go Girls! Culture Code, their highly effective social-emotional skills framework designed to help girls become their boldest, bravest selves.
As stated on the Go Girls! website, here’s how the virtual camp works:
Go Girls! at Home virtual summer camp takes place inside of a Google Classroom. The primary learning will happen in 3 different formats:
Live large group meetings via Google Meet – at the beginning and end of the week, Go Girls! will come together for connection and celebration
Zoom and/or Video-enriched lessons led by talented Go Girls! teaching artists – Go Girls! will watch instructional videos whenever they want and complete the artistic projects at their own pace
Live small group meetings – Go Girls! are assigned to a small “family group” with other girls their age. Each week, the groups, led by a Go Girls! “Camp Mama,” meet to build deeper connections and practice the lessons of the Go Girls! Culture Code.
My favorite part has been reinforcing how my daughter (and myself) have been able to apply to the Go Girls! Culture Code to her life (Say Yes, Give & Take, Make Mistakes, Feel My Feelings, Take Center Stage).
Each week has a new theme that follows the culture code. This week the girls are learning about feeling their feelings and emotions.
Have questions about this amazing virtual girls camp? Ask away in the comments.
Cover Reveal: Eyes That Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho
Cover reveals are always exciting around here! Today, I am pleased to collaborate with debut author Joanna Ho to reveal the cover of her forthcoming picture book Eyes That Kiss in the Corners. The book is illustrated by Dung Ho. Check out the synopsis from the publisher written below.
Publisher: Harper Collins On-sale Date: January 5, 2021, available for pre-orders now!
About the book:
Some people have eyes like sapphire lagoons with lashes like lace trim on ballgowns, sweeping their cheeks as they twirl. Big eyes, long lashes.
Not me.
I have eyes that kiss in the corners and glow like warm tea.
That’s the opening lines to this forthcoming January 2021 picture book release from #ownvoices debut author Joanna Ho. Check out the synopsis below from the publisher.
This picture book tells a story about learning to love and celebrate your Asian-shaped eyes.
A young Asian girl notices that her eyes look different from her peers’. They have big, round eyes and long lashes. She realizes that her eyes are like her mother’s, her grandmother’s, and her little sister’s. They have eyes that kiss in the corners and glow like warm tea, crinkle into crescent moons, and are filled with stories of the past and hope for the future.
Drawing from the strength of these powerful women in her life, she recognizes her own beauty and discovers a path to self love and empowerment.
This powerful, poetic picture book will resonate with readers of all ages and is a celebration of diversity.
Cover Reveal: Latinitas: Celebrating 40 Big Dreamers by Juliet Menéndez
I’m thrilled to reveal the cover of this forthcoming 2021 beauty, Latinitas by debut author/illustrator Juliet Menéndez. Check out a quote from Juliet and the synopsis from the publisher written below.
“In making the cover, I wanted to celebrate this amazing community of Latinas who are inspiring leaders and advocates of change and am so happy to share it with you. I can’t believe that this project I have been dreaming about since 2014 is finally coming to life! As Selena would say, estoy MUY excited!” — Juliet Menéndez
Publisher: Godwin Books On-sale Date: February 23, 2021, available for pre-orders now!
About the book:
Meet some of the bravest, most influential Latinas in history! With portraits of the individuals as children and short bios celebrating their accomplishments and lives, Juliet Menéndez brings these amazing women to life. The subjects are a mix of well-known figures such as artist Frida Kahlo and Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and lesser known figures, like the spy Policarpa Salavarrieta from Colombia and NASA’s first virtual reality engineer, Evelyn Miralles, from Venezuela.
The book also features Juana Azurduy de Padilla, Policarpa Salavarrieta, Rosa Peña de González, Teresa Carreño, Zelia Nuttall, Antonia Navarro Huezo, Matilde Hidalgo, Gabriela Mistral, Juana de Ibarbourou, Pura Belpré, Gumercinda Páez, Julia de Burgos, Chavela Vargas, Alicia Alonso, Victoria Santa Cruz, Claribel Alegría, Celia Cruz, Dolores Huerta, Rita Moreno, Maria Auxiliadora da Silva, Mercedes Sosa, Isabel Allende, Julia Alvarez, Sandra Cisneros, Rigoberta Menchú Tum, Mercedes Doretti, Sonia Pierre, Justa Canaviri, Evelyn Miralles, Selena Quintanilla, Berta Cáceres, Serena Auñon, Wanda Díaz Merced, Marta Vieira da Silva, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Laurie Hernandez.
Recommended for Ages 8 – 12 and up.
Visit Juliet’s website here to see some of her work.
Reading Together Summer Reading Challenge: Download this FREE Diverse & Inclusive Summer Reading Chart for Kids and Adults!
Happy Juneteenth, friends! I can’t think of a better day than today to unveil my latest FREE resource for you to use with your little readers, your students or on your own. If you’re an educator, it makes the perfect end of school year gift for all of your students no matter what age they are!
To create this printable, I collaborated with Briana James of Artish Reader, a talented Art student who reached out to me on Instagram. She’s currently building up her portfolio and asked to collaborate on projects a few months ago. If you’ve been following me for a while, you may remember the first project Briana and I collaborated on for my 31 Days of Women’s History coloring sheet.
I talked to Briana about my idea and concept and she used her creative genius to produce a high-quality reading chart. I couldn’t be more happier with it! Get in touch with Briana, give her a follow on Instagram, and support her as she continues to build up her art portfolio. It was such a pleasure to work with her once again and help support another Black woman at the same time.
This coloring printable is a fun way to celebrate summer reading. It features an array of books and other items beautifully stacked on bookshelves. You can enjoy this coloring page printed in various sizes from 8.5 X 11 up to 24 X 36 if you’d like jumbo poster size.
Each day during the summer months , color in one book or object until the whole poster is complete. Also, be sure to use the checklist to check off books as you read or complete the challenges.
If you need book recommendations throughout the challenge, I have created several categorized lists in my online Bookshop and Amazon stores to assist you. Also, if purchasing new or used books isn’t in your budget, be sure to utilize your local library. Many libraries will likely have their own summer reading challenges going on as well so do those challenges too. The more reading, the better to help prevent the summer slide.
Here are a few of my book lists to help get you started:
Always Eat After 7pm: Week 4 Update Conclusion & Final Thoughts
Disclaimer: This post is brought to you by our sponsor, “Always Eat After 7 PM”. As always, the opinions expressed below are my own.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book Always Eat After 7pm and appreciated the conversational, irreverent tone by author and fitness expert Joel Marion.
The biggest lessons I learned from the book are – you can totally eat after 7pm AND you can’t ignore your diet. Eating right and getting in regular exercise really does make a huge difference in your overall well being if your goal is to remain fit and in shape.
The essential idea of this book is to re-learn how to eat whatever you want whenever you’re hungry (in moderation), without imposing rules or guilt on yourself about it. The chapters take you through a step-by-step process for this, with the idea being to work through them over time.
There’s so much useful information in it that contradicts lots of completely baseless assumptions and myths I’d picked up over the years. Always Eat After 7 PM really helped me to challenge leftover diet culture ways of thinking, good/bad perspectives on food, un-evidenced fears about health, and the compulsion to not trust my body and instead feel the need to control it.
I plan to maintain my body by following a modified version of this diet while ensuring I continue to work out on a regular basis and drink plenty of water. My hope is that I can commit to maintaining this lifestyle for as long as I can with the understanding that if I “fall off the wagon” I give myself enough grace and get back on again.
I’d highly recommend this book for people like me who want to tone up their bodies or people who want to lose weight and learn to maintain it afterwards. If you read it and decide to give it a try I’d love to know your thoughts and if you had success with it.
Check out my previous posts below to read about my weekly progression.
Joel Marion is a six-time bestselling author, host of the top-ranked inspirational podcast Born to Impact, and the co-founder of BioTrust Nutrition (the largest eCommerce supplement company in the United States). Additionally, his work has been featured in the pages of more than 20 popular national newsstand magazines including Men’s Fitness, Woman’s Day, Men’s Health, Oxygen, Men’s Journal, and Clean Eating. He resides with his wife, Lisa, and two daughters in Clearwater Beach, Florida.
Disclaimer: This post is brought to you by our sponsor, “Always Eat After 7 PM”. As always, the opinions expressed below are my own.
I recently finished reading the book Always Eat After 7pm written by Joel Marion. It was certainly an informative and engaging read that taught me so much about healthy eating. By following Joel’s straightforward approach, I was able to press the reset button on my entire diet and get serious about toning up my body. One of the best things was trying out some of the recipes from the book like the no-bake salted caramel bars, fruit tarts and the chili loaded baked potatoes…yum!
In case you’re unfamiliar with the book and what it’s all about, here is a brief explanation and direct quote taken from the book:
“Always Eat After 7 PM is a three-phase program that teaches you how to lose big by strategically eating big when you are naturally hungriest—in the evening. This may sound too good to be true, but let me assure you it is no gimmick. It’s all about making strategic and smart food swaps, and you can still eat your favorite foods.”
I’m happy to report I lost a total of four pounds since beginning my fitness journey. At the start of this program I told you my goal was to tone up certain areas of my body. What I didn’t expect was to lose a few pounds along the way which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Although I feel and look relatively the same since the start of this program, I do notice I have slightly more energy in the mornings which lasts throughout my day until bedtime.
Here are a few additional highlights from the book I’d like to share:
Protein is the most fat-loss-friendly food because it burns more calories while being digested than any other macronutrient.
The biggest challenge people face when following any type of diet is getting adequate amounts from whole foods each day to reap these benefits. This is when protein powder comes in handy and can help you further accelerate your fat loss.
Probiotics are friendly, living microbes in the gut that help us stay healthy. You carry about four pounds of microbes (bacteria, yeasts, fungi, and so forth) in your gut—that’s about 100 trillion microbes.
The recipes, the meal plan, and lots of scientific backup in this book make it easy to follow along and enjoy. Joel also provides you with of motivation to keep going after you complete the program so you can maintain your weight.
I’ll post my final update soon, so stay tuned!
In the meantime, check out my two previous posts from the first two weeks here:
Always Eat After 7 PM: The Revolutionary Rule-Breaking Diet That Lets You Enjoy Huge Dinners, Desserts, and Indulgent Snacks—While Burning Fat Overnight by Joel Marion is now available to purchase here.
About the Author Joel Marion is a six-time bestselling author, host of the top-ranked inspirational podcast Born to Impact, and the cofounder of BioTrust Nutrition (the largest eCommerce supplement company in the United States). Additionally, his work has been featured in the pages of more than 20 popular national newsstand magazines including Men’s Fitness, Woman’s Day, Men’s Health, Oxygen, Men’s Journal, and Clean Eating. He resides with his wife, Lisa, and two daughters in Clearwater Beach, Florida.
by Meena Harris, illustrated by Ana Ramírez González
Age Range: 4 – 8 years Grade Level: Preschool – 3 Hardcover: 32 pages Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Meena Harris debuts with an empowering picture book about two sisters who work with their community to effect change, inspired by a true story from the childhood of her aunt, US Senator Kamala Harris, and mother, lawyer, and policy expert Maya Harris.
One day, Kamala and Maya had an idea. A big idea: they would turn their empty apartment courtyard into a playground!
This is the uplifting tale of how the author’s aunt and mother first learned to persevere in the face of disappointment and turned a dream into reality. This is a story of children’s ability to make a difference and of a community coming together to transform their neighborhood.
InKamala and Maya’s Big Idea, two sisters decide they need a playground in the back of their building. They won’t take the landlord’s “no” as an answer and rally all the kids who live in the building to help them find a way. I love how at the girls call themselves the “per-sisters” at the end of the book because they were persistent and didn’t give up. Recommended for ages 4 – 8.
Meena Harris was born into a family of strong women whose legacy continues to inspire her. Her grandmother, Shyamala Gopalan, was a cancer researcher and civil rights activist; her mother, Maya Harris, is a lawyer and policy expert; and her aunt, Kamala Harris, is a United States senator from California. Meena herself is a lawyer and entrepreneur. In 2017 she founded the Phenomenal Woman Action Campaign, a female-powered organization that brings awareness to social causes. She currently resides in San Francisco with her partner and two daughters.
Ana Ramírez González worked as a visual development artist on Pixar’s Oscar-winning film Coco and illustrated the companion picture book Coco: Miguel and the Grand Harmony by Matt de la Peña. Ana is also the illustrator of Maybe Tomorrow? by Charlotte Agell. She grew up in Guanajuato, Mexico, and lives in Oakland, California.
Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, our family had the opportunity to watch caterpillars turn into butterflies at home. The pandemic caused me to get creative and look for easy and educational activities we could tackle at home. This was such a fun and exciting STEM-based activity for our whole family to participate in and experience. We’ll definitely be doing this again as an annual springtime tradition.
We ordered the Butterfly Garden kit from Insect Lore which includes a Live Cup of Caterpillars. The caterpillars start off as baby caterpillars that will grow into beautiful Painted Lady Butterflies over the course of 7-10 days. It’s was a fascinating family-friendly experience that sparked an even greater interest in nature right before my kid’s very eyes. Not only did my kids learn about the life cycles of a butterfly, but this activity also allowed them to learn more about life lessons like patience and empathy.
Once the butterflies emerged from their chrysalides, we fed them nectar and citrus fruits. After observing them in their butterfly habitat for three days, we set them free on a bright and sunny day in our backyard.
If you ever need proof that there is a higher power, try watching caterpillars turn into butterflies over the course of a few days right before your eyes. It’s truly an amazing sight to witness the whole process take place over the course of about two to three weeks total. We look forward to meeting new butterfly friends next spring!
Your turn: Have you ever tried this activity at home with your family? Feel free to share in the comments.
About Insect Lore Insect Lore has been providing Hands-On STEM and Real-World understanding of the life-cycle of insects for over 50 years. With their immersive kits, learners get to witness the life cycles of some of nature’s most interesting insects up close and personal. With these intriguing kits, learners of all ages will get a glimpse into the fascinating world of insect metamorphosis. Insect Lore offers school kits, insect habitats and more.
Learn more about these amazing STEM-based interactive educational activities at: insectlore.com. On the website, you can also view instructional videos and more!
Always Eat After 7PM: Meet Author Joel Marion + An Update
Disclaimer: This post is brought to you by our sponsor, “Always Eat After 7 PM”. As always, the opinions expressed below are my own.
A few days ago, I introduced you to the book Always Eat After 7pm written by Joel Marion. You can refer back to my first update post here.
Today, I’m updating you on my first week progress since starting the 14-day Acceleration Phase of Joel’s program.
Before I get into my update, let me fill you in on some of my favorite things I learned in the first part of the book:
Regular nut consumption has been shown to boost metabolism by as much as 11 percent and increase fat burning by up to 50 percent.
Almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios and walnuts are great late-night snacks fat burning snacks.
Other foods like cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, hard boiled eggs, grapefruit, blueberries and cherries are also recommended for late-night snacking
The simple 3-minute fat burning morning ritual recommended by Joel – this is my new favorite thing to do in the mornings!
At the start of the second part of the book, Joel lets readers know what to expect during the first phase of his program:
“During this phase, you get to eat a variety of protein choices and many different kinds of veggies. You’ll be limiting your calories and carb intake a bit so that your body shifts quickly into fat-burning mode; this is the only phase in which you won’t eat Super Carbs. You do get to enjoy berries, cherries, and dark chocolate, though, along with friendly fats, all of which supply energy and help you feel satisfied.”
The goal is to focus on getting a certain ratio of macronutrients: protein, carbohydrates, and fat to ensure you’re getting enough for fat burning and overall well-being. Other traditional diets recommend staying under a set calorie threshold each day.
Once you figure out how many grams of each macro you want to aim for you can plan your meals accordingly. Joel also recommends utilizing the help of apps like My FitnessPal and My Macros+ to help you easily track your macros daily. It may sound overly complicated, but it’s not once you get the hang of it.
I appreciate that there are daily menu and guides with serving sizes listed for both men and women shown in the book. I found this to be super helpful and made the process feel less intimidating. I’m also thrilled that many of the foods listed in the daily menus are foods I regularly eat like: grilled chicken breast, grilled lamb chops, and baked salmon. Win-win!
Since this is was week one of the program, I was allowed to have a breakfast snack, but the goal was to wean myself off of it through the week which I did for three days.
Overall, my body feels wonderful, energized and more alert. I also managed to lose two pounds even though weight loss is not my ultimate goal. So far, eating at 7pm seems to be working!
I’ll post another update soon, so stay tuned.
In the meantime, get up close and personal with Joel Marion by reading a few interview questions below. Also, you can find my Week 1 update by clicking here.
Q: What inspired you to write the book?
A: After authoring 6 best selling books it was glaringly obvious there were 2 huge misconceptions about dieting that needed to be exposed. The first is that you can’t eat late at night or before bed, which science now shows is NOT true. And second, you can’t eat large portions that satisfy your natural instinct. This book solves both these problems by providing an evidence-based, enjoyable approach to dieting that can be used by any person to quickly achieve their weight loss goals.
Q: You’re a six-time best selling author, what is different about this book compared to your others?
A: Although many of the concepts are similar, the biggest difference is that you don’t have to deprive yourself of your favorite foods. You don’t have to deal with the burden of eating every few hours. And you don’t have to skip the carbs at dinnertime or avoid eating before bed.
Q: How difficult is the Always Eat After 7 PM plan to follow?
A: It’s not. And that’s exactly why I wrote the book. While any diet is never truly easy, it can be more enjoyable and much easier to adhere to when you understand how Always Eat After 7pm works because it caters to our bodies natural instincts.
Joel Marion is a six-time bestselling author, host of the top-ranked inspirational podcast Born to Impact, and the co-founder of BioTrust Nutrition (the largest eCommerce supplement company in the United States). Additionally, his work has been featured in the pages of more than 20 popular national newsstand magazines including Men’s Fitness, Woman’s Day, Men’s Health, Oxygen, Men’s Journal, and Clean Eating. He resides with his wife, Lisa, and two daughters in Clearwater Beach, Florida.
Of all the children that ever could be, You are the one made just for me.
From a child’s first uttered “Dada” to his or her first unsteady steps, nothing can adequately convey the joy and awe of watching the birth and growth of a new child. Now releasing as a board book filled with adorable illustrations and the refrain, “You are the one made just for me,” Made for Me is a winning presentation of tender moments that tie a father and his new child together–forever.
This heartwarming story celebrates a father’s love for his child. Told in rhyming couplets with darling illustrations to match, this story follows a father from his child’s birth through toddlerhood. The repeated phrase “Of all children that ever could be, / you are the one made just for me” allows children to participate and engage in the story while anticipating what will happen next.
Made for Me makes a great gift for new fathers, Father’s Day or Grandparent’s Day. It beautifully expresses a love for a child in the most endearing way.
Dieting Rules Were Made to Be Broken: Always Eat After 7pm Week #1 by Joel Marion
Disclaimer: This post is brought to you by our sponsor, “Always Eat After 7 PM”. As always, the opinions expressed below are my own.
Throughout my life, I’ve been blessed to have a healthy and stable metabolism which helps keep my body in shape. I also work out regularly at least three to four times per week and eat a well-balanced diet. Although I don’t have a goal to shed any excess weight, I would like to tone up my arms, thighs and stomach. That’s why when the offer to receive an advanced copy of the book Always Eat After 7 PM by Joel Marion came up, I was so excited! Over the next month, I’ll be sharing my experience of the book and program.
The book is divided up into three parts: The Foundation, Burn Fat in Three Easy Phases and Hit the Kitchen. Joel explains his easy-to-follow program which consists of a 14-day Acceleration Phase that helps kick start the program so you can see rapid results in the first 14 days. Next, is the Main Phase that advises you of which nutritional foods to eat followed by the Lifestyle Phase that teaches you how to say goodbye to your shed pounds for good.
Although I never followed any before diets in the past, I do recall hearing about the many fitness myths like “You should never skip breakfast because it’s the most important meal of the day” and “Eating food after 7pm makes you fat.” I was pleased to hear Joel debunk four of popular myths many of us have been led to believe over the years within the first few pages of the book.
“It’s probably been drilled into your head that eating late at night leads to obesity and excess belly fat. Myths like this one are strangely persistent, even though there’s little research to back them up.”
In addition to toning up my body, I’m excited to read about the list of fat-burning sweet and salty pre-bedtime snacks and learn some new recipes in the easy-to-follow meals plans. I’ll post an update soon, so stay tuned!
In the meantime, check out Joe’s go-to snacks and recipes here. Learn more about the book and how to purchase here.
About the Author Joel Marion is a six-time bestselling author, host of the top-ranked inspirational podcast Born to Impact, and the co-founder of BioTrust Nutrition (the largest eCommerce supplement company in the United States). Additionally, his work has been featured in the pages of more than 20 popular national newsstand magazines including Men’s Fitness, Woman’s Day, Men’s Health, Oxygen, Men’s Journal, and Clean Eating. He resides with his wife, Lisa, and two daughters in Clearwater Beach, Florida.
How We Organize Our Books at Home + Where to Find Free or Discounted Books
To organize or not to organize, that is the question bibliophiles around the world sometimes discuss both in person and online. Believe it or not, people often get into heated debates about this topic – yes, there are people who take take their books and organization (or lack thereof) VERY seriously.
I am often asked how we organize our books at home since we are fortunate to have so many of them. Therefore, I finally decided to write a blog post hoping it will help others or spark ideas on different ways to organize books.
ORGANIZATION METHOD #1: ORGANIZE BY COLOR
I prefer to organize our books by rainbow color in our family room library. Since those are the main bookshelves in our home, I wanted them to be visually appealing and pleasing to the eye. Plus, I find organizing by color makes it easier for me and my kids to put books away once we’ve read them. This organization method works especially well for smaller kids as it encourages independence. Kids tend to be naturally good at sorting by color as it’s an easy system to follow.
Side note: Another thing I’ve become really good at by organizing this way is memorizing the book and spine color of books. It’s bizarre to think about how many books I have memorized the colors for.
ORGANIZATION METHOD #2: ORGANIZE BY THEME
My kids both have their books organized by theme on the bookshelves in their rooms. More specifically, I’ve chosen to surround them with books where they can see themselves being represented within the pages and on the covers.
As a parent, my goal is to present my children with a full spectrum of Black and Brown characters in a variety of books. I want their experiences of story and representations of the world to include people of color, people they can imagine being like — people like Oprah Winfrey, Barack Obama, Misty Copeland, Michelle Obama, and Michael Jordan — or fictional characters with whom they can identify.
By placing these types of books in their rooms, I hope it reminds my kids daily that they are loved, seen, powerful and worthy of self-love and respect.
ORGANIZATION METHOD #3: MONTHLY/WEEKLY RANDOM ROTATION
For this method I use book bins to help keep books organized. The books that are placed in the bins vary from week to week, month to month or day to day. I generally rotate the kids’ book bins (which are placed in their rooms on the floor) once per week or once per month.
Sometimes the book bins are filled with seasonal or holiday books, but most often these are the books my kids choose to read at bedtime or during story time throughout the week. Book bins also allow my kids to have more independence and select books to read on their own.
Book bin courtesy of FankangBook bin courtesy of Hunrung
ORGANIZATION METHOD #4: ORGANIZE BY ROOM
I’ll admit, we have books in almost every room in our home. For example, we place cookbooks in the kitchen area, personal growth and business/career related books in the office and holiday books are stored in the basement with holiday decorations.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN ORGANIZING
Before you begin putting your books in order, you may want to take an inventory of what’s currently in your collection. Decide which books you want to keep, ones you want to donate and ones you want to give away to others. Once per quarter I purge all of our books and decide which ones we’ll keep, donate or give away. I usually end up finding duplicate copies or books my kids have outgrown. Those books automatically fall into either the donate or give away piles.
THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT
Looking for an app to help keep your home library even more organized?
A few weeks ago I started using a FREE app called Libib to catalog and keep track of all the books we own. I love it because it’s very user-friendly and the free version allows you to scan/enter up to 5,000 books, video games, movies and albums. Simply scan your books or other items by barcode or you can input them manually. Check it out!
OTHER WAYS TO ORGANIZE
Recently, I asked my audience on Instagram how they organize their books at home. Below find some of their suggestions that may help you too.
Organize alphabetically
Organize by genre, category, subject or theme
Separate paperback books from hard covers
Organize by size (tallest to shortest or shortest to tallest)
Organize books in a series together
Organize by author or illustrator last names
Organize by publishing company
Organize non-fiction books by the Dewey decimal system and fiction books separated by genre then alphabetically
Organize by type (chapter books, picture books, early readers, board books, holiday books, adult books)
Organize classic books in one area and Newberry/award winning books in another area
Random piles throughout the house – a free for all!
No organization – just go with the flow
As you can see, there is no one size fits all when it comes to book organization. Ultimately, you’ll want to do what works best for you and your family. If you’d like to organize or re-organize books in your home, I hope this has given you a few tips to help get you started.
TIPS TO SCORE FREE OR DISCOUNTED BOOKS TO BUILD YOUR HOME LIBRARY
You may also want to check out my blog post (linked here) which provides you with resources to find free or discounted books for your home library. One of my favorite sources is Bookshop.org.
Your turn: Sound off in the comments and let me know how you organize your books at home.
