#backtoschoolwithBFB Winners!

So, we're a day late in announcing our photo contest winner because we simply could not choose only one from the amazing photos you all sent us! We absolutely loved seeing your beautiful families, your lesson plans, peeks into your student's notebooks, glimpses at how wonderful books are impacting your family. It was a joy to get each entry. And even though we said there would be only one winner, we decided to award two more prizes! So, here they are.

3rd Place 

$25.00 gift certificate to BFB

In 3rd place, we loved this table scene, chock full of works in progress, beauty being created, and learning happening. Congratulations Jenlovesaqua!

And the messy homeschool table has returned ❤️. We dove right into American history today learning about Jamestown, Capt John Smith and Pocahontas (the non Disney story) and about the difficulties the colonists faced along with the moral issues claiming land that indians already lived on. And they loved it! Also my boys take advantage of any excuse to draw sailing ships ⚓️

2nd Place

$50.00 gift certificate to BFB

I think we all fell a little bit in love with this scene. The orange, the globe, the knitting. And then we read the caption and realized these sweet boys were returning to last years study because they remembered they enjoyed it. Hooray for raising life-time learners! Congratulations farmhouse_schoolhouse!

They finished their @beautifulfeetbooks science study this morning and I told them they could have free time. I walk into their room a few minutes later and find them with one of last year's @beautifulfeetbooks. "What are you guys doing?" They smiled at me, "Just remembering our adventure with Columbus and doing more research and imagining, it's our free time right? You said we could do whatever." They are always reminding me that learning should be delightful and fun. So for those asking recently how we loved the Early American History study? I think this quick capture says it all! They loved it so much, they go back for visits with their old friends. 😂💕🌎🇺🇸

1st Place

$100.00 gift certificate to BFB

Not only to we appreciate that eight subjects have chosen a favorite title from one of our many history through literature studies, we also appreciate the logistical effort that must have gone into creating this endearing picture. And then we realized even the animals in this family read, and knew this was the entry. Check out those goats reading Augustus Caesar's World. Congratulation meteorsandmeadowlarks!

The goats know that September brings falling leaves, crisp apples, and great literature. Everyone has a favorite book from Beautiful Feet Books

Thank you to everyone who entered! We will do this again. And keep adding those pictures of your family using BFB. Just use #beautifulfeetbooks or @beautifulfeetbooks so we can find them.

Winners, give us a call at 800.889.1978 to claim your prize!

We would love to hear what you think! Chime in below in the comment section and share your thoughts. Don't forget to check out our Facebook and Pinterest pages. To learn more about Beautiful Feet Books, click here. 

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When should I stop reading aloud to my children?

Rebecca Berg Manor

Although the question is always framed a bit differently, we often encounter some form of the above question. "If my student is reading independently, can she do this curriculum on her own?" "At what point should my son start reading these books on his own?" "Is this curriculum supposed to be read aloud even in junior high/high school?" It's easy to understand why parents ask this. Often they're teaching multiple children, and/or balancing a job, running after toddlers, fulfilling social responsibilities, and much more. Reading aloud is time consuming and many home school parents look forward to the time when their youngsters are able to read independently.

We have found that the value gained by reading aloud does not cease when a student becomes an independent reader. In fact, we believe, along with Doug Lemov, author of Teach like a Champion and co-author of Reading Reconsidered that the time when your student is able to read independently is the very time you should amp up the read-alouds. This excerpt from the article linked here, explains it wonderfully:

Kids should pick books they love, and read what they want on their own. Agency is key. But there is a popular perception that to get kids to love to read, we should make it easy. That way they can make it through, build confidence, and ideally, start to love reading on their own...Lemov has more faith in kids, as long as they can harness the help of parents or other caregivers to help them along. 'Because challenge is far more engaging in the long run than pandering,' he writes.

When using literature to teach history, reading aloud also allows you to introduce more complex

stories and concepts. It's one of the many reasons our K-3 level history programs contain books that are written at a 5th or 6th grade reading level. These books add a richness to the study that would be missing if the curriculum were limited to books written for 2nd graders. Children are often able to comprehend so much more than we realize and using that ability to introduce them to a varied and challenging smorgasbord of story, literature, poetry, and myth will enliven their minds, whet their appetite for more reading, spark their curiosity, and provide great fodder for discussion. You probably noticed that the language employed in the previous sentence is language usually associated with food and eating. I believe there is a parallel. Studies have shown that breastfeeding mothers who eat a varied diet expose their babies to more flavors via their breastmilk leading to less picky toddlers. When we wean our babies we don't stop introducing food when they're able to spoon feed themselves bland cereal.We continue to challenge them with new flavors and textures. we introduce chopped bites of avocado, banana, chicken. The same should hold true for reading aloud – don't stop challenging your children when they're able to read. It's just the beginning of a whole life-time of experiencing all the literary world has to offer. And keep reading aloud until they leave home. Family read-aloud time never goes to waste. It's a gift that family members can give to one another. Don't forget that sharing stories is a human tradition that goes back to the very beginning of human history. It is something we never outgrow.

Don't forget to enter our Back-to-School with BFB contest. Details here.

Back to Home School!

Is today your first day back to (home)school?? In the midst of the fun, don't forget to enter our photo contest! Post a pic with your BFB books/guides/timelines/maps on our Instagram and Facebook page. We've received some amazing entries and can't wait to see yours. Post your picture on Facebook or Instagram and be sure to add #backtoschoolwithBFB for a chance to win a $100.00 gift certificate to use at bfbooks.com. Extra points awarded for creativity! Make sure to tag it with #backtoschoolwithBFB to ensure it gets entered in the contest and follow along for inspiring and adorable pics from other BFB families. Deadline for entries is September 25, 2016. We'll announce the winner on September 30, 2016.

Full terms and conditions here.

We would love to hear what you think! Chime in below in the comment section and share your thoughts. Don't forget to 

check out our Facebook and Pinterest pages. To learn more about Beautiful Feet Books, click here. 

And if you've enjoyed this, please feel free to share using the buttons below: