How to Organize Your Child's Personal Library: Five Lessons from a Former Teacher Turned Mommy

My experience in the classroom has definitely influenced the way I designed Bug's playroom. It has been particularly helpful when it comes to choosing and organizing her books. Here are some of the lessons I learned in the classroom that I have applied to our home.

{Lesson 1} Books should be everywhere!

We have baskets of books in multiple rooms in our house. Although most of Bug's books are in her playroom, we also have books in other rooms of the house.

Playroom  We store miscellaneous books, seasonal books and audio books in the playroom. Seasonal books are books that are relevant to the time of year. Currently we have books about winter and Valentine's Day.

Playroom books:  author set (top) and misc books (bottom).

Seasonal books: currently winter and Valentine's Day.

Bathroom  Potty (training) books are stored in our main floor bathroom. If you've done any potty training then you know you sometimes have time to kill. We also have waterproof books for the bathtub in our upstairs bathroom.

Potty training books.

Bathtime books.

Bedroom We keep her nite nite books in a basket in her room. Her nite nite books have characters that are getting ready to go to bed and usually are asleep at the end.

Nite Nite books.

Office I stash a few books in my office to keep Bug entertained while I work. Currently we are practicing the names of all the colors.

Books about colors.

Family Room Library books are stored separately in the family room so we don't loose them.

Library books.

{Lesson 2} Offer a variety of books.

Expose your kids to all kinds of books and a variety of topics. For little ones who are teething board books are great but don't forget to expose them to paperback books too.

Fiction: Include character sets, author sets and theme sets (such as school, holidays, going to the doctor/dentist).

Books about the doctor's and dentist's office.

Author set: Sandra Boynton

Seasonal books: winter and Valentine's Day.

Nonfiction: For younger kids, include ABC books, counting books, simple picture books about animals or things in their world. For older kids, include books about science or social studies concepts, biographies, how-tos and even joke/riddle books.

Simple nonfiction books: animals, counting and first words.

Big Kid Nonfiction

Don't forget joke books!

Magazines: There are lots of options for kids of all ages (even babies!) that cover a wide range of interests.

Magazines

Poetry: For little ones, include nursery rhymes and song books. For older kids include poetry with a variety of themes.

Song Books: Raffi Songs to Read.

Poetry books for big kids.

{Lesson 3} Face book covers out.

Children are more likely to grab a book if they can see the cover (as opposed to just the spine.)

Do: use a basket or bin. Don't: line up on a shelf.

See the difference? Which books are you more likely to grab?

{Lesson 4} Get your child his/her own library card.

Feel free to purchase a few favorites but then get a library card to fill in any "holes". This is especially helpful when kids get into a series or character. Currently, Bug is into Clifford the Big Red Dog. We have a couple of favorite paperbacks and visit the library to get the rest of the series.

Our Clifford books and the library's Clifford books.

{Lesson 5} Don't go broke buying books!

Places to purchase books besides Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com:

Library: Most libraries have a "Friends of the Library" section where they sell donated books or books and magazines that are longer be in circulation. Generally, children's books cost $.25 to $1.00.

Notice the "withdrawn" stamp.

Craigslist: You might find a mom who is selling the books her kids have outgrown. You can also score big from individuals who are selling books from their former home day care.

Goodwill/Thrift Stores: It's amazing what some people will give away. I once saw a complete set of Magic Tree House books at thrift store.

Garage Sales: I've gotten books for as little as 25 cents.

TJ Maxx/Home Goods: Books are always priced less than retail.

Notice the price tag.

Target: Check out the dollar section at Target. It is a great way to score new books for airplane trips or long car rides.

Target $1 Dollar Section book.

Scholastic Book Orders: Brand new books are available for as low as $1.

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I hope this helps you bring books into your child's life. Happy reading!

Lessons Learned: My First Mod Podge Project

I found a small unfinished table and pair of chairs for Bug when she was just two months old. At the time I didn't have a vision for the set but who has many creative visions when you are a first time mommy with a newborn?  My Luv Bug is now 2 1/2. It's time.

Recently, I started noticing a trend of Mod Podge fabric/furniture projects on Pinterest. I've pinned a couple on my PLAYROOM board.  It got me thinking and inspired me to try a little Mod Podge experiment of my own...

My Materials
-Wood Table and Chairs (Clearance Section at Joanns)
-Custom US Map from Breeding Fancy on Etsy
-Spray Paint: Krylon's White Primer, Candy Apple, Lagoon (Home Depot)
-Mod Podge (Hobby Lobby*) Paper Mod Podge and Hard Finish Mod Podge
-Sponge Brushes** (Michaels)

*I always use the 40% coupon at Hobby Lobby!
**I stock up on the sponge brushes when they are on sale at Michaels 20 for $1.

My Experiment
First, I primed both chairs and the table and let them dry over night. Next, I painted the chairs candy apple red and the table lagoon and let them dry overnight.

Primed and painted.

The following morning I found a few areas where I got a little crazy with the spray paint and the paint dripped. I sanded those areas added a second coat. Again, I allowed it to dry overnight.

Now the hard part...

I spread a medium layer of Paper Mod Podge over the top of the table-just in the middle where I was going to place the print. (The Mod Podge website suggested to use a "medium" amount in order to avoid wrinkles.) Carefully {nervously} I placed the map on the middle of the table.  I used my hands to smooth out the bubbles.

As I was getting the bubbles out, some Mod Podge leaked out the sides. When I wiped the excess Mod Podge with a paper towel, I wiped off some ink from the edges of the print. I don't know why this happened. Do you?

Not sure what happened here.

I came across more issues with the edges of the print. Because the print was mailed in a tube, the edges were slightly rolled. If this were 1983 I would have used our encyclopedias to flatten the print. In the digital age I don't even have a phone book to use! So I slapped a piece of plastic on top of the table and turned the table upside down. I added some catalogs on top for additional weight.

After a couple of hours, I started to add a coat of the Hard Finish Mod Podge. Following the directions, I added a new coat every 20 minutes for a total of 3 coats.

Hard Finish Mod Podge-formulated for furniture.

As I was reading the instructions on the bottle, I discovered that it takes FOUR WEEKS to cure. That is just not going to work for a two-year-old. My plan is to use some Krylon gloss sealer that I have leftover from my mailbox project. But that will have to wait because it is now January and I don't know when we are going to get above 50 again. Oh how I miss sunny San Diego! 

The finished project! 

Overall I'm really pleased with the way it turned out. Here is what I learned:
*It's called Mod Podge, not Modge Podge.
*For large pieces of paper and furniture, a roller might be helpful to get the bubbles out.
*The Hard Finish Mod Podge for furniture takes FOUR weeks to cure.

What's Next
I really want to Mod Podge a graphic map of San Diego on our kitchen/craft table to create a permanent "table cloth." I need to do some more research because I can't wait four weeks for Mod Podge to cure.  Any advice?

-Caroline