Are you familiar with We Teach? Amy, the founder of teachmama where she shares ways she sneaks learning into every day with her family, being the awesome teachmama that she is, created We Teach a couple of months ago. It is growing by leaps and bounds! We Teach is a place where parents and educators can come together to share ideas for teaching our children. There is a group for everyone there and anyone is invited to join. So, if you aren’t a member already, I suggest you rush right over there and join! You’ll be happy you did!

A couple of weeks ago on We Teach, Amy posted a question about how we organize our home libraries. This, of course, inspired a post for me! I have been mulling over this idea for a post for a while, so without further a due, here are tips for setting up a home library: 1. Make books accessible for your child. Keep them low and easy to reach. 2. Consider placing books in easy to move baskets, instead of standing them up on a bookshelf. Placing them in baskets makes it easier for your child to find a book he/she may be looking for. It’s much easier for a child to choose a book by looking at its cover, rather than the spine. If you need the space, consider placing some books upright and others laying flat.

3. Consider organizing books by genre or topic. This is also made easier by baskets. Each basket can hold its own genre of books! If your children are old enough, consider having them help you sort books and determine genre. 4. Include periodicals in your home library. Children love receiving mail and periodicals provide additional opportunities for children to read for different purposes. 5. Don’t feel confined to one area! Place “mini-libraries” on every floor of your house. We have small book holders in our basement playroom, bookshelves in our first floor family room, and each child has bookshelves (overflowing with books!) in their bedrooms. Dawn Little (@linkstoliteracy on Twitter) blogs at www.teachingwithpicturebooks.wordpress.com where she provides educators with picture book lessons based on comprehension strategies and the Six Traits of Writing. In addition, she blogs at www.literacytoolbox.wordpress.com where she provides educators and parents with tips and tools to enhance the literacy lives of children. She is the founder and owner of Links to Literacy, a company dedicated to providing interactive literacy experiences for children and families. Find out more at www.linkstoliteracy.com