Our "Library Corner"

Sometimes Ella finds herself in need of a little rest while at school. Basically, she just wants a break from more active schoolwork. There have been times that we've even laid down for a nap, covering up with quilts from the nursery and using stuffed animals as pillows. Sometimes, we just call it a day and go home. But there are occasions when she just needs a change of pace or some downtime. So we now have a "library corner" where Ella and I, or just Ella, can read, look at pictures, and explore our phonetic boxes.

Here's our library corner. It's pretty small, but it works. Plus, with the heater so near, it's one of the coziest places in the room. As for our current book choices:

We're talking and learning about seasons, so I brought over Ella's "My Very First Encyclopedia with Winnie the Pooh and Friends: Nature" which covers seasons, and since we're soon going to be doing some zoology, I also brought "My Very First Encylopedia with Winnie the Pooh and Friends: Animals."

For those who don't know, this year marks the 100th Anniversary of "Anne of Green Gables." Ella and I have gone to a tea party where we celebrated with other folks who love Anne, and made some new friends. We are also reading a couple of abridged versions of the novel. [I can't seem to find links to the books at this time, so I'll edit this post soon and add the information.]

Ella is very interested in Jesus' disciples, so I've added a book about them. Of course, the classic "Dick and Jane," which is a favourite of Ella's. Even after all this time, there is still something about the very simple presentations and the pretty watercolour illustrations that draws children to these stories. And we've got a very old edition of the story of "Thumbelina," that Ella wanted to bring to school to read. She heard a song about Thumbelina on a Raffi CD, and just loves the idea of teeny-tiny people! [A silly side-note: My husband thinks of Raffi as the "Bruce Cockburn of kid's music!"]

Ella is fascinated by Anne of Green Gables. She loves the movie, the books, and imagining that she is Anne "Cherlie." Of course, that usually make me Marilla and my husband, Matthew; or I get to be Diana and he gets to be Gilbert!

If Ella knows a story, it's not uncommon for her to "read" to herself, using the illustrations as cues for the story's progression. It's quite remarkable how much she remembers, even little things, like an odd turn of phrase. Sometimes it's very nice to have her "read" to me... and I get to rest!

We hadn't read this book yet, but she still could pick out parts of the Anne story by looking at the drawings. Hopefully we'll begin it tomorrow.

Both my husband and I are avid readers, and Ella seems to be following in our footsteps in that regard.