Library books from school??

[Zoesmama]

Do your child(ren) get to bring their library books home from school? My dd(soon to be 7)'s school has library days and get to check out books but they can not leave the school. That is just horrible, in my opinion. They preach reading to and with children 15 minutes a day but yet they can't bring books home.

I've just not had this happen yet. Sadly dd has been to 3 schools already and only in 1st grade. We've had to move. I'm just not quite pleased with this school and wondering how "normal" it is to have this practice with library books from school library.

[jen in co]

My DD has been able to take books home from the school library since K; there were limits on the length of time and the # of books, but those have gotten more liberal each year (e.g. this year in 2nd, she can take out 3 books for up to 3 weeks).

[Zoesmama]

Yep for K and her other school for 1st she got to take 2 books out for a week. They went weekly. If child(or mommy OPPS) forgot their books they did not get to check out new ones.

This is just too weird to me. I'm thinking maybe they had troubles with book returns and fines for missing ones not being paid?? I dunno but it still seems strange.

For me its not a huge problem we use the public library in addition we have a rather large collection of books we own. Many I bought long before she was born as part of a children's lit class I took in college.

[marieangela]

My 1st grader has library once a week. He brings home one book a week. The same thing went for Kindergarten. We also check out tons of books from the public library and own many, many books.
I agree with the pp, that the school could have had problems with lost and damaged books. It does seem strange, though.

[elmh23]

At my daughters private school, any child grade 1 and over can take home (and are encouraged to) books. Pre-K'ers don't check out books yet, they mostly go and learn about the library and the librarian reads them a book. K'ers check out books and they stay in the class room. All grades have a Drop Everything And Read time, so the K'ers read their library books during this time.

[ollyoxenfree]

My children have always been allowed to check out books from the school library. The current school librarian is fantastic. She has an amazing comprehensive knowledge, as well as terrific insight into the students' interests and preferences. She makes wonderful recommendations.

We use the public library a lot too, but the school library is a wonderful asset.

They have also had teachers who maintained their own classroom collections of books that they loaned to students. These fantastic teachers supplemented the collections out of their own pockets (often picking up used books from yard sales and church bazaars).

If the school library has problems with damages and losses, perhaps a couple of sympathetic teachers would be willing to help organize a similar collection for loan, using donated and second-hand books. No one will mind too much if these books aren't returned or are damaged.

[EFmom]

They can bring the books home, but...

The school is really big into forcing them to pick "just right books." What that means is that the librarian or the teacher micromanages the child's choice of books such that the kid can only take books that the teacher/librarian deems to be exactly the right reading level for the kid.

I first noticed this when my older dd would bring home the same few books every single week. She wouldn't look at them all week and had zero interest in reading them. I asked her about it, and she said she just took these books because she got tired of being hassled by the librarian if she tried to take something more advanced that she was actually interested in reading. My younger dd did the same thing.

So, for all intents and purposes, it would be the same if they couldn't bring the books home, as far as the benefit to the kids goes.

We go to the public library every week and check out a tote bag of books that the kids have picked out themselves, and those actually get read.

[One_Girl]

I student taught at a school with a lot of students from low income, homeless, and refugee families and they were not allowed to take home books until second or third grade. Even then it depended on their teacher. The school library had hardly anything in it and they tended to lose a lot of books because their student population changed all the time. My dd attended a school where the population stayed the same, but her teacher encouraged the kids to keep their books in their desks so they could read them when they had no other work to do (like a reading bribe).

[meemee]

nope!!! in most of the schools here they are only able to do so in second grade.

and i can see why. esp. here in CA with funding issues.

[CarrieMF]

they can bring their books home, but they choose to leave them at school. I am quite thankful that my kids choose to leave them at school. It is too easy to lose the books at home & then we have to deal with looking for them(amongst our large collection) & possibly having to pay for the book at the end of the year.

[ollyoxenfree]

Originally Posted by CarrieMF

It is too easy to lose the books at home & then we have to deal with looking for them(amongst our large collection) & possibly having to pay for the book at the end of the year.

OT - It does help to make a habit of keeping borrowed books in one place. We have a shelf for borrowed books - whether from the public library, school library or friends. Anytime the borrowed book isn't being read, that's where it goes. Otherwise, it will disappear into our shelves and won't be seen again for a very long time!

A library book bag or basket also works well, if you want something that can move with you - eg. from family room to bedroom.

[Peony]

DD1 goes to a private school, they have a shared schooling arrangement with a local public school. Once a week DD1's school is bused there to do PE, library, computers, etc... They get to bring the books home, but they need to be returned a day before they go back to public school. I think they is allowed to check out two things, DD1 is a non-reader (dyslexia), she always comes home with a book of her choosing and then a movie. The books are always easier ones that I read to her, but I know she picked them out herself and the movie something like Magic School Bus or Bill Nye. I've never seen another kid in her room with a movie so I don't know they she was steered towards the movies since she does not read or if she decided on that by herself.

[SiValleySteph]

My son is in K (public school in CA) and they go to the library 1x week. They check out a book and can take it home every week, as long as the return the book from the previous week.

It doesn't seem to be overly managed, DS tells me he can choose whatever he wants. He seems to prefer non-fiction.

[peaceful_mama]

hmmm I've done both preschool and elementary public school. The school where I worked in the public preschool allowed children to bring home one book a week. What we did since we were a bit limited on time and we had children as young as 3 and also with special needs--so developmentally younger--was, it was my job every Monday to go pick out about 30 books and the kids would pick from those. (First we would do a storytime in the 'pit' the way the older kids do, then we'd go spread the books out on tables and let them pick. I always picked a mix of fiction and non-fiction, books we read in class recently, books that had to do with things we were talking about, characters they liked, a good mix. Of course if one of them saw a book on top of a shelf that looked interesting, we'd let them pick it. That rarely happened.)

They took home one book and didn't get to check out the next week if they didn't bring it back. We had a few kids who didn't take theirs home at all--some at parent request, like a PP said, didn't want a book lost in their collection--or the ones who didn't bring theirs back. (like I said these were kids as young as 3 and some developmentally younger, they didn't understand really so this way they'd still get to pick a book and bring it to the room like the other kids.)

DS has been to two schools with public preschool (we moved) and he has never checked out library books at either place. The first one they didn't even go to the library. His current school does, once a week, but they don't check out books.

The norm here for elementary is that they *do* get to bring the books home and they don't get to check out more until those come back. The number of books changes by age. The librarians do suggest the kids try to read the first page or two--for the older ones with chapter books--to see if it works for them. I think this is partly because some of the teachers have them keep one book at school for independent reading. (by that age though they get to check out I think 4 at a time. I used to work in the elementary too, but it's been awhile so I don't remember exactly.)

Sometimes too the number they can check out varies by what they're involved in--like the kids who do "reading buddies" with younger kids get to check one out for that, but it stays in school for that program. They also get some help if they need it picking out that book like "well, what does your buddy like?" or picking out something that will appeal to a younger kid, if they need it.

ETA: I think the kids should be allowed to take home any books at any level they want! I'm starting to want to read chapter books to my 5 yr. old. He *can* read, but won't read them for pleasure on his own for a little bit yet most likely. We have read Stuart Little, I started the Mouse and the Motorcycle once (then we had to take it back though) I think it's great for kids and I know a lot of teachers read-aloud to kids through the 5th grade.

[Zoesmama]

Originally Posted by One_Girl

I student taught at a school with a lot of students from low income, homeless, and refugee families and they were not allowed to take home books until second or third grade. Even then it depended on their teacher. The school library had hardly anything in it and they tended to lose a lot of books because their student population changed all the time. My dd attended a school where the population stayed the same, but her teacher encouraged the kids to keep their books in their desks so they could read them when they had no other work to do (like a reading bribe).

Yah her school has a lot of low income and I'm assuming homeless children as they had forms they require for enrollment that list her status and one question was homelessness. Its also over half Hispanic which can factor in when parent's can not read the library rules but almost every paper sent home is sent in both English and Spanish.

[Zoesmama]

I liked seeing her selections from the library. I think her school in FL did somewhat limit their selections or at least make suggestions. Theirs were color coded for grade level reading and she had said her teacher told her to chose from the 3 grade level which makes since because that's where she reads. HOWEVER she was able to bring home whatever interested her which was very nice. Her school was one of the best in the state back there though and had pretty good funding and was more of a middle to upper class area so way different I'm sure.

I'll just have to make it a point to get to a more regular library routine. She picked out several non fiction books today to go with the collection of fiction she already has out. She does good at finding them despite our rather large collection of books.

[amma_mama]

At DD's school, the Kindergarten class is allowed to check out one book and bring it home. She definitely gets to choose whatever she wants - it is usually non-fiction (craft, cooking or animals). They have a special bag that it goes into, so we usually put it back in there after reading so it is easier to find (if I remember!). They can only have one out at a time, so if I forget to put it in her backback before the next weke's library day, she does not get to bring a new one home. They also keep baskets of books on each table in the classroom, so if the kids finish their work early, they can choose a book to read. I really like the idea of getting kids to fill their "empty time" with books. When I lived a life that actually had "empty time", I always had books with me to read.

At her old school, which was overseas, they had a small "library" (a few shelves of books) and they would send one home each week, but I don't think the kids got to choose as DD rarely looked at whatever book was sent. At that time, I would have been just as happy if they did not send them home. But it was a non-reading culture, in general, so I was pleased that the school made an effort as it was likely that there were homes, even of well-off educated folks, with few books in them.

[CarrieMF]

It does help to make a habit of keeping borrowed books in one place. We have a shelf for borrowed books - whether from the public library, school library or friends. Anytime the borrowed book isn't being read, that's where it goes. Otherwise, it will disappear into our shelves and won't be seen again for a very long time!

keeping them at school is keeping them in one place.lol My kids tend to read their books in their beds before going to sleep. My middle dd has about 20 books in her bed right now, not sure if they outnumber the stuffed animals or not. Somehow she has room for herself. the books end up in her sheets, under blankets, down the sides of her bed(they have loft beds).

[JayGee]

At our elementary school, kids bring home books weekly, starting in Kindergarten. They can only bring home books the following week if they return the books from the week before. As they get older, they can bring home more books (2 in K, 4 in 2nd). And if they love a book, they are allowed to renew it. DS has renewed the same book on musical instruments at least 8 times .

[boricuaqueen327]

DD is in kindergarten and they don't even get to check out books. She is very familiar with how libraries work (we utilize our public library extensively) and was disappointed not be able to check books out from the school. Luckily, her teacher has a very nice classroom library that she can pick books from for free reading time. We also have a large children's book collection at home with books at different reading levels and we add to it regularly through book orders and local bookstores.

I would recommend getting your child their own library card for your public library and maybe trying to start your own home library if you can. You don't have to spend alot of money on new books, I am a big used bookstore shopper and get alot of things second hand from amazon and Better World Books. I don't know the reasoning behind not being able to check books out but I remember it being one of my favorite things about school when I was little so I was a little bummed about it.