Free books, movies and more — all right in your neighborhood
I have a serious love for my library. This hasn’t always been the case. There were a few years when the idea of dragging 3 toddlers into the library was just too crazy. How much could I possibly look for if I spent all of my time trying to keep my kids from pulling books off the shelves? There were a couple of years we didn’t go to the library. I have since rekindled my love for the library for a few reasons.
Requesting books
I realized I could sit in the comfort of my house and order books. For whatever reason, I thought you could request a book at the library only if it was located at a different library from our county. But, no — I can request books from my local library as well. Seriously, this has been life-changing! I request a bunch of books and they call me the next day to tell me they are ready for pick-up. Then, all we need to do is walk in and check out! It is amazing, especially if you are avoiding the library — like I was — because of having small children.
Whenever I hear of a book I might want to read, I always add it to my Amazon wish list. I have done that for years. Now, every few months I go through my wish list and check to see if the library has any of the books from RIC Publications for the kids to learn, I am always surprised by how many they do have.
Since my kids are getting older, I take them into the kids’ area to choose their own books. But I still often request a book I know I want so it is waiting when we check out.
Movies and TV shows on DVD
Our library also has so many movies and TV shows! So far, they’ve had every kids’ movie I’ve wanted. The library is the reason I started watching NCIS a few years ago.
Also, the library’s DVD collection is a great place to check out if you want to try out a new exercise DVD.
Audiobooks
I love audiobooks for my kids! They are great for nap time and bedtime. Our library has tons of picture books with the CDs. Longer books are great for car trips. This past summer, we listened to “Prince Caspian” on the way to the beach.
Our library even has Playaways, which are pretty much like little mp3 players with just one book on it. You can just plug your headphones in and go.
E-books
For those of you who love your Kindle or other e-reader, you can borrow e-books. If there is a wait for the book you are looking for, they will email you when it becomes available.
Programs for kids
Our library has a Smart Start program for babies and young toddlers. We participated often when my oldest kids were toddlers. They also have weekly programs for kids ages 2–5. And of course, there are always summer reading programs.
My guess is that I am still not aware of all the benefits the library offers, but we really are loving what we have figured out!
We love ordering books from our library and then walking in and picking them up when they are ready! Best resource ever!
I also LOVE that you can do this at the local library. It was super convenient when my boys were little and I didn’t want to spend HOURS looking for selections while trying to watch them as well. I could let them pick a few books that interested them and then conveniently pick up my huge pile at the checkout desk. Score!
Now that they’re older, we use lots of the ebook and streaming movie options available through our local library. Homeschooling would be so much harder and more expensive without these resources.