By Tziporah Krongold (10)
Hi, my name is Tziporah. I am 10 years old and I am homeschooled. That means that I don’t go to school. Instead, my parents find all kinds of interesting ways, places and subjects for my siblings and me to learn. Some of the subjects that we learned about this year at home are the heart and how our body works, space, planets and stars, World War 2, gravity, molecules, Sefer Yehoshua, Megilat Eicha, Parsha, fractions, geometry and so much more.
This article is about how the Benjamin Children’s Library fits into our homeschool. We go to the library at least once a week. I read there, I choose books for my brothers and sisters and I meet with other homeschool families at the Benjamin Children’s Library. We do crafts and projects together and in July and August, I go to the library’s science program, which is very interesting and fun, so try it out. The librarians are very nice and helpful. They help me choose interesting books to read.
I spoke with some other homeschoolers about the library and their homeschool. This is what they had to say:
Q: What do you do in homeschool? What do you like about homeschool?
Shmuel (5): We go to the park sometimes. We learn about math, reading, Parsha. We started learning to read with the program called Starfall. I like that we have lots of time to play soccer.
Bat-Chen (10): We learn English, Hebrew, spelling, math, reading. I like that it is not regular school, that my mom is the teacher, and I can wake up whenever I want.
Elisheva (6): I learn math, English, and Hebrew. I like homeschooling because I’m not stuck in school. I also like homeschooling because I have a lot of time to play.
Avigail (4): I learn the alef beis and I learn the numbers.
Leah (3): I play Rat-a-ta-cat, and FunAlogies, and the Idiom Game and Playmobil. I learn alef-beis and I do projects with scissors and glue and I paint on canvas. I like it that our whole family is together and I love it when Abba works from home. I dress myself.
Miri (8): I learn math, lashon, English. I like to watch Discovery Education and Cosmos especially, and Bill Nye. I go to chugim and invite friends. I like it that homeschool is short because I have a lot of time to play games. I like to play Labyrinth, Picwits, ball, jump rope, and goomi.
Simcha (12): I learn a lot of different subjects, like math, science, mishnayos, chumash, hilchos tefillin, and I play a lot. I use a flight simulator program to learn how to be a pilot. I like homeschool because I feel free to do more of whatever I am interested in and not only what the school decides that I am going to do. I feel like I am learning better since I can concentrate more on stuff that are interesting and more important and it adds to my knowledge.
Tamar (14): I like that I can be free to do what interests me. I love beading and I started a jewelry business. I have a YouTube channel where I teach how to bead jewelry (so please check it out at tamarsjewelrybox).
Q: What do you like about the Benjamin Children’s Library and what do you do there?
Bat-Chen (10): I like to pick out books. It’s very calming. It also has good air-conditioning. I like most books for my age.
Shmuel (5): I like to play in the puppet area. I like the Disney books. I used to like animal books. I like when my mother reads to me.
Avigail (4): I read and play in the library. I like the toys in the library. I like the science chug in the library and I like the librarians.
Elisheva (6): I like the library because I like to read and I like to meet with the other homeschoolers. I like books about doctors. I like Bibsi and Rena the librarians.
Miri (8): I like to read books. My favorite books are the Minheret Hazman books and Spacey books. They are history books. Some other homeschool families and I do projects at the library. I like the librarians. They are very helpful.
Avi (2): “Avi happy go library!” Avi also loves to choose books for his Ima to read to him and to play in the play corner with friends.
Leah (3): I play in the play corner. I read books to myself. My mother reads books to me and Avi in the library. It’s fun over there and I also craft.
Simcha (12): I like to go to the library to be connected to people outside of my house and to interact more with other people. I meet other homeschool families and we talk and play and read. I like to read action and science fiction books. I also like to read about the air force in the air force magazine.
Tamar (14): I did not used to like to read but when we started going to the library, I became more open to books because they have a lot of interesting books to read. Now I read for learning and for fun.
Here’s what some of the library staff had to say about the homeschooling families:
Zevi: I think that the homeschooling group is very fun and helpful for the kids.
Rena: It’s a great idea but hard work for the parents.
Bibsi: I think that they’re very impressive. One can see the motivation the children have as well as the dedication on the part of the parents. I am very proud that the library contributes to the homeschoolers’ program.
I also spoke to some homeschooling mothers. This is what they had to say about the Benjamin Children’s Library:
Miri S.: The Benjamin Library is definitely a special part of our lives. We have been going to the library for 5 ½ years. We enjoy going on Monday morning to meet friends and check out books and play in the play area. We go once a week for story time in Hebrew and in the summers we always enjoy the reading club chug offered at the library. We are so grateful to the warm and friendly staff who over the years have become dear friends.
Leigh: The library has been a great resource and the staff has always been friendly and welcoming to us. We love the book sales, which allow us to add to our library at reasonable prices. I never hesitate to recommend the library to other homeschoolers.
Chani: The Benjamin Children’s Library is a central feature of our homeschool. Children absorb an amazing amount from books and the BCL is a welcoming and cozy place where they can choose from a wide variety of Hebrew and English books and magazines to read and learn from. Even more than the wonderful books and hours of reading, our children have received so much from the warm and wonderful library staff who are always supportive and encouraging. The librarians know what each child likes to read, when to push them a bit further, and they always know just what books to suggest for their learning and enjoyment—and mine too! We are so grateful for the library and for the wonderful friendships we’ve made there. A great big thank you to all the library staff (and thank you Bibsi for encouraging Tziporah to write this article!).