Parents everywhere are worried that their children are spending too much time in front of screens, and too little time with books - offline. I know that our home library was starting to gather dust from weeks of neglect, so I wanted to try a sneaky tactic to see if I could ignite some interest in our old friends.
I put a large blanket on the ground and then got the kids to help me cover the blanket completely using all of our books. We called it a “book quilt”. I challenged them to count how many books we had (some we own, some need to be returned to the library when it reopens). Seeing all of our books in one place made us smile. These books are in our possession for different reasons, either given as gifts or on loan from a beloved library. Some the kids have read on their own, others we have read together while cuddling in bed or on the couch.
After snapping this picture they started building towers with the books, and then a little fort with piles of books inside. We repurposed delivery boxes as small bookshelves and found new places around our home to display them for easy access.
Reconnecting to our books today reminded us of our life when we were out in the world. So in the coming weeks and months spent indoors, perhaps these books are one way to help us feel connected to the wider world. No screens required.
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