Third Week of Giveaways; Making Life for Educators a Little Easier at KCPL!

The Kenton County Public Library supports education in our community in several ways including special library cards for teachers and specific programs for homeschoolers. For week three of giveaways, we have a pencil pouch filled with goodies, a Library tote bag, several bookmarks and a $20 gift card to John R. Green. But first, let’s talk about some of the ways the Library can help make education a little easier at home and in the classroom.

Biology, social studies, geometry; oh my! Being a teacher that provides schooling at home or in the classroom can be a lot to handle at times; balancing curriculums and finding the right books to pair with a lesson takes time, but the library is here to help. Most people don’t know that we have services catered specifically to help teachers and students in a homeschool setting.

All three branches of the Kenton County Public Library now host homeschool programs on a regular basis that teach your child the subjects they need to learn. We’ve had huge success with these programs and we’re always eager to see new faces. While at our programs, children have created rock candy and cracked open geodes while learning about geology, visited the Extension Office to learn about growing and harvesting, and explored chemical reactions by combining Mentos and Diet Coke to make a skateboard rocket. Each program offers an exciting topic and new opportunities to learn through hands-on activities and visual aids, not to mention interaction with their peers.

Our programs are designed to be stand-alone lessons, making them a great supplement to what you’re already teaching your children at home. We like to have fun, but we take our programs seriously. We pay attention to the Kentucky Core Content Standards so that you can rest assured that our homeschool programs are educational and not just fun and games. So sit back, relax, and let us help them learn. Each branch offers homeschool programs on a wide variety of topics at regular intervals, so be sure to check our calendar to see which programs fit your needs and schedule. We also have a great list of resources that the Library carries on our Pinterest page.

Not only do we offer great programs for children, we offer perks for the educators who help them learn. We offer special cards for teachers, both homeschool and traditional teachers alike, so you don’t have to use your personal card to check out books for your classroom. With a teacher card you can check out up to 50 books for 28 days, and we offer a nice little bonus: a 14-day grace period from fines for items that don’t make it back quite on time. All you have to do is show us a current school ID and paperwork, such as a pay stub, to confirm your occupation and we’ll set you up with a card.

If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed and stressed with lesson planning, let us help you by gathering books for your next lesson. You can submit a request for a Teacher Collection at any of our locations in person, by phone or online, and we’ll gather books for your next lesson. Just tell us your topic and how many books you’d like us to gather and we’ll carefully select books that fit your request and make sure they’re ready when you need them. We know being an educator of any kind takes a lot of hard work and preparation, and we’re here to help.

We’re always glad to hear feedback from you on how we can improve our programs or expand them to reach new audiences. Feel free to comment below on suggestions you have for us regarding teacher services and homeschool services. Here’s what others have had to say about our homeschool programs:

“I love the hands on activities for the kids. Group is so interactive and adaptable for all three of my children (grades 4, 6, and K). They all look forward to coming every month and continue to talk about each program for days to come. Truly educational and fun.” –The House family

“We love the Homeschooler’s Club! My two kids (9 & 6) are so excited to come each month. The activities are always very engaging and educational. We also enjoy the variety presented each month and the wonderful resources that you send home. Thank you for an excellent program.” –Anonymous

“I am so thankful that there is a homeschool group at the library. It is always so organized and informative. My kids love all the programs and we always sign up at the beginning of the month. Thank you all so much!” –Anonymous

Third Week of Giveaways:

Are you ready to enter the Week 3 Giveaway? To enter simply do one or all of the following and leave a separate comment IN THIS POST to be entered to win:

Share this post with a friend via email, Facebook or Twitter and comment here that you did.
Follow the blog by hitting the “Follow” button and comment here that you did.
Follow Kenton County Public Library on Facebook and leave a comment saying you did.
Follow the Kenton County Public Library on Pinterest and leave a comment saying you did.

Easy, right? Just make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry on this post. The winner will be chosen randomly and will have to pick the prize up at the Erlanger, Covington or Durr Branch Library. The contest ends Monday, Dec. 24 at noon. The winner will be emailed and has 24 hours to respond. Good luck and happy holidays!

This post was written by Krysta Wilham, Children’s Staff Member at Durr