Making the Most of the Nashville Public Library as a Homeschooler

What do you think of when you picture a library? Perhaps a quiet space full of generous shelves of books, or a place to get help in finding answers to your questions. And yes, these are certainly fundamental things that you can generally count on in a library. But what if a library also made it possible for you to plant a garden, or use a sewing machine, or learn an instrument, or try your hand at 3D printing, or even meet a favorite author? These, and so many other things, are just a hint at the incredible opportunities afforded by the Nashville Public Library system. Let’s see how you can make the most of the library in your homeschool!

I once met a homeschooling family at a local playdate who said they had never been to the library. I remember audibly gasping, though I certainly didn’t mean to imply that they were doing anything wrong! This was a family that included 6 kids, and my experience was therefore wildly different from theirs. As we kept talking, I discovered that they didn’t know about the wide array of incredible opportunities to be found at the library, and they honestly also had their curriculum figured out and a full social life with family and friends.

For me, I remember sharing that I didn’t know it could be possible to offer a thriving, enriched homeschool experience without extensively utilizing the library system, let alone never even checking out a single book from the library. The cost of keeping my kids in books alone would have bankrupted me without a library card, especially in the early years when we were going through upwards of twenty picture books a week just to begin scratching the itch of curiosity. But our extensive use of the library really came to play as we added in the activities and social enrichment opportunities that came from visiting the library. I’m not sure I could have offered anything resembling a preschool education without meeting up with friends to attend the story times, craft hours, and puppet shows at the downtown library or meeting with friends to look at books and puzzles at a branch library before spilling out onto the playground.

My love for the library and all of the extensive offerings has only grown over the years as I discovered homeschool programming, heard about friends whose homeschooled teens tried their hands at 3D printing or coding up in the teen space at Main, or when my own son joined a writers’ workshop through a partnership with Southern Word and NPL. I truly mean it when I say that I still don’t know how I’d homeschool without the library, but I do know that it would be a whole lot harder.

So today, let’s look a bit more closely at some of the incredible things the library can offer you as a homeschooler. In addition to my own experience as a homeschooling mother who has used the library system extensively over the last 13 years, I also had the opportunity to sit down with Haylee Blystone, Children’s Associate, at the Main Library in downtown Nashville in preparation for this post. Haylee leads the Homeschool Friends program that meets every Thursday afternoon at Main, which is a social club for elementary aged homeschool kids that also follows a unit study approach and digs in on a new topic each month. You can find out more about that program and join the newsletter by emailing librarychild@nashville.gov and asking to be included on any upcoming communications.

Use Lists, and snag an Educator’s Card

Something I’ve done in the past as I’ve built a unit of study with my kids has been to use the Nashville Public Library’s private list function as I’ve been reserving books. When logging into your library card profile at library.nashville.org, you can look over on the left hand side of the screen to see a summary of your account. Things like “check out titles” or “titles on hold” crop up there, and a bit further down in that area, you’ll see a spot that says “your lists.” You can create as many lists as you like, whether on a specific subject or for individual learners in your household – the sky’s the limit. Once you’ve created a list, you can add titles that relate to that list to it, which can be incredibly helpful in planning a year long course of study. If all you have to do is go into your list and select “place hold” on the items in your list when the time comes for you to study those books, you can end up saving a lot of time.

This can come in particularly handy if you also have an educator card with the Nashville Public Library. Homeschooling parents qualify as educators, and the main perk of this card is the ability to enjoy 6 week checkouts on books instead of two, giving you ample opportunity to take a deep dive on a learner’s passion or work through a unit of study. Just walk into any branch and request an educator card to access this. You will need to prove your status as a homeschooler, which I’ve done by showing them an email confirmation of our enrollment in our umbrella program.

Haylee also said that the library has taken the time to curate their own lists as well. So if you search for a specific topic on the library website and switch the dropdown menu from a search in the NPL Catalog to a search “in lists,” you’ll see an assortment of lists that have been carefully curated by the librarians at the Nashville Public Library.

Check out a Curriculum Kit

Speaking of lists that have been curated by librarians, the Nashville Public Library also offers curriculum kits. These are large bins that are full of an assortment of materials covering a specific topic of study, and our family got a lot of joy out of the Mo Willems kit back during the pandemic. These kits come with an extensive list of all of the contents so you can be sure you’re returning the full set. With over a hundred kits, there’s bound to be something that could be fun to explore. Find out more here: https://library.nashville.org/services/curriculum-kits

In addition to curriculum kits, the special collections area at Main has Teacher Resource Toolkits that you can check out with deep dives on topics including Civil Rights, Native Americans, the Civil War, and African American life and Culture. These come with lesson plans, primary sources, and a list of other resources in the special collections area. More here: https://library.nashville.org/research/teacher-resources

Use a book club kit for a group

Do you have a book club to lead? You can check out a book club in a bag! These come with enough books for ten people, along with discussion questions, an author biography, and tips for starting a successful bookclub. They can be checked out for 6 weeks, and they aren’t available for renewal. I have personally used this as a way to host a book club with fellow homeschooling parents, and I also know it would be fun to do so for kids. Check out more here: https://library.nashville.org/book-club-bag

Community Passports for area museums

Planning a trip to a local museum? Be sure to find out if you can do that for free by looking into the Community Passport program offered through a partnership between NPL and several area museums. Cheekwood, The County Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and The National Museum of African American Music all participate in this program. You simply place a hold on a passport, plan your visit to the area attraction, then pick up the passport and enjoy your visit. For free. More here: https://library.nashville.org/services/community-passports

Use the Seed Exchange to start a garden

One of my kids’ and my favorite things to do each spring is to look through the new offerings in the Nashville Public Library Seed Exchange program. We often pick things that are hardy and easy to grow, like peas, radishes, and zinnias, though we also like to just explore the options and often end up with something lovely like mustard or arugula to go along with those things. We are lucky enough to have a small space out in our back yard for a couple of raised beds, but we have also had fun with just a simple pot and some soil on our patio. We have fun mixing up the soil and putting in the seeds each year, even if we aren’t perfect, award winning gardeners. If you haven’t had a chance to grow something with your kids yet, this could be a fantastic way to try your hand at it. You can access the Seed Exchange at Main or at any branch library.

The Seed Exchange also hosts gardening workshops every season. If you have a specific aspect of gardening that you and your kids want to know more about, they could be a great resource for in-person, hand-on support. More here: https://events.library.nashville.org/cal/main/showEventList.rdo

Check out THINGS

Did you know the NPL has a “library of things?” You can check out things like sewing machines, musical instruments, or board games, and they even offer things like robotics kits in the teen space. These robotics kits have been a really fun way for my son to explore a passion of his without having to be on the hook for constantly buying new robotics expansions. Most branch libraries also have craft kits to give away to the public, and one of my son’s favorite things he made in the teen space at Main was probably a terrarium, though it may be tied with a “bleeding candle” that he made at halloween (it’s just red wax dripped over a white candle), or a DND mini figure he got to create and 3D print himself. More about the library of things here: https://library.nashville.org/services/library-things

Access special research and education portals online

I use my library card to access the New York Times online for free, and I’ve also used some of their language learning programs in the past to explore foreign languages with the kids. Just look at the “education and research” tab on the Nashville Public Library website for more.

Haylee also suggested contacting a librarian to for help accessing any databases as well as the possibility of requesting specific items be held. For instance, the library subscribes to physical copies of the New York Times, and it would be possible for a patron to ask for back issues, since most of them end up getting recycled, anyway. A lot of people don’t subscribe to a physical newspaper anymore, so having a source for newsprint when you’d like to do something like a papier mache project can be handy.

And speaking of physical copies of periodicals, my children have checked out various magazines this way, saving us on subscription costs. Most branches have a collection of periodicals you can check out each month. Be sure to take a look at the magazines in your local kids’ section next time you’re in there!

Give your child a penpal

If you and your child haven’t already been in correspondence with Buttercup, the Mouse, you should absolutely give this a shot! Buttercup is a *definitely real mouse* (ahem) who lives at the Main Library in downtown Nashville. When you explore the children’s section, be sure to keep your eyes peeled for Buttercups historic homes – both her birth place and mansion are noted on the floorboards in the early readers’ area. Once you’ve found Buttercup’s homes, be sure to ask the librarian for a form letter for your child to fill out! This pen pal program has been an invaluable part of both of my kids’ early literacy programs, as they’ve had an adventure writing letters to Buttercup either in person at the library or at home. Buttercup will then send a postcard to the child as a response! My daughter still lights up any time she receives a new postcard from Buttercup the Mouse.

Apps!

There are several apps that your library card gives you access to that can make accessing learning materials much easier. Libby and Hoopla are great for checking out books, audiobooks, and graphic novels. This can mean that all that driving you do together as a family from one activity to another (or the afternoons spent baking or crafting) could be accompanied by great literature. I still fondly remember the time my son went on a deep dive into the world of How to Train Your Dragon. We listened to every single audiobook together, with David Tennant, of all people, narrating, and even I fell madly in love with the series. It wasn’t until several years later that we even picked up a physical copy of a book from that series, and by then, we both thought the illustrations were sloppy and down-played the strengths of the book by comparison. So don’t write off the power of audiobooks to really connect you and your kids with a book.

Similarly, the library also offers a podcast called Family Folktales. This podcast was designed to bring story time to any aspect of your day, whether making dinner or running errands. We enjoyed this a lot during the pandemic, and it’s one of the many reasons my youngest became wildly passionate about fairy tales! Check out more here: https://library.nashville.org/podcasts/family-folktales

Kanopy is another fantastic app that you can access with your library card, and this app is for streaming films. There are documentaries, art films, foreign language films, and an entire area for kids viewing that includes things like language learning, books read aloud, and artistic children’s movies. I appreciate the emails that come out from Kanopy every Friday to talk about what to watch that weekend and get excited about finding new, off the beaten path films to revel in.

Attend in-person enrichment events

I’ve already hinted at some of the opportunities for in person enrichment events at the library, but there is so much more out there than even just the incredible story times, puppet shows, or homeschool clubs. Before I go into those other things, however, I would be remiss if I didn’t share some of the incredible opportunities that have come our way thanks specifically to the homeschool clubs.

We have been attending the downtown library’s Homeschool Friends club since my son was about 5 years old, and when the pandemic hit, they moved these meetings to a virtual format to continue offering a space for kids to connect. They have been a place my kids could get excited about seeing friends for years, and when we finally got to go back to in-person meetings, I remember my son felt a bit left out, as he had grown so much during our time away and didn’t feel like he fit in anymore as a 12 year old. So the children’s associate at the time encouraged us to walk upstairs to the teen space at Main while my daughter stayed down in her club. While we were up there, we got to talk to the teens librarian and asked her if she would consider starting a teen homeschool club at the same time as the younger program that was happening downstairs. She took that idea and ran with it, and my son got to make friends, talk about DND or board games or graphic novels, and explore the library in a whole new way while also taking time in StudioNPL each week to look at VR, 3D printing, and incredible production tools. This really helped to scratch an itch for him as he dug in on activities and projects with his peers while my daughter was really excited to do things like explore the 3D printing pens in her homeschool friends club. Though I do admit, it’s tough to pick a favorite activity that my kids have explored in those clubs; they’ve made edible water bottles by playing with molecular gastronomy, they’ve extracted the DNA from a strawberry, and they’ve performed science experiments about hand washing or observing bacterial growth even at home. They’ve tried their hands at various art forms and they even just wrapped up making a movie. The benefits of these clubs are truly enormous and go way beyond what I could tackle at home alone.

In addition to those two amazing clubs, my family has enjoyed things like Courtyard Concerts, a free concert series that happens each summer, or the annual Southern Festival of Books, or outreach performances from the Nashville Opera or Nashville Ballet that have occurred in area branch libraries. We have also gotten a lot out of the Salon615 author series, and I fondly remember the time I got to sit in the same room as Barbara Kingsolver, one of my favorite authors in the world, thanks to this program. Maybe your child would enjoy a chess club or a DND club or a coding camp; these are both things the library either offers already or plans to offer soon. And of course, if you haven’t seen a Wishing Chair Productions puppet show, I can attest that these are absolutely stunning, award winning works of art that have added depth to our literature study countless times. More here: https://library.nashville.org/events/wishing-chair-productions

Haylee recommended following the Nashville Public Library’s instagram for the most up to date way to see what’s being offered and how to get involved. You can find the one for the Children’s Department at Main here: https://www.instagram.com/nowatnpl.mainchildrens/ but it could be a great idea to follow even more of the instagram profiles offered by the Nashville Public Library so you can keep tabs on all of the events they offer. If you search for “Nashville Public Library” on instagram, you should see several profiles – like teens or various branches – pop up right away.

Studio NPL

Speaking of clubs and incredible learning opportunities, I need to make sure you all know about Studio NPL, located on the 3rd floor of the downtown library. This is an incredible environment dedicated to all sorts of technical and creative pursuits and is something you just have to see to believe. They host workshops for teens on all sorts of disciplines, and they do so both at Main and at branch libraries. In addition to that, I’ve already mentioned that my son was able to interact with that space in his teen club, but Haylee reminded me that they also open the space to groups of all ages. So if you had a homeschool group, co-op, or tutorial that wanted to book a tour and activity day at the studio, you could absolutely do that. They also have outreach programs and can send people out into the community with aspects of the studio so you could have them come and visit a homeschool group of your own. If you haven’t had an opportunity to take a look at this space for yourself yet, you should definitely check it out in more depth here: https://library.nashville.org/events/studio-npl

Visit the Civil Rights Room or the Votes For Women Room

Speaking of teaching about specific things in the special collections area, have you been to the Civil Rights Room or the Votes For Women Room with your homeschooled child yet? These are two fantastic, enriching spaces that tell the story of how Nashville played a part in the civil rights movement and in the ratification of the 19th amendment, which gave women the right to vote. I’ve gone in with just my own children to look around, watch some of the videos, and learn about the movements that led to change, but they also offer special tours for groups of these and other spaces. If you have a co-op, tutorial, or another homeschool group who would like to tour these spaces, you can get in touch with the folks at Special Collections and set up a time to come in. More here: https://library.nashville.org/tours

Keep an eye out for Art in the Galleries

Speaking of art and museums, the downtown library has a few fantastic gallery spaces that can be really neat to engage with. One of my fondest memories was of stumbling upon an exhibit in the downtown library’s downstairs gallery with my son. The Center for Chinese Music and Culture at MTSU had installed an exhibit there of rubbings made of ancient Chinese dragon sculptures. This coincided with the height of my son’s dragon obsession, and we were both just so floored to be able to see these rubbings of ancient artifacts right in front of us.

Similarly, the courtyard gallery at the downtown library always has a rotating exhibit, and right now, it’s called “Moments from the Movement.” It is an exploration of photographs from the special collections area that were taken during the civil rights movement. Whenever the library presents these sort of in depth reflections on real places that are right around us in plain sight, my kids and I like to take a mental snapshot of the images and then go out into Nashville and find those sites. They had another exhibit a few years ago about hidden architectural gems within walking distance of the downtown library, so we took the afternoon to have a picnic lunch in the courtyard before walking around downtown and looking for things like Egyptian Revival architecture or the building that held Nashville’s first music publishing company. Being open to these sorts of opportunities is one of the many benefits of homeschooling, and they also make for some fantastic memories.

There’s also an installation right now downstairs in popular materials at Main, next to their life size chess set, of a portrait of Fred Rogers done by local Nashville artist, Wayne Brezinka. My daughter and I had a lot of fun playing chess and taking a gander at ourselves in tandem with this piece, and I can recommend taking a few moments out of your visit to the downtown library to take a look at it for yourself. More about that here: https://www.waynebrezinka.com/mister-rogers

Consider checking out your own piece of art

And speaking of art and galleries, did you know you could actually make your own home a rotating art gallery, thanks to a program at two of our branch libraries? You can check out individual pieces of art by local Nashville artists through a collaboration with the Metro Arts Lending Library. This service is only available at the Madison and Southeast branches, but you can peruse the selections online, then make a reservation before picking up your piece. This can be a fantastic way to complement any sort of artist study you and your family may be doing, or it can just be a nice way to liven up your front hall table from time to time. Either way, it’s an admittedly incredible way to add to your quality of life, and it’s totally free. More about the Metro Arts Lending Library Collection here: https://library.nashville.org/collections/metro-arts-lending-library-collection

Ask for more support

Finally, Haylee reminded me that one of the most important things to remember about the library is that if there’s something you would like to see happen and they don’t already offer it, you can simply ask. There is a function in each patron’s profile for their library card to request materials, and I remember using this extensively during the pandemic as we needed more ebooks and audiobooks. I also have direct experience with requesting programming, being heard and watching a thriving homeschool teens program flourish as a result, so truly – if you have an idea about how the library can better meet your needs as a homeschooling family, you are absolutely encouraged to reach out to them and ask for that specific support.

Happy Homeschooling!

diverse. inclusive. community.