Our staff has compiled an educational list broken down by age to help you and your family get ready for school. Whether it is your child's first day of school, a teen that knows the drill, or if you are a college bound student have a look at these helpful tools and entertaining reads.
New School Jitters? Try These Books!
Picture Books for new preschool or kindergartners
The King of Kindergarten by Derrick Barnes
Lena’s Shoes are Nervous: a First-Day-of-School Dilemma by Keith Calabrese
Pete the Cat: Rocking in my School Shoes by James Dean
Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney
Ms. Bitsy Bat’s Kindergarten by Pamela Duncan Edwards
We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins
Lola Goes to School by Anna McQuinn
If You Take a Mouse to School by Laura Joffe Nuremoff
Amelia Bedelia’s First Day of School by Herman Parish
How to Get Your Teacher Ready by Jean Reagan
School’s First Day of School by Adam Rex
The Pigeon HAS to GO to School! By Mo Willems
Dad’s First Day by Mike Wohnoutka
So Big by Mike Wohnoutka
The Day You Begin By Jacqueline Woodson
Bear’s Big Day by Salina Yoon
When Little Ones Have Big Feelings
This Makes Me Happy! By Courtney Carbone
I Hate Everything! By Sue Graves
Take a Deep Breath by Sue Graves
Something Bad Happened: A Kid's Guide to Coping with Difficult World News by Dawn Huebner
What To Do When You Worry Too Much: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Anxiety by Dawn Hueber
Meditation is an Open Sky: Mindfulness for Kids by Whitney Stewart
What To Do When It's Not Fair: A Kid's Guide to Handling Envy and Jealousy by Jacqueline B. Toner
My Magic Breath: Finding Calm Through Mindful Breathing by Nick Ortner
Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood: Daniel's Big Feelings (DVD)
This Year, School Will Be Different
Learning to Follow the Rules
The School Rules: Rules on the Bus by Paul Bloom
School Daze: A Book of Riddles About School by Michael Dahl
Rules for School by Alec Greven
Principals by Melanie Mitchell
My Manners Matter: A First Look at Being Polite by Pat Thomas
Social Stories
Social Stories help children learn a new skill and know what to expect in new situations.
Riding the Bus Will Be Different This Year
Helpful Websites
CDC Back to School Planning Checklist
CDC Checklist for In-Person Classes
Helping Children Cope with Changes Resulting from Covid-19
Back to School!
Books for elementary & middle graders and their parents
A Parents' Guide to the Middle School Years by Joe Bruzzese
The Middle School Survival Guide by Arlene Erlbach
Middle School Matters: The 10 Key Skills Kids Need to Thrive in Middle School and Beyond - And How Parents Can Help by Phyllis Fagell
Off to Class: Incredible and Unusual Schools Around the World by Susan Hughes
School Made Easier: A Kid's Guide to Study Strategies and Anxiety-busting Tools by Wendy Moss
The parent backpack for kindergarten through grade 5 : how to support your child's education, end homework meltdowns, and build parent-teacher connections by Marylisa Nichols
And Then They Stopped Talking To Me: Making Sense of Middle School by Judith Warner
Superbrain: The Insider's Guide to Getting Smart by Dave Whamond
How to Raise Successful People: Simple Lessons for Radical Results by Esther Wojcicki (also available as an eBook)
Teens and College-Bound
Letting Go: A Parents' Guide to Understanding the College Years by Karen Levin Coburn
Fiske Guide to Colleges 2021 by Edward Fiske
The Stressed Years of Their Lives: Helping Your Kid Survive and Thrive During Their College Years by Janet B. Hibbs
The Complete Guide to Paying for College by Leah Ingram
AP English Language 2020 by Barbara Murphy
Gap Year: How Delaying College Changes People in Ways the World Needs by Joseph O'Shea
Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain by Daniel Siegel
The Years That Matter Most: How College Makes or Breaks Us by Paul Tough
Learning at Home? Here's some books that might help
Keeping Your Kids Happy and Busy
101 Relaxation Games for Children: Finding a Little Peace and Quiet In Between by Almuth Bartl
Nature's Playground: Activities, Crafts, and Games to Encourage Children to Get Outdoors by Fiona Danks and Jo Schofield
Curious Minds: 40 Hands-on Activities to Inspire a Love of Learning by Ty Kolstedt
The Kids Winter Handbook by Jane Drake and Ann Love
Unbored: The Essential Field Guide to Serious Fun by Joshua Glenn and Elizabeth Foy Larsen
Share and Take Turns by Cheri J Meiners
This Little Piggy: And Other Rhymes to Sing and Play by Jane Yolen
How and What to Teach
The Everything Parent's Guide to Common Core Math, Grade K-5 by Jim Brennan
Parenting a Struggling Reader by Susan Hall
Slow and Steady, Get Me Ready: A Parents' Handbook for Children from Birth to Age 5 by June Oberlander
How to Raise an Amazing Child the Montessori Way by Tim Seldin
Discover Your Child's Learning Style by Mariaemma Willis
Getting Ready for Kindergarten (DVD)
Grade Levels
Cracking the 1st Grade Reading & Math by Mary Austin
Cracking the 4th Grade Reading & Math by Christian Camozzi
What Your Kindergartner Needs to Know: Preparing Your Child for a Lifetime of Learning by E.D. Hirsch
What Your First Grader Needs to Know By E.D. Hirsch
What Your Second Grader Needs to Know By E.D. Hirsch
What Your Third Grader Needs to Know By E.D. Hirsch
What Your Fourth Grader Needs to Know by E.D. Hirsch
What Your Fifth Grader Needs to Know by E.D. Hirsch
What Your Sixth Grader Needs to Know by E.D. Hirsch
Homeschooling
The Ultimate Homeschool Physical Education Game Book by Guy Bailey
The Core: Teaching Your Child the Foundations of Classical Education by Leigh Bortins
The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home by Susan Wise Bauer
Homeschooling: The Teen Years by Cafi Cohen (ebook)
Homeschooling 101 by Christine Field (ebook)
Home Learning Year by Year: How to Design a Creative and Comprehensive Homeschool Curriculum by Rebecca Rupp
Learning to Read
For Parents
You, Me, and the ABCs: 100 Ready-for-Reading Activities for Kids and their Favorite Grown-ups by Michael Rosen
Sight Words for Preschool and Kindergarten (eBook)
Sight Words for Kindergarten, First Grade & Second Grade (eBook)
Launchpads
Have you heard about our Launchpads? Launchpads are pre-loaded learning tablets with apps, ebooks, and no Wi-Fi required! The ones below focus on early literacy and reading skills.
DVDs
Learn to Read with Phonics (DVD)
Learning About Letters: Sesame Street (DVD)
Letter Factory / LeapFrog (DVD)
ZOOper Phonics: Teaching Your Child Letter Zounds (DVD)
Great Sight Word Books
Bob Book series - Set 1: Beginning Readers, Set 2: Advancing Beginners, Set 3: Word Families, Set 4: Complex Words
Christopher Raschka's Thingy Things series - Buggy Bug, Clammy Clam, Cowy Cow, Crabby Crab, Doggy Dog, Lamby Lamb, Moosey Moose, Whaley Whale
Go, Dog, Go! By P.D. Eastman (also available as an eBook)
Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss
Winnie the Pooh Adventures in Reading series - Big!, Pooh's Feelings, Friends, My Special Things
Perfect for 1st Time Readers
Are You My Mother? By P.D. Eastman (also available in Spanish and as an eBook)
Ballet-Cat by Bob Shea
Elephant and Piggie series by Mo Willems
Fly Guy series by Tedd Arnold
Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
Scooby Doo Picture Clue series by Robin Wasserman
