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Back to Basics at the Orchard

9/25/2018

Fall, our favorite time of year here in Michigan with harvest festivals, apples, pumpkins and the gorgeous fall colors that surround you every time you leave the house. With all the cider mills and apple orchards that abound in the area, it’s hard to choose just one to bring the kiddos to, but, as in our name, we love getting back to basics and visiting those orchards that shun the commercialism and stick to what they know best.

One such orchard in our area is Kreps Apple Barn in La Salle, MI, which we had the joy of visiting this past weekend. Instead of bouncing in an inflatable castle and looking at fake plaster animals (yes we went to an orchard last year that had cows, pigs and chickens, none of which were real) my three year old daughter experienced the country at its best by engaging those large motor muscles as she ran through 10 acres of apple trees, swung on a rope swing suspended over bales of straw, participated in a sensory experience by digging in tables filled with loose corn, enjoyed touring the orchard on a tractor hay ride (at no charge), making friends with the resident animals and of course partaking of the delicious cider and donuts (they are to die for)!

The peacefulness of the country, the fresh air and the simple offerings that allow a child to engage their senses and imagination is what bringing it back to basics is all about. Visiting an orchard also allows a child to see how a farm operates, where we get some of our food from and how it grows and is harvested.

We encourage you to take some time this fall to engage your senses and visit an apple orchard and cider mill near you. Don’t forget to bring home some apples to make homemade applesauce, dried apples (a great healthy snack), apple pancakes, pies, breads and other apple goodies with your children. Getting kids in the kitchen is a wonderful way to build life skills as well as increase reading and math skills and speaking of reading, check out the great selection of apple themed books below.

Apple Themed Books to Share

*Note: this post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Any purchases made via the links provided go to support our literacy efforts.

Take a look back at our previous blogs for some fall themed book ideas to share as well:
Fall Into Books!
Autumn is almost here!

Happy reading and apple orchard visiting!

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Library 101

9/12/2018

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Updated on 04/05/2021

*Note: this post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Any purchases made via the links provided will go to support our literacy efforts.

The easiest way to raise a literate child is to read to them and to give them access to books. Since September is Library Card Sign-up Month, we would like to encourage all parents to bring their children to their local library to obtain a library card and allow their children to engage in the joy of searching for and finding books that will ignite their imagination, spark their curiosity and introduce them to a new world of ideas and concepts. A library is a unique place in that it gives people equal access to information and to books that tell them about the past, the present and lets them dream about the future. Libraries are filled with a plethora of books so helping a child to navigate the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) system can make the task to find that special book that excites them a bit easier. So here we go…..!

Melvil Dewey (1851 - 1931)

The DDC, created in 1876 by Melvil Dewey, is the system utilized by more than 200,000 libraries around the world to organize their materials. All library materials are categorized by subject or field of study and assigned a DDC number (generally referred to as a call number). The DDC is made up of ten main classes (ranging from 000 – 900) that are broken down into ten divisions which are broken down further into ten sections. Each number simply gives the book a more specific classification, starting out with a broad subject and then narrowing down. The great thing about this system is that once you have located a book on a certain topic, you will find other books on the same subject around it. Most libraries today use the DDC to organize their nonfiction collection and shelve their fiction titles by author’s last name, even though literature has an assigned number of 800. This is done for simplicity’s sake as the fiction genre is so large.

The DDC Main Classes and Divisions

000 – General works, computer science and information

010 – Bibliographies
020 – Library and information sciences
030 – Encyclopedias and books of facts
040 – Unassigned
050 – Magazines, journals and serials
060 – Associations, organizations and museums
070 – News media, journalism and publishing
080 – Quotations
090 – Manuscripts and rare books

100 – Philosophy and psychology

110 – Metaphysics
120 – Epistemology
130 – Parapsychology
140 – Philosophical schools of thought
150 – Psychology
160 – Philosophical logic
170 – Ethics
180 – Ancient, medieval and eastern philosophy
190 – Modern Western philosophy

200 – Religion

210 – Philosophy and theory of religion
220 – The Bible
230 – Christianity
240 – Christian practice and observance
250 – Christian orders and local church
260 – Social and ecclesiastical theology
270 – History of Christianity
280 – Christian denominations
290 – Other religions

300 – Social sciences

310 – Statistics
320 – Political science
330 – Economics
340 – Law
350 – Public administration and military science
360 – Social problems and social services
370 – Education
380 – Commerce, communities & transportation
390 – Customs, etiquette, folklore & fairy tales

400 – Language

410 – Linguistics
420 – English and Old English languages
430 – German and related languages
440 – French and related languages
450 – Italian, Romanian and related languages
460 – Spanish, Portuguese and Galician
470 – Latin and Italic languages
480 – Classical and modern Greek languages
490 – Other languages

500 – Natural sciences (pure science)

510 – Mathematics
520 – Astronomy
530 – Physics
540 – Chemistry
550 – Earth sciences and geology
560 – Fossils and prehistoric life
570 – Biology
580 – Plants
590 – Zoology (animals)

600 – Technology

610 – Medicine and health
620 – Engineering
630 – Agriculture
640 – Home and family management
650 – Management and public relations
660 – Chemical engineering
670 – Manufacturing
680 – Manufacture for specific uses
690 – Construction of buildings

700 – Arts and recreation

710 – Area planning and landscape architecture
720 – Architecture
730 – Sculpture, ceramics and metalwork
740 – Graphic and decorative arts
750 – Painting
760 – Printmaking and prints
770 – Photography, computer art, film and video
780 – Music
790 – Sports, games and entertainment

800 – Literature

810 – American literature in English
820 – English and Old English literature
830 – German and related literatures
840 – French and related literatures
850 – Italian, Romanian and related literatures
860 – Spanish, Portuguese, Galician literatures
870 – Latin and Italic literatures
880 – Classical and modern Greek literatures
890 – Other literatures

900 – History and geography

910 – Geography and travel
920 – Biography and genealogy
930 – History of ancient world (to 499)
940 – History of Europe
950 – History of Asia
960 – History of Africa
970 – History of North America
980 – History of South America
990 – History of other areas

Download and print out this list of DDC Main Classes and Divisions and bring it with you on your next library visit.

DDC Main Classes and Divisions
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File Type:	pdf

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Hopefully you aren’t thoroughly confused but if you aren’t a regular library user, your head might be spinning right about now. Don’t worry, repeated trips to the library will help you and your child become masters as you search the shelves and see what’s offered. You can also have fun exploring the DDC and becoming more familiar with the system by working on a coloring page, engaging in a scavenger hunt or simply exploring the shelves of your local library to see what books can be found under each number. When in doubt, ask a librarian for assistance.

To further enhance the experience, consider reading some fun library titles with your child such as...

Do You Know Dewey? by Brian P. Cleary

The Great Dewey Hunt by Toni Buzzeo

The Library by Sarah Stewart

Curious George Visits the Library by H. A. Rey

Pete the Cat Checks Out the Library by James & Kimberly Dean

Delilah D. at the Library by Jeanne Willis

No Pirates Allowed! Said Library Lou by Rhonda Gowler Greene

A Library Book for Bear by Bonny Becker

D.W.'s Library Card by Marc Brown

At the Library (A Shine-A-Light Book) by Heather Alexander & Ipek Konak

The Library Dragon by Carmen Agra Deedy

Aiden Pike: On the Sourdough Trail (The Dewey Decimal Adventures #1) by Mary C. Ryan

For more title suggestions, take a look at our book list:
Stories about Books, Reading & Libraries.

Don't forget to also take a look at your library's events calendar for storytimes, lectures, workshops, movie nights and so many other things. My daughter loves attending the weekly preschool storytime offered at our local library. The children engage in songs, finger play, arts and crafts activities and listen to a story or two read aloud each week.

What is your family's favorite thing about going to the library? Share with us in the comments!

Happy reading and library time!

-Kate @ BTBL

Author

We are three generations that seek a way to get back to basics. It’s not that we eschew technology, but sometimes simpler is better, especially in raising our children. Mom was a reading teacher, Amanda is an early childhood educator and Kate a children’s literature specialist and former school librarian along with the latest additions, a daughter (now 5) for Kate, and two sons (now 3 and 1) for Amanda. We advocate reading aloud, the simple toys that use imagination and encourage creativity and learning in the kitchen, which can be a fun mess but also teaches life skills. Join us in raising healthy, happy, inquisitive and intelligent children.

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Back to Basics

Back to Basics at the Orchard

Apple Themed Books to Share

Take a look back at our previous blogs for some fall themed book ideas to share as well:Fall Into Books!Autumn is almost here!

Library 101

The DDC Main Classes and Divisions

Author

Author

Archives

Categories

Take a look back at our previous blogs for some fall themed book ideas to share as well:
Fall Into Books!
Autumn is almost here!