Our memories and experiences follow us into parenthood. When our kids start school, we are brought back to our childhoods and memories of first grade, middle school and high school. When I first read about the curriculum of the home, I flashed back to what I did with my kids when they were small, and then I went back further, to my own childhood. Did my own parents practice any of the principles of the curriculum of the home? What did I remember about it? Did it matter?

My parents were raising four children in the early 1960’s. I was four years old, my sister was three, and the twins were one. We lived on the third floor of a walk-up railroad apartment in Brooklyn. My dad worked long hours, switching between day and night shifts. When my mom packed us all up to go outside, it was a  major undertaking, and while we were out, we stayed out as long as possible.

We didn’t have many books in our home because my parents simply couldn’t afford to buy them. Trips to the library could be difficult as they had to be scheduled around other errands. Enter the mail-order book club! For a few dollars a month, my mom had three or so books delivered to our house every few weeks. These were our very own books that didn’t have to be returned to the library! We relished every book delivery. This is such a strong memory for me.

In her own way, my mother was practicing the curriculum of the home by providing us with books and encouraging reading. She also taught me to read because I was too impatient to wait for her to read them aloud to us.

What do you remember about your childhood that can be attributed to the curriculum of the home? Do you remember favorite bedtime stories from your childhood? Which books did you enjoy reading to your children? Please share your stories so we can support curriculum of the home activities.