What’s Growing at parMINDary
This month at parMINDary, a new resource has been added to the Library—a gentle A–Z reading challenge for children. It’s a simple way to move from letter to letter, story to story—across picture books, early readers, and middle grade novels.
But underneath that simplicity is something deeper:
A way of building a reading life slowly, through attention and return.
Alongside it, our Seasons & Culture: Watching the Year series continues, with curated book lists and observation ideas for late winter, early spring, and the quiet shifts in between.
Together, these pieces offer a flexible approach to homeschool reading, rooted in books, attention, and the patterns we return to again and again.
A New Way to Explore Reading, One Letter at a Time
Reading challenges are often built around completion.
A certain number of books.
A clear endpoint.
A sense of finishing.
But reading doesn’t always unfold that way.
Some books are read once and set aside.
Others are returned to again and again.
Some are chosen carefully.
Others appear unexpectedly.
A reading life grows through all of these.
The A–Z structure offers something simple to hold onto—a pattern that moves forward, one letter at a time.
But within that pattern, there is room for variation: different kinds of stories, different tones, different ways of reading.
It’s not meant to organize everything.
Just to make space to notice what begins to take shape over time.
→ Explore more about patterns in stories
For deeper context, visit:
→ The Reading & Patterns pillar page
The A to Z Reading Challenge
A newly added resource in the parMINDary Library is the A to Z Reading Challenge Guide.
This free printable brings together structure, choice, and reflection:
- 🔤 A–Z Tracker Poster (Cover Page)
- 📚 Picture Book A–Z List
- 📖 Middle Grade A–Z List
- ✏️ A–Z Reading Log
- 🎨 Story Reflection Pages (3 Levels)
- 🌱 Bonus Reading Page
It can be used in different ways.
Some families will follow the suggested book lists.
Others will choose their own stories for each letter.
Some will move steadily from A to Z.
Others will revisit certain letters again and again.
There is no set pace.
No single way through.
The guide simply offers a place to begin.
A starting point that can grow alongside your reading life.
→ Download the A to Z Reading Challenge printable
Noticing is part of how reading begins to make sense across time and text.
→ Explore more in What Reading Really Is
Seasonal Learning: Watching the Year
Alongside the A–Z challenge, I’ve begun writing through a two-year exploration of the living year.
The first year focuses on learning to notice the seasonal cycle.
The second explores how we participate in it—through care, movement, and stewardship.
- Year 1: Watching the Year
- Year 2: Living Inside the Cycle
Each month includes a seasonal post and a curated book list—a way of pairing observation with story.
→ Explore more about seasonal learning
You can explore the full series here:
→ Seasons & Culture
Our first three seasonal book lists are now available, with more to come throughout the year.
Children’s Books that Follow the Whole Year
Stories are one of the simplest ways to help children notice the rhythm of the natural world.
In our home, we return to seasonal books again and again—watching seeds grow, leaves fall, animals prepare for winter, and gardens return in spring.
This curated list gathers picture books, read-aloud stories, and poetry that follow the full cycle of the year—offering a steady thread through changing seasons.
Read the curated list here:
→ Stories That Follow the Whole Year
Late Winter & Waiting Stories
Late winter is a quiet season of waiting. Snow may still cover the ground, animals remain tucked away, and the first hints of spring are only beginning to appear.
Or, as we often experience in the Pacific Northwest, we may still be waiting for winter itself to fully arrive. These in-between moments are easy to miss.
Sharing late winter stories offers a way to notice them—to sit inside the pause before change becomes visible. This collection reflects patience, observation, and the small signs that something new is on the way.
Read the curated list here:
→ Late Winter & Waiting Stories
Early Spring: Noticing Change and New Beginnings
Early spring doesn’t arrive all at once. Snow melts in patches, buds begin to swell, and birds return—sometimes before we’re ready to believe the season is changing.
From a distance, it can still look like winter. But up close, the shift has already begun.
This curated collection of early spring stories focuses on that transition—when the world moves from stillness toward growth.
Explore the beginning of the series here:
🌱 March — Return & Anticipation
Read the curated list here:
→ Early Spring Stories for Children
Or use this season as part of a broader reading rhythm:
→ A–Z Reading Challenge printable
If you’d like a more guided way to observe and reflect:
→ Early Spring Observation + Story Guide
What’s Coming Next
Last month we talked about how parMINDary approaches reading as a way of making sense of the world.
More printable tools and curated book lists are in development:
- Mid-Spring: Movement & Growth
- Weather Stories for Kids: Noticing Rain, Wind, and Change
- Language & Meaning (Washington Subject Series)
The Library will continue to grow slowly and intentionally—with free resources now, and additional tools added over time.
→ Browse the parMINDary Library
Revisit our last announcement at parMINDary
→ A Beginning: The Homeschool Philosophy Tree
If you’d like occasional updates when new posts and printables are released, you’re warmly invited to join the mailing list below.
Learning is already happening.
Our role is to notice.