Jan Bloom

Gary and Jan began their homeschooling adventure in 1982. Though not old enough to be pioneers, they were in one of the first groups of settlers who followed the faint trails that later developed into the super highways of modern homeschooling. Their three children, homeschooled through high school, experienced the challenges life on the educational frontier presented yet became responsible, intelligent, sociable, well read adults who still love to learn. Gary and Jan currently have three adorable grandsons.

The Blooms began their exhibitor/speaker life after their children were grown and on their own, believing that what they learned in their years of homeschooling and living could be used to help other parents homeschool better, differently, and with more joy. Jan’s books and advice on what to read have helped countless parents who believed good reading was important but didn’t know where to begin. Gary gets to take the credit for the many dads who now incorporate a family reading time into their day. Both Gary and Jan love being used by God to heal, protect, challenge, and build up homeschooling families coast to coast.

In addition to BooksBloom seminars, they have been speakers at many state conferences including MACHE in Minnesota, CHEC in Colorado, CHEA in California, NCHE in North Carolina, INCH in Michigan, CHEA of Wisconsin, TPA of Wichita, and OCHEC in Oklahoma. 

Gary and Jan are available to answer any questions you have. Their email address is This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Their website is www.booksbloom.com Jan has a blog page at http://booksbloom.wordpress.com/

Interview With Jan Bloom

We all want our kids to grow up and magically have a love of books and reading, but how does that translate into reality in a modern world ruled by mass media, movies, computers, cell phones, Web 2.0, video games and more all competing for our kids time?  How can we inspire our kids to choose books instead of video games? How do we take a family currently focused on mass media and get them reading and loving books? And how do we instill a love of books if we never quite developed one?

Stand by for some great answers as I interview the Queen of Books, Jan Bloom of www.BooksBloom.com.  Jan is a delightful friend, author and hilarious homeschool speaker who has written two books that are essential for every homeschoolers library, Who Should We Then Read? with over 140 authors of good books for children and young adults and What Should We Then Know? Interviewing Jan is a breath of fresh air – she is inspirational, passionate and a genius at introducing kids to the best books!

How do you grow a booklover out of your kids?

Have some great books! Do more than just go to the library, check out, read and return them – OWN BOOKS! When we own things, we possess them, and we possess what we love. Teach your children to own books and take care of them! And let your kids see their parents reading for pleasure.

The number one KEY to make a booklover out of your kids – Read good books to your children before they can read. Once they can read on their own, find life changing books, that increase their imaginations.

If you want to get your kids off mass media, read Marie Winn’s The Plug In Drug: Televisions, Computers and Family Life for great ideas. Then try:

• Limiting your kids time with video games, movies, & TV
• You will understand the whole electronic stimulus to kids brains
• Realize it steals childhood and they don’t get to read

What do you do if your kids “hate to read?”

Evaluate the reasons why they hate to read. They may have never read a book, or had a book read to them that is totally captivating! If you’ve never experienced anything great – how would you ever know it is great? Does your child have a video (movies, TV, computer) addiction problem?  Is there some short circuit in your child’s brain that prevents them from reading well? Get that assessed, the educational aspect of reading can be greatly enhanced this way.

What is your favorite book?

Chronicles of Narnia – no doubt! I like fantasy, good stories about who I am in the world and the world I live in.  I love the Chronicles story, C.S. Lewis makes intangible concepts so concrete. My husband Gary loves true life, high adventure, cutting edge books, about adventures, explorers and risk takers. He really likes Safely Home by randy Alcorn. As we travel to seminars, we always listen to books on tape, currently a story about computer hackers, a modern book that our son in the Navy would love!

When you introduce kids to great books, you are building character into their lives, a love of the world, a love for the world, getting to know people and understand motivation. Books are a better way to get to know people, understand motives, thoughts, memories and what drives people. You get behind the surface in the way a movie never can. Books are a much more complete way to learn about the world, rather than the surfacey, visual world of media, or the “be anything you want” in the computer world. We need to understand real life and real people!

You don’t want to miss Jan and Gary Bloom at the 2nd Annual Midwinter Homeschool Convention and Book Sale February 1 & 2nd, 2008. You will never find a selection of used books like this, and you’ll be inspired by the Blooms live and in person! Jan will be autographing copies of Who Should We Then Read

Interview by Lisa Baughn for FamilyPastime Magazine www.familypastime.com