Homeschooling Books
I am a reader. Oh, how I love to read. I review books specifically for a site called Squeaky Clean Reads. Here, however, are books solely for my own information. These books I would categorize as 'Self-Help', since they're all about homeschooling. I'm trying to glean as much as I can from others as I work my way through this new adventure for our family called Homeschooling!
(Oh, and parenting books are included in this list...a good parent is a good teacher, and some parenting books have some great schooling tips without even knowing it!!)
(Disclaimer: I do not receive any reimbursement or revenue from posting these books and my thoughts about them. These are posted her for personal reference only.)
(Oh, and parenting books are included in this list...a good parent is a good teacher, and some parenting books have some great schooling tips without even knowing it!!)
(Disclaimer: I do not receive any reimbursement or revenue from posting these books and my thoughts about them. These are posted her for personal reference only.)
Homeschooling and Loving It
_by Rebecca Kochenderfer
Some of the things I really liked about this book: There are lots of springboard-type ideas (such as how to do goals and what to think about when it comes to schedules and things). There are lots of tidbits of information from other homeschoolers, which is always nice. It's good to get lots of ideas from others. I also liked many of the 'activities' and reproducible pages to keep for goal-setting, profiling, scheduling, etc.
Unfortunately, bad grammar, misspellings, and bad editing irritate me beyond all reason. I know it shouldn't. I know I should just look past it and take it for what it is. But, honestly, if you're going to write a book for people who are (or are thinking about) homeschooling, you think you'd try to do better in the editing department! Just seems like an oxymoron to me--people who are trying to educate their own kids by themselves and set them up for a fabulous future...reading a book with a LOT of run-on sentences and misplaced words...
The other thing: This book BARELY skims the tip of the iceberg. Like I said before, there are a lot of springboards for ideas and things, but there's not much meat. I don't think that was really her purpose, though. From my standpoint, it seems her purpose was just to give some basic guidelines to get you started on a new semester/year. It was very generic, and in that sense it was helpful. It's written in 'spoken' language instead of 'written' language, which can sometimes be nice, but mostly I felt like I was reading a very long blog post by a peppy person. And while I don't think I'd ask her to proofread any of my papers, I did glean some ideas from her and I will use the book for help in filing all of my profiling and scheduling. A solid 3 stars from me!
Some of the things I really liked about this book: There are lots of springboard-type ideas (such as how to do goals and what to think about when it comes to schedules and things). There are lots of tidbits of information from other homeschoolers, which is always nice. It's good to get lots of ideas from others. I also liked many of the 'activities' and reproducible pages to keep for goal-setting, profiling, scheduling, etc.
Unfortunately, bad grammar, misspellings, and bad editing irritate me beyond all reason. I know it shouldn't. I know I should just look past it and take it for what it is. But, honestly, if you're going to write a book for people who are (or are thinking about) homeschooling, you think you'd try to do better in the editing department! Just seems like an oxymoron to me--people who are trying to educate their own kids by themselves and set them up for a fabulous future...reading a book with a LOT of run-on sentences and misplaced words...
The other thing: This book BARELY skims the tip of the iceberg. Like I said before, there are a lot of springboards for ideas and things, but there's not much meat. I don't think that was really her purpose, though. From my standpoint, it seems her purpose was just to give some basic guidelines to get you started on a new semester/year. It was very generic, and in that sense it was helpful. It's written in 'spoken' language instead of 'written' language, which can sometimes be nice, but mostly I felt like I was reading a very long blog post by a peppy person. And while I don't think I'd ask her to proofread any of my papers, I did glean some ideas from her and I will use the book for help in filing all of my profiling and scheduling. A solid 3 stars from me!
So You're Thinking About Homeschooling
_by Lisa Whelchel
This may sound corny, but I was often moved to tears while reading this book. It touched my heart in so many ways—reminding me why I’m even considering this method in the first place. Every story is different. But they have one thing in common: they’re stories of love and family and personal reasons for choosing to bring your kids back home and teach them yourself.
I suppose some may think it is presented in a very cheesy, hokey way, but I liked it. It felt welcoming and friendly and comfortable. Just like what my idea of life should be. It’s a great intro to lots of different methods: Text books, online schools, classical, principle approach, eclectic, Video schooling, Unit studies, apprenticeship, Charlotte Mason, unschooling, etc. While it really only scratches the surface of many different methods, it gives you just enough to whet your appetite! I was able to see enough from the short summaries given for me to discern whether it would be a method I could use or not.
I feel this is a great starting point for someone just wanting to browse a bit without being drowned in ALL the info that’s available out there. There are no exhaustive lists of curriculums or methods or lists of whatever. Instead, you can read this, pick a few starting points, and go from there. This is a fast, engaging read, and I learned a thing or two. That makes a book worthwhile in my eyes! I’m ready to dive in with the method (or two or three) that called to me and see what I can find. Five stars from me!
This may sound corny, but I was often moved to tears while reading this book. It touched my heart in so many ways—reminding me why I’m even considering this method in the first place. Every story is different. But they have one thing in common: they’re stories of love and family and personal reasons for choosing to bring your kids back home and teach them yourself.
I suppose some may think it is presented in a very cheesy, hokey way, but I liked it. It felt welcoming and friendly and comfortable. Just like what my idea of life should be. It’s a great intro to lots of different methods: Text books, online schools, classical, principle approach, eclectic, Video schooling, Unit studies, apprenticeship, Charlotte Mason, unschooling, etc. While it really only scratches the surface of many different methods, it gives you just enough to whet your appetite! I was able to see enough from the short summaries given for me to discern whether it would be a method I could use or not.
I feel this is a great starting point for someone just wanting to browse a bit without being drowned in ALL the info that’s available out there. There are no exhaustive lists of curriculums or methods or lists of whatever. Instead, you can read this, pick a few starting points, and go from there. This is a fast, engaging read, and I learned a thing or two. That makes a book worthwhile in my eyes! I’m ready to dive in with the method (or two or three) that called to me and see what I can find. Five stars from me!
A Charlotte Mason Education
A Home Schooling How-To Manual
by Catherine Levison
This little book is almost written as a pamphlet outlining the Charlotte Mason philosophy in a nutshell. After reading this, I do believe that I will be implementing many of Charlotte Mason's ideas in my homeschooling. I LOVE the child's motto: "I am, I can, I ought, I will." The meanings behind these phrases are perfect for what I want my kids to learn and what I want in my home. I also love the stressing of short classes and narration for memorization.
I think the best part about this book, though, are the references to habit. Ms. Levison talks a little bit about Charlotte Mason's emphasis on good habits, then she highlights the different habits discussed by Charlotte Mason in her original books. In this chapter, we receive a list, starting with Volume I and continuing on through all 6 volumes, of the habits, and the page number where it can be found and studied! What an invaluable resource!
All in all, this book is a great summary of the Charlotte Mason method. I will refer back to it. It has also whetted my appetite to read more, including Charlotte Mason's original series! 5 Stars!
by Catherine Levison
This little book is almost written as a pamphlet outlining the Charlotte Mason philosophy in a nutshell. After reading this, I do believe that I will be implementing many of Charlotte Mason's ideas in my homeschooling. I LOVE the child's motto: "I am, I can, I ought, I will." The meanings behind these phrases are perfect for what I want my kids to learn and what I want in my home. I also love the stressing of short classes and narration for memorization.
I think the best part about this book, though, are the references to habit. Ms. Levison talks a little bit about Charlotte Mason's emphasis on good habits, then she highlights the different habits discussed by Charlotte Mason in her original books. In this chapter, we receive a list, starting with Volume I and continuing on through all 6 volumes, of the habits, and the page number where it can be found and studied! What an invaluable resource!
All in all, this book is a great summary of the Charlotte Mason method. I will refer back to it. It has also whetted my appetite to read more, including Charlotte Mason's original series! 5 Stars!
The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling
by Debra Bell
This was the very first homeschooling book I ever got my hands on. I read it for the first time about 4 years ago, and I think it was this that REALLY got my wheels turning and making me think about homeschooling as a viable option for us. I just re-read it and it was just as helpful. This edition is a little out-dated, but still useful. There is all kinds of info for all aspects of homeschooling. She gives tips and recommendations for curriculum, ideas for working with lots of kids, etc., but I think the most important thing I got from this is the fact that you CAN do this! The support you feel from her is such a great motivator--knowing she (and others) are not perfect, but keep at it because it's important to them and their families. My copy is full of sticky notes for quick reference later. 4.5 Stars--it's staying on my shelves!!
This was the very first homeschooling book I ever got my hands on. I read it for the first time about 4 years ago, and I think it was this that REALLY got my wheels turning and making me think about homeschooling as a viable option for us. I just re-read it and it was just as helpful. This edition is a little out-dated, but still useful. There is all kinds of info for all aspects of homeschooling. She gives tips and recommendations for curriculum, ideas for working with lots of kids, etc., but I think the most important thing I got from this is the fact that you CAN do this! The support you feel from her is such a great motivator--knowing she (and others) are not perfect, but keep at it because it's important to them and their families. My copy is full of sticky notes for quick reference later. 4.5 Stars--it's staying on my shelves!!