Books about Home schooling your children

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The Ultimate Book of Homeschooling Ideas:
500+ Fun and Creative Learning Activities for Kids Ages 3-12
by Linda Dobson

A wonderful source for educational family activities
Reviewer: Midwest Book Review from Oregon, WI

 
  Written with kids age 3-12 in mind, The Ultimate Book Of Homeschooling Ideas presents over 500 creative and enjoyable learning activities specifically designed for use by homeschooling parents. The learning activities range from flash card games, to a pocket alphabet banner for pre-readers, to learning the basics about DNA, to a math game using Legos. Each of these original, innovative, and practical ideas consists of a brief overview and general suggestions; with the specifics of application being implied or left up to the home-based parental educator. The Ultimate Book Of Homeschooling Ideas is warmly commended as being an excellent resource for enriching young minds by homeschoolers (and equally recommended for those parents whose youngsters attend public or private schools), as well as a wonderful source for educational family activities during school holidays and summer vacations.

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The First Year of Homeschooling Your Child:
Your Complete Guide to Getting Off to the Right Start
by Linda Dobson

Good book for parents exploring homeschooling!
Reviewer: A reader from Green Bay, WI United States
 

  As a mom who is looking to home school, I am in the process of researching the subject. This book is very well and logically laid out and is objective in its approach, using both religious and secular families in its examples.

  The "What I Wish Someone Would Have Told Me..." excerpts throughout the book were great, as I had some of those same preconceived ideas in mind -- what a relief to know I won't have to go overboard on expensive curriculum and extremely structured "class" time!

  Ms. Dobson lays out the different homeschool approaches as well as goes through one week examples of each, most of which were interesting (although I must admit that after reading this part I found a couple of the approaches a little questionable ... it seems like class time is squeezed in between extracurricular activities (discussing topics in the car en route to/from karate or piano lessons)). Overall, I was pleased with the different approaches that are available (including online!), which has gotten me thinking about how I might want to do things, as well as eased some of my anxiety.

  The only thing I did find missing from the book was that several people said they came up with non-confrontational answers to people who question their homeschool decision, but no actual answer examples were given.

  I plan on going to several of the websites and user groups she has listed in the resource section. I plan on re-reading this book several times!!!

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Homeschool Your Child for Free:
More Than 1,200 Smart, Effective, and Practical Resources for Home Education on the Internet and Beyond
by LauraMaery Gold, Joan M. Zielinski

 The biggest library/laboratory in the world
Reviewer: Marji from WA
 

 The subtitle of this book is: "More than 1,200 Smart, Effective, and Practical Resources for Home Education on the Internet and Beyond." Those three words: "smart, effective, and practical" describe the reasons you should own this book!

 This is one homeschool investment that will pay off the first time you use it. Author LauraMaery Gold has provided a wealth of resources on such topics as language literacy, mathematics mastery, art appreciation, history highlights, music, social studies, humanities, science and health. In addition, she has crafted this book in such a way that there are multiple messages for both the novice and the veteran homeschooler. I just love the way she weaves storytelling of the very fabric of homeschooling life into her carefully selected resources. The hands-on, practical nature of her advice creates a complete homeschooling handbook, not just a reference book.

  Included are quotes and recommendations from actual homeschooling families, screen shots of sample web sites, a section on "the socialization question", and hundreds of "the very best" internet links, legal guidelines, and complete curriculum plans.

 From the back of the book: "For families who want to splurge on education but scrimp on spending ... The Internet is an open door to the biggest library/laboratory the world has ever seen--and it's all at your fingertips for free! This never-ending source of information, adventure, and educational experiences for the entire family is now compiled in a complete curriculum for any age in  Homeschool Your Child for Free."

( Note from the author: By the way: You need never worry about the book going out of date. So long as this edition is in print, owners will have unlimited access to our companion Web site with a regularly updated database of reviews and links to thousands of homeschooling resources.)

Courage! Marji
 

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Homeschooling: The Teen Years:
Your Complete Guide to Successfully Homeschooling the 13- To 18-Year Old (Prima Home Learning Library)
by Cafi Cohen

A.D.D. and Homeschooling
Reviewer: mykidsrfree from Stockton, CA, USA
 

   I just finished reading "Homeschooling the Teen Years." I've highlighted over half of the book, and now I'm reading through it for the second time. I'm checking out all of the web links listed etc. Thank you so very much for writing this terrific book. I am new to the homeschooling scene and would have been quite lost without it. You have pointed me in the right direction.

  Two weeks ago I pulled my 12 year old, seventh grade student from public school on basically what was a spur of the moment, desperation move. Long story short, he has been on Ritalin for 4 years, has never enjoyed even one day of school (including kindergarten), had a 504 plan for passive A.D.D and writing/processing problems. I was tired of trying to get the teachers to cooperate, my son to do his homework after school, tears, low self-esteem and failing grades. I just knew there had to be a better way to help my son receive the education he deserves.

  In just two short weeks, my son's behavior and personality are undergoing major changes. He is happier, less stressed, and for the first time -- willing to sit down and learn without the fear of failure. The greatest part of all is that he's no longer taking the Ritalin. I threw that away the day I pulled him from public school. Guess what? He's fine without it. I feel in my heart that this was the best decision I have ever made for my son.

  I was scared, doubting myself and wondering why in the world did I think I could do this. Now I know I can do this, and do it better then the schools. Thank you for being there for me when I needed you most. Your book has become my inspiration and will continue to guide me through the high school years.

Thank you, Cafie Cohen, from the bottom of my heart!

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