Jump to content

Menu

Must-read books for new homeschoolers?


warriormom
 Share

Recommended Posts

The "must-read" books for beginning home schoolers are....

(obviously Well-trained Mind :) )

1. Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer's "The Well Trained Mind"

2. Cathy Duffy's "100 Top Picks"

3. Debra Bell's "The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling"

4. Lisa Whelchel's "So You're Thinking About Homeschooling"

5. Susan Schaeffer Maculay's "For the Children's Sake"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I got a lot of mileage out of:

 

The Well-Adjusted Child

Latin-Centered Curriculum

 

Definitely these two. I also would recommend The Core, by Leigh Bortins (the founder of Classical Conversations). I disagreed with a lot of what was presented in The Core, but it validated the way I felt about LCC! I'm not sure I would be as confident in my beliefs without having read The Core.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1. Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer's "The Well Trained Mind"

2. Cathy Duffy's "100 Top Picks"

3. Debra Bell's "The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling"

4. Lisa Whelchel's "So You're Thinking About Homeschooling"

5. Susan Schaeffer Maculay's "For the Children's Sake"

 

:iagree: These are mine as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

First, The Lost Tools of Learning (essay available online) and then Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning and Classical Education and the Homeschool (both by Doug Wilson.)

 

If you were starting with older dc, I would add The Trivium (Sister Miriam Joseph.) If you are starting with younger dc, read Ruth Beechick's 3R's series. Either way, read Beechick's You Can Teach your Child Successfully.

 

Also, The Seven Laws of Teaching (Gregory,) The Well-Trained Mind, and Teaching the Trivium (Bluedorns.)

 

I would read back articles at Memoria Press and Veritas Press and order at least one year's conference from the Circe Institute and the ACCS. Also, download SWB's talks from PHP. Go to Ambleside Online and read as much as possible of Charlotte Mason's original writings.

 

I wouldn't recommend derivative works (The Core, LCC, the various authors who write about Charlotte Mason, etc.) until after that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I Saw The Angel In the Marble by Chris and Ellyn Davis

 

 

Also very helpful for me have been a half dozen or so "A day in the life of a homeschooling family" type books. It is fun and enlightening to see some of the many ways that homeschooling can look and to see philosophies and principles lived out.

Edited by ScoutTN
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am certainly not any kind of expert on the question as I am just part-time homeschooling my 4 year old now and won't homeschool full time till next school year when all 5 of my kiddos will be home BUT...

 

I went to the library and checked out lots of homeschooling books (including many of the ones mentioned here). After reading a few, I started getting SO overwhelmed, thinking "How in the world am I going to do this?". There was so much good information, but I really started feeling inadequate.

 

I happened to also pick up a book by Diana Johnson called When Homeschooling Gets Tough, and it was the best thing I could read. While it is aimed at current homeschooling parents, her encouragement and her ability to put everything into perspective (even for someone who hasn't completely gotten her feet wet in homeschooling) made reading books like WTM and other big, thick books :001_smile: something I could do without becoming completely overwhelmed!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

John Holt. When I started hanging out with homeschoolers and asking questions, several people loaned me John Holt's books. They completely convinced me that I was not an unschooler, and I realized that what I wanted to do with/for my children was the exact reverse of Holt's ideas about education. Sometimes knowing what kind of homeschooler you aren't helps you make curriculum and pedagogy decisions more than trying to figure out what kind you are.

 

Alfie Kohn, for the same reasons. Never read anything by either man that I agreed with.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1. Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer's "The Well Trained Mind"

2. Cathy Duffy's "100 Top Picks"

3. Debra Bell's "The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling"

4. Lisa Whelchel's "So You're Thinking About Homeschooling"

5. Susan Schaeffer Maculay's "For the Children's Sake"

6. The Lost Tools of Learning by Dorothy Sayers http://www.gbt.org/text/sayers.html

I re-read this essay each year to affirm why Dh and I are home educating Dd.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

John Holt. When I started hanging out with homeschoolers and asking questions, several people loaned me John Holt's books. They completely convinced me that I was not an unschooler, and I realized that what I wanted to do with/for my children was the exact reverse of Holt's ideas about education. Sometimes knowing what kind of homeschooler you aren't helps you make curriculum and pedagogy decisions more than trying to figure out what kind you are.

 

Alfie Kohn, for the same reasons. Never read anything by either man that I agreed with.

 

:iagree: There are a humongous amount of unschoolers in my area who recommended Holt's books to me. I had the feeling it wasn't for me, but I read it anyway. Well, maybe just the first 10 pages :tongue_smilie: . I agree wholeheartedly that reading widely in the homeschooling section of your local library will really help you see what resonates with you.

 

I really enjoyed all of Linda Dobson's books since they curbed a lot of my fears at even considering homeschooling my child. WTM gave me a plan and the structure that I craved..I still come back to it when I'm feeling in over my head and it chills me out :D.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...