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What is on your Summer Reading List that is homeschool related?


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What's the teacher of your homeschool reading over the summer?

 

I have lined up:

 

When Children Love to Learn by Elaine Cooper et al

 

some Charlotte Mason-type material

 

and then I fizzle out......

 

 

I'm looking for other books that will refresh my love of homeschooling, perhaps challenge my existing thoughts/methods, and inspire me for 5th grade, so feel free to drop suggestions!

 

Please share what you are reading!

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What's the teacher of your homeschool reading over the summer?

 

I have lined up:

 

When Children Love to Learn by Elaine Cooper et al

 

some Charlotte Mason-type material

 

and then I fizzle out......

 

 

I'm looking for other books that will refresh my love of homeschooling, perhaps challenge my existing thoughts/methods, and inspire me for 5th grade, so feel free to drop suggestions!

 

Please share what you are reading!

 

I have this one on my shelf to read, too. Other than that, none. :tongue_smilie:

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I recently reread "Awakening Children's Minds" by psychologist Laura Berk, which is more geared toward teaching 3-8 year olds. Fantastic! It's one of the reasons I decided to NOT send my child to public school. I also read "The Changing of the Brain" by a biologist which looks at the biology behind learning. It gets technical in places but was quite interesting as well.

 

On my reading list for the summer:

How the Mind Works by Pinker (maybe)

Motivated Minds: Raising Children that Love Learning

Raising Your Spirited Child

 

I will be following this thread since I'm new to homeschooling (DS will be in K4 next year) and would love motivating books! I'm a big reader.

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Oh man, I got a huge stack. By my bedside right now:

 

Hold on To Your Kids

Brain Rules

With Rigor for All

Reading Like a Writer

Who Killed Homer

Simple & Direct: A Writer's Rhetoric

Learning All the Time

Raising Freethinkers

Little Big Minds

 

I also have Johnson's "A History of the American People" and Barzun's "From Dawn to Decadence: 500 Years of Western Cultural Life" in the wings, since I'm teaching American and World history next year. And desperately *trying* to finish Robinson Crusoe. And reading The Leopard for my book club . . . I could do nothing but read for the next 3 months and be a really happy camper! And you guys keep pointing out more must-reads every day . . . darn you! ;)

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I'm re-reading The Latin Centered Curriculum and the Logic stage section of the Well Trained Mind right now while I'm in planning mode.

 

Others on my list include:

The Great Tradition: Classic Readings On What It Means to be an Educated Human Being by Richard Gamble

Building the Christian Academy by Arthur Holmes

The Education of a Daughter by Archbishop Fenelon

 

There are some others I wanted to read but I need to study quite a bit this summer to stay ahead of my dd in both Latin and Greek.:gnorsi:

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I'm reading Edmund Sprunger' Helping Parents Practice, which is a Suzuki music book, but I've found it really inspiring from a homeschooling perspective. It's been interesting to read about how practice makes playing easier and then to extrapolate to other subjects.

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Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius is on my bedside table as we speak. And then maybe Graves of Academe.

 

And I just finished Nancy Wallace's two homeschool memoirs from the 1980s, Better Than School and A Child's Work. I returned the latter to the library too quickly, as I forgot to write down the title of a book or article she referenced that I wanted to look up. It was something like "Children on the Hill" (?) and it was said to be about a family homeschooling their four children, at least two of whom were significantly accelerated in math. Does that ring a bell with anyone?

 

On a related note, I also just finished David Guterson's Family Matters and found it to be a great disappointment. Chapters here and there were interesting, but the artificiality of some of the "scenes" (even if they were real!) drove me nuts, and other chapters just bored me stiff.

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The Book Whisperer

 

I would like to finish Climbing Parnassus. There is something about this book that makes it difficult for me to read when I'm distracted, which is pretty much all the time. Sigh.

 

The Great Tradition has been on my shelf for over a year. I should make time for that one too.

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I'm reading Edmund Sprunger' Helping Parents Practice, which is a Suzuki music book, but I've found it really inspiring from a homeschooling perspective. It's been interesting to read about how practice makes playing easier and then to extrapolate to other subjects.

 

Thanks for sharing this title. I am going to add it to my list.

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Well, I'm not sure this quite fits what you mean, but the book that is currently down in my sig as a read aloud, Through the Eyes of a Stranger by Will Bonsall. What was important about it was that it started as a book that was just for me--this was about a year ago. To take some reading time just for me, instead of everything being about him and homeschooling and his dyslexia etc.. And I think it helped for my son to see me really enjoying reading something, that was just for me. Then, I had recommended it to a friend, who reported back that she had loved it and got even more out of it on a second reading, so I decided to try a second reading myself. Then, my son got interested in this book that I seemed to be enjoying and asked if I would read it aloud to him--and while it is for adults it did not seem to be more mature in content than much of what he is coming to in his Rick Riordan reading--so now it is on a third reading as a read aloud.

 

On this third reading of Through the Eyes of a Stranger to my son as a read-aloud, I am finding it has some importance related to education, in addition to other areas. For example, the main character came from a society where most (peasant) children do not get to attend school. He then ends up in a society where people are expected to be educated, and are, in fact, lifetime learners, and he gets to go to school. The idea that someone might get to go to school, and that that might be a very special and wonderful privilege was a big surprise for my son. Anyway in a lot of ways it has just given a lot of food for thought about learning and what we are learning and why. And after a search for something about philosophy and government, this has turned out to be better than the things that I found that are meant for that.

 

Also probably not what you mean, but I have been previewing some possible materials for next year, such as Howard Zinn's US History for young people compared to Joy Hakim's and some others, and finding that interesting.

 

Then, finally, probably what you do mean, I have been reading some books about Executive Function like Smart but Scattered, and about Sensory Processing. And about motivation, and learning, like Drive.

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I'm reading Edmund Sprunger' Helping Parents Practice, which is a Suzuki music book, but I've found it really inspiring from a homeschooling perspective. It's been interesting to read about how practice makes playing easier and then to extrapolate to other subjects.

 

I've been procrastinating working on my own guitar playing, which I want to continue even though my son gave the guitar up. I don't study Suzuki method, however. Do you think this book would help me?

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I'm reading The Latin Centered Curriclulum. I just ordered from the WTB board and it will be my first time to read it!

 

I have done WTM cycles all along. We are in our logic stage and we are also reading some great books together. I use a literature based history curriculum. My children HATE history now. They liked it when they were younger and learning everything for the first time. They also loved American history with lots of picture books and chosen classics. I think it is because I have SOOOO many books that they could never read them all. They always feel "behind" bc there is always another book to read. I bought the Famous Men flashcard sets - they have retained a lot. Their notebooks look great and thorough. I think I just overkill the subject.

 

These are there favorite subject in order:

Latin

Science/Math

 

They constantly say they want the time to add Greek and Hebrew. They would rather have a textbook for history, read classics (not based on history), and focus their time on languages, math and science. Ack! So, I'm rethinking. I want to streamline history for them so they can pursue their passions...

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I'm reading The Latin Centered Curriclulum. I just ordered from the WTB board and it will be my first time to read it!

 

I have done WTM cycles all along. We are in our logic stage and we are also reading some great books together. I use a literature based history curriculum. My children HATE history now. They liked it when they were younger and learning everything for the first time. They also loved American history with lots of picture books and chosen classics. I think it is because I have SOOOO many books that they could never read them all. They always feel "behind" bc there is always another book to read. I bought the Famous Men flashcard sets - they have retained a lot. Their notebooks look great and thorough. I think I just overkill the subject.

 

These are there favorite subject in order:

Latin

Science/Math

 

They constantly say they want the time to add Greek and Hebrew. They would rather have a textbook for history, read classics (not based on history), and focus their time on languages, math and science. Ack! So, I'm rethinking. I want to streamline history for them so they can pursue their passions...

 

It sounds like your kids would really enjoy an LCC-style education, then, with the addition of more science resources. The Famous Men books are used as the only history selection in 3-6 grade. Of course, one hour per day of reading classic, good books is strongly suggested as well. :)

What edition did you buy?

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I just requested The History of the Medieval World from the library, to educate myself a bit before starting SOTW2 in August. I also plan to reread Deconstructing Penguins-it's a great book. I will be looking at some of the other suggestions on this thread!

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It sounds like your kids would really enjoy an LCC-style education, then, with the addition of more science resources. The Famous Men books are used as the only history selection in 3-6 grade. Of course, one hour per day of reading classic, good books is strongly suggested as well. :)

What edition did you buy?

I bought the 2nd edition...

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