MUST READ BOOKS FOR EVERY HOMESCHOOL MOM:
When I made the decision to homeschool, I quickly jumped to reading and researching. I enjoy reading self-improve books a lot, so I didn’t mind this part of the process at all. I still continue to read and discover various methods and approaches and learning styles as each year goes by. I am always growing and my children are constantly changing, so it helps to have new and refreshing perspective as we take on this homeschool journey.
“Home Learning Year by Year: How to Design a Homeschool Curriculum from Preschool Through High School” – by Rebecca Rupp
This is a book that helps you to design a homeschool curriculum from preschool through high school. I did enjoy this book because it is very helpful to help you figure a curriculum especially when you are new to homeschooling. I appreciate having a guide like this because it gives you information from preschool through high school. Rebecca Rupp presents a structured plan that tells you what your children need to learn, grade-by-grade, so you are able to put together a program to keep them on track. Based on the traditional pre-K through 12th-grade structure, Home Learning Year by Year features:
The integral subjects to be covered within each grade
Standards for knowledge that should be acquired by your child at each level
Recommended books to use as texts for every subject
“THE BRAVE LEARNER: Finding Everyday Magic in Homeschool, Learning, and Life” – By Julie Bogart
Finding everyday magic in homeschool, learning, and life. Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? The Brave Learner is written by the creator of The Brave Writer curriculum. She shares her decade of experience to show how we can make education an exciting, enchanting experience for our kids, whether they’re in elementary or high school. It is also full of practical insights, which I really appreciate because I can apply it! She shows us how to make room for surprise, mystery, risk, and adventure in our family’s routine, so they can create an environment that naturally moves learning forward. I have learned a lot about “natural ways” in more recent years.
“The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home” – by Susan Wise Bauer
This one goes on the list of “must-haves.” There are great reviews of this book from some of the major publishers. This was my first homeschool book that I ever read. I consider this my homeschool to-go guide. Although I do not do everything suggested in this book, I constantly refer to it throughout my homeschool years and as I continue to build our Schoolization programs. The Well-Trained Mind will instruct you, step by step, on how to give your child an academically rigorous, comprehensive education from preschool through high school―one that will train him or her to read, to think, to understand, to be well-rounded and curious about learning. The book is organized with learning around the maturing capacity of the child’s mind and comprises three stages: the elementary school “grammar stage,” the middle school “logic stage,” and the high school “rhetoric stage.” Using this theory as your model, you’ll be able to instruct your child― in all levels of reading, writing, history, geography, mathematics, science, foreign languages, rhetoric, logic, art, and music, regardless of your own skill in those subjects. You will be able to use the content to help you create an excellent curriculum whether full-time or as a supplement to classroom education.
“The Unhurried Homeschooler: A Simple, Mercifully Short Book on Homeschooling” – by Durenda Wilson
If you struggle with fears and doubts about your homeschool journey, grab this quick read to give you some reassurance and help you keep positive even through the heavy days. This book is a short book on purpose, which I appreciated. Reading this short book is like having a cup of hot chocolate (or coffee) with a trusted friend. I am so glad I read it when I did. Durenda draws on her twenty years of homeschooling eight children to gently remind us about the things that really matter as a homeschooling family.
“102 TOP PICKS FOR HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM” – by Cathy Duffy
A well-known pick for homeschool moms. Most homeschool moms know about Cathy Duffy. It includes top picks for curriculum, and you can refer to it whenever you need to change something as your kids grow. It helps determine your child’s learning style and your teaching style and develop your own philosophy of education. Then, it gives you charts that break down the different curriculum that may suit your family’s style. Cathy does a fantastic job thoroughly reviewing each selection as well.