Like most homeschooling families, the walls of our house are lined with books. We turn to them for ideas, answers, solutions, inspiration, entertainment, and reassurance. During this brand new school year, here are a few we recommend.
NOTE: Although this list emphasizes homeschooling, (since that’s what we do) it’s not limited to information only useful to homeschoolers. Regardless of the form of “school” you’re using, your kids are learning all the time — and so are you.
Family Matters: Why Homeschooling Makes Sense
The author is not only a wonderful novelist, but also a public school teacher who teaches his own children at home. Inside this slim and beautifully readable volume are thought-provoking insights from the both perspectives.
Guerrilla Learning: How to Give Your Kids a Real Education With or Without School
Author, Grace Llewellyn, is a go-to guide for those with a bent toward “unschooling”. Even if you weren’t previously inclined, this might change your mind.
The Teenage Liberation Handbook: How to Quit School and Get a Real Life and Education
The same author as above — helpful information for people homeschooling/unschooling with teenagers.
The Natural Child: Parenting from the Heart
A beautifully simple parenting guide that encourages you to follow your instincts and common sense. If you’re tired of “methods”, this might be for you.
The Unschooling Handbook : How to Use the Whole World As Your Child’s Classroom
The title says it all.
Teach Your Own: The John Holt Book of Homeschooling
This list would certainly be incomplete without some wisdom from John Holt (aka: The Godfather of Homeschooling).
Instead of Education: Ways to Help People do Things Better
In this more recent and lesser known book, John Holt once again challenges the educational status-quo and offers ideas for how to give your kids a creative and self-motivated love of learning.
The Continuum Concept: In Search of Happiness Lost
This book just might change the way you think about EVERYTHING. (If that doesn’t spark your curiosity, you deserve a life of monotony.)
Einstein Never Used Flashcards: How Our Children Really Learn–and Why They Need to Play More and Memorize Less
Memorize less, play more, and emulate Einstein? Sold! The authors (also psychologists) of this book validate what many parents know by instinct (but can forget): kids need to play and explore; kids are learning all the time; hurrying intellectual development doesn’t work out in the long run and can actually be counter-productive. Don’t make your kids’ learning about scores and tests, as these provide only a narrow view of learning and development.
A Child’s Work: The Importance of Fantasy Play
From the inside flap: “Even for very young children, unstructured creative time in the classroom is waning as teachers and administrators are under growing pressures to measure school readiness through rote learning and increased homework. In her new book, Vivian Gussin Paley decries this rapid disappearance of creative time and makes the case for the critical role of fantasy play in the psychological, intellectual, and social development of young children.”
Beyond the Rainbow Bridge : Nurturing our children from birth to seven
A Waldorf-inspired guide for living happily with young children. Even if you don’t know a lot about Waldorf education and/or don’t completely subscribe to all the principles, the ideas in this book can be helpful for any parent who wants to provide a peaceful environment and learning that goes hand in hand with “the natural rhythms of everyday life”.
Heaven on Earth
A wonderful Waldorf guide from a teacher/author in our own hometown of Charlottesville, VA.
How to Talk so Kids Can Learn
The author of classics “How to Talk So Kids Will Listen, and Listen So Kids Will Talk” and “Siblings Without Rivalry” presents ideas on communication specific to education.
The Well-Adjusted Child: The Social Benefits of Homeschooling
A book that dares address the “S” word. Buy this for your skeptical in-laws.
Real-Life Homeschooling: The Stories of 21 Families Who Teach Their Children at Home
One of the most valuable sources of information for homeschoolers is other homeschoolers. Hearing the wildly varying tales of how other people homeschool can be inspiring and reassuring to newbies and old pros. The author of this fun collection of family profiles focused on DIVERSITY — if you think homeschoolers are all alike, think again.
During the coming year, Family Hack will be presenting a series of profiles on homeschooling families. Let us know what you would like to hear about from these families.
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Great list. I would also recommend Free Range Education by Terri Dowty – a wonderful look at home-education.
As you profile families I would like to hear about the argument that all “school” teachers make about kids being socially inept. The only socially inept kids I’ve met are the kids who have parents who are socially inept. How do they handle the argument? What steps do they take make sure their kids are “socialized” When I say socialized I mean outside of the circle of Church or other close friends.
In the profiles, I’d be curious to read about the variety of reasons people choose to homeschool, especially different secular reasons.
Great List of books . I would recomment this site http://www.goodwordbooks.com, where you would find books of immense inspiration, interest and fun. The books are categories differently for children, kids and adults.
Thanks
Goodword books
I book I think is great is “The Idle Parent” by Tom Hodgkinson . It’s published in the UK but I’m sure you could get hold of it; his approach seems to echo much of what I have read on your site. Tom argues that kids and adults alike need to play more and work less – hard to argue with that!
Love your Site!
I started homeschooling my 12 year old daughter after 6th grade. In our state that is the first year of middle school. She did well in 6th grade A-B honor roll for the entire year, without trying hard! She had come from a well known high achieving elementary school, where she had lots of friends she had known since Kindergarten! After elementary school our development had been re-zoned and she only had 3 friends from elementary school going on to middle school with her.
No problem! As they are still good friends to this day!
When her 7th grade year started she started coming home crying, then she was waking up crying, I continually asked “what is wrong”? She would say, “I hate school” I was thinking, “you have way too many years left to be this unhappy now”.
I started to look into homeschooling, and found lots of state funded programs that had already started their year. Some were no longer accepting new students, and some had wait list! Then I found K-12.com I saw where they still were accepting new students, and I quickly scanned all her documents and emailed them off! Within a day or so, I was on the phone with a representative, and within a week I was pulling her out of her middle school! On that day I finally got what she was going through as a student, I couldn’t believe my eyes! How rude the staff was, talking down to me, and my daughter. Treating Us like we were just another number, a paycheck walking out the door! I later found out that our public school system is at a county level of education, which is not a national level of education. So, the district gets to decide what they think is an “acceptable level education”. Whereas the state, has a national level education “a much higher standard”! I found out after her placement testing she was testing at a 5th grade math level! My “A-B honor roll student,” who just left 6th grade county school? Who would have known? I wouldn’t have questioned it? Had I not pulled her from the system, that is currently failing the rest of our county! She completed 7th grade in 7 months with straight A’s.
In a world where we don’t have enough teachers, ones who share the same goals for our children, dedication, and patience! Why not home school if you have the opportunity, it’s the most rewarding experience I have ever done!
Our son was born on the road. He loves being settled and loves hitting the road.
We are unschoolers as best we can be, so much to overcome, constantly!
That they can’t intermarry? ,
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