If you could have only 1 hs book...

[boysmom2]

What would it be? I need to spend a little more at amazon to get free shipping, so I thought I'd add a hs book, but I don't know which one. We're considering switching to hs from ps and I'm looking for a good book about hs, one that would be worth owning, rather than just borrowing from the library. So, if you had to pick one, what would it be?

[atreyyena]

do you mean a homeschooling resource, with information about how or why to homeschool, good curriculum, or a book for your ps'er about why they're going to start homeschooling and why that's a good thing?

also how old are your kid(s)? Is this a resource for them, or for you?

Mandy

[theretohere]

The Well Trained Mind, by Susan Wise Bauer would be my pick.

[elizawill]

i probably reference "home learning year by year" by rebecca rupp the most. i wouldn't say it's a "must have", but i really love it a lot... plus, it's pretty cheap. hth.

[Tjej]

I don't homeschool (yet - the kids are 3 and 2), but the book I borrowed from the library that I have really really liked is the Cathy Duffy 100 top picks book. It goes into learning styles and gives a ton of information about all sorts of different resources. When my kids are older, I will buy it.

Tjej

ETA: It definitely has a Christian slant. I personally think the cirriculum and learning style info is still really helpful even if a person wasn't a Christian.

[EmmalinesMom]

If you're looking for a resource, you might check out the Story of the World. You can likely find a used copy. There is history, of course, but lots of extra book recommendations, websites, materials for photocopying, etc. We've used it for 2 years for 2nd and 3rd grade, but it could easily serve kids older, and even my 4 year old get something out of it.

Good luck!

[mama2cntrykids]

I would say Educating the Whole-hearted Child by Sally Clarkson and her dh (can't remember his name right now Doug maybe?). A close second would be Help for the Harried Homeschooler by Christine Field OR Homeschooling for Eternity by umm...forgetting her name, lol.

Oh, wait, you said ONE, right ?? It's hard to choose just one!

[Collinsky]

I'm going to suggest Learning All the Time by John Holt... a great place to start, a quick and easy read, and not expensive!

[Lillian J]

Originally Posted by Collinsky

I'm going to suggest Learning All the Time by John Holt... a great place to start, a quick and easy read, and not expensive!

I was having a hard time thinking of just one - but I think this is an EXCELLENT suggestion.
- Lillian

[zjande]

Originally Posted by elizawill

i probably reference "home learning year by year" by rebecca rupp the most.

I've used this book far more than any other hs related book, every one of the 9 yrs we've been homeschooling. For me, no other hs book comes close to this one's usefulness.

[Lillian J]

Originally Posted by zjande

I've used this book far more than any other hs related book, every one of the 9 yrs we've been homeschooling. For me, no other hs book comes close to this one's usefulness.

I really like that one too - Rupp is wonderful - especially if people take it as the loose reference it's meant to be and not as a strict guide as to exactly what's supposed to be done when. - Lillian

[boysmom2]

Wow, you guys are aewsome! Now I'll have to pick one, or maybe 2...

Originally Posted by atreyyena

do you mean a homeschooling resource, with information about how or why to homeschool, good curriculum, or a book for your ps'er about why they're going to start homeschooling and why that's a good thing?

also how old are your kid(s)? Is this a resource for them, or for you?

Mandy

Sorry for the lack of clarification! I have 3 boys, 7y, 5y and 7mo. My 7yo is currently in the 2nd grade gifted class at our local ps. My 5 yo is in a preschool coop that I love (so much that if we do hs, I will probably still send my lo when he's old enough). I'm looking for a book for me, a (hopefully soon to be) hs mom. Not a curriculum book though, since I'm not too sure how/what exactly I want to do yet. More of a resource book.

Thanks everybody! Keep the ideas coming!

[nov05mama]

Originally Posted by Lillian J

Originally Posted by Collinsky

I'm going to suggest Learning All the Time by John Holt... a great place to start, a quick and easy read, and not expensive!

I was having a hard time thinking of just one - but I think this is an EXCELLENT suggestion.

Ditto! One of my favorite books I have read on HSing

[dotnetdiva]

I've read all these books. Well Trained Mind by SWB is by far the one that has helped me most. I just got done reading it for the 5th time, and it hasn't even been a year!

Rebecca Rup's book mentioned above is great, it is extremely inspiring. For a perfectionist like me, it makes me cringe how much I could buy to make homeschooling fun and exciting though! I have at least 2 of her books. I wish she would make updated versions. However, I have not used it much in our actual homeschooling and don't refer to it as much as WTM.

Learning All the Time by Holt, I read it twice, but have since decided that it is just not for us.

[Lillian J]

Originally Posted by boysmom2

I have 3 boys, 7y, 5y and 7mo. My 7yo is currently in the 2nd grade gifted class at our local ps. My 5 yo is in a preschool coop that I love (so much that if we do hs, I will probably still send my lo when he's old enough). I'm looking for a book for me, a (hopefully soon to be) hs mom. Not a curriculum book though, since I'm not too sure how/what exactly I want to do yet. More of a resource book.

Thanks everybody! Keep the ideas coming!

Ah! Well, then, Learning All the Time is perfect - but I want to add his How Children Learn. I wish I could remember the difference between them, but Holt's writings are always inspiring. He was a classroom teacher who grew to be an educational activist hoping to change the way schools thought, but he ended up being a powerful homeschooling/unschoooling advocate instead. And I want to add Linda Dobson's book, Homeschooling: The Early Years: Your Complete Guide to Successfully Homeschooling the 3- to 8- Year-Old Child. This one is a compilation of input from lots of homeschooling families, beautifully edited by Linda. No matter what book you get, this one should go into your library eventually too.

But you mention the word "resource," so maybe what you're looking for is more like the Rupp books. And Linda Dobson's The Ultimate Book of Homeschooling Ideas, a categorized collection of over 500 tried-and-true educational activities for all subjects, submitted by many homeschooling families - that could provide you lots of fun activities and even give you some ideas for the co-op.

Oh, dear...and now I'm thinking of others... Here's a post that has brief descriptions and links. And here's a good thread, although I'm afraid this gets into even more good ones - best books about homeschooling...

Have fun! Lillian

[boysmom2]

Oh my gosh! This is great! I actually haven't ordered anything yet - the flu knocked me out for the last several days. But I'm going to see which of these I can find. Thanks SO much!!

[MyLittleWonders]

I also love The Well Trained Mind, so that would be my pick. I think it ultimately will come down to what philosophy you might be leaning towards - Charlotte Mason, Classical/Neo-Classical, Waldorf, Unschooling, etc. We are classical/neo-classical, so TWTM would be the one resource I would want. YMMV.

[LucyRev]

Another vote for Linda Dobson's books that Lillian recommended. Those were among the first I read when I was making the decision to homeschool and they really helped. Getting a peek into how different families do it was so helpful.

I also love Holt's works and Home Learning Year by Year.

Also very inspirational even if you don't go the unschooling route are Grace Llewellyn's books about teenagers thriving without school. There are a few different ones.

[craft_media_hero]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Grimm's Fairy Tales.

DP just bought me this one and it's awesome!

Grimm's would be my homeschooling bible if I didn't have any other books. You can use it for copywork, memory verse, lots of number references to springboard for creative math, inspiration for arts and crafts.

[MyLittleWonders]

Originally Posted by craft_media_hero

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Grimm's Fairy Tales.

DP just bought me this one and it's awesome!

Grimm's would be my homeschooling bible if I didn't have any other books. You can use it for copywork, memory verse, lots of number references to springboard for creative math, inspiration for arts and crafts.

I just put that in my B&N shopping cart (MIL got me a giftcard for Christmas!).