New Homeschooler Reading Guide
New to homeschooling? Feeling overwhelmed? Well, take a deep breath. You can do this and there are more resources now than ever before to help the homeschooling parent. Of course, the wealth of resources might just be one of the many factors causing you to feel overwhelmed. Not to worry. Here are a few excellent resources to begin your journey!
Julie Bogart The Brave Learner:
Julie Bogart The Brave Learner:
If you're thinking about unschooling there are some excellent resources to help you with this as well. With unschooling you give up some of the structure in favor of following your child's interests. Pam Laricchia has two very good books to introduce you to this approach and help you make it work:
The unschooling mindset largely involves the parent as curator. You make resources available, offer options, suggest ideas. And then leave the decision about what to pursue to the child.
In my own experience, making this works means being able to make connections between subjects. I have found that my own eclectic reading really pays off here as I can connect any subject my daughter is interested in with virtually any other academic subject she might still need more exposure to.
Do you have a teenager who is wanting to start homeschooling? There are some excellent resources to inspire them as well.
Grace Llewellyn The Teenage Liberation Handbook:
In my own experience, making this works means being able to make connections between subjects. I have found that my own eclectic reading really pays off here as I can connect any subject my daughter is interested in with virtually any other academic subject she might still need more exposure to.
Do you have a teenager who is wanting to start homeschooling? There are some excellent resources to inspire them as well.
Grace Llewellyn The Teenage Liberation Handbook:
This book is written as a "how to" for the teen to read themselves but it also has good ideas for parents as well. It's primary focus is to give teens advice on taking charge of their own learning. There are chapters on how to unschool various subjects as well as how to get more practical real world experience in their learning.
For many homeschooling teens the transition from structured lessons to an approach that gives them more autonomy is a natural one. Helping them to see that learning is their job and something they should take ownership of is an important step towards becoming a well-educated adult. |
This book is written in a question-and-answer format. If you have a question about homeschooling, how to get kids to learn, what to do about screens, or what to do if your child is "falling behind" this book addresses the question and provides some useful insights. Like many of the resources I've recommended the advice hinges on trying to put your concerns into perspective and show you that not only can you homeschool, but your child is learning things, even if it doesn't always seem to be the case.
I personally found this book very helpful in addressing some of my own concerns with homeschooling in general and unschooling in particular. Kream has done her homework and her answers are well thought out and informative. |
If you're looking for more structure and guidance this is an excellent book. This book lays out detailed recommendations for what kids need to learn and recommendations for resources to use for Pre-K through high school. While our family largely unschools, I have used this guide to give me ideas about the kinds of resources available and things to introduce my daughter to as we explore various topics.
And, even with an unschooling approach, I find it helpful to have some guidance on topics that would be good to know. In fact, while I like unschooling as a method, I have a lot of sympathy for the idea that there are certain things everyone should know. E.D. Hirsch famously writes about this as "cultural literacy" and I think there is something important to consider in this idea. I my experience, an informal unschooling approach can be a good way to achieve the goals of gaining cultural literacy. Combining the two may offer a better approach than either can offer on their own. |
Finally, there's nothing like talking to other homeschooling parents. They've done what you're thinking about doing, they've had success, they've made mistakes, and they love to share their experiences. Of course, any advice you get will have to be tailored for your own family's needs and situation. That will be true of any approach you take to educating your children. One of the best parts of the experience for me has been the opportunity to learn myself. In educating someone else you inevitably educate yourself. You both benefit from the process.
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