The Beginners Guide to Homeschooling

by Patrick Farenga

A brief and useful guide to the essential information, resources, and guidance you need for starting homeschooling. Questions and answewrs about homeschooling, suggestions for creating or purchasing curricula and for record keeping and evaulation, history and research, as well as lists of state and national support groups, correspondence schools, and learning materials.

128 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2000

Reviews

[JD · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, I’ll admit it; I was a little frustrated with this book. Instead of being a person’s experiences and thoughts on homeschooling, it feels more like a book catalog in a library. The author will give a sentence or two, then tell you for more information to see his appendices or reference another book. In a 124 page book, the appendices start on page 62!

The best part of the book is that while the author is a fan of unschooling, he does give resources about many types of homeschooling. And if you’re looking for a book to give you references for other books to read on homeschooling – this is the place to go. Though a lot of his references he readily admits are out of print.

[Amber Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book single-handedly built up my courage and confidence to homeschool my son. It has so much helpful information. The only reason I rated 4 stars instead of 5, is because it has some outdated information here and there. If you are about to homeschool for the first time and need a confidence booster, this is the book to light the fire!

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an concise overview of homeschooling philosophy and practice. Though it's very general, it does present two methods, "unschooling" and "school at home." The appendixes are full of helpful resources. Though a bit dated, it is a great beginning book for families considering home schooling their children.

[Jodie St. Clair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great intro to Homeschooling or Unschooling. The information is a little dated (no websites listed anywhere!) but philosophy is timeless. It's a quick read and gives a good starting point as you begin research.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basic but helpful, but really outdated. Largely a list of resources.