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The Everything Guide To Homeschooling: All You Need to Create the Best Curriculum and Learning Environment for Your Child
An accessible guide for fun and stress-free homeschooling!When you homeschool your children, you can shape their education according to your own standards, values, and ideas. In The Everything Guide to Homeschooling, homeschooler Sherri Linsenbach provides you with all the information, inspiration, and encouragement you need to easily and successfully homeschool your children from grades K–12. This complete guide contains information Common Core standards and how they impact familiesCreating plans for typical homeschool days, including schedules and activitiesUtilizing curriculum resources, strategies, and methodsManaging specific learning styles and special needsThis guide is packed full of ideas to make homeschooling your child easy, affordable, and, most of all, fun. With ideas for tackling social issues and motivating your child, this is the only reference you'll need to keep home education exciting and ensure your child’s success!
- GenresNonfiction
306 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 14, 2015
131 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
February 9, 2017
This book was less of a comprehensive guide and more like a pile of advice and opinions. It offered a very limited overview of styles (Unschooling = PERFECT, Unit Studies = OKAY, Structured Schedule = BAD BAD BAD). The author did not cite credible research on what works and why. Covered dozens of topics at a scant paragraph a piece.
Too shallow of a read for me as someone seriously considering taking the leap into homeschooling for the first time. Will continue looking for more research-based advice.
Too shallow of a read for me as someone seriously considering taking the leap into homeschooling for the first time. Will continue looking for more research-based advice.
April 8, 2023
I'm surprised more people haven't read this book and that it's not rated higher. I found this book to be incredibly helpful! It really has all the information you need for starting out. It gives great advice, it helps you learn about the different types of homeschooling, legal stuff, and everything in-between.
I highly recommend this one!
I highly recommend this one!
March 7, 2021
I've been homeschooling my kids for a year now. Everything I've learned and tried has been inspired by other friends who homeschool or internet resources. This is the first book that I've picked up on the subject. I feel a little silly admitting that. I guess I was afraid of information overload.
Thankfully, this book gives a brief overview of the basics. Finally I think I understand the difference between the buzzwords "deschooling" (the decompression period after kids leave the traditional public schooling system and and begin their homeschooling journey) and "unschooling" (a style of homeschooling that gives a child more freedom to explore their own interests)- phrases that seemed to pop up everywhere in internet articles and annoy me to no end because of their vagueness. I'm less frustrated now.
Thanks to this book, I now have an easier time defining where our family is at and what our style has been up until this point. (We've been "eclectic" in our approach.) I'm now able to discern that our family is steering away from traditional methods and rapidly approaching adventures in "unschooling." This book has given me a lot of fresh ideas to experiment with, as well as advice for when things don't seem to be working out and I personally feel like giving up.
Overall, this was a very helpful book and I'm glad that I found it in our library system. I did, however, have a few problems with it:
1. Twice I found the author's coaching to be a little out-of-touch. The first time, she suggested taking one half-an-hour break if a parent was feeling burned out. My kids are up for 13 hours straight. What parent in their right mind takes one half-hour break? The second time, she suggested that a parent working 11p-7a ought to be present in the homeschooling process while the other parent works 8a-4p...and then they can both help side-by-side after 4. "Of course, the parent working nights will have to sleep at some point..." Ya think?
2. The ebook version had formatting issues in the appendix. I couldn't read the links.
3. I read it from cover to cover. It was a bit repetitive at times. Then again, as a reference book this can be helpful. For example, I plan to revisit the book when my oldest becomes a teenager. At that time, I might only need the chapter on teens.
If you're like me and new to homeschooling, this book gives a gentle introduction. Maybe give it a try.
Thankfully, this book gives a brief overview of the basics. Finally I think I understand the difference between the buzzwords "deschooling" (the decompression period after kids leave the traditional public schooling system and and begin their homeschooling journey) and "unschooling" (a style of homeschooling that gives a child more freedom to explore their own interests)- phrases that seemed to pop up everywhere in internet articles and annoy me to no end because of their vagueness. I'm less frustrated now.
Thanks to this book, I now have an easier time defining where our family is at and what our style has been up until this point. (We've been "eclectic" in our approach.) I'm now able to discern that our family is steering away from traditional methods and rapidly approaching adventures in "unschooling." This book has given me a lot of fresh ideas to experiment with, as well as advice for when things don't seem to be working out and I personally feel like giving up.
Overall, this was a very helpful book and I'm glad that I found it in our library system. I did, however, have a few problems with it:
1. Twice I found the author's coaching to be a little out-of-touch. The first time, she suggested taking one half-an-hour break if a parent was feeling burned out. My kids are up for 13 hours straight. What parent in their right mind takes one half-hour break? The second time, she suggested that a parent working 11p-7a ought to be present in the homeschooling process while the other parent works 8a-4p...and then they can both help side-by-side after 4. "Of course, the parent working nights will have to sleep at some point..." Ya think?
2. The ebook version had formatting issues in the appendix. I couldn't read the links.
3. I read it from cover to cover. It was a bit repetitive at times. Then again, as a reference book this can be helpful. For example, I plan to revisit the book when my oldest becomes a teenager. At that time, I might only need the chapter on teens.
If you're like me and new to homeschooling, this book gives a gentle introduction. Maybe give it a try.
February 24, 2020
Admittedly, I am not the ideal audience for this book. I do not have any children nor do I at present have any direct involvement in the ordinary education of anyone else's children. That said, while I went to public school growing up, the idea of homeschooling in the future is of great appeal, and I think it is worthwhile to study even those areas that are not of immediate relevance. Given my general mistrust of the public school system and my own experiences there as well as my belief that children would do better away from the prison-like atmosphere of contemporary schools and the indoctrination of contemporary educators, homeschooling is appealing even if it involves a substantial amount of work. The popularity of this book and others like it is an indication of the popularity of homeschooling in a world where such suspicion as I have of the public education system and its flaws has become increasingly widespread. This book may not include everything one may want to know about homeschooling, but it is a great resource for those who are thinking about adopting such a step and want to know the logistics involved.
This book is about 300 pages and is divided into twenty-four chapters. The book begins with a discussion of the top ten benefits of homeschooling and an introduction. After that there is a look at home education expectations that encourages parents about its feasibility (1) and a discussion of various learning styles and teaching methods that vary across children and parents (2). There is a discussion on the legal issues of homeschooling (3) and various approaches that range from virtual schools to unschooling (4). The author spends some time talking about socialization (5) and understanding unschooling and unit studies (6) as well as fun learning activities (7). There is a discussion of frugal homeschooling options (8), choosing curriculum (9), and common core standards (10). The author talks about scheduling (11), record keeping (12), organizing one's homeschool (13), and dealing with typical and atypical days (14). The next set of chapters then looks at the size of one's homeschool (15) as well as the single-parent (16) and working parent (17) homeschools. The author then discusses homeschooling in the early years (18), elementary years (19), middle years (20), and teen years (21). The book then ends with a discussion of special needs children (22), avoiding burnout (23) for veteran parents, and college and beyond (24), as well as three appendices that provide resources (i), curriculum programs (ii), and national homeschooling organizations (iii), as well as an index.
What is particularly admirable about this book is that it does not assume a specific reason that someone may want to do homeschooling, nor does it assume that a parent would want to use a specific approach. Indeed, the author's unwillingness to promote a one-size fits all and the discussion of the importance of both parents (if possible) working with children for their education as well as the importance of being sensitive to how a child learns best is a refreshing one that ought to prompt the thinking of parents about such matters. The author is comforting and encouraging throughout about the competence of parents to educate children and to gain resources that can teach areas where the parent may not have any particular expertise. The encouragement of unit studies as a way of overcoming the segmentation and specialization of much of contemporary education as well as the encouragement of unschooling as a way to tailor education to the interests and passions of children--assuming that they have passions that can be channeled to reading and research--is definitely welcome as well. The book certainly gave me some ideas as to what would be necessary to homeschool and some encouragement that it would not be so difficult to manage as a person who finds self-education compelling personally.
This book is about 300 pages and is divided into twenty-four chapters. The book begins with a discussion of the top ten benefits of homeschooling and an introduction. After that there is a look at home education expectations that encourages parents about its feasibility (1) and a discussion of various learning styles and teaching methods that vary across children and parents (2). There is a discussion on the legal issues of homeschooling (3) and various approaches that range from virtual schools to unschooling (4). The author spends some time talking about socialization (5) and understanding unschooling and unit studies (6) as well as fun learning activities (7). There is a discussion of frugal homeschooling options (8), choosing curriculum (9), and common core standards (10). The author talks about scheduling (11), record keeping (12), organizing one's homeschool (13), and dealing with typical and atypical days (14). The next set of chapters then looks at the size of one's homeschool (15) as well as the single-parent (16) and working parent (17) homeschools. The author then discusses homeschooling in the early years (18), elementary years (19), middle years (20), and teen years (21). The book then ends with a discussion of special needs children (22), avoiding burnout (23) for veteran parents, and college and beyond (24), as well as three appendices that provide resources (i), curriculum programs (ii), and national homeschooling organizations (iii), as well as an index.
What is particularly admirable about this book is that it does not assume a specific reason that someone may want to do homeschooling, nor does it assume that a parent would want to use a specific approach. Indeed, the author's unwillingness to promote a one-size fits all and the discussion of the importance of both parents (if possible) working with children for their education as well as the importance of being sensitive to how a child learns best is a refreshing one that ought to prompt the thinking of parents about such matters. The author is comforting and encouraging throughout about the competence of parents to educate children and to gain resources that can teach areas where the parent may not have any particular expertise. The encouragement of unit studies as a way of overcoming the segmentation and specialization of much of contemporary education as well as the encouragement of unschooling as a way to tailor education to the interests and passions of children--assuming that they have passions that can be channeled to reading and research--is definitely welcome as well. The book certainly gave me some ideas as to what would be necessary to homeschool and some encouragement that it would not be so difficult to manage as a person who finds self-education compelling personally.
October 17, 2018
For the length of this guide there is a lot of useful information. Given that the copy I read was published in 2015, some of the links and resources are out of date and there's a plethera of new information and resources out there that the guide doesn't even touch on - but what it does cover I found to be very useful. It gives a nice overview of resources for parents looking into homeschooling as an option. It's a good jumping off point for anyone looking to plan their own curriculum or find other programs that help with that. There are other books that dive deeper into things like unit studies and developing curriculum for your child - but I think it's so varied by the individual child's needs, that it would be hard for one book to satisfy that for all parents. This book does a good job of pointing out resources (though it's somewhat dated now), but I don't really feel that it touched on the learning environment so much as the title had suggested - though the learning environment is what you as the parent would choose it to be, so this is very open-ended. I think it should be updated to include websites that provide useful information for parents of homeschoolers such as Teachers Pay Teachers, or iXL or Mobymax, etc... and Pinterest! Something more comprehensive would be nice.
February 4, 2024
I’ve been homeschooling my preschooler for about two months now trying to get him ready for kindergarten, we are still unsure if we are sending him to school or going to continue homeschooling. Since I’ve been doing this with him for two months, I have changed the way we were doing things on my own because I saw he wasn’t responding to the slightly boring methods I was using beforehand. I found this book very validating and reassuring. There are so many ways to homeschool and I am somebody who will overstress about the little details and the big picture. Is everything that I’m doing right now going to have the best result? After reading this book, I do feel more confident and what I’ve been doing, and also confident in my ability to switch things up if they are still a little tedious for my son.
I will say as a neurodivergent parent doing homeschooling. I would’ve preferred a few more examples in most of these sections. Charts and pictures really help me to gauge what I’ve been doing. I am a visual learner and I need charts and visual aids to track progress in everything.
That being said, I do feel like this is a great starting point and a great middle point if you just need that mental boost on your homeschool journey.
I will say as a neurodivergent parent doing homeschooling. I would’ve preferred a few more examples in most of these sections. Charts and pictures really help me to gauge what I’ve been doing. I am a visual learner and I need charts and visual aids to track progress in everything.
That being said, I do feel like this is a great starting point and a great middle point if you just need that mental boost on your homeschool journey.
September 24, 2020
My daughter is currently two, but I have these dreams of homeschooling her. Especially after working in schools, I have some issues on what are we teaching kids (to sit a certain way, be quiet) and what we are not teaching kids (creativity is not always rewarded, same for originality). My dream of living off the grid in the woods and teaching her...well, this is a great resource guide, so if I ever end up doing that, I'll be following this for sure!
July 2, 2024
It’s a great guideline for those lost in the what am I going to do an how am I going to do it phase. I skipped a few chapters as they didn’t apply to me. Overall a quick an easy ready that was helpful before the journey.
January 4, 2019
A decent reference manual that has lots of useful links.
July 5, 2020
Good book for a beginner. Thanks for the section dedicated to middle schoolers
August 8, 2020
Amazing!
The author’s extraordinary rich experience & the way she share it is amazing.. never thought about homeschooling but looks like very exciting & natural option🥰
The author’s extraordinary rich experience & the way she share it is amazing.. never thought about homeschooling but looks like very exciting & natural option🥰
June 30, 2021
Good for beginners, not as helpful for the well-seasoned home schoolers.
August 31, 2021
Lots of good info.
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September 25, 2024Decent tips and reminders, even for experienced educators.
June 28, 2016
Great resource book but actually more info than what I wanted right now for trying to decide about homeschooling for my kiddos. Will keep this book in mind for future. Has lesson plan ideas as well as a ton of web resource lists.
December 22, 2024
I found this book very helpful during my initial researching stages about homeschooling my children.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews