How to homeschool the kids you have: Advice from the kitchen table

by Courtney Ostaff, Jenn Naughton, Drew Campbell

In How to Homeschool the Kids You Have, three veteran home educators lead you through the process of creating a custom educational plan that works for your family's unique situation and your children's needs. You'll identify your own educational priorities and learn how to translate them into a strong academic program.

You'll also learn about what science tells us about how humans- especially young humans-learn, and why that information is crucial for the success of your homeschooling plans.

Along the way, the authors share their own experiences and those of other homeschoolers to help you avoid pitfalls so you can provide your children with the excellent education that is their birthright.

Genres: Nonfiction, Education

204 pages, Paperback

Published December 7, 2022

Reviews

[Jenn Naughton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goodreads doesn't seem to believe I co-authored this book which I feel permits me to give it five stars. After twenty plus years of home education, I got together with my two brilliant friends, and we wrote the book we wished we had when we started.
Whether you know what all the mysterious acronyms mean or not, this is the one book that tells you how kids learn and in what circumstances they may be better off at home.
If you aren't sure about our sincerity, check out our podcast Modern Classical Education at Home: https://open.spotify.com/show/2bVQ41A...

[Nicool · Rating 5 out of 5]

How to Homeschool the Kids You Have by Courtney Ostaff, Jenn Naughton and Andrew Campbell provides a straight-forward and candid exploration into the niche realm of academic homeschooling. The authors themselves are all veteran home educators with many years of experience to share with parents who may find themselves overwhelmed and lost as they try to navigate educating their children at home.

How to Homeschool the Kids You Have will hold your hand through the entire process of setting up an academically focused homeschool. From choosing your educational philosophy through planning, implementation, and knowing when to quit, this is the book to scaffold the neurodivergent homeschool parent (or the novice neurotypical one). The clear-cut, systematic presentation of information really leaves no guesswork which is a breath of fresh air for anyone struggling with executive functioning issues.

This book won’t provide you with lists of curriculum recommendations but instead presents the reader with what to look for and how to choose a curriculum that makes your life easier. It is well-researched with scientifically backed recommendations on the nitty-gritty details of how to actually educate your child and what learning actually is. The authors do a fantastic job rooting the reader in reality with direct and concise explanations. Many homeschoolers enjoy following ideologies to the extreme and these wise authors will remind you that you cannot do all the things.

What really struck me about How to Homeschool the Kids You Have was that it was written to support both the parent and the child. Many homeschool books give you the plan without really tackling the big issues like educating your children through a crisis and when it is time to call it quits. Even the fact that there were parentheses making statements like “this is the ideal (and it may not work for your ADHD child)” really helps the parent that may be constrained by all-or-nothing/black-and-white thinking. I also LOVED how they explained unschooling in a way that made sense rather than some vague “follow your child’s interests” statement.

The information presented is accessible and easy to consume, complete with visual flow charts and charming illustrations sprinkled throughout. The trio has a podcast that lays out much of the same content in the book which I found to be incredibly helpful. The information had already been presented auditorily via the podcast and the book expands on the content in a clear and organized way.

Though not intended specifically for neurodivergent parents, this is THE book for the neurodivergent homeschooling family who values academics and are having trouble making sense of the many moving parts included in home education. The content may seem redundant to any reader who has experience within the K-12 public education system, but for parents who are completely green (or drowning in the sea of too much information), it is pure gold.

[North Landesman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A useful, helpful book. For someone who tries to homeschool in the summers, these tips are especially important. This book is full of sound, research backed ways for a parent to teach their child. It is well designed and well written. The decision to homeschool, full time, during the summers, or after school, can be a daunting and important one. It can also be lonely. It is important to be able to learn from people who have tried it before.

[May Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelente libro cuando hay muchas dudas de cómo empezar a educar en casa a tus hijos. Las autoras son directas, se basan en fuentes. Y nos dan un excelente repertorio de datos que nos hacen el camino las ameno recomendando curriculums.
Excelente para novatos 👍

[Rod Naquin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catching books by catching flights; I smiled, laughed, and teared up some across this because it’s so compassionate to regular people—the kids and families we have. Full of practical advice, realism, maturity and understanding. Can’t recommend enough

[siriusedward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very organised , with lots of helpful suggestions and ideas .

[Justine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was full of useful science backed information and I was riveted the whole way through. I learned a lot and I’ve been homeschooling for 4 years.