The Everything Homeschooling Book: All you need to create the best curriculum and learning environment for your child

by Sherri Linsenbach

Homeschooling isn't about teaching--it's about learning together with your child. In this indispensable guide, author and homeschooler Sherri Linsenbach provides you with the encouragement, inspiration, and ideas you need to explore this option for your family. It's packed full of ideas to make the experience easy, affordable, and, most of all, fun. Even veteran homeschoolers will find new ideas and techniques that help keep home education interesting and exciting.

This edition includes completely new material The author, a homeschool veteran of more than eighteen years, presents real-life examples and inspiring success stories from families across the country. This all-new edition of an Everything bestseller is the only reference you'll need to ensure your children's success--at any age!

Genres: Nonfiction, Education, Parenting

304 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2003

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Includes TONS of websites for additional research and resources - greatly appreciated! She covers all the basic forms of homeschooling, but really seems to lean a little in favor of unschooling; it comes up far more frequently than the other forms. Covers topics like "homeschooling as a single parent" and "homeschooling and the two-career family" that, while not applicable to my circumstances, would be valuable for those groups. Also included a chapter on "burnout" for families who have been homeschooling for a while.

For more book reviews, come visit my blog, Build Enough Bookshelves.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good starting place on a homeschooling journey.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was quite informative in parts. It addresses many issues of homeschooling I've never seen addressed before. It has a good resource at the back of the book, a collection of all the websites mentioned throughout the whole book in one place. The reason it gets 3 stars instead of 4 is because it got very preachy and sanctimonious about unschooling many times throughout the book. If that's your homeschooling philosophy, then great, but the author pushes too hard.

[Debbie Mcnulty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently checked this book out of the library. We are at the very beginning of our homeschool journey. This book is a great first stop. It gives a wonderful overview of homeschooling. It is full of links that I cannot wait to check out. From this book I have discovered many things I want to dig deeper into. I would suggest this for parents just getting their feet wet around homeschooling.

[Milka · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, generic book on homeschooling, covering every step you should take to step a homeschool for your kids, including mistakes to avoid. The book also contains a good amount of reference websites and books you can use.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this- it was informative and encouraging. Definitely a book I will be referencing again in a few years.

I also loved that this book gave a big list of other books to look into to help parents as they navigate this big important subject.

[Sarah Harris · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not great or comprehensive information about educational theories, learning styles or personalized learning. It seems like this book is really for beginners. The section on curriculum planning and lesson planning does not have valuable insight. not helpful

[Renee Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Appreciated the non-biased tone of the book. Very informational and matter-of-fact type of writing, not persuasional or “this is why homeschooling is better” stuff. Lots of examples and expectations to consider for homeschooling. Very helpful.

[Jean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Do not read this book cover to cover. It is repetitive, dated, states the obvious, and did I mention it is repetitive? It does provide a number of helpful links and gets two stars for the links. Without that it would be 1 star.

[MaKenzie Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the way that this book was set up. The chapters were easy and there were lots of suggestions for books as well as practical application techniques and tips.

As someone researching homeschool, I’d like the way everything was organized, and it felt easy to digest.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much wonderful information

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Good, basic overview with a bias towards unschooling.

[Celesta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful, but this book needs an updated edition. Some of the resources cited are no longer working websites.

[Courtney Butler · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little monotonous but a good starting point/resource for homeschooling families!

[Genny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I know we are doing at least preschool at home. While I may have a degree in Education, teaching at home is different than teaching in a school setting. I am working to create the best home-school environment I can and working to develop my own curriculum. A big task, but one that I am excited about.

I can not say there was anything earth shattering new or a any big revelations on homeschooling for me, but more of a confirmation of my own ideas and what I am envisioning. The one big plus I will give this book is the variety of resources from where to buy text books and supplies to sites with lessons plans to sites on support groups for home schooling families.

[Sasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first book I've ever read on homeschooling. I got the book because I wanted to understand and learn about it. In the last couple of years, I have heard of and come in contact with many homeschooling families and I rapidly realized I knew next to nothing about this alternative education practice. I now have a much better understanding of how homeschooling is done, and I must say it has a lot of appealing aspects.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a very good resource book for folks who are beginning to homeschool. I will refer to this book from time to time and have a number of pages flagged for future reference. I gave it 3 stars because I liked it, but could not give it more starts because from time to time it was difficult to tell what age group a suggested task or unit was appropriate for. If you are looking for a homeschooling resource book that you can quickly refer to from time to time. I would recommend this book.

[Leah · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was some new information, but all in all, it wasn't a great book. I liked that it talked about creating a sort of mission statement. Decide what you want your children to get from homeschooling AND THEN decide what curricula will best accomplish your goals. A very good point. I also appreciated the advice to try to take things as they come, roll with the flow, all children are different. It's advice that I really need (daily, sometimes).

[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great primer for those interested in homeschooling. I was really pleased to see a ton of information included on unschooling, which is the method of homeschooling I'm most drawn to. There are lots of links and books listed for getting more information about all sorts of homeschooling questions I didn't even consider. This was a library book, but it's such a great resource, I'll be buying a copy for our homeschool library.

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book is great for people who want to homeschool and just don't know where to start. (like me) It goes through the basics of how to find homeschool groups, legal requirements, different homeschool methods, etc. It is very basic like a homeschooling for dummies, which is exactly what I needed ;)

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book even more that the Idiot's Guide to Homeschooling. It is more up to date and reflects more of the options available through the internet for support, curriculum, etc. Reading this book made me excited to start homeschooling - but I don't even have kids yet. Ha! Hope they will come out with another edition when I do, I would definitely buy it.

[Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book for someone who is looking into or is starting to homeschool. It gave lots of insight, ideas, websites, references, and other books to look into. I actually got this book from the library, but I think I'm going to buy it to keep on hand because I think would go back to it and use it often.

[Tamara · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good overview with good guidelines and suggestions and resource lists. I found myself rolling my eyes at the cheerleading though. Homeschoolers are better at EVERYTHING! Yay! But going beyond the slightly over the top study citing "proving" how much more awesome homeschooled children are than traditionally schooled children, I was able to add to my idea list and my resource list.

[Amy Lopez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of resources

The Everything Homeschooling Book is full of helpful information for all of your homeschool questions. It is organized and packed with resources. As a parent starting this journey, I feel much more confident after reading through this book. I will be referring back to it often.

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overall introduction to homeschooling. Given its modest size, it's not really accurate to call it "The Everything...Book". The most helpful chapter to me was the one on Frugal Homeschooling; I especially appreciated learning about some new (to me, at least) internet resources.

[Annamarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great source for information. The detailed list of resources in the back is a homeschooling dream. I read it for the overview of homeschool options and I found it to be very helpful. A good description and account of a typical homeschool day. Addressed all of the questions and concerns I had.

[Cher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful resource. I love that in the end you find out the author not only homeschooled but was indeed an unschooler so the book is more useful than I was expecting (thought it would be mostly mainstream).

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an okay beginning book for learning about homeschooling. It helped me form questions that I need answers to but didn't really answer most questions. I am glad I read this first because I think I would have been frustrated with it if I had already read a lot about homeschooling.

[Julie Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was good and just as informative as the First Year of Homeschooling, but many times it seems liked a promotional piece for a particular website. It also reiterated much of the exact same info as the last, so I wasn't as enthralled.

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book very informative.