Homeschooling: The Middle Years: Your Complete Guide to Successfully Homeschooling the 8- to 12-Year-Old Child

by Shari Henry

Discover the Rewards of Homeschooling Your 8- to 12-Year-Old
From the ages of eight to twelve, children go though many changes—emotionally, intellectually, and physically. They begin to develop innate talents that will carry them though a lifetime of learning. Too often, these natural behavior traits are squelched in traditional schools. That's why more and more parents just like you are choosing to teach their eight- to twelve-year-old children at home. Inside, respected homeschooling speaker and writer Shari Henry shows you how homeschooling can work for you and your child. You'll discover how
·Create a world of ideas for easy science experiments, math drills, field trips, and craft activities
·Make history and geography come alive by using community resources
·Direct your child to independent projects, such as planning and planting a garden, making a kite, and creating a family meal
·And much more!
"If you are thinking about homeschooling an eight- to twelve-year-old, you'll want this book for the resources alone! Shari Henry describes homeschooling as a journey of learning and uses the results of a survey to provide you with information on what other 'travelers' think and how their attitudes have changed since they started their adventure."— Billy and Nancy Greer, publishers of F.U.N News
"Clear, concise, and rich with resources. This book should be in the home of every family homeschooling though the middle years."— Rebecca L. Cook, South Carolina homeschooling support group founder
"Shari Henry is a veteran homeschool mom who has served faithfully in the trenches for many years. I heartily recommend her book."— Carole Joy Seid, educational consultant
"Excellent. Provides parents with everything they ever needed to know to homeschool their middle grade children."— Maureen McCaffrey, editor-in-chief of Homeschooling Today

Genres: Nonfiction, Education

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Margaret Chind · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a useful read. The resource lists were not new information to me, but they are good ones. Even today (2022), the resources (1999) are still pretty relevant and reliable ones to choose.

[Jessica Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

I borrowed this book from my local library. While there were some good points about the book, it is very outdated and frustrating. I attempted to visit about 5 websites listed in the book, but none of them are in existence anymore. I double checked the websites, retyped them in, but they still did not work. Therefore, I didn't bother checking out any other websites, so I do not know if any other ones would have worked. It wasn't worth the time to check, since there are pages and pages devoted to listing web addresses. It is kind of a shame the author took so much time to compile the list that is no longer useful. Considering the book was published in 1999, I guess the outdated information is to be expected.
There were some good points in the book, with some good ideas of certain books and activities for homeschooling to make it more interesting and meaningful for children. However, much of the book's information is available on so many homeschooling blogs these days.
I would say if you are looking for a starting point and this is the only book your library has available, then by all means skim through it to get a few ideas. Sadly, my local library has very few homeschooling books. So I suggest skipping over all the web addresses. I would not recommend this book for a purchase. It is not worth the cost.
Jessica D. Adams, Author

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was definitely geared towards someone new at homeschooling. I didn't find anything new or useful here for me as my kids get older. But I wouldn't recommend this book to new homeschoolers, either. I thought it desperately lacked a section discussing the various different ways people homeschool and what your own home education might look like.

I was surprised I didn't like this book at all. I loved a different book in this series, The First Year of Homeschooling Your Child by Linda Dobson, and I'd recommend it over this one for those who are new to schooling at home or are considering it.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

More geared toward parents just starting out, so I gave this book a good skim by about half way through. I got my copy at a swap and it's a bit outdated (as in pre-wise spread internet), so a more recent release would be more useful for people interested in this topic.

[Jennifer Buczynski · Rating 4 out of 5]

A helpful, practical book. I like looking back at old homeschooling books before the days of social media and Etsy and teachers pay teachers. It was a different word. They have some great ideas! I did skim quite a bit that wasn’t applicable for me and my family but a lot was interesting.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Outdated but still a good resource, especially for those just starting to homeschool.

[Nina Hoppe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome resources and reminders

[Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't come away from the book with many new ideas-mostly the book covered common sense stuff. The only new thing to me was introducing a topic to the kid BEFORE a field trip, so they can ask better questions.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lists lot of resources & lots of things to consider (including school philosophy, learning styles, & personalities!).

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK. But not really any new ideas after teaching this age for a year already.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Huge list of resources and suggestions! I borrowed this from the library but will be purchasing this in the near future for reference. I just started homeschooling this year so it's very helpful.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

For me I give it two stars because I really ended up not reading most of it. It appears to be written for someone who is new to homeschooling.