Philosophies – More coming soon

Charlotte Mason

My personal favorite.  Books, time spent outdoors, tea time…What’s not to love?

Charlotte Mason Approach- A very informative site with articles written by Penny Gardner author of Charlotte Mason Study Guide. Includes articles about beginning reading, spelling, nature journaling.  Penny also wrote The New Nine-Note Recorder Method which is a lovely resource for learning to play the recorder.  My kids received this from Granny last year for Christmas and loved the ease and quickness that they were able to produce real songs.

The ABC’s of Charlotte Mason  - Just what it says. Probably the most important letter is “B.  Books! Just what are we doing with all those books? CM is a literature-based approach to education. That means we use few, if any, textbooks or workbooks. Instead, the children read literature chosen to cover the material as much as possible. Quality is more important than quantity. Give your children living Ideas, encounters with great minds, and they will never forget them.”

MacBeth’s Opinion – Ideas and articles from a Charlotte Mason fan with a love of Shakespeare and nature.  Also includes a series of monthly outdoor newsletters.  

Homeschool Highlights By Karen Andreola - Ahhh, just picking up her book A Charlotte Mason Companion makes me breath a deep sigh of contentment.  Here, she has articles, books and reviews.  Karen’s faith is very present in these books, but a secular reader could just skim through those to find the gems of parenting that remind me to enjoy these fleeting moments. 

Deschooling is a very common suggestion made to new homeschool families. Basically, it is an extended break from structured learning before you begin formal homeschooling.  Families who have successfully deschooled, say that the break allows children a chance to realize that they DO like to learn. It also gives families time to acclimate to full-time life together.  A general rule of thumb is to allow one month of break for every year the child attended school. 

Enjoy these articles about deschooling

Deschooling: The Mental Vacation You Didn’t Expect

If your child’s been in school for any length of time, an unexpected mental vacation may be in your future. Your child’s mental vacation, I mean — not yours. Often children who are coming out of a school setting that was less than successful tend to balk at anything resembling learning the moment you get them home. That’s because ’school’ and ‘learning’ = ‘YUCK’ right now. Books and materials that look like ’schoolwork’, whether they’re shelved inside a locker or plopped next to the napkin holder, don’t suddenly become more appealing just because the geography’s changed.

 Read more about The Mental Vacation You Didn’t Expect

Deschooling Gently

October 9, 2006 — Tammy

Moving from full time school to homeschooling is a major transition. It can be compared to moving to a new state, getting married (or rather, getting divorced?), having a baby or giving up french fries.

There is a term that shuffles itself around, particularly during the September and October months, and that is “deschooling”. The general advice is to take time off from “school”; one month for every year a child is in school. Ideally, that means not touching one school book and just living life – whatever that is – and slowly moving back into a schedule after a given “rest” period.

Read more Deschooling Gently

DETOX 
by Barbara Frederick

Someone once said that beginning to homeschool was like moving to another country. In many ways, they were right. When traveling to another country, it is important for all new citizens to take inoculations. When traveling to Homeschooolland, it is necessary for all new citizens to “detox”–to rid themselves of the deleterious effects that Publicschoolland has had on their education.

Read more Detox

If you are just getting started, these homeschool articles are a great place to start. 

Homeschooling Guide 

By Ann Zeise and Carol Moxley

So many people have written, asking for my “Homeschooling Guide,” I figured I’d better write one! I hope this will help clarify some of the misconceptions about homeschooling, and promote a better understanding of what homeschoolers really do.

Read more of this homeschool guide.

Going Our Own Way

By Ann Zeise

I took the leap. I made the decision to homeschool. Scott had been put in the back of his classroom, near a heating system with a loud fan, behind a box, so he wouldn’t be “distracted.” He had been labeled a “bad boy” and was finding school a torment. I had the feeling I was “springing” him from prison. His esteem was rock bottom. My bubbly, bright, outgoing preschooler had turned sullen. Something was dreadfully wrong.

Read more about why and how one family started homeschooling

The Benefits and Disadvantages of Homeschooling

Homeschool Information You Need to Know Before You Start Homeschooling

So you’re trying to figure out whether homeschooling will work for your family or not, right? If so, you’ve come to the right place.

Below you’ll find a brief discussion of the benefits and disadvantages of homeschooling. After reading it, you should be able to better identify whether or not homeschooling may be right for you and your family. If you take time to think about each benefit and disadvantage and apply it to your personal situation, you’ll learn which benefits you just can’t live without… or, on the other hand, the disadvantages you know you won’t be able to live with.

Learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of homeschooling

Homeschooling – It’s A Wonderful Life!
Lillian Jones and family

A chapter from the book See, I Told Me So!, a compilation of homeschoolers’ stories edited by Tammy Cardwell

* * *

My homeschooled son, Ethan, is now 22. Long ago, when he was seven, I thought about all the wonderful things we could be doing with our time if he didn’t have to report to school. You wouldn’t be reading this if you didn’t already know about the many kinds of frustrations that school can bring, so I’ll skip that part of the story – and I’ll tell you some of the things I started to dream of during that last school year, because those things all came true and then some.

Read more about homeschooling: it’s a wonderful life 

Introduction to Educating Your Children at Home

by Beverley Paine

The following information is designed to give families interested in teaching their children at home confidence and a better understanding of this successful alternative to school based education. All the information has been drawn from research into home education on three continents. The information in this article can be reproduced in pamphlet form for distribution.

More Educating Your Children at Home

Homeschooling 101

by Marty Layne

Imagine going to school in your pajamas. Or staying up late to finish that exciting book you started reading just after supper because you don’t have to get up early the next morning. These are just two of the options available to children who learn at home. 

More Homeschooling 101