homeschooling smorgasbord…

Hi, all! Well, the MOPs school forum went well this year. I had several more questions given to me than I had last year, and another added bonus was that the leader of this local church’s support group showed up to talk to interested moms… me included. =)

I feel encouraged because I’m noticing more interest in homeschooling around me, and its nice to be able to answer questions, give encouragement, and share my experiences. And in light of that, here is a smorgasbord of info I’ve heard about and links to enjoy…

In the category of the reasons to homeschool, here are my favorite posts:

- This one from Brandy at Afterthoughts has been more meaningful to me than any other I’ve come across so far. It resonates because I’ve seen the benefit firsthand of having time to of build a rich, family culture of Christian life and learning.

- In the same vein, here are some thoughts from Ann Voskamp at A Holy Experience…

Books I’ve enjoyed on homeschooling…

- For the Children’s Sake- Susan Schaeffer Macaulay- a classic. My mom gave me her copy.

- The Charlotte Mason Companion- a great, practical explanation of Charlotte Mason’s philosophy of education. I had read bits and fragments here and there about her views of teaching the child, but this was a great read for putting flesh on how to go about it practically. I got lots of good ideas and saw how a lifestyle of learning is built on the framework given by Charlotte Mason.

- In light of the last book, see Wikipedia’s entry on Charlotte Mason, especially the Teaching Methods section. It’s a good, short summary for Charlotte Mason neophytes.

- A Survivor’s Guide to Homeschooling- this is another oldie but goodie from my mom’s library. It’s a light read, it’s realistic about the good and bad and ugly, and even though its a bit dated on some things, like how most outsiders will view homeschooling (keep your kids indoors during school hours or your neighbors will call the truant officer, etc.) , I found a lot of truth there. It was a good one to give to my husband, and it led to some fun talks with him.

And I’ve wasted enough time now at 4:00 in the morning with this little bout of insomnia. =) I hope some of you find these helpful in your educational quest. I may post curriculum resources I’ve enjoyed at some point, but that’s a post for another day…