Educational Methods & Philosophy

There are many ways to educate your children, and, if you're just getting started in home schooling, just choosing the approach you wish to take can be overwhelming, never mind the curriculum itself! If you're interacting with more experienced home school families, the stuff they're doing might intimidate you into thinking you can't possibly home school your kids, but stop! Take a breath. You just need to sit down, ask yourself a few common sense questions about what you want to accomplish, and get a handle on what options there are.

As we see it, all approaches to education should fall under a broad "covenantal approach," in which parents deliberately focus on training their children to love and reverence their God, respect their parents, and explore their world. From our perspective, that's the main reason to home school. But when one talks about "approaches," one typically means the philosophy driving the way you educate your kids. There are limitless methods to teach your kids, but they seem to fall under five main philosophies.

These are: 

 "Eclectic" home schooling, explained conservatively, is to blend elements of all of them (generally what we recommend). "Eclectic" can also refer to a much more liberal, anti-Christian education; We obviously suggest steering clear of that approach.

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America First updated
by Lawton B. Evans, Updated & Revised by Rachel Lebowitz
from Charlotte Mason Plenary LLC
for 4th-6th grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$14.00 (1 in stock)
Big Book of How to Make PROJECTS
from Dinah-Might Adventures, LP
for Kindergarten - College
in Classroom Teacher Resources (Location: HSR-CTR)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Charlotte Mason Companion
by Karen Andreola
from Charlotte Mason Research and Supply Co.
in Charlotte Mason Education (Location: HSR-METCM)
$19.99 $12.00 (1 in stock)
Classical Education Made Approachable
from Classical Conversations
for Adult
in Classical Education (Location: HSR-METCE)
$5.00 $6.00 (4 in stock)
Classical Me, Classical Thee for Homeschoolers
by Rebekah Merkle
revised for homeschoolers from Canon Press
for 5th-12th grade
in Classical Education (Location: HSR-METCE)
$11.99 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum
by Laura M. Berquist
3rd edition from Ignatius Press
in Classical Education (Location: HSR-METCE)
$15.00 $10.00 (2 in stock)
Echo in Celebration
by Leigh A Bortins
1st edition from Classical Conversations
for Adult
in Classical Education (Location: HSR-METCE)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Free Range Learning
by Laura Grace Weldon
from Hohm Press
for Adult
in Clearance: Home School Resources (Location: ZCLE-HSR)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Home Grown Kids
by Raymond & Dorothy Moore
from Word Publishing
in Clearance: Home School Resources (Location: ZCLE-HSR)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
How To Tutor
by Samuel Blumenfeld
from Paradigm Publishing
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$16.00 $7.50 (1 in stock)
Math Lessons for a Living Education Level 1
by Angela O'Dell
from Master Books
for 1st grade
in Math Lessons for a Living Education (Location: MAT-MB1)
$39.19 $28.00 (4 in stock)
Math Lessons for a Living Education Level 2
by Angela O'Dell
from Master Books
for 2nd grade
in Math Lessons for a Living Education (Location: MAT-MB1)
$39.19 $28.00 (1 in stock)
Mathematics: An Instrument for Living Teaching
by Richele Baburina
from Simply Charlotte Mason
for Adult
in Math Reference & Teaching Aids (Location: MATR-TA)
$13.00 (2 in stock)
Millstones & Stumbling Blocks
by Bradley E. Heath
from Fenestra Books
for Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$12.50 $9.00 (1 in stock)
More Charlotte Mason Education
by Catherine Levison
from Champion Press
for Adult
in Charlotte Mason Education (Location: HSR-METCM)
$14.99 $9.00 (2 in stock)
Punished for Dreaming (ARC)
from St. Martin's Press
for Adult
in Secular vs. Christian Education (Location: HSR-PE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning
by Doug Wilson
from Crossway Books
in Classical Education (Location: HSR-METCE)
$9.00 (3 in stock)
Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning
by Doug Wilson
2nd edition from Canon Press
for Adult
in Classical Education (Location: HSR-METCE)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Repairing the Ruins
by Doug Wilson, editor
from Canon Press
in Classical Education (Location: HSR-METCE)
$14.50 $6.00 (3 in stock)
Studying to be Quiet
by Laurie Bestvater
from Underpinning Press
for Adult
in Charlotte Mason Education (Location: HSR-METCM)
$11.00 (1 in stock)
Successful Homeschool Family Handbook
from Thomas Nelson Publishers
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
The Conversation
by Leigh Bortins
from Classical Conversations
in Classical Education (Location: HSR-METCE)
$16.00 $12.00 (1 in stock)
The Core
by Leigh Bortins
1st edition from Palgrave MacMillan
in Classical Education (Location: HSR-METCE)
$17.99 $11.00 (4 in stock)
The Question
by Leigh Bortins
from Classical Conversations
for Adult
in Classical Education (Location: HSR-METCE)
$16.00 $10.00 (4 in stock)
Thematic Unit: Medieval Times
by Cynthia Ross
from Teacher Created Materials, Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$3.00 (4 in stock)
Thomas Jefferson Education Home Companion
by Rachel DeMille, Oliver DeMille, & Diann Jeppson
from George Wythe College
for Adult
in Thomas Jefferson Education (Location: HSR-METTJ)
$17.50 $9.00 (2 in stock)
Trivium Mastery
by Diane Lockman
from Outskirts Press
for Adult
in Classical Education (Location: HSR-METCE)
$21.95 $12.00 (1 in stock)
What Do I Do Monday?
Innovators in Education
by John Holt
from Heinemann Educational Books
in Unschooling (Location: HSR-METUN)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
World War II Thematic Unit
by Julie R. Strathman
from Teacher Created Materials, Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
in World War II (1939-1945) (Location: HISA-20WW2)
$3.00 (3 in stock)