Practical Home Schooling

The goal of home schooling isn't to roll our kids through 12+ years of schooling to keep the state machinery running—it's to mold high-functioning, conscientious citizens who exemplify our Christian beliefs and standards of behavior. Like every important endeavor, home education requires a measure of trial-and-error, but that doesn't mean there aren't books that can help.

Over the years our selection of home school "how to" guides has multiplied like tribbles on the U.S.S. Enterprise. From Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum offering reviews, basic info and selection guidelines for curriculum from kindergarten to 12th grade, to Just Around the Corner by Steven and Teri Maxwell (a collection of encouraging devotional essays for home school parents), there's no shortage of "atlases" for newcomers and veterans alike.

One of our favorites is The Language Wars  by Ruth Beechick. In a number of short readable essays she identifies and addresses some of the most daunting elements of home education (understanding educational philosophies and methods, selecting curriculum, integrating character and Bible education, etc.). Beechick is a longtime educational writer and expert whose no-nonsense approach has made her books staples among home school families. Susan Macaulay's classic For the Children's Sake focuses on the sacrifices parents must make to give their kids a sufficient education; Macaulay's educational model is based firmly on the Charlotte Mason method.

Debra Bell's The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling takes a scattergun approach, covering pretty much every aspect of homeschooling in surprising detail and welcome good humor. Reaping the Harvest is Diana Waring's manifesto on the difficulties and (often ignored) joys of home schooling teenagers. Most of the books in this section have reviews—browse until you find the one that seems to best fit your needs, because with the proliferation of home school literature the perfect fit is probably out there.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur.Read more of his reviewshere.

 

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Active Filters: Used Books & Materials
"Why Won't You Just Tell Us the Answer?"
from Stenhouse Publishers
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
50 Tips to Help Students Succeed
by Marydee Sklar
from Anguanga Publishing
for Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$11.00 (1 in stock)
A to Z Guide to Home School Field Trips
by Gregg Harris
from Noble Publishing
for 1st-8th grade
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Basic Steps to Successful Homeschooling
by Vicky A. Brady
from Vital Issues Press
in Clearance: Home School Resources (Location: ZCLE-HSR)
$2.00 (2 in stock)
Better Together
by Pam Barnhill
from Spotted Dog Press
for Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$7.00 (2 in stock)
Beyond Survival
by Diana Waring
from Emerald Books
History Curriculum for
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$9.00 $4.00 (3 in stock)
Biblical Home Education
by Ruth Beechick
from Broadman & Holman
for Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$6.00 (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)
Bilingual Family
by Edith Harding-Esch, Philip Riley
2nd edition from Cambridge University
for Adult
in Clearance: Home School Resources (Location: ZCLE-HSR)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Bookmark Book
by Carolyn S. Brodie, Debra Goodrich, Paula K. Montgomery
from Libraries Unlimited
for Adult
in Classroom Teacher Resources (Location: HSR-CTR)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Books to Build On
by John Holdren and E.D. Hirsch, Jr.
from Delta Education
for Kindergarten-6th grade
in Core Knowledge (Location: HSR-CORE)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
Busy Homeschool Mom's Guide to Daylight
by Heidi St. John
from Real Life Press
for Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Call of the Wild + Free
by Ainsley Arment
from HarperOne
for Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
Case For Home Schooling
by Christopher J. Klicka
from Unknown Publisher
for Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$1.00 (1 in stock)
Children Trap
Biblical Blueprint Series #6
by Robert Thoburn, Gary North (editor)
from Dominion Press
for Adult
in Christianity and the State (Location: XWV-STA)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
Christian Home Educators' Curriculum Manual - Elementary
by Cathy Duffy
9th edition from Grove Publishing
for Preschool-6th grade
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Christian Home School
by Gregg Harris
1st edition from Wolgemuth and Hyatt
for Adult
in Clearance: Home School Resources (Location: ZCLE-HSR)
$2.00 (3 in stock)
Christian Homeschooling
by Mark Beuligmann (editor)
from Christian Liberty Press
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$5.00 $3.00 (2 in stock)
Classic Myths to Read Aloud
by William F. Russell
from Crown Publishers
for 1st-5th grade
in Clearance: Home School Resources (Location: ZCLE-HSR)
$6.30 (1 in stock)
Classical Conversations Foundations Guide (old)
by Leigh A. Bortins
4th edition from Classical Conversations
for Kindergarten-6th grade
in Clearance: Home School Resources (Location: ZCLE-HSR)
$18.00 (1 in stock)
Closing of the American Heart
by Ronald H. Nash
from Probe Books
for Adult
in Clearance: Home School Resources (Location: ZCLE-HSR)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Complete Guide to Getting Started in Homeschooling
by Mary Pride
from Harvest House
for Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$18.00 (1 in stock)
Creating Books with Children
by Valerie Bendt
2nd edition
for Preschool-1st grade
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Creative Form Drawing Workbook 1
by Angela Lord
from Hawthorn Press
for Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$20.00 (1 in stock)
Critical Conditioning
by Kathryn Stout
from Design-A-Study
for All grades
in Design-A-Study (Location: HSR-DAS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Daily Focus
by Janet Tatman
from Alpha Omega Publications
for Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Delight Directed Learning
The HomeScholar Coffee Break Books
by Lee Binz
from The HomeScholar
for Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
Easy Homeschooling Curriculum
by Lorraine Curry
from God's Gardener
for Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$9.50 (1 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)
Educated Child
by William Bennett
from Simon and Schuster
for Preschool-8th Grade
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Education in the Truth
by Norman DeJong
First Edition from P&R Publishing
for Adult
in Clearance: Home School Resources (Location: ZCLE-HSR)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Encouragement Along the Way
by Bobbie Howard
2nd edition from Noble Publishing
in Clearance: Home School Resources (Location: ZCLE-HSR)
$2.00 (3 in stock)
Encyclopedia of Bible Truths: Language Arts & English
from ACSI (Purposeful Design)
for Adult
in Classroom Teacher Resources (Location: HSR-CTR)
$9.95 $6.00 (2 in stock)
Essential Homeschooling
by Sherri Linsenbach
from Adams Media Corp.
for Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Essential Learning Objectives for Math and Language Arts
by Curt & Jenny Bumcrot
from Basic Skills
for Kindergarten-8th grade
in Standardized Test Preparation (Location: HSTEST)
$10.00 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Evaluating for Excellence
by Teresa Moon
2nd edition from Institute for Cultural Communicators
for Kindergarten-12th grade
in Standardized Test Preparation (Location: HSTEST)
$17.00 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Every Child Can Succeed
by Cynthia Ulrich Tobias
from Focus on the Family
for Adult
in Clearance: Home School Resources (Location: ZCLE-HSR)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Exploring Creation Field Trip Journal (Apologia)
by Rachael Yunis
1st edition from Apologia Educational Ministries
for Kindergarten-8th grade
in Apologia Science (Location: SCICUR-AEM)
$12.79 $9.50 (1 in stock)
Family Program for Reading Aloud
by Rosalie June Slater
2nd edition from Foundation for American Christian Education
for 1st-4th grade
in Clearance: Home School Resources (Location: ZCLE-HSR)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Fed Ed
by Allen Quist
from Maple River Education Coalition
for Adult
in Clearance: Home School Resources (Location: ZCLE-HSR)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
Flourish
by Mary Jo Tate
from Apologia Educational Ministries
for Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$6.50 (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)
Fringe Hours
by Jessica N. Turner
from Revell Publishing
for Adult
in Biblical Womanhood (Location: XFA-WOM)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Fundamentals of Homeschooling
by Ann Lahrson-Fisher
from Nettlepatch Press
for Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$10.00 (2 in stock)
Future of Home Schooling
by Michael Farris
from Regnery Publishing, Inc.
for Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
God Schooling
by Julie Polanco
from Morgan James Publishing
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$8.50 (1 in stock)
Gracious Space: Fall Edition
by Julie Bogart
from Brave Writer
for Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Gracious Space: Spring Edition
by Julie Bogart
from Brave Writer
for Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Gracious Space: Winter Edition
by Julie Bogart
from Brave Writer
for Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Guides to History Plus
by Kathryn Stout
from Design-A-Study
for All grades
in Design-A-Study (Location: HSR-DAS)
$14.00 $6.00 (3 in stock)
Hands-On Dad
by Rick Boyer
from Learning Parent
for Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Heart of Home Schooling
by Christopher Klicka
from Broadman & Holman
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$9.00 (2 in stock)
Help for the Harried Homeschooler
by Christine M. Field
from Shaw Books
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$8.00 (2 in stock)
High School Handbook
by Mary Schofield
7th edition from Christian Home Educators Press
for 7th-12th grade
in High School & College Prep (Location: HSR-HSC)
$19.99 $14.00 (2 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)
Home School Heroes
by Christopher Klicka
from Broadman & Holman
Home Education History for 9th-Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Home School, High School, and Beyond
by Beverly Adams-Gordon
7th edition from Castlemoyle Books
for 9th-Adult
in High School & College Prep (Location: HSR-HSC)
$12.50 (1 in stock)
Home School, High School, and Beyond
by Beverly Adams-Gordon
6th edition from Castlemoyle Books
for 9th-Adult
in High School & College Prep (Location: HSR-HSC)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Home Schooling: The Right Choice!
by Christopher Klicka
Revised and Updated from Broadman & Holman
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$14.99 $10.00 (3 in stock)
Home-Spun Schools
by Raymond & Dorothy Moore
from Word Publishing
for Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Homeschool Answer Book
by Ruth Beechick
from Arrow Press
for Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$12.00 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Homeschool Journey
by Michael & Susan Card
from Harvest House
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$3.00 (6 in stock)
Homeschool Your Child for Free
by LauraMaery Gold and Joan M. Zielinski
from Three Rivers Press
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Homeschooler's Book of Lists
by Sonya Haskins
Pap/Cdr from Bethany House
for Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$19.99 $12.00 (1 in stock)
Homeschooler's Guide to...
by Vicki Caruana
from Crossway Books
for Adult
in Clearance: Home School Resources (Location: ZCLE-HSR)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Homeschooling for Excellence
by David & Micki Colfax
from Warner Books
for Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Homeschooling from a Biblical Worldview
by Israel Wayne
from Wisdom's Gate
for Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Homeschooling on a Shoestring
by Melissa Morgan & Judith Waite Allee
from Shaw Books
for Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Homeschooling Only One
by Donna Conner
for Adult
in Clearance: Home School Resources (Location: ZCLE-HSR)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Homeschooling the High Schooler - CD-ROM
by Paul & Gena Suarez
for Adult
in High School & College Prep (Location: HSR-HSC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Homeschooling With a Meek and Quiet Spirit
by Steven & Teri Maxwell
from Communication Concepts
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$4.50 (2 in stock)
Homeschooling: A Patchwork of Days
by Nancy Lande
for Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$7.50 (2 in stock)
Homeschooling: The Making of Theodore Roosevelt
by Charlene Notgrass
from Notgrass Company
for Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Honey for a Child's Heart
by Gladys Hunt
3rd edition from Zondervan
for Preschool-5th grade
in Clearance: Home School Resources (Location: ZCLE-HSR)
$2.10 (1 in stock)
Honey For a Child's Heart (old)
by Gladys Hunt
4th edition from Zondervan
for All ages
in Clearance: Home School Resources (Location: ZCLE-HSR)
$12.00 $7.00 (1 in stock)
How to Be Your Child's Best College Coach
The HomeScholar's Coffee Break Book series
by Lee Binz
from TheHomeScholar
for Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
How to Get Your Child Off the Refrigerator and on to Learning
by Carol Barnier
from Emerald Books
for Adult
in Special Needs / Learning Disabilities (Location: HSR-SPEC)
$16.99 $7.50 (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)
i before c (except after c)
by Judy Parkinson
from Reader's Digest
for Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$5.00 (2 in stock)
If I'm Diapering a Watermelon, Then Where'd I Leave the Baby?
by Carol Barnier
from Emerald Books
for Adult
in Special Needs / Learning Disabilities (Location: HSR-SPEC)
$17.99 $12.00 (1 in stock)
Ignite the Fire!
by Terri Camp
from Noble Publishing
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Joyful Home Schooler
by Mary Hood, Ph.D.
from Ambleside Educational Press
for Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$10.00 (3 in stock)
Just Around the Corner Volume 1
by Steven & Teri Maxwell
from Communication Concepts
for Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$8.50 (2 in stock)
Language and Thinking for Young Children
by Ruth Beechick
from Mott Media
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
$3.00 (3 in stock)
Language Wars
by Ruth Beechick
from Arrow Press
for Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$12.00 $8.00 (3 in stock)
Learning and Living Workshop - DVD set
by Sonya Shafer
from Simply Charlotte Mason
for Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$65.00 (2 in stock)
Lefties
by Jack Fincher
1993 reprint from Barnes & Noble
for 9th-Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Let My Children Go
by E. Ray Moore, Jr.
from Ambassador Emerald International
for Adult
in Clearance: Home School Resources (Location: ZCLE-HSR)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Little House on the Freeway
by Tim Kimmel
Revised from Multnomah Books
for Adult
in Clearance: Home School Resources (Location: ZCLE-HSR)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Making the Grade
by Lesha Myers
from Cameron Publishing
for Kindergarten-12th grade
in Standardized Test Preparation (Location: HSTEST)
$14.00 (1 in stock)
Managers of Their Schools
by Steven Maxwell
1st edition from Communication Concepts
for Adult
in Lesson Planners (Location: HSR-PLAN)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Maximum Math
by Kathryn Stout
for Kindergarten-12th grade
in Design-A-Study (Location: HSR-DAS)
$16.00 (1 in stock)
MFW Adventures in My Father's World - Teacher's Manual
by Marie Hazell
2nd edition from My Father's World
for 2nd-3rd grade, Adult
in Clearance: Home School Resources (Location: ZCLE-HSR)
$15.00 (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)
Movies As Literature - Book and Student Workbook
by Kathryn Stout, Richard Stout
from Design-A-Study
for 9th-12th grade
in Theater, Drama & Film (Location: ELE-THEAT)
$20.00 (1 in stock)
NEA
by Samuel Blumenfeld
from Paradigm Publishing
for Adult
in Clearance: Home School Resources (Location: ZCLE-HSR)
$2.00 (3 in stock)
Parent Educator's Ready Reference
by Dan J. McLaughlin
3rd edition from Christian Home Educators Press
in Clearance: Home School Resources (Location: ZCLE-HSR)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Professionalizing Motherhood
by Jill Savage
from Zondervan
in Purposeful Homemaking (Location: SS-HOM)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Reaping the Harvest
by Diana Waring
from Diana Waring Presents
History Curriculum for Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$10.00 $6.50 (1 in stock)
Sacred Foundation
by Michael Farris & L. Reed Elam
from Loyal Publishing
for Adult
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
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