Homeschool Resources Meme

I was tagged in a Homeschool Resources Meme by Tricia at HodgePodge. Some of you may already know that I homeschooled our two oldest children from kindergarten through graduation. After homeschooling for 16 years this is my year off. But my sabbatical will only last for one year. We were blessed with a bonus baby when our oldest were 16 and 14, so next year I will be starting all over again. I have been reflecting on my favorite resources from homeschooling my older children and am enjoying learning about new products which were not available to me back in the dark ages.

1. One homeschooling book you have enjoyed

I was comfortable homeschooling my children through grammar school, but was nervous as we approached high school. Christian Home Educators’ Curriculum Manual : Junior/Senior High answered many of my questions, helped me create a plan, and helped me choose the curriculum that I would use.

2. One resource you wouldn’t be without
The library!

3. One resource you wish you had never bought
The Writing Road to Reading. An experience homeschooling friend swore by this book and convinced me that something would be lacking in my kids’ education if I didn’t buy it. I am sure it is a good book but it was a bad match for my children and my teaching style. I did learn an important lesson out of this: I know my children better than anybody and I need to pay attention to my gut instinct when deciding how to teach them. So keep that in mind when you read my favorites. What worked for children may be a bad match for yours and what I didn’t like might be a good match. Another lesson I learned over the years was to ask, “Why didn’t you like that product?” Because what a friend didn’t like might prove to be what I love about an item. So why was The Writing Road to Reading a bad match? My oldest children both had a fine motor delay. The Writing Road to anything would have been a bad match.

4. One resource you enjoyed last year

We used History of Art for Young People for all four years of high school. We used it to accompany our history studies so that my kids would have a real sense of what was going on in the world while major art movements were taking place. I never had to ask my children twice to read this book.

5. One resource you will be using next year

Lollipop Logic: Critical Thinking Activities can be used as early as Kindergarten and I plan on using it with Andrew next year. I will follow it up with the Blast Off to Logic Series and then move on to Formal Logic.

6. One resource you would like to buy

I am seriously considering buying Pre Level I Physics Student Text for Andrew next year. The pre-level wasn’t available when I was teaching my older kids, but I did enjoy using level 1 with Grant when he was in grammar school.

N.B. I believe in teaching physics first, then chemistry, and then biology. An understanding of one leads to a deeper understanding of the others. We tend to do it backwards because it is easy to teach children the names of a plant, so we do that and leave the “hard stuff” for when they are older. But physics at an entry level isn’t any harder than biology on an entry level.

7. One resource you wish existed
A great “How to Write Poetry” book.

8. One homeschool catalogue you enjoy reading
I could pour over a Rainbow Resource catalog for a month or longer and have. If I have loaned you a copy of my ear-marked, underlined, starred, and highlighted catalog then you are a cherished friend.

9. One homeschooling website you use regularly
I visit HodgePodge regularly and particularly enjoy the pastel tutorials.

10. Tag other homeschoolers

I am not going to tag anyone, instead I am going to invite all of my readers who are homeschoolers to think about participating. If you don’t have a blog, you are welcome to share your favorites in the comments. If you are a homeschooler and write about it I would love to hear from you. As I prepare for homeschooling Andrew, I am looking for new resources and would love to read about what you are up to!