Educating the Whole Hearted Child

This book has been very useful to me. It has so many interesting ideas, and is quite inspirational. When I get stuck in a homeschooling rut, this book gives me ideas to emphasize a different aspect (or area of study per Ch4) of my homeschool. Usually ruts result from emphasizing structured (or disciplined) studies and letting everything else slide. Chapter 1 is one of the best treatments I've read of why people homeschool, and how to handle those who criticize your choice. Chapter 2 focuses on creating a Christian home and raising children with Christian values and character. Chapter 3 contains a good discussion of various "mental muscles" that homeschooling should strengthen - habits, appetites, language, creativity, curiosity, reason, and wisdom. Chapter 4 provides a good "home-centered learning model", where 5 study areas should be addressed: 1. discipleship studies (religious education), 2. disciplined studies (study of basics), 3. discussion studies (humanities), 4. discovery studies (science, nature, creative arts) and 5. discretionary studies (field trips, likfe skills, home and community life). Of these, the disciplined studies are the ones that would require a more structured, traditional type of teaching. Chapter 4 also contains an excellent section on how to set up your home for home-centered learning. Chapter 5 contains teaching methods for the studies described in Chapter 4. Chapter 6 contains brief information on learning styles, and Chapters 7, 8, and 9 are about keeping it together, managing your home and your school. The appendix contains book lists and curriculum resources, as well as planner pages that you can photocopy. This book calls itself "A Handbook for christian Home Education", but I think the book has so much to offer everyone, regardless of their religious beliefs. I heartily recommend this book to any homeschooler who is not made uncomfortable by Christianity.

As a veteran homeschooler (8 years) I am often asked by those considering homeschooling how one goes about making the decision to homeschool. It is this book that I recommend EVERY time. There is plenty of good information about making the decision, handling objections from famiy and friends, and ideas to get you started. I am also often asked by those new to homeschooling how I combat "burnout"? It is this book that I turn to EVERY January when I just don't think I can manage another day. I find renewal, refreshment, and ideas to make the same old thing fresh all over again. Then there are the day-to-day conversations with other homeschoolers, how have you tackled this or that? Or do you have any ideas for....? It is this book that I turn to repeatedly for ideas. Like many homeschoolers, I have an extensive library (3000+ books) but this book is my favorite homeschooling reference. This book would even be good for the parents who don't particularly want to homeschool but just want to make their children's time at home more educational. The only parents who would probably not find this book particularly useful are those who find Christianity offensive. But if you can look past the religious aspects of the book to the ideas, even non-Christian parents could probably find enough good ideas that the book would be a worthwhile purchase.

I was thinking about homeschooling before I started reading this book. After I read just the first chapter, I was convinced it was the best thing for my family! There is tons of scripture used to back up their views and it really makes you think about your choice of schooling. Also, they give others arguments against homeschooling and their response to it. I have read about 6 other homeschooling books now and this one is still the best. For anyone who even remotely thinks that they might be interested in homeschooling, this is a must read! It is very challenging to our society's way of thinking and a real eye-opener to how we so easily accept the status quo. Great Book!

If I only owned 2 books on homeschooling, they would be "Educating the Wholehearted Child" by the Clarksons and "The Charlotte Mason Companion" by Karen Andreola. The Wholehearted Child is a manual with many how-to ideas, lots of background information on homeschooling and numerous helpful forms. It provides information on curriculum, methods, scheduling, resource availability and much more. This book is an excellent resource for every homeschooling parent and is must-reading for those who are just beginning to homeschool.

This book in an inspiration to me. More than just a quick read, it is an important tool to be referred to over and over again. I am so excited to have this resource on my shelf. There is quite a lot of guidance on how to make the entire home a place of learning, including specific info on establishing a learning room and discovery centers. Lots of useful info on building a home library as well. I LOVE this book.