Customer Reviews

The Big Book of Home Learning

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Eleven years ago when my husband and I first considered homeschooling I was overwhelmed by the thought of my children's education depending on my ability. It was then I discovered books by a well-respected homeschooling advocate named Mary Pride. Her words provided sound advice, yet what helped even more was her encouragement that I could be the best teacher for my children. "Your home will be blessed for it. You can do it. Here's how," I felt her speaking through the pages.

Now with three kids who are thriving in home, school, and life, I was pleased to discover that Mary Pride's Complete Guide to Getting Started Homeschooling is available to a new generation of beginning homeschoolers. In my opinion, this is the user-friendliest book on the market, packed with tons of useful information. I guarantee that if it has to do with homeschooling . . . you'll find it in this book!

Mary Pride's desire to help parents raise God-loving children in a safe and happy environment, with the best resources and opportunities available, comes through on every page. For new homeschoolers, or those considering homeschooling, readers will discover everything they need to know, everything they wished they knew, or everything they didn't realize they needed to know about homeschooling! In fact, here's what one new homeschooling mom had to say:

"I received the Complete Guide to Getting Started in Homeschooling as a Christmas gift when I hinted to my sister-in-law that I was considering homeschooling," says Shari, mother of four. "I have a 6-year-old in a private, Christian Kindergarten, a 4-year-old, a 2-year-old, and a 7-month-old. This was the first book I have read on the subject of homeschooling, and I quickly devoured the whole thing in the course of three days! It was all so new to me, and I have to admit that at times I was overwhelmed by all the information.
"Now I am reading the book a second time, at a slower pace so I can really digest all that this book has to offer. I appreciate the way that Mary Pride writes-candidly, humorously, factually, and Christ-centered.

"I am especially grateful for the introduction to `Educating the Whole-hearted Child,' as this approach seems to appeal to me the most," Shari continues. "I also appreciated the depth that Mary goes into on explaining unit studies. It does seem like a rather elusive method, but she has a way of explaining it that simplifies it and takes many of the unknowns out of developing your own unit studies.

"The only disappointing factor was that the Curriculum Quick Resource Guide was so quick. By the time I got to this section at the end of the book, I wanted to know everything about every curriculum, but I realize that is quite the undertaking. So now I'm looking forward to reading Complete Guide to Homeschooling from Birth-Grade 6.

"I found this to be a splendid book, and one that I will continually use as a reference and guide as I began my home school journey!"

Other information useful to new homeschoolers includes sections on Where to Shop, What to Expect, and Getting Them Ready to Learn.

Of course the title can be deceiving. This book isn't only useful to new homeschoolers. I've been heartedly recommending this book to veteran homeschoolers as well.

"I have been homeschooling for seven years," says Inez, mother of two. "And I found wonderful tips, suggestions, and great encouragement. I'm so thankful a friend recommended I get my hands on this book. I wish I had read this helpful guide when I first started homeschooling."

Veteran home educators will dive into a vast amounts of up-to-date information with sections on Field Trips, Conferences, Retreats & Homeschool Days for the Whole Family, and Worldview & Leadership Training for Teens. There's also information on how to find everything from contests, to how to write a winning college application essay. I especially enjoyed the section on How Has Homeschooling Changed, which gives wonderful insight to the homeschooling climate and how's it has changed, even in the last few years.

After four editions of The Big Book of Home Learning, Mary Pride has designed a new format that gives parents quality information at their fingertips. In addition, there are new chapters and even new sections in this edition. These new sections include topics such as Education 101, Unit Studies, Homeschooling with a School or Group, and Homeschooling Away from Home. New chapters include, How Has Homeschooling Changed? Seven New Reasons to Homeschool, Laptop Homeschooling, The Maloney Method, and The Wholehearted Method.

If there were one "top expert" in homeschooling, I would say Mary Pride is it. With her numerous books, Practical Homeschooling Magazine, and website (www.home-school.com), Mary knows her stuff. But her knowledge isn't just from her head, but also from her heart.

This new edition helps parents pinpoint the best teaching methods and learn about new homeschooling options and issues. But my favorite part is the inspiration I receive, knowing that success is available for my family and I as we continue to grow and learn together. This is a resource I'll use over and over again!

This is the best resource for finding all the information you need to start homeschooling, or to supplement a public school student's learning (afterschooling). If you don't know how to go about it, or even if you are an expert homeschooler looking for the latest in curriculum and methods... this is an excellent resource. I have been buying this series of books each time it comes out, and every time there is something new that I learn, and that I add to our learning regime. It truly is the most authoritive, and up-to-date homeschooling (or after-schooling) information available out there. If you are just starting... this is the one to get! It will help you locate just what you need, and whittle down the vast choices to those that suit you and your needs quickly. Highly recommended. :)

Simply put, Mary Pride's Complete Guide To Getting Started In Homeschooling is the definitive and thoroughly "user friendly" instructional manual ideal for the use of any concerned parent seeking to create a homeschooling program -- or to enhance one already underway. Written by the publisher of "Practical Homeschooling" magazine and the founder of the world's most-visited homeschool website, Mary Pride's Complete Guide To Getting Started In Homeschooling is packed with everything from the twelve most popular homeschooling methods to tactics for dealing with special situations such as the needs of gifted children or children with ADD, to ways to test or otherwise measure and evaluate the progress of one's child, and much more, Mary Pride's Complete Guide To Getting Started In Homeschooling is so filled with information that it is an absolute "must-have" for anyone contemplating or embarking upon a homeschooling program for their child.

I am new to homeschooling, though I have been researching it as a possibility for our son for two years now. Much of what I read, by Gatto, Dobson, Guterson, Colfax, for example, dealt with the "why" of homeschooling, describing the history of education, the differences between traditional school and homeschooling environments and all the benefits that come to children and families from homeschooling. These are wonderful, inspirational books that I will read and reread, and are what convinced me that homeschooling was the way to go for us. However, my husband, though convinced, wanted to know exactly what the kids and I would be doing all day: what was the plan? He wanted details, go figure.
Well, Mary Pride's book has helped me to fill in so many of those details and to come up with a starting plan. The "Finding Your Goals" and "Making Your Plan" chapters were highly useful and more specific than any other book I've read. She describes some of the most popular homeschooling methods and explains how well or not-so-well they might work with your goals and plan you've made. She gave me places to start looking for resources on the internet.
As other reviewers have pointed out, she is Christian and her writing shows that she feels this should be a part of a homeschool curriculum. She mentions and reviews many Christian-based resources. The fact is that a great percentage of homeschool resources ARE Christian-based. She does indicate the intensity of the Christian component, usually.
Personally, I got a ton of useful, specific information from Mary Pride's book about how to DO homeschooling, not just about why it is a good choice. I'm not taking all of her advice, and she doesn't want you to. Whenever you read something, take into account the author's particular background and biases. To me, reading that some people would be offended by an Earth Day ritual and why was surprising and interesting and I'm glad to have this knowledge to think about. Take what you like, leave behind what you don't. So far, I have not found a book anything like this one written by an author who believes everything that I do, and probably never will, unless I write it.

Mary Pride's book is a great place to start your homeschool research if you are new to homeschooling. It's also a great place to refresh your memory and encourage you if you are a seasoned homeschooler. Her book tackles the expected questions new homeschoolers have-- What's so great about homeschooling? How has homeschooling changed? Why do so many families homeschool? Ten things you need to know before you start. But, perhaps the most useful section for newbies is Part 2: Finding your Goals, Making Your plan, What to join, What to read, Where to Shop, What to Expect. Pride also goes into learning style, thinking styles and gives an extensive overview of each of the popular homeschooling methods, including the Classical approach, Unit Studies, Unschooling, Montessori, Laptop, Charlotte Mason, Eclectic methods, etc. A very useful and extensive resource that will save you a lot of time and grief. Worth purchasing as opposed to just checking it out of the library because it is so comprehensive and makes so many good suggestions as to books to read and places on the web to check out.

Ah... I suppose I am one of those close-minded, narrow, evangelical, can't-think-for-herself wing-nut Christians mentioned in some of the reviews. Sigh. If only we were all so open-minded as they...

That aside, I thought this book was fantastic. I just left my naval career of 11 years to homeschool my children (yep, we're Christians) and this book really paved the way for our transition.

Mary Pride is well-known in homeschooling circles - at least the Christian ones - and any quick search of her name on the Internet would lead the interested buyer to a variety of information about her beliefs and other books. Although some of the negative reviews claim she doesn't present other views - she gives information on Catholic homeschooling as well as secular homeschooling resources in the back of the book!

The pages in my copy of this book are highlighted, dog-eared and splattered. I've read and re-read this book and taken advantage of the Websites and other authors referenced in the book.

I highly recommend this book and have found it to be most helpful in starting our homeschool journey.

If you are interested in homeschooling but are overwhelmed by the sheer abundance of curricula, how-to books, and general opionion, this book is for you. Mary Pride is a homeschool veteran with wit and wisdom for the homeschooling novice. Every time I have a question-and that's often-I find what I need in this book. Included is an exhaustive list of organizations, curriculum choices and reviews, supplemental books, websites, conferences, and well organized and detailed information and getting started with success. I especially like the extensive up-to-date data on homeschooling and comparative research that has been compiled here. In other words, if it's not in here, it's probably not worth knowing! If you are considering teaching your children at home, this should be the first resource you purchase.

If you're looking for something you can confidently recommend to a new homeschooling family or even to those who have been homeschooling for several years, then you'll want to look at the new book, Mary Pride's Complete Guide to Getting Started in Homeschooling. This book says it all and has it all -- everything important to get someone started in homeschooling: the 6 classic reasons why anyone would want to homeschool; short, concise answers to basic questions people have about homeschooling; ten things you need to know before you get started; answers to objections to homeschooling; the top ten books every new homeschooler should read; where to shop for curriculum, including a complete resource guide; a large section on popular homeschool methods, including a chapter on the classical approach where she discusses the main proponents of this approach; and much, much more. I especially love Mary's accurate history of homeschooling entitled "Who Are These Wacky Homeschoolers, Anyway?" And, since Mary Pride was actually there in the 1970's when homeschooling started to take off, you can believe it. There are two other volumes planned for this series: one on resources for preschool & elementary, and one on resources for middle school & high school. Used together, these three volumes will be a complete, self-contained encyclopedia of homeschooling.

I am new at homeschooling and was worried about how to do everything or if I had made a good decision to do so. I worried if I could homeschool. After reading a small portion of this book I was greatly uplifted and realized that I picked a great book to start my schooling off with. I am very pleased that I purchased this book and would reccommend it to anyone who is considering doing homeschool.

This book is excellent. It explains the different kinds of homeschooling. It talks about the people who started these methods , such as montessori. She talks about different learning styles of children. She covers some legal aspects of homeschooling. She also covers books that help you get organized and planners. It is a wonderful book for those getting started and not sure what is what.