Customer Reviews

Homeschool Your Child for Free: More Than 1,200 Smart, Effective, and Practical Resources for Home Education on the Internet and Beyond

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

If you are considering this book to find ways to save money with homeschooling you would do better to avoid this purchase. I was so excited to open this book and learn some new ideas. What I found were a many educational/informational websites listed that were no longer valid. In fact, the vast majority were no longer usable. The rest of the information included was already known. Don't waste your money or time.

There are quite a few good books available for homeschoolers to use in their pursuit of educating their children. However, while most of them are practical, inspiring, how-to's, encouraging, etc., they are not always all of those things wrapped up in one book. So often I have found, after reading these books, that I say "That was good. I need to pass this on to so-and-so." THIS book, however, is not one that will be let out of my grubby little paws! I have allowed my girlfriends to look at it in my home, and then have encouraged them to purchase their own copies. LauraMaery begins at the beginning with why homeschool? and takes you through the issues, pros and cons, how-to's, curriculum and individual subject areas all the way through the elementary years, high school and finally the sending off to college. What's so unique about this, you may ask. Ah, the beauty of it is that she shows you how to do it all for free, the whole while utilizing the wonderful (and may I add, fun) tool of the Internet. Already it has far exceeded the worth of it's selling price and will continue to do so. Not only have the web sites been extremely helpful and practical (and easy to find in the way they've been organized), but the insights from "real-life" homeschooling moms and dads have also been full of helpful strategies and encouragement. Sort of a "been there, done that" support.

This is a book I simply couldn't just read and then pass on. "Homeschool Your Child For Free" has a place all its own, sitting right next to my computer, and has become as indispensable as my calendar and lesson planner.

I was so disappointed in this book. I too expected to find tons of resources to help with homeschooling and instead found a book full of links that either didn't work or cost to use. There was nothing free about this book to be honest. You can't even get onto the website that supposedly keeps the book from being outdated. Instead you are left with nothing. Thankfully I was able to return this and buy something useful.

Homeschool Your Child for Free

The subtitle of this book is: "More than 1,200 Smart, Effective, and Practical Resources for Home Education on the Internet and Beyond." Those three words: "smart, effective, and practical" describe the reasons you should own this book!

This is one homeschool investment that will pay off the first time you use it. Author LauraMaery Gold has provided a wealth of resources on such topics as language literacy, mathematics mastery, art appreciation, history highlights, music, social studies, humanities, science and health. In addition, she has crafted this book in such a way that there are multiple messages for both the novice and the veteran homeschooler. I just love the way she weaves storytelling of the very fabric of homeschooling life into her carefully selected resources. The hands-on, practical nature of her advice creates a complete homeschooling handbook, not just a reference book.

Included are quotes and recommendations from actual homeschooling families, screen shots of sample web sites, a section on "the socialization question", and hundreds of "the very best" internet links, legal guidelines, and complete curriculum plans.

From the back of the book: "For families who want to splurge on education but scrimp on spending ... The Internet is an open door to the biggest library/laboratory the world has ever seen--and it's all at your fingertips for free! This never-ending source of information, adventure, and educational experiences for the entire family is now compiled in a complete curriculum for any age in _Homeschool Your Child for Free_."

(Note from the author: By the way: You need never worry about the book going out of date. So long as this edition is in print, owners will have unlimited access to our companion Web site with a regularly updated database of reviews and links to thousands of homeschooling resources.)

Courage! Marji

Although many of the website links listed in this book were no longer in use, I still give this book 5 stars because the information provided inside led me to finding websites and ideas I might never have found otherwise. If you want to find "free" ways/methods of homeschooling, this book just may lead you down the right path. I first learned about the Charlotte Mason method of teaching in this book and am now following the principles of this method. If you are like my family and don't want to spend countless dollars on fancy curricula but want to give your family a solid education at home or supplement your child's formal education, this book just may lead you to some wonderful places.

I bought this book after reading Homeschooling on a Shoestring, and was thoroughly disappointed. I'd estimate that eighty-five percent of the websites listed either didn't work or were something other than what the author thought they were. The other fifteen percent I was already aware of from Homeschooling on a Shoestring. I strongly recommend you to bypass this book. Also, there is a strong christian fundamentalist vibe in this book, so if you aren't a fundamentalist, that would be another reason to avoid it.

This is THE book for any parent Homeshooler or not. The information in this book is so well organized it only takes minutes to find exactly what you need.You'll have a hard time finding a catagory not covered and each catagory is broken down by age and amount of info available. This book is a true time saver especially if you are planning curriculum for several children. I only wish I would have had this book four years ago when we first started Homeschooling.

I was looking for good links for online activities, tutorials, and classes but found way too many dead links, pseudo 5 star sites that were sales sites, and too many Bible links. I compared a Google search for the topic headings and did much better than scouring the book for viable links. Don't waste your money or time.

If you have access to a computer and homeschool your child, you CAN NOT go wrong with this book. When you read through this book, you will wish you had more hours in the day to sit at your computer and look at these great sites/ideas. Great book! Highly recommend this book to every homeschooling family!

I keep this book on hand during those curriculum lapse times or when I find I can't get enough information to supplement my children's education, although it can be used for a full curriculum. This book is layed out so the information is easy to find and easy to flip through. Chapters (with many links) are broken up by subject and from elementary to high school levels. I wouldn't do without it. Thinking I would only use it for a short time, I got it at the library. After viewing it, I realized it was going to be a great reference source to have around all the time.