Customer Reviews

Homeschooling: The Middle Years: Your Complete Guide to Successfully Homeschooling the 8- to 12-Year-Old Child (Prima Home Learning Library)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is by far the most impressive homeschooling 'how to' book I've ever seen. I almost regret that the title says it is for the middle school years, because it would certainly be appropriate for anyone who wishes to homeschool, regardless of the ages they are dealing with. Any question you have, from the usual, "How do I choose a curriculum?" to the less common, "How will I ever keep my house clean?" will be dealt with between these pages. Most times there will even be more than one answer to each question, because the author has included input from a great many people - normal homeschoolers who tell it like it is.

One of the things I like best about Shari Henry's book is its organization. You could read it from cover to cover, but it is laid out in such a way that you can also go directly to the chapter or chapters that deal with your specific needs. You will also find, in every chapter, resource lists that are both extensive and very helpful.

If I had to recommend only one book to a new homeschooler, this would be it.

I was a little disappointed at how basic the information is in this book. If you are completely new to homeschooling then it would be beneficial, but for those looking for a more content-rich guide with specific curriculum suggestions, this is not the best book to buy. The information is a very general guide to beginning homeschooling and the resource lists are not extensive, but they do include some good recommendations.

If you've been at it for a while this book will be only minimally helpful. However, if you are going to start homeschooling in the middle years this is the most excellent resource I have found.

This book gave more information and usefull ideas than any other homeschool book out there. At the end of each chapter it has websites and catalog numbers. It covers every topic about homeschooling.

I was disappointed reading this book, after enjoing "the early years" by Linda Dobson so much. This book assumes you are going to use some sort of curiculum. If you are interested in UNschooling (aka natural learning) - better get some other book.

This is a very informative book especially for first-time homeschoolers. It was well written and very well organized. The resources listed were very helpful.

My only complaint was the unnecessary criticism of classroom teachers. Unless Ms. Henry was once a classroom teacher herself, I feel she is unqualified to claim that "the most average high school graduate could produce average work in this not-so-challenging college major." I was disappointed in this display of subjective writing in an otherwise well-written book.

This book should be a foundation to every homeschooling library--especially for families with an exceptional learner. Many parents pull their children out of school in the late primary years because the public school system has not effectively addressed exceptionalities. That's what brought our family to the decision to homeschool, yet even with my education background I felt ill-equipped. I knew the dynamics would shift dramatically and, thus, change the expectations of what can and cannot be accomplished at home. In short, after reading this book, I concluded there is nothing that cannot be achieved by teaching at home and much more we can achieve. Our family bonds strengthening was an unintended but marvelous consequence. Of course, our desire for higher acheivement was realized, but I must say my boys were ready to be homeschooled and jumped at the offer when I suggested it. I would recommend to parents that they spend a significant amount of time and energy counseling an unwilling homeschooler, as the attitude your child carries will have the biggest impact on success or failure of your homeschooling program. However, given the state of our current Middle School experiences here, in America, even a reluctant homeschooler will often be preferable to what most children will experience in public (and even many private)schools during the pre-teen years. While you will have to search out other resources for schooling your exceptional child, this book should be your first introduction and must not be missed.

I was quite impressed with the incredible amount of resources Shari Henry has pulled together in this book. It is a wonderful map to guide you through the complex middle years of home education. The book is very readable as well as concise. Every question or struggle I have had was addressed and that is saying a lot. I highly recommend this to any parent who is currently homeschooling or considering homeschooling a child in the middle years.

This book is basically statistics from 1 small survey. The information is presented in a less then readable manor. There are some good ideas thrown in here and there but I found it hard to sift through the commentary to pull that out.

This book is outdated talking about video tapes (no mention of DVDs), audio refers to co and tapes but not mp3 players. No mention of accessing and reserving books over the internet for free from the library.

She states there are 1000001 ways to home school but goes in to very little detail.

The information presented in this book is antidotal and not based on any scientific studies. Although a couple of scientific studies are mentioned in passing.

There is much better information on the internet for home schooling that is up to date and area specific.