My kids are in public schools, and I'm using WTM to do a home enrichment program. Kids are 6 and 9.
I give this 4.5 stars. As this is well-reviewed, and I agree with most of the positive reviews, I'll start with my one big CON.
The recommendations for early science curriculum are straight-up garbage. My husband is a science professor at an Ivy, and I have a strong STEM background. While I appreciate the idea behind connecting the science and history curriculum, it doesn't really work from a education standpoint. Kids are terrific observers at this early age, but less good at abstract thought. IMO, the Montessori curriculum is far stronger at utilizing a child's basic kinesthetic and observational strengths. The author here recommends starting with bio, then earth science, then chemistry, then physics. IMO, it should work in the opposite direction. Of these topics, physics and chemistry are the ones that lend themselves most to observation and concrete work. Chemistry, inasmuch as external observation reflects things like "atoms" and other abstract ideas, is less appropriate than physics. Compare these to the body (for example), where there are few experiments you can reasonably execute. A chlid must take on faith that what she is learning is real.
If one were learning merely about science history (which is also appropriate), then the author's choices would make more sense. But it's perhaps one of the most foundational aspects of education to learn how to ask, observe, and understand. Something like simple machines, basic forces and motion, etc., lend themselves far better to experimentation and learning by observing. I do like the recommendations for memory-work.
(I will say, this is hardly unique to WTM. The only early-education science curriculum that really addresses this issue is Montessori. So, I only take off half a star for it.)
Outside of that critique, I found the book very adaptable and useful. Some things that others haven't talked about as much:
- The book is optimistic about learning. The author presumes children learn, and the book imbued me with confidence in my ability to teach my children, and for them to learn some pretty complicated things. I'd probably be considered a relatively educated person, but I recognize some holes in my education, and in some cases, I've been learning along with my kids. She suggests lots of curriculum that can be bought, but also gives great recommendations for using free and cheap resources. Overall, there's a sense of "I can do this" about the book. She is honest, however, that this is an assertive program, pretty much the opposite of unschooling, and it's information-led rather than child-led.
- The book does a good job of sorting out religious v. secular resources. I'm a Christian myself, as is the author, but I'm not evangelical, and I prefer my church-learning to be separate. THere are so many homeschool resources now, that it's not always easy to find. She seems often to prefer Christian resources, but she always makes note of it, and gives secular alternatives.
- The author IMO correctly understands that the act of reading, the act of writing, composition, and other language arts, do not always develop on the same time-line. I like that she talks about separating these, so that a child struggling with the act of writing will not necessarily be held back in narration and composition, etc. I have a son with high-functioning ADHD, and her suggestions helped unpack his dislike of composition as an issue of handwriting rather than composition.
- While this book has a reputation as being somewhat strict and inflexible, I didn't find it that way, perhaps because I went into it intending to adapt the materials to my own use. My impression of her philosophy is that it's important for children to develop confidence with language and math, and, espeically as to language, that leaning on audio-visual material is a mistake. I suspect her feeling is that it's easy to get lazy about this, or to forget that at the end of the day, children must have confidence with the written word. Personally, I occasionally use online interactive materials and very occasionally use documentaries for the history curriculum, but only AFTER beginning with reading and talking. Once I feel like my kids have a strong connection to the material, I don't mind letting them increase their knowledge by watching a documentary. I don't think the author's point is that videos are terrible, only that children need to work toward confidence with language as a primary source of information. In my family, serious restriction of media means that my kids view media as a treat rather than a meal.
Finally, I found this book useful for my needs as a part-timer. I don't use that many of the resources she suggests, but I've used the overall structure and organization of material. I was a bit overwhelmed before I read this, in terms of not feeling like I could be thorough, particularly with history and language arts. As to history, I did end up using the author's history series (which is excellent, with some qualifications), and used her suggested literature list (tied to the history series), which has been excellent. For math, I used the information she gave on math programs to choose a program that she did not suggest.. but her suggestions made it easier to figure out what I cared about for math systems.
Overall, outside the science chapter, I think this is a useful book. It gives a sense of scope, and has a lot of information on what sorts of choices you might make.
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Reviews with images
reference book, great guide for the homeschool parent, ideas and solutions
Background: I bought this book two years ago when my oldest was about 3. I did not read this cover to cover because it is not necessary to do so. This is a reference book. I read the parts that are important to us which are easy to find due to the well organized indexes and references provided in the book. I homeschooled my son's pre-K and we are getting ready to homeschool K this year. I followed many of the suggestions in this book, ignored others. I still feel this book was a great base to start out.About the book:It is intended as a comprehensive guide to choose homeschool curriculum for each academic year of your child's school years. They have a few recommendations for each topic and how to approach various subjects with flexibility.I don't believe you need to be a classical homeschooler to find this book a useful addition to your library. Whatever your homeschool philosophy it is always good to be informed about other ways of approaching teaching your children and having so many well organized resources in one place can come in handy sooner or later. You never know what will work for your child. You just have to try it and see.I know that many times I found myself googling "reading lists for preschoolers" to then remember they have a good list in this book by age. They have whole long pages on social interactions, time you should spend with your kids doing homeschool, learning reading before writing and so on.Highly recommend.
Top reviews from other countries
Lucas de Almeida
O mapa para a educação clássica!
Reviewed in Brazil on March 25, 2015
M. roess
Good if you are planning to buy lots more books
Reviewed in France on July 14, 2015Rachael
Excellent resource even for those not planning a classical education
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 23, 2015