BOOKS FOR CHILDREN, EDUCATION, AND HOMESCHOOLING
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We supply the literature, workbooks, and teaching materials you need in all subjects, preschool through high school.

Homeschool Curriculum and Books about Home Schooling

Books about Homeschooling /  Alpha Omega / Beautiful Feet Curriculum Guides /
Design-a-Study  / Drawing Basics /
Great Editing Adventures / Great Science Adventures
Key Curriculum Press / Horizons /  Learning Language Arts Through Literature /Lifepac / Monarch
Evan-Moor History Pockets  /  Morrie Greenberg's American Adventures
Providential View of American History / Uncle Eric books on Government and History
Saxon Math Homeschool Kits  / Sonlight  /Switched On Schoolhouse / Weaver
Wordsmith and Other Writing Books from Common Sense Press

Because of the wide variety of home school materials available, we do not have the space to continue to stock them all. We still want to offer you the best selection, so we are turning to our affiliates for help. When you use one of or affiliate links, you have the widest possible selection on the materials you have learned to trust, yet you also help support this web site for when you need  something at a discounted price that our affiliates may not stock. We very much appreciate your using the affiliate links here and hope you will return to them next time you need something one of them carries.

The series of links above are designed to take you quickly to the materials you may be aware of and looking for without having to scan our entire catalog index.page. Some of them lead to our affiliates, listed below, but most lead to materials we try to keep in stock or can order for you if we happen to be temporarily out of stock.

Books About Home Schooling

The ABCs of Homeschooling by Vicki Caruana. Crossway Books, 2002, paper. 186 plus space for notes. The author had never intended to homeschool her children, but she finally pulled her children out of school to teach them at home. She shares here how you can decide which educational choice is right for your family, the basic things one needs to know to get started, and what end results to expect. BTH-2625 $10.80 -D

Dr. Beechick's Homeschool Answer Book, by Ruth Beechick, edited by Debbie Strayer. This book contains the answers Dr. Beechick has given to questions asked in "Homeschooling Today," and at conferences where questions asked from the floor. Debbie Strayer offers this book as a help line to home schoolers who need help and who can't pick up the  phone as she does to call and ask Dr. Beecher questions. Questions and answers are on these topics: philosophy and learning theory; curriculum; preschool; reading; spelling; writing; math; Bible; high school; issues of family life, testing, and special education. 218 pages.
BTH-1950. $10.80-D

Heart and Mind: What the Bible Says About Learning by Ruth Beechick. Mott Media, 2004. Dr. Beechick has written using the most complete research available about heart as it's used in the Bible and how it relates to the brain. She also reports the physiological research  that supports the Biblical view. All of this information is important in teaching and learning processes, because the heart is important in learning. Secular learning theories view man as simply a body that learns by seeing, hearing, and using the other senses without a "heart" to act upon the sensory stimulation. Dr. Beechick explains the secular learning theories and then compares them to the Biblical view of learning. This book is useful for anyone training to be a teacher at home or in some field of Christian education, and will also be useful to parents, who are always the first teachers of a child. BTH-3178. $10.76-D

Homeschool Roadmap K-4th: How to Homeschool Need to find about about homeschooling right away? Download this ebook instantly for all the information you need to get started. From legal requirements and choosing your curriculum to managing your school day and keeping records, you will find everything you need to know on how to teach your children at home. Just  Click Here!click image. for a complete description, pricing, and  wonderful bonus offers.

The Homeschooling Father: The Key to Success and Sanity, by Michael P. Farris. Trade paper, 1992. Challenges   homeschooling fathers to take their proper leadership roles in their families,   support their wives in their efforts, and fulfill their role as protectors. Farris also shares advice on preparing children for a career, for marriage, and for citizenship. BTH-5626.$5.99-S

The How and Why of Home Schooling, by Ray Ballman, 1993 printing. Presents a solid analysis of the Biblical reasons for home schooling and some practical guidelines for beginning a home school. BTH-3707. Was 7.99. Now only 4.99-S

The Language Wars and Other Writings for Homeschoolers: A series of essays that are especially useful in helping one evaluate whether one needs to buy a curriculum or just use real books, whether one should teach phonics and /or grammar as separate subjects or use a whole language or "living books" approach. The book also gives you Dr. Beechick's thoughts on the other school subjects. Back bottom of this new book was bumped in transit to a book fair, leaving a large crease on the back cover and light damage to the bottoms of several pages at the back. Still a clean, crisp reading copy. 249 pages. Paper, BTH-5627.$8.99-S

Real-Life Homeschooling: The Stories of 21 Families Who Teach Their Children at Home by Rhonda Barfield. This book lets you peek at homeschooling families with differing methods and philosophies. One homeschooling parent ran for the school board. Another was arrested. Another is blind. Another is single. One family unschools. Another lives on a Pacific Island. One family is African-American Christian. Another pursues a holistic New Age lifestyle. Another family is Jewish. Some families accelerated the curriculum to allow early graduation. Some were teaching ADHD or Down's Syndrome children. There are many more interesting home schools to view, as well. Each shares the best and worse advice they have received, a favorite quote, and their favorite resources. And the author shares the stories of how and why they started homeschooling, and how their homeschooling integrates into their lives as families. 306 pages. BTH-5623. $12.60-D  Click image to enlarge it.

Should I Home School? How to Decide What's Right for You and Your Child  by Elizabeth and Dan Hamilton. Intervarsity Press, 1997.Helps parents answer questions such as these: Do I have the right background to home school my child? Where can I find help and support and training? Will this be good for my child? Are there other options that might be better? What state and testing requirements might be imposed on me? How do I know where to start? What do we tell the neighbors?  Written by experienced home school parents who have been there, done that, and who know others who also have home school experience. BTH-1273. $8.99-D

A Study in Wisdom by Dr. Dale Simpson. This study for young children focuses on the importance of wisdom in all areas of life. After a six-week study of verses from Proverbs, one can use any Bible story or almost any story to  help children apply what they've learned about wisdom as it pertains to making choices. Appropriate for grades K-5. Permission is given to reproduce certain pages for student use. This book is for use by the teacher with some pages of activities for the children. 32 pages. 8.5x11 inches. BTH-4475. $5.40-D

Teaching Children: A Curriculum Guide to What Children Need to Know at Each Level Through Sixth Grade, by Diane Lopez. Introduction by Susan Schaeffer Macauley. This book uses Charlotte Mason's approach to learning as it culminates in the Child Light approach, which views curriculum as all the experiences a child encounters in the learning process -- not a series of textbooks to finish. This Child Light curriculum guide is broad-based in scope, and applies a written, literary, and verbal approach to teaching. It makes provision for each child's uniqueness and special needs. It incorporates critical thinking and problem solving skills. It aims at helping  children arrive at a Christian world view. If you are a Christian educator who does not plan to use a packaged curriculum, I highly recommend this book as a planning reference. Paper, $14.39-D Now just $6.50 with light earthquake damage. BTH-3622. Follow link for sale copy.

The Three R's by Ruth Beechick. This may be all you need to start teaching the basic skills to your K-3 children. It includes three separate manuals in a package: A Home Start in Reading; An Easy Start in Arithmetic; and A Strong Start in Language. It also includes an 11" x 17" 2-sided chart for phonics and arithmetic. Please read this first before investing in any other curriculum. BTH-2337. $10.80-D

World History Made Simple: Matching History with the Bible by Ruth Beechick. Mott Media, 2006. This book is best described by the author in her preface: "This book is an  attempt to condense for today's students my journey from 1961 [when she read Morris' The Genesis Flood] and to pull together in readable form what I see at this time to be the best and most Biblical view of world history. I explain how our history got mixed up in the first place and how the Bible is the best tool for straightening it out. " The book was written for teenage students, but adults may also find reading it to be valuable. It can be used by anyone in grades five and up. The author suggests working through the first four chapters sequentially without a break and dropping for that time whatever other curriculum you are using in history (since it provides a framework for other history) and  language arts (since this study involves reading, discussing, listening, writing, spelling, vocabulary, and critical thinking.) 121 pages. BTH-3180 . $12.56-D

You Can Teach Your Child Successfully: Grades 4-8 by Ruth Beechick. Dr. Beechick, whom I've had the privilege to meet and talk to, is a highly experienced teacher and curriculum developer. This has led her to believe that parents are the best teachers for their children. Here are some of the questions this book answers:

• Is there a way out of the grammar treadmill?    

• What do you do after your child can read?

• What should be taught in each grade?

• How can you make the best use of achievement test scores?

• How can you make history more exciting to your family?

• Which of three major approaches to teaching spelling works best?

• Why is the Bible the best possible core for education in the Western world?

• Do you need textbooks for every subject?

• How can you teach art and music without being a musician or artist?

• What should I teach in science? 

This is, in my opinion, the basic book to have if your children are in grades 4-8. It teaches the teacher everything he/she needs to know about building reading, arithmetic, and language skills, and also offers plenty of solid tips on teaching social studies subjects, science and health, music and art, and the Bible. Read this book first, before you spend money on buying an expensive curriculum. You could save yourself a lot of money. This book, in paper, is only $12.60-D. BTH-3177.

I also have two used copies of the above book at lower prices. Follow the links to see if they are still available: Hardcover copy with dust jacket, BT-3057, $10.00-U
Trade paper copy, BT-2616, $9.50-U

You're Going to Do What? Helping You Understand the Homeschool Decision, by Laurajean Downs. This book was written primarily for new homeschoolers who face objections from their parents or other extended family to give to those family members in order to help them understand  home schooling better. I would also recommend this book as a beginning point for those just beginning to home school or who are considering if they should. It discusses the three main reasons families choose home schooling: It can be a path to academic excellence; it can help build stronger families; it's a Biblical mandate. The author then addresses the most common concerns and objections that are often raised: Is it legal? What about socialization? The author also offers one of the best brief overviews of the different educational philosophies and approaches that many home schoolers choose: the textbook method; the Classical Approach; the Unit Study Approach; the Principle Approach; Living Books and the Charlotte Mason Approach. (This book does not really get into "unschooling" -- probably because of it's purpose for being written.) The last chapters discuss available resources and curriculum (not in detail -- just enough to convince someone that a home schooler doesn't have to "wing it" anymore), the challenges of homeschooling, and, best of all, how that extended family member who is reading the book can be supportive and even be involved, should he or she care to. I think this is a "must read" for a beginner -- especially one who has opposition in the extended family. Paper, 176 pages. BTH-5624.$8.05-D

Alpha Omega

Alpha Omega has been around for a long time. When I first met this curriculum it contained only the Lifepac materials. Since then it has grown to include all these other products and more. It is very likely that you will find a suitable home school curriculum among these materials. Some are hands-on, some are on-line, some you install on your own computer, and some are workbook based. The links to the various curriculum pages will give you all the information you need to make a decision.

Drawing Basics: This is actually part of the Lifepac Program and is an activity-based art elective. The instruction takes place on a DVD, and you can also get worktexts to go along with the DVD. It is very reasonably priced, as are all Lifepac materials. . Just click the coupon at left for more information, pricing, and purchase.

  Horizons: This is an award-winning home school Bible -based curriculum for grades Pre-K - 12. It consists of colorful consumable workbooks with plenty of hands-on activities and motivating lessons, which help integrate the Bible with daily living. The teacher's guides are easy-to-use and include daily planners, lesson schedules, and clear objectives. Click banner to see details and find out if this is right for you.

LIFEPAC is a full-color, consumable worktext homeschool curriculum with Bible-based content for grades K-12. Students find it motivating master the content in  each manageable worktext and go on to the next one, as each worktext builds on the concepts in the previous one. LIFEPAC worktexts include  lessons, activities, review questions, and tests. This best-selling homeschool curriculum offers five core subjects -- Bible, History and Geogrphy,  math, language Arts, and Science, as well as  a wide variety of electives. Scripture passages are integrated throughout worktexts to help students connect daily learning to biblical truth. Click the coupon for more information and to order.

Monarch :This is an interactive, Internet-based homeschool curriculum for grades 3-12. It is compatible with any web browser on a Windows® or Macintosh® operating system, and so it's accessible anytime from anywhere in the world, Like other Alpha Omega products it is Bible based and teaches Bible, history and geography, language arts, math, and science, as well as a wide variety of enriching electives. It is purchased by 18 month subscriptions. Its media-rich lessons are filled  with movie clips, animations, learning games, audio clips, and web-related links to offer students a multi-sensory learning experience. Just click the coupon at left for detailed product information, pricing, and purchase.

Switched On Schoolhouse A comprehensive Bible-based curriculum for grades 3-12 you install on your own computer. It includes 3-D animation, video clips, and other fascinating multimedia content to keep your child motivated with  entertaining lessons, assignments quizzes and more. It includes core subjects of Bible, History and Geography, Math, Science, and Language Arts, as well as a choice of electives. Click the banner at left for more detailed description of individual products and for pricing and purchase.

Weaver : This unit study Bible-based curriculum that offers materials for grades Pre-K - 12. It has been popular since I was homeschooling 20 years ago. It uses the same daily Bible theme as a foundation for the whole family and then creates individual lessons for each student. All your children  then study the same subject at the same time with lessons at their own grade level, each a bit different. Since each assignment covers different aspect of the subject, students can share what they've learned with each other. Lessons include lots of hands-on activities:  experiments, maps, murals, timelines, models, field trips, and whatever else you choose to do. Because it's a unit study program, it is flexible enough for you to pick and choose and even add what you'd like your children to do. It's perfect for moms who don't mind doing a bit of preparation to give their children a wealth of experiences not found on a computer and who want to avoid a strictly text or workbook based curriculum. Click the banner at left for more information, pricing, and purchase.

Sonlight

Sonlight: This is not only the way I wish I'd been taught, but I wish I could have used it as my home school curriculum. Unfortunately, it hadn't been published yet when I was homeschooling. It is literature based and involves a lot of reading aloud and independent reading that is related to the subjects being taught. It's based on real books where they will enhance the learning experience for subjects such as history. I have long stocked many of the books on the reading list in my literature catalog, but the teacher guides were not available to retailers, nor any of the materials Sonlight publishes itself. Now I can make all the products available through this affiliate link. Just click the banner, which will take you to the Sonlight site to get detailed descriptions of curriculum and pricing and where you can purchase entire grade level curriculum packages for all subjects or you can pick and choose your own materials.  If you decide to to the later, you might find my prices lower on the   Saxon Math Homeschool Kits  I carry.

This page is still under construction, but links will work for getting you to the affiliate sites.

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