I'm not fond of the classical method of education. Especially for homeschool moms, I feel like it can lead to a lot of bondage that lends itself to overlooking ways in which education can be personalized for each child within your home. ( )

This is the sort of book that makes me wish my kids were still little. It describes how to home-school your children starting with infancy and going through high school, whether or not they also attend a regular school. The method described in this book is about as far from John Holt/Summerhill "unschooling" as you can get, but it's also not about sitting your kids down with a bunch of worksheets and anti-evolution tracts. If you are at all interested in homeschooling or supplementing your child's education, this book will give you a lot of good ideas. ( )

A very instructive book that provided invaluable help with my self-education process. Very thorough and helpful, listing many good resources. ( )

I began homeschooling my oldest daughter with knowledge from the first edition of ths book, and now I use curriculum and resources from both books, as well as teaching methods. The authors have such a following that they now produce books to help teach this way and i have found all fo them I have looked at thus far to be of high quality. But we use good old fashioned methods more often thannot, with my daughter outlining parts of history encyclopedias and puttin post it notes on a timeline. It makes a teaching method known as "the Trivium" accessible and easy to understand, and my children are just really floursihing using this method of homeschooling. They get a full days worth of school in with plenty of 1/2 hour breaks to play. If you are considering homeschooling and would like to know where you are lacking in your own education, read this book. And don't be intimidated by it's size. just read the section of the age groups that apply to your family. And Classical Education homeschooling is not for devout Christian families alone. We have modified it to make sense through a Unitarian Universalist perspective and it's amazing.

But don't homeschool until you've read this book. That would be my recommendation. ( )

One of the cornerstone books for parents considering a 'Classical Education' for homeschooling or supplementary schooling, this book has a lot to offer to homeschoolers of almost all persuasions. As the author herself says (and expands on her fantastic website) this book is not intended as a strict 'how-to' but more an explanation of an approach and a guide that you can take from as much as you want.

The authors (mother and daughter) clearly explain the reasoning behind their approach, and what they believe the benefits are, leaving the reader with an understanding of a potentially beneficial approach to educating your child. You can simply read the chapters explaining the classical education ideas; read the sections on what age-groups relate to your children and take what you like; or use the outlined curriculums in your own home. There are a lot of references to publications and websites - you are sure to learn that the world of homeschooling is a big and varied one, and you can spend a lot of time using the references in this book to explore it! ( )