Linsenbach - The everything homeschooling book: all you need to create the best curriculum and learning environment for your child

Dear Reader,

This book was written for you! When the first edition of this book came out, we were warmed by the many letters, e-mails, and thank-you notes we received. Now, in The Everything Homeschooling Book, 2nd Edition, weve responded to your requests for even more solid assistance in homeschooling your children. In this second edition, we provide more strategies on choosing the best methods that help your children learn, plus fresh educational activities that keep your children learning and loving it, practical information to help your homeschool days run smoothly, and tips from families on handling special homeschool challenges or concerns.

We build upon the helpful information brought to you in the first edition, but we also provide more encouragement, inspiration, and ideas to keep your homeschool exciting. Updated resources and websites make it easy for you to find free lesson plans, activities, and worksheets for every grade level, from kindergarten through grade 12.

As with the first edition, this second edition will ensure that your homeschool experience is enjoyable, successful, and rewarding! And youll truly see your children blossom through a real love of learning that will last them a lifetime.

Happy homeschooling!

These handy, accessible books give you all you need to tackle a difficult project, gain a new hobby, comprehend a fascinating topic, prepare for an exam, or even brush up on something you learned back in school but have since forgotten.

You can choose to read an Everything book from cover to cover or just pick out the information you want from our four useful boxes: e-questions, e-facts, e-alerts, and e-ssentials.

We give you everything you need to know on the subject, but throw in a lot of fun stuff along the way, too.

We now have more than 400 Everything books in print, spanning such wide-ranging categories as weddings, pregnancy, cooking, music instruction, foreign language, crafts, pets, New Age, and so much more. When youre done reading them all, you can finally say you know Everything!

PUBLISHER Karen Cooper

DIRECTOR OF ACQUISITIONS AND INNOVATION Paula Munier

MANAGING EDITOR, EVERYTHINGSERIES Lisa Laing

COPY CHIEF Casey Ebert

ACQUISITIONS EDITOR Lisa Laing

SENIOR DEVELOPMENT EDITOR Brett Palana-Shanahan

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Hillary Thompson

EVERYTHINGSERIES COVER DESIGNER Erin Alexander

LAYOUT DESIGNERS Colleen Cunningham, Elisabeth Lariviere, Ashley Vierra, Denise Wallace

Visit the entire Everything series at www.everything.com

THE

HOMESCHOOLING

BOOK

2ND EDITION

All you need to create the best curriculum
and learning environment for your child

Sherri Linsenbach

Thank you to my son, Devin, who kept our homeschool
interesting, fun, and educational; to my husband, Don,
who provided research assistance and support; and to
my many faithful readers of our online homeschool site,
www.EverythingHomeschooling.com.

Copyright 2010, 2003 by F+W Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced
in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions
are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.

An Everything Series Book.
Everything and everything.com are registered trademarks of F+W Media, Inc.

Published by Adams Media, a division of F+W Media, Inc.
57 Littlefield Street, Avon, MA 02322 U.S.A.
www.adamsmedia.com

ISBN 10: 1-60550-135-2
ISBN 13: 978-1-60550-135-2

Printed in the United States of America.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
is available from the publisher.

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional advice. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.

From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the
American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations

Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and Adams Media was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed with initial capital letters.

This book is available at quantity discounts for bulk purchases.
For information, please call 1-800-289-0963.

. Homeschooled children receive a well-rounded education thats suited to each childs particular learning style.

. Families draw closer together when their days are filled with home education and learning activities.

. One-on-one attention provides instant feedback and quick assessment of the childs strengths and weaknesses.

. Homeschooling encourages creativity and hands-on learning that makes education fun and memorable.

. Less stress and fewer sicknesses result in healthy, happy children.

. Children have freedom and flexibility in pursuing topics and areas of interest that truly matter to them.

. Homeschooling leads to proper social skills, high maturity levels, and the ability to interact with people of all ages.

. Homeschooled children are self-motivated, self-reliant, self-confident, and eager to keep learning.

. Many colleges and universities actively seek out and welcome homeschooled students.

. Children develop true enjoyment of learning that lasts a lifetime.

WHAT, EXACTLY, IS HOMESCHOOLING?

Homeschooling is more than teaching children. It is a way of life.

What is homeschooling not?

Homeschooling is not school at home. Homeschooling is not a mysterious, arduous task. It is a natural part of living each day.

The concern or fear arises when a person thinks that she cannot teach her children or that she isnt the best teacher for her children. Perhaps shes afraid that she did not learn math well enough to teach to her children. Or she worries about making history interesting for her children, because she found it dull when she was in school. Or shes heard myths about homeschooled children with socialization problems, and she fears that the myths are true. (Theyre not.)