Sonya Haskins - The Homeschoolers Book of Lists: More than 250 Lists, Charts, and Facts to Make Planning Easier and Faster

The Homeschoolers Book of Lists
Copyright 2007
Sonya A. Haskins

Cover design by Eric Walljasper
Interior design by Brian Brunsting

Scripture quotations are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Ebook edition created 2012

All rights reserved. With the purchase of this book and accompanying CD, permission is granted to print copies of the lists for personal and non-commercial use in the purchasers household or an individual classroom. Brief quotations in printed reviews are also permitted. Except as permitted above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout the prior written permission of the publisher.

ISBN 978-1-44120-813-2

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
www.bethanyhouse.com

Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com

For Dr. Linda Woolsey

Thank you for correcting my English and for believing that I had potential.

SONYA HASKINS and her husband, Chris, have five children who love to travel around the United States doing schoolwork the hands-on way. Sonya always wanted to write books, but she never really planned to be a wife and a mother. As a child, she thought she might be a missionary or be in charge of an orphanage. Over the years, Sonya has used the gifts that drew her to those fields in other waysparenting foster children, translating Spanish as needed, and taking care of others in need. Now she focuses her time on leading her children to Christ, homeschooling, and trying to be a witness for the Lord through her writing.

Sonya has written extensively on the subject of homeschooling and her work has appeared in magazines such as Homeschooling Today, Educational Dealer, Pastors Family, Guideposts for Teens , and Physicians Practice Digest. Sonya is a founding member and the Web site administrator of a local support group for homeschoolers. She enjoys organizing moms nights out, counseling new homeschoolers, volunteering at various events including book sales, and coordinating other homeschool-related activities. Sonya has a heart for encouraging homeschoolers. She also teaches Spanish, Latin, and an Introduction to Languages class to home-educated students, and she loves discussing etymology (see List #148)! The author of six books, all local bestsellers, Sonya is a popular guest speaker and advocate of home education. She lives in Jonesborough, Tennessee, with her family. You can visit www.sonyahaskins.com for Sonyas more detailed biographical sketch and pictures of the author, her family, and their active life as homeschoolers.

Acknowledgments

Many people have helped make this book a reality. People frequently ask, How do you take care of five children and homeschool and write books and (whatever I happen to be doing that dayor look like Im doing)...? The fact is, I dont do it all. Many people make these things happen and Im the least of them.

First and foremost, I must thank my dear husband for all that he does for our family. He is supportive in all my endeavors, and without his support and his love, I wouldnt be able to do all these things. Also, he is my sweetheart.

When I was in the initial stages of dreaming about this book as a resource for homeschoolers, I received a lot of positive feedback from my friend Lori Keck. Without her encouragement, it may not have become a reality. I am very thankful that she saw the potential and encouraged me to write more.

I would like to thank Rebecca Yarosh, Susan Seaman, Angie Roberts, Juli Hensley, and Tammy Edwards for their comments and suggestions as well as fourteen-year-old homeschooler Rebecca Seaman for her illustrations in the original manuscript. Shelby Edwards provided baby-sitting, for which Im grateful.

My agent, Les Stobbe, knows how much I appreciate his representation, but I would also like to thank him for being so nice, providing helpful advice, and for having faith in me.

I am also appreciative of the staff at Logans, Panera Bread, and Golden Corral in Johnson City, Tennessee, for letting me have some office space while I waited on my own office. A special thanks goes to Teresa, Chris, Crystal, and Sam.

Finally, I want to thank the editors of Bethany House for taking on this project. I am particularly grateful to Jeff Braun for answering my questions and for working late to make sure this book is just what we wanted it to be. You have done a wonderful job!

Contents

Introduction

Like many parents interested in homeschooling, we began by spending lots of money on books, curriculum, and other supplies. Over the past decade, Ive tried packaged curriculum, workbooks, read-alouds, and even a bit of unschooling at times. No matter what we have used, however, answers to the questions that arise in our household frequently arent found in the typical books at hand. Our family is blessed to have access to the Internet and large local libraries, but the best answers usually are those I can give within a few minutesnot after an hour of searching online or after our regular trips to the library.

This book is designed to provide parents with important facts and other essential information that will augment any education curriculum. You will find details about great people, important dates, famous speeches, renowned works of art, and mathematical formulas. Parents who teach multi-grade levels or subjects will find the book particularly appealing since the lists are designed to provide students with essential information in major academic areas in a manner that is accessible for children of different ages. Parents can use the book to answer questions that otherwise could take several hours per week to research. Then, depending on their age level and abilities, early elementary-age children can memorize portions of the lists (make copies for each of your children), and older children can be responsible for memorizing entire lists.

Finally, another great feature of the book is the inclusion of useful checklists, reading lists, descriptions of homeschool methodologies, and other information exclusively for the parent who teaches at home. Use the listsmake copies of them or just take this book with you to the bookstore or used curriculum fairs to save yourself time and energy. I plan to keep a copy of the book handy any time I might be purchasing homeschool supplies so that I have a record of what I already have, and what I need, right there with me.

God is great and I am thankful He has made this project a reality. It is my wish that this book will make your life easier and enhance your childrens education in ways that you never imagined. Use it yourself and hand it over to them every now and then so that they can enjoy reading through the facts and trivia.

Enjoy your children each day and relish every moment of your homeschooling journey. Even through the difficult times, God will be glorified. Please write if you have questions and let me know if you have any comments about the book or would like to schedule a speaking engagement. You can visit my Web site for more information about the book and my family.

Sincerely,

Sonya Haskins

sonya@sonyahaskins.com