Total Page : 320
Publisher : B H Books
Publication Date : 2005 02 01
>> Helpful with a Few Caveats
I did find it quite helpful in choosing curriculum to match the learning styles of children and teaching style of adults I would recommend it but caution that she has no problem interjecting her opinion She is a conservative Christian and anti unschooling It grates a little on my non religious nerves as she writes sentences such as God created each one as an individual with particular gifts abilities and interests or Because God is real we believe He has revealed truth to us in a way that seems to assume that everyone will/should agree with her So more liberal Christians/those who have no problem with evolution humanists agnostics and atheists and possibly those of other religions may find her completely inaccurate descriptions of evolution or insertion of her personal theology annoying while unschoolers may not appreciate her occasional denigration of the method I ve read books coming from a Christian worldview as the product description states but have not seen one pushing such a fundamentalist perspective coming from a secular publishing company before Because it is from a secular publishing company I do agree with other reviewers that it should be called 100 Top Picks for Christian Homeschool Curriculum
This is my only complaint Just thought I d throw that out there I know there are many conservative Christian homeschoolers and that they make up most of the homeschooling market However those who do not fit the mold may not find this book quite as wonderful or helpful
>> Must read for homeschoolers even if curriculum is not an issue
After reading about 12 books on homeschooling and homeschool curriculum this was the FINAL and best book I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK EVEN IF YOU ALREADY KNOW WHAT CURRICULUM YOU WANT TO USE This book saved me from going completely insane After deciding to homeschool I immediately began to look at curriculum this has taken about 9 months Before reading throw out what all of your friends have told you that you need to use
This book helped me evaluate exactly what I wanted to accomplish in my schooling After determining this Duffy helps you to determine what style is best for what you want to accomplish For example what was best for me was unit studies Based on the questions you answer and the points assigned you will have a ranking for each style of teaching You evalute what type of learner you are She gives non meaningful names to the different types but it is easy to pick yourself from a list of traits For example I was a Wiggly Willy You then evaluate what type of learner your child is/children are I have a Wiggly Willy and Competent Carl these are gender neutral names By evaluating this you are able to determine which curriculum will work best for your child or children
She then has a chart of the different curriculums divided by subject and areas She gives a number ranking in several different categories for each curriculum Basically I had to look at my child s learning style and see which had 5 s or 4 s It also tells if the curriculm has Christian teaches Catholic Protestant etc or if there is no Christian teaching The other things she ranks independent study or one on one amount of writing involved for student prep time grade specific or multilevel ease of use for teacher if the teacher s manual is really needed or not useful if it supports Charlotte Mason philosophy or classical
Lastly she gives her review of each of the 100 curriculums so you can actually read more about which curriculum you have decided is best for you She even tells you what you really need and don t need plus the average price This may sound a little complicated but it is not at all It is very easy and laid out nice and organized for us novice homeschoolers I wish I had started with this book first
The only not so great thing I found about this book is it did not help me evalute pre school programs for my almost 4 year old So if you are only looking for pre school info don t even bother with this one Otherwise it was fantastic
>> Must have for 1st timers
This book is very valuable I am homeschooling for the 1st time and was simply overwhelmed by the many many choices of curicula I ordered this book and it took about 3 months to work through it It is not only a top pick book but also a workbook for figuring out your own teaching style and your child s learning style I went to my first convention already knowing what I was looking for and would have been lost had I not read this book first I recommend it highly
