Apologia ~ The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling

I received a copy of a book published by Apologia called The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling by Debra Bell. The book's price is $20.00. At first, I wasn't thrilled about having to read this book and write a review. Since my very first pregnancy I have read many books about homeschooling, and I just wasn't interested in reading another one (at this time in my life). Oh, I might also add I have recently bought a house, packed, and moved. My life has been crazy busy. It has been a constant struggle just making sure I did the basic subjects with my children, let alone spend time sitting down and reading a book. In the midst of all the chaos I decided to spend a few minutes before I went to bed each night to read this book. Before I knew it I had underlined a wealth of information, written down a ton of notes, and have received encouragement, motivation, and a new excitement for educating my children at home! I have recommended this book to many of my friends, and will continue to do so.

This books is divided up into 10 parts:

Part 1: Homeschooling: Is It for You?

Part 2: Choosing a Curriculum

Part 3: Organization and Planning

Part 4: Preventing Burnout

Part 5: What to Teach - When and How

Part 6: Homeschooling Teens

Part 7: Computers in the Homeschool

Part 8: Creative Solutions

Part 9: Measuring Your Success

Part 10: Resource Guide

I want to make you aware of something before you purchase this book and read it. This book will cause you to want to read more and more books. For instance, the author mentioned a book called In their own way: Discovering and Encouraging your Child's Multiple Intelligences by Thomas Armstrong. I really want to read this book now (I could share more but I will decline because I think you get the point)! This book will lead you to revolutionize the way you educate your children, and teach you how to customize each child's education. The biggest change I have made after reading this book is I am now focused on trying to raise independent learners (the author talks about this in the "Preventing Burnout" section). It is going to be easier for me to train them now when they are early elementary-aged to be independent learners than to wait until they are middle school-aged. After reading this book you will find yourself saying "no" to a lot of things that are distracting you and causing you to not be the best educator you can be.

Whether you are thinking about homeschooling or currently are homeschooling, this book has a lot to offer you. If you are thinking about homeschooling, this book is full of information to arm yourself with knowledge to help you make the right decision for your family. If you are currently homeschooling you will find encouragement and motivation to continue on!