Books for Homeschool Parents

The newest Homeschool Compass Podcast features an interview with Teresa Wiedrick, author of "Homeschool Mama Self-Care: Nuturing the Nurturer".
Teresa Wiedrick is a homeschooling mom of 4 who makes her home among the Kootenay Mountains of Canada. She spends her days driving kids to dance classes, choir, curling, youth groups, soccer practice, playdates, and part-time jobs, tending her homestead, writing, staring at impressionist art, and reading like a hungry baby bird. Teresa is passionate about helping dissatisfied, overwhelmed homeschool moms shed what’s not working so they can live authentically, purposefully, and confidently. She has written a beautiful book to support and encourage homeschool moms called Homeschool Mama Self-Care: Nurturing the Nurturer.

Are you in education because you want to make a difference in the lives of your students? Prayerful Planning, a 6-week planning guide, is a helpful and inspirational resource designed to support educators in practice and faith. Maintain motivation and momentum throughout the school year with the help of inspirational devotions to help start your week; thoughtful self-care suggestions; and strategies based on best educational practices to help you monitor and support your students.  This practical and solid resource includes a checklist and ideas for using data to support educator and student growth in knowledge and practice. 118 pages, softcover.

This Is My Home, This is My School by Jonathan Bean is an absolutely adorable portrait of what the homeschool life is really like. Wonderfully illustrated with a simple text, this picture book takes readers through the daily life as a homeschooling family, from nature studies to music lessons to kitchen-based activities (all in real-life, suitably messy surroundings)--and then to out-of-the-home field trips and co-op activities with friends. This story weaves together the learning and living that happens when schooling happens at home in a way that homeschoolers will instantaneously recognize. Includes an afterword from the author with photographs of his family.

A modern classic with over 250,000 copies sold, Honey for a Child's Heart is a compelling, essential guide for parents who want to find the best books for their children ages 0-12. This updated and expanded edition includes completely updated book lists geared to your child's age and filled with nearly one thousand longtime favorites, timeless classics, and wonderful new books and audiobooks that will enrich your child's life. You'll discover the importance of being a read-aloud family and how great books can give your children a large view of the world, of truth, and of goodness. Thousands of parents have used this guide to furnish their children's inner spirit with the wonder and delight of good reading. 272 pages, softcover.

Homeschool Planet is loved by both those new to homeschooling, and homeschooling veterans alike! This robust online planner merges lesson planning with scheduling so that it is easy to keep track of progress on a daily basis. The Assignment Generator saves homeschooling families time planning assignments no matter what curriculum they use, and the Rescheduling Helper makes it fast and easy to reschedule when life happens. Homeschool Planet also aids families keeping long-term records of assignments, resources, class notes, and grades, all in one place. Reports of any kind, including report cards and even high school transcripts are a breeze when all your data is in one place, and Homeschool Planet helps you create those in minutes!

“Conjunction Junction, what’s your function?” From 1973 to 1985, the catchy, jazzy tunes from Schoolhouse Rock! taught millions of us the fundamentals of math, grammar, science, and history. We learned how a bill becomes a law in “I’m Just a Bill,” the planets of our solar system in “Interplanet Janet,” how to turn an adjective into a perfectly good adverb in “Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, Get Your Adverbs Here.” Plus we unknowingly memorized the Preamble to the Constitution! In Schoolhouse Rock! The Updated Official Guide, you’ll find facts, behind-the-scenes trivia, memorable moments, and the unforgettable lyrics from the original musical segments as well as the additional musical shorts that were added on later. This blast from the past includes favorites like My Hero Zero, Three Is a Magic Number, Figure Eight, Conjunction Junction, Lolly Lolly Lolly Get Your Adverbs Here, Interjections!, Telegraph Line, A Victim of Gravity, Interplanet Janet, Sufferin’ Till Suffrage, The Preamble, I’m Just a Bill, Dollars and Sense, and Tyrannosaurus Debt, just to name a few. 112 pages, hardcover.