If I were to create a Homeschooling for Parents 101 course, it would be made up of Ruth Beechick’s books, The Three R’s (intended for K-3) and You Can Teach Your Child Successfully: Grades 4-8.
Filled with practical, no-nonsense advice and a step-by-step relaxed plan for teaching the basics every child should know, these books are an absolute must for those just beginning to homeschool. They are also chock-full of valuable info that even veteran homeschoolers will find useful. There is something for everyone, whether you are planning on creating your own unit studies, using a hodgepodge of texts, or are locked into one curriculum provider for all subjects.
Mrs. Beechick, who was herself a public school teacher for many years, starts by encouraging her readers that they truly are capable of teaching their own children and doing it well. She takes the mystery out of what homeschool education is all about, and fills us ordinary moms with a Yes! I think I can do this now! confidence.
She coaches us in how to teach without ever having to purchase textbooks, and if this is the direction you want to go, she will help you do it with excellence. (We used textbooks most of the time, but her ideas still enriched our learning.) She gives valuable information about what children should know when, practical skills that should be taught (some of which your textbooks have probably missed entirely), and how to lighten up, relax, and enjoy teaching your children.
I found these books very freeing, as I learned from Mrs. Beechick that it is OK to not do every workbook page, if your child already has a good grasp of the material. She has some wonderful ideas about teaching math concepts without having to buy the fancy manipulatives. And who can beat her “total immersion” approach to teaching health? (Hint: it means teaching common sense health stuff as you go along, and not feeling the need to do a workbook course on brushing teeth and bathing!) In You Can Teach Your Child Successfully, she thoroughly covers how to teach reading, writing, science and health, math, social studies, the arts, and the Bible.
These books are down-to-earth, fast and enjoyable reading. They will give you a new confidence and enthusiasm for homeschooling, and they will teach you ways to make learning enjoyable for your children as well. I appreciated the very Christ-centered focus of the materials.
You will be passing these books around to many of your friends. I wish I had bought two sets, because mine were loaned out so much.
Note: The Three R’s is actually a compilation of three of her booklets: A Home Start in Reading, A Strong Start in Language, and An Easy Start in Arithmetic. Each of them can also be purchased individually, if desired.
Ruth Beechick page at Amazon
The Three R’s (K-3)
You Can Teach Your Child Successfully: Grades 4-8
The Character Building for Families Blog 