Here’s your one-stop resource for information, insight, and inspiration about every aspect of educating your children at home — written by those who understand it best: homeschooling parents themselves!

Would you like to teach science or phonics better? Introduce your child to Latin, piano, or great works of art? Try new classroom approaches that other parents find effective? In these pages, you’ll find helpful essays from more than forty veteran homeschooling parents to help you do all this and more. You’ll also find wise advice and practical tips to make you a better teacher and your homeschool more productive and enjoyable.

Of course, homeschooling involves more than academics. That’s why The Catholic Homeschool Companion includes essays to help you foster your children’s moral and spiritual development, involve time-challenged dads, teach kids with special needs or in special circumstances, and handle other common problems homeschoolers face.

Are you frustrated trying to fulfill state academic standards or diocesan requirements for sacramental preparation? No problem!

Here’s shrewd advice from parents who’ve fought those battles already. There’s also humor to lighten your heart when the daily grind gets you down, and, for those really bad times when you wonder whether homeschooling is even worth it, The Catholic Homeschool Companion brings you heartening testimony from teenagers and young adults who tell how grateful they are that their parents taught them at home.

Information, insight, and inspiration: it’s all right here in The Catholic Homeschool Companion, the must-own resource for new and experienced homeschoolers alike.

• Exploring Creation With Astronomy
• Exploring Creation With Botany
• Exploring Creation with Zoology 1, available Fall 2005

• Exploring Creation With General Science
• Exploring Creation With Physical Science
• Exploring Creation With Biology
• Exploring Creation With Chemistry
• Exploring Creation With Physics
• The Human Body: Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
• Exploring Creation With Marine Biology
• Advanced Chemistry in Creation
• Advanced Physics in Creation
• Plus other texts

Traci Matt, a veteran homeschool mom helps you make the most of your homeschooling efforts. She takes a look back at 20 years of successes and challenges, offering tested strategies to assist you on your home education journey. This book will help you learn ways to keep a peaceful home, stay out of the isolation trap, practice self-care, learn how to live with teens, and respond to the questions of others.

• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (9-12)
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (6-8)
• Amos Fortune, Free Man (5-7)
• Anne of Green Gables (5-8)
• Bears on Hemlock Mountain (1-3)
• The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (4-6)
• The Bridge (4-6)
• Bridge to Terabithia (6-8)
• The Bronze Bow (6-8)
• Carry On, Mr. Bowditch (9-12)5-7
• Charlotte's Web (4-6)
• A Christmas Carol (8-12)
• Clipper Ship (1-3)
• The Courage of Sarah Noble (1-3)
• The Cricket in Times Square (4-6)
• Crown and Jewel (4-6)
• A Day No Pigs Would Die (9-12)
• The Door in the Wall (4-6)
• The Drinking Gourd (1-3)
• Farmer Boy (4-6)
• The Fellowship of the Ring (9-12)
• Frankenstein (10-12)
• Frog and Toad Together (K-2)
• The Giver (7-9)
• The Great Gatsby (9-12)
• Hamlet (9-12)
• Heart of Darkness (9-12)
• Henry & Mudge in Puddle Trouble (K-1)
• The Hiding Place (6-8)
• The Hobbit (8-12)
• Holes (5-8)
• The Indian in the Cupboard (5-7)
• In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson (4-6)
• Introduction to Poetry: Forms and Elements (8-12)
• Island of the Blue Dolphins (5-7)
• Jane Eyre (9-12)
• Johnny Termain (6-8)
• The Josefina Story Quilt (1-3)
• Julius Caesar (9-12)
• Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie (1-3)
• The Lion, Witch & Wardrobe (4-7)
• Little House in the Big Woods (4-6)
• Little House on the Prairie (4-6)
• The Long Way to a New Land (1-3)
• The Long Way Westward (1-3)
• The Lord of the Flies (11-12)
• Macbeth (9-12)
• The Magician's Nephew (5-7)
• Maniac Magee (6-8)
• The Merchant of Venice (9-12)
• The Minstrel in the Tower (2-4)
• Miss Rumphius (1-3)
• Mr. Popper's Penguins (3-5)
• New Coat for Anna (1-3)
• Number the Stars (5-7)
• The Old Man and the Sea (9-12)
• Oscar Otter (K-1)
• Out of the Dust (7-9)
• Out of the Silent Planet (9-12)
• Ox-Cart Man (1-3)
• Perelandra (9-12)
• Prince Caspian (5-7)
• The Red Badge of Courage (9-12)
• Redwall (5-9)
• The Return of the King (9-12)
• Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (6-8)
• Romeo and Juliet (9-12)
• Sam the Minuteman (1-3)
• Sarah, Plain and Tall (4-6)
• The Scarlet Letter (9-12)
• The Screwtape Letters (9-12)
• The Secret Garden (6-8)
• Shiloh (5-7)
• The Sign of the Beaver (5-7)
• Stone Fox (3-5)
• The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (8-12)
• The Swiss Family Robinson (7-9)
• A Tale of Two Cities (9-12)
• To Kill a Mockingbird (9-12)
• Tuck Everlasting (6-8)
• The Two Collars (4-6)
• The Two Towers (9-12)
• Wagon Wheels (1-3)
• Where the Red Fern Grows (5-7)
• The Whipping Boy (3-5)
• The Witch of Blackbird Pond (5-7)
• A Wrinkle in Time (5-8)
• The Yearling (9-12)

• Discovering the Human Body and Senses
• The World of Tools and Technology
• Discovering Earth's Landforms and Surface Features
• The World of Space
• The World of Insects and Arachnids
• The World of Plants
• The World of Light and Sound

Surrounded by more books than ever, readers today are frequently daunted by the classics they have left unread. The Well-Educated Mind, debunking our own inferiority complexes, is a wonderful resource for anyone wishing to explore and develop the mind's capacity to read and comprehend the "greatest hits" in fiction, autobiography, history, poetry, and drama.

Far from tossing readers into the swarming sea of classics and demanding that they swim, this book offers brief, entertaining histories of five literary genres, accompanied by detailed instructions on how to read each type. The annotated lists at the close of each chapter—ranging from Cervantes to A. S. Byatt, Herodotus to Paul Gilroy—preview recommended reading and encourage readers to make vital connections between ancient traditions and contemporary writing.

Based on the same classical method as Bauer's terrifically successful The Well-Trained Mind, The Well-Educated Mind provides not only a thorough grounding in the classics but also a widely applicable foundation for self-education.

Having never seen a textbook or taken a test, never used workbooks or any type of teaching techniques, Laurie scored in the top 10% of the state of Louisiana on her college entrance exam. She enrolled in college when she was eighteen, and graduated summa cum laude three and a half years later. Laurie is a bright adult, but her IQ is not why she did so well. She spent her life learning to learn and it’s something that now comes easily to her.

The Unprocessed Child was written by her mother and is full of examples of raising a child with respect and dignity. It is the first book written about a radically unschooled child who has now reached adulthood and is a responsible member of society.

Questions about the radical unschooling lifestyle are answered on topics ranging from socialization, parental responsibility, self-discipline, chores, bedtimes and much more. The book shows that it is not only possible to befriend your child, but that it is highly preferable to the struggles that so many parents go through with their children. It proves that school is not necessary for learning, socializing or motivation.

• The Rainbow is a two-year total science curriculum for 12-14 year-old students, with physics and chemistry taught in the first year and biology and applied science taught in the second. The Rainbow gives your student the theory—the thorough grounding in scientific principles—and the application—the fascinating laboratory exercises, memorable field trips and other extracurricular activities.
• The Spectrum is a lab-based chemistry course for senior high school students focusing on practical-problem-solving skills and scientific reasoning. This one-year chemistry course is done three days a week, one of which is a lab day. It is the equivalent of an honors chemistry for college-bound students.
• Bridge Math is a 7-week short course designed to teach students the applications of math that are necessary for successful science problem solving.

The guide is neatly packaged and easy to read in the same style of its sister publications, Homeschooling: The Early Years and Homeschooling: The Middle Years. A large collection of lists and quick tips offer everything from the top 10 books for teens and the most popular math programs to money-saver suggestions such as joining a local college's foreign-language club and asking for discarded equipment from local schools. The last chapter contains two college application essays written by teenage homeschoolers. It also provides reassuring information about diplomas. Many universities follow Harvard's policy of not requiring a diploma, but if you or your homeschooling support group do issue one, your teenager can answer "yes" to the diploma question on most job applications--a fact sure to illicit a collective sigh of relief from thousands of parents who homeschool their teens. --Jodi Mailander Farrell

Topics include:
· How kindergarten enables healthy child development
· What is movement based learning
· Why creative play is so crucial
· How children learn through imitation and rhythm
· When children are ready for school
· How to get support for parenting and daycare

Free to Learn is a unique guide to the principles and methods of Waldorf early education, drawing on kindergarten experience from around the world, with stories, helpful insights, lively observations, and pictures.

This book will instruct you, step by step, on how to give your child an academically rigorous, comprehensive education from preschool through high school. Two veteran home educators outline the classical pattern of education—the trivium—which organizes learning around the maturing capacity of the child's mind: the elementary school "grammar stage," the middle school "logic stage," and the high school "rhetoric stage." Using the trivium as your model, you'll be able to instruct your child in all levels of reading, writing, history, geography, mathematics, science, foreign languages, rhetoric, logic, art, and music, regardless of your own aptitude in those subjects.

Newly revised and updated, The Well-Trained Mind includes detailed book lists with complete ordering information; up-to-date listings of resources, publications, and Internet links; and useful contacts.

What draws parents and educators toward Waldorf Education today? "Waldorf Education - A Family Guide" offers a "first look" for parents and educators into the history, philosophy, curriculum, and traditions of this unique education. This comprehensive book is a collection of articles describing the world of Waldorf Education - the fastest growing independent school movement in the world.

Written by a teacher with more than 25 years of experience, this book offers a jargon-free view of Waldorf schools with their philosophy of the importance of a three-dimensional education. Through learning experiences that involve all of the senses, children use a variety of intelligences to develop thought, feeling, and intentional, purposeful activity. Whether you_re a Waldorf parent or teacher, or you just want to learn more about these innovative educational concepts, this book contains important ideas on learning that you can apply today.

This brilliant new book with color illustrations is packed with powerful tools, techniques, and strategies that can actually help students improve brain function without resorting to Ritalin or other medical interventions.

Jensen presents a succinct overview of the key factors that prevent students from achieving as well as a concise outline for identifying the symptoms and causes of prevalent impairments. Most importantly, you will learn what to do once you've identified the disorder. Arm yourself with powerful knowledge for solving difficult learning problems; and discover specific how-to strategies for turning a borderline student into a confident achiever. Get started immediately with a step-by-step action plan.

Smart Mouth is a quick-thinking shout-it-out hilarious word game that helps build vocabulary skills. It includes variations of the rules for category play and for younger players. Players slide the Letter Getter forward and back to get two letters. The first player to shout out a word of five or more letters using those letters wins the round. The game includes tips for teachers. This is a fun game to play with children and adults together.

• Bob Books First! Level A, Set 1
• Bob Books First! Level A, Set 2
• Bob Books First! Level B, Set 2
• Bob Books First! Level C, Set 1

Author Douglas Wilson makes the argument that education must have a foundation of religion, which informs worldview. Education is the asking and answering of questions, and learning to read and write is simply the process of acquiring the tools needed to do that. 

Llewellyn is a former middle-school English teacher, and she knows her audience well. Her formula for making the transition from traditional school to unschooling is accompanied by quotes on freedom and free thought from radical thinkers such as Steve Biko and Ralph Waldo Emerson. And Llewellyn is not above using slang. She capitalizes words to add emphasis, as in the "Mainstream American Suburbia-Think" she blames most schools for perpetuating. Some of her attempts to appeal to young minds ring a bit corny. She weaves through several chapters an allegory about a baby whose enthusiasm is squashed by a sterile, unnatural environment, and tells readers to "learn to be a human bean and not a mashed potato." But her underlying theme--think for yourself--should appeal to many teenagers. --Jodi Mailander Farrell

Unschooling, child-led learning, free learning, interest based education, child-delighted learning--whatever you choose to call it, this book explains what unschooling is (and isn't) in easy-to-understand terms while holding your hand as you walk the unschooling pathway.

Many essays of unschoolers are included--offering their viewpoints, "typical days", opinions on lessons and learning, how they are guided by the Lord and much more.

Additionally, comprehensive information on starting an unschooling support group is included along with plenty of ideas to inspire you in the subjects of language arts, history, math, science and more.

This collection is the clearest introduction to the ideas of Waldorf education currently available. "Rhythms of Learning" contains Steiner's most important lectures on teaching and child development. It is an excellent resource for everyone interested in taking education successfully into the 21st century.

Let your daughter read her library books instead of finishing her homework . Ask your eleven-year-old’s beloved third grade teacher to comment on his poetry. Invite a massage therapist to dinner because your daughter wants to go to massage school instead of college. Give your child the freedom to pursue his interests, develop her strengths, cultivate self-discipline, and discover the joy of learning throughout life.

If you’ve ever felt that your child wasn’t flourishing in school or simply needs something the professionals aren’t supplying, you’re ready to become a "guerrilla educator." Revolutionary and inspiring, Guerrilla Learning explains what’s wrong (and what’s useful) about our traditional schools and shows you how to take charge of your family’s education to raise thinking, creative young people despite the constraints of traditional schooling.

Filled with fun and exciting exercises and projects to do with children of all ages, this remarkable approach to childhood, education, and life will help you release your child’s innate abilities and empower him or her in the wider world that awaits beyond the school walls.

*Every chapter substantially revised to refelct recent changes in college admissions policies, testing requirements, and scholarship availability
*New chapter on college at home and on-line college
*New appendix on study tips for the college bound
*Updated resources and web sites
*Chapter highlights to help you focus on the most important points

Included are:
· Ten designs, including soft, baggy, angel, pouch, sack, and limbed dolls
· Twelve basic clothes patterns and ethnic variations
· Tools, techniques, and materials
· Safety guidelines and sewing methods
· Recycling tips and where to get materials

Learn practical ways to recognize, reach, and develop visual-spatial abilities!

* Imagination

* Visualization

* Intuitive Knowledge

* Invention

* Discovery

* Spirituality

* Three-dimensional Perception

* Artistic Expression

* Scientific & Technological Proficiency

* Emotional Responsiveness

* Holistic & Whole-part Thinking

* Holographic Understanding

• The Story of the World, Volume 1: Ancient Times
• Activity Book One: Ancient Times
• The Story of the World, Volume 1: Ancient Times Audiobook CD, read by Barbara Alan Johnson

• The Story of the World, Volume 2: The Middle Ages
• Activity Book Two: The Middle Ages
• The Story of the World, Volume 2: The Middle Ages Audiobook CD, read by Barbara Alan Johnson

• The Story of the World, Volume 3: Early Modern Times
• Activity Book Three: Early Modern Times
• Story of the World, Volume 3: Early Modern Times Audiobook CD, read by Jim Weiss

• The Story of the World, Volume 4: The Modern Age:
• Activity Book Four: The Modern Age

The assessments are uncomplicated and almost too simplistic. And the writers convey an idealism that may not fly in some schools, suggesting that parents encourage teachers to adapt to their child's learning style, accepting, for instance, a video-taped report instead of a written one from a visual learner who conveys his talents better on screen than on paper. Understanding the assessments' results and applying them involves careful--and lengthy--reading. Still, a parent who follows the workbook from cover to cover could gain insight into why a child is struggling in school and head off the labeling of yet another "learning misfit." --Jodi Mailander Farrell