Home ed books

[trincarm]

Hi there, I am hoping to start home ed within the next couple of years. I am trying to do as much research on it as possible and I was wondering what books you would recommend me getting and reading? Thanks.

Hi, John Holt books are a good place to start.
Perhaps some Terri Dowty eg: 'Free Range Education'. I wasn't so keen on this, but I know lots of people who are.
Have a search for home education on Amazon, and that will give you lots of options.
As with any subject, there are so many different ways of home educating, and so many different styles and approaches, that not everything will suit everyone.

Thanks.

can't be doing with terri dowty, too smug. some people seem to love it though

john holt great

do you want to know what HErs do? or more philosophy?

how old are your kids?

can lend you terri dowty if you want, think have lent it out though so might take a while to get it to you

I find the unschooling handbook and 1-1 (gareth edwards) quite helpful really

(though PMSL at the concept of an unschooling handbook)

linda dobson does some good Q & A books

muddlepuddle is a good starting point (website)

um

shall stop now

Didn't like the T.Dowty book, I'll lend you mine if you like, it taunts me from the shelf with it's smugness.
John Holt, fabulous, start with 'How children fail' first, then we read 'How children learn' though he also has others.

I liked Terri Dowty "Free Range Education" I found it easy to read and something I could lend to my family to help them understand.
I like it still, now I know several of the families featured there.
I think it gives some insight in how HE works for some families.

But then I agree about John Holt and I for practical 'how to' we liked Gareth Lewis "One-to-One A Practical Guide to Learning at Home Age 0 - 11"
for my step grandson.
www.freedom-in-education.co.uk/home%20ed/home_ed_books.htm

For research into HE I would look at the websites of;
Mike FW- website home-education.org.uk/
EO - www.education-otherwise.org/ and Sue F home-ed.info/
I always those three sites and muddle puddle will lead you wherever you need to go.

mike FW is kind of interesting though, isn't he, politically within the HE community?

and my extended family would run a mile if I got them to read that book!

Fillyjonk-just goes to show, it's each to his or her own, on this, as with so many things.
I don't mind what information people read, as long as the information is out there. That people should know that HE is a legal, viable alternative to school.

Lot's of people are kind of interesting politically, within the HE community aren't they?
And thank goodness for them.

Mike runs an independant website and does research on HE in this country. He produces the "Home Education Journal" home-education.org.uk/journal.htm and particpates in workshops for people in Local Authorities who come into contact with families who electively home educate, amongst other things.
His wife is an author of four books on the subject on autonomous education and educational theory. She is also
a regular speaker at home education conferences nationally and internationally
So yes that does make them both interesting politically I suppose.

Mike F-W 'Home Education Journal' is great and well worth subscribing to imo. I'd also recommend Jan F-W book 'Doing it Their Way'. I find most of the stuff by both the F-Ws very interesting. And I think it's great how much they both do for Home-education.

I liked the Terri Dowty one because I needed reassurance that home-ed worked. It provided me with that reassurance in that if home-ed worked for some people then it could work for us. It also gave me an insight into how other people home-edded.

o-kay

lets agree to disagree on m f-w, yes?
I really do object to him, tbh.

Yes Fillyjonk, I'll agree to disagree with you on this as with the choice of HE books.

I'm up for as many forces as possible to be out there protecting the rights of my children and grandchildren to home educate-and to home educate in an autonomous child led way, without monitoring and compulsory visits by an LA.
I applaud Jan and Mike F-Ws stance in this.
I am a member of EO and will be helping stage a regional workshop about the up and coming consultations and am pleased that we now also have AHEd www.ahed.org.uk/ as a new Internet based home education campaign group.

We need as many ways of defending our right to HE as we can IMHO.

Hear, Hear, Julie

Well I agree with that in essence, though there are HErs who I want nowhere near me, and I want them to stay off any platform I am on, like the pearls, for tactical as well as moral reasons.

Like I say, lets agree to disagree on the fortune woods. I am not having a random pop though. I am quite heavily involved in EO and also other HE networkd.

please say more about this new internet thing. The website is kind of vague.

no I've looked through it several times now and am utterly confused

how does it differ from EO?

It seems slightly more libertarian, thats the only difference I can find

Dh & I didn't think that the Dowty book was bad as such (once I'd managed to read it all), BUT it doesn't really provide a balanced viewpoint.
Yes it describes lots of different approaches to HE but they all end happily ever after so to speak, it hardly seemed real IYSWIM. I think that's where I come from when I think it's smug. There's no hard days or down side which is just a bit unrealistic.
The section on legal aspects at the back was informative though.
Don't know anything about the F-W's, I'll be honest, but am stunned at the recent EO publication and the in-fighting which seems to be going on. Shameful really!

would agree, sorky. i wanted a real lowdown. its actually, imo, very hard to get one until you are actually doing it and accepted as a HE insider.

whats the EO infighting? I forgot to renew my membership, whats going on? just roughly?

God what a busy day we've had!
EO have the same members turning up to ...well AGM's...I suppose they are. So the new crowd who are trying to instigate change and utilise new technology are frustrated by the firmly wedged oldies who think it does fine as it is. There's a stand off. I think to just move forward and keep relevant to the massive surge in numbers the organisation will have to adapt to it's members needs, as any org does. There are some who are opposed to utilising tech to enable people who live far away from the South to have their say. God forbid!
The other huuuge issue which is not likely to be resolved is to do with Child Protection Group. Some are arguing they should remain as they are, separate from the jurisdiction of the chiefs, others that we don't have a need for this at all and they want it disbanded.
Mostly I tend to think "too many chiefs" scenario, but the indians are revolting and plentiful IYKWIM.
Due tomorrow btw.

sorky-am sending you birthing vibes for today if thats what you want, though i remember with dd, I was gutted when I went into labour on my due date-I had a week of babysitting for ds lined up and a big stack of books and yarn...

muminfife, those are two of my favourite books! def second your recommendations

sortky-so the fighting is over whether electronic voting/agm stuff should be allowed? sounds fair enough

and is there a separate Child Protection Group then?

can't find much about it on the yahoo group

I will say that, in the flesh, 99% of HErs are lovely...

Hello Fillyjonk
Would you say that the Unschooling Handbook is a worthwhile investment. Though I think it's a slight contradition in itself!
I've read the Freerange Ed and John Holt books.

Mmmmmmmmm sorry but I forgot I started this thread. Right in the meantime I have bought a couple of John Holt books (How chldren Learn/Fail). I am halfway through both of these and enjoying them. I have finished "Free range education" which was ok. I am also halfway through "one to one". Since I posted this DH has seen the light and we are going for it. Out four year old is supposed to start in September but he will not now. Our six year old wants to home ed, and we are trying to decide if he should finish the year, or if we pull him out now.
The thing is that he is not unhappy in school and does not complain about going. We have seen a change in him though. He is not enthusiastic anymore, and is tired all the time. He also misses us and does not understand why he has to be in school. So excited about this decision, but scared **less as well. Thanks for the replies, and so sorry I forgot.

My top five home-education books:

'Educating Your Child At Home Jane Lowe / Alan Thomas. Pub. Continuum. This is a clear and considered, authoritative guide to home education in the UK - useful and reassuring for parents still contemplating the step or for those just starting out.

School's Out. Jean Bendell. Pub Ashgrove Press (1987). This book covers the experiences of an English, home educating family. A delightful and inspiring read. Out of print -try www.abebooks.co.uk

The Well Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home. Wise and Bauer. Pub. Norton (USA)
A comprehensive and systematic, language-based, history-intensive home curriculum based on a three-part pattern of progress; first memorization, then logical organisation and lastly, expression. www.welltrainedmind.com

One to One: a practical guide to learning at home, age 0-11. Williams (Lewis). Nezert Books. Full of practical suggestions including games for arithmetic, handwriting, gardening, cooking and crafts (ignore his ideas on teaching reading though!).

Unqualified Education: a practical guide to learning at home. age 11-18. Lewis. Nezert Books. Lewis's book for secondary-age, home-educated children. Includes history, literature, music, cooking and gardening. Lovely!