Homeschooling More Than One Child by Carren W. Joye

Whether you are new to homeschooling or a veteran homeschooler this book would be one for your bookshelf. This book focuses on the challenges of homeschooling two or more children. Carren Joye author of A Stay-at-Home Mom's Complete Guide to Playgroups guides you through homeschooling more than one with everything from picking the right curriculum, schedules, support groups and much more. There are 14 chapters of endless information and resources; giving you the tools as a homeschooling parent to effectively teach your brood.

I have personally been homeschooling 4 for the past 6 years, and only wish I would have had this book as a resource for those beginning years. Maybe it would have saved me a little heartache and stress. Even after 6 years of homeschooling I found this book informative and helpful and plan to put several ideas to use with my own family. One of my favorite chapters was chapter 13 "staying motivated and preventing burnout "; great ideas for making learning fun and sharing special one on one time with each child. This book not only helps families homeschooling more than one child; but it is a great resource for organizing household chores, discipline, cutting expenses, and socialization opportunities.

Overall, a great book to have if you homeschool tiny tots or young adults. You can purchase your own copy at amazon.com for only $14.95.

http://www.amazon.com/Homeschooling-More-Than-One-Child/dp/0595342590/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277859989&sr=1-1

Max Lucado's Hermie and Friends Who is in Charge Anyway?

"An ocean can't start without the first drop of rain". This Hermie and Friends DVD is classic Max Lucado style. Freddie the flea has a talk with God when he decides he is too small to be important. God reminds him that all the other garden bugs were not strong and brave in their youth, but they did some growing up with God.
Kids of all ages will love the flashbacks of the bugs in their early years. Parents will love the spiritual applications that can remind their child that God didn't make anybody by accident, and that he isn't finished with us yet. The cartoon graphics and story line are engaging and will even produce a few laughs now and then from viewers. In addition to this the bonus materials included trivia questions, music singalong, and short film on how the Hermie and friends dvd series are created(which I found fascinating and laborious)
Once again a great Hermie and friends film and an important lesson in who is in charge of our lives. My family enjoyed watching this together and loved seeing some scenes from prior DVD series. Overall, a must have for all family video libraries

Homeschooling from a Biblical Worldview

Israel Wayne, marketing director for Wisdom's Gate, writer for Homeschool Digest, and a homeschool graduate; did an excellent job with Homeschooling from a Biblical Worldview. This book is all about "learning how to think biblically, and transmitting a Biblical World-view to your children. The book is divided up into 10 chapters covering things such as a Biblical Education, teaching core subjects biblically, socialization, common excuses to keep from homeschooling and more.

I must say I felt that Mr. Wayne more than proved his mothers ability to home educate her children(although this more than likely was not his goal). I felt he was very intellectual in his thought process in putting this book together, and he on more than one occasion thoroughly did his homework in research. Some of my favorite things he added where the quotes from famous and sometimes not so famous people in history and Biblical arenas.

I would recommend this book to anyone considering homeschooling and if you have homeschooled for years. I personally have homeschooled for over 6 years and was able to draw alot out of this book. Needless to say, I was definitely humbled and convicted by some of the things Mr. Wayne included in the keeping eternal perspective and the parent's right chapters. I had alot to think about after each paragraph and enjoyed sharing it with my husband and best friend who also homeschools.

The only negative thing would be the fact that Mr. Wayne could be so technical in his explanations, especially about philosophy, that at times, I had to reread a passage to truly understand what he meant. I am not saying he should have "dumbed" it down. But maybe could have explained it more in layman's terms or maybe not describe something at such a wordy length.

Overall, this book was a great read and I will leave you with one of my favorite passages.

"Christian parents should teach their children how to learn, and help them to take unbiased facts and develop heartfelt convictions from those facts. They should help their children know what to believe, why to believe it, and how to articulate those beliefs to their peers and society. That is a true education. Anything less is a waste of time."

God's Promises for Boys

Jack Countryman and Amy Parker did a fantastic job putting this book together. This book is 127 pages long, but is broken down into short two page devotions for kids. Each devotion has a 4 line rhyming poem about the thought being presented. In my experience this is perfect for kids to remember a biblical truth and fun to say over and over again. In addition each devotion has 3 scripture verses printed out that support the biblical truth being presented. This book has wonderful illustrations that appeal to young boys and also has a gift page in the front so you can present this as a gift to your favorite little boy.

My boys really enjoyed this book and we repeated the rhymes several times. I also loved the fact that the verses were written out; so I could just read them directly instead of taking the time to look them up. I also liked that the book was small and could fit into a bag or purse so we could take it along with us. This book would be great for kids ages 2-8. Since the lessons were short my son with special needs was able to pay attention and glean from the Bible in a fun and meaningful way.

The only thing that could be a negative for some, is the fact that the verses were from the International Children's Bible. So, depending on what version you prefer could alter your decision in purchasing this book.

Overall, a great book to read as a biblical devotion to your kids and teach them Godly principles through a rhyme, bible verses and time spent together.