Homeschooling: The Early Years : Your Complete Guide to Successfully Homeschooling the 3- to 8- Year-Old Child

Discover the Rewards of Homeschooling Your Young Child Young children are full of curiosity, imagination, and a sense of wonder. They're willing to try new things and possess a natural joy of discovery. Yet in a traditional school, these natural behavior traits are too often squelched. That's why more and more parents just like you are choosing to teach their children at home during these critical years—the years that lay the foundation for developing learning skills that last a lifetime. Inside, respected homeschooling author Linda Dobson shows you how homeschooling can work for you and your young child. You'll discover how to: ·Tailor homeschooling to fit your family's unique needs ·Know when your child is ready to learn to read ·Teach your child arithmetic without fear—even if you're math-challenged ·Give your child unlimited learning on a limited budget ·And much more! "Brings dazzling clarity to the otherwise nerve-wracking confusion of early learning—and the adventure of becoming fully human. Highly recommended." —John Taylor Gatto,former New York State Teacher of the Year and author of Dumbing Us Down "Provides a much-needed introduction to living and learning with young children. Open the book to any page and you'll find inspiring anecdotes and approaches to learning that leave the reader thinking, 'That just makes so much sense!' Highly recommended for anyone who lives, works, or plays with young children." —Helen Hegener, managing editor of Home Education Magazine "An information-packed delight; I only wish it had been around when our three boys were three to eight years old." —Rebecca Rupp, author of The Complete Home Learning Sourcebook "This book brings together the experience and wisdom of a great variety of homeschooling families—tied together with warm encouragement and wonderful simplification of processes that can seem so mysterious and daunting to the beginner. A very solid resource!" —Lillian Jones, homeschooling activist, writer, and reviewer Discover the Rewards of Homeschooling Your Young Child Young children are full of curiosity, imagination, and a sense of wonder. They're willing to try new things and possess a natural joy of discovery. Yet in a traditional school, these natural behavior traits are too often squelched. That's why more and more parents just like you are choosing to teach their children at home during these critical yearsthe years that lay the foundation for developing learning skills that last a lifetime. Inside, respected homeschooling author Linda Dobson shows you how homeschooling can work for you and your young child. You'll discover how Tailor homeschooling to fit your family's unique needs Know when your child is ready to learn to read Teach your child arithmetic without feareven if you're math-challenged Give your child unlimited learning on a limited budget And much more! "Brings dazzling clarity to the otherwise nerve-wracking confusion of early learningand the adventure of becoming fully human. Highly recommended." John Taylor Gatto,former New York State Teacher of the Year and author of Dumbing Us Down "Provides a much-needed introduction to living and learning with young children. Open the book to any page and you'll find inspiring anecdotes and approaches to learning that leave the reader thinking, 'That just makes so much sense!' Highly recommended for anyone who lives, works, or plays with young children." Helen Hegener, managing editor of Home Education Magazine "An information-packed delight; I only wish it had been around when our three boys were three to eight years old." Rebecca Rupp, author of The Complete Home Learning Sourcebook "This book brings together the experience and wisdom of a great variety of homeschooling familiestied together with warm encouragement and wonderful simplification of processes that can seem so mysterious and daunting to the beginner. A very solid resource!" Lillian Jones, homeschooling activist, writer, and reviewer You are your child's firstand most importantteacher. Why? Because you have the power to bring out all of the hidden talents that are waiting to emerge within your child. Using the techniques described in this book, authors and mothers Sandra Burt and Linda Perlis raised seven children who went on to earn degrees from Harvard, Brown, Stanford, Yale, Harvard Medical School, and Oberlin. Inside, they show you how you too can develop your child's full potential simply by learning to identify, affirm, and develop his or her natural talents and abilities. With this book, you'll discover the rich rewards of mentoring your child. "As a pediatrician, I would like to place this book in the hands of everyone raising a child!" Carol B. Schulman, M.D. "This splendid book shows parents how to encourage their child's strengths and instill the kind of self-assuredness that lasts a lifetime." Mary Landrieu, U.S. Senator, Louisiana "It's nice to have some good, solid advice when you feel like you just can't quite figure it all out." Lea Thompson, Dateline NBC "The authors not only offer plenty of suggestions for making mentoring work, but they grasp its key elementit's not something you do to a child, it's something you do with a child." Mary Griffith, author of The Unschooling Handbook and The Homeschooling Handbook "This should be on every family's bookshelf." Joanne Kemp (Mrs. Jack Kemp) About the Authors Sandra Burt is a former educational consultant in Washington, D.C., and longtime board member of the Parents Council of Washington. Linda Perlis is a former teacher and television producer. Together, the authors produce and host a weekly radio show, Parents' Perspective.