Books on Home Education for Parents 

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When I was thinking about starting home education one of the things I did was read several books on the subject.  Over the years I have read many books aimed at parents who home educate and this is a list of several of those books. 

A Funny Kind of Education by Ross Mountney

It is difficult when you are just starting to home educate or even just thinking about perhaps taking the plunge to know what it will be like.  This was the first book I read about home education after doing a lot of research into the subject and I am so pleased that it was.  I wanted to find a book about the real everyday life of homeschooling and this is definitely that.  

The book is written by a mum who home educated her own children and contains the ups and down of a home educating family.  The book is about how the author managed everyday living whilst home educating and I found that it gives a great insight into knowing that home education can work.

As someone who was just researching home education when I read this book it was a great account of the family’s journey through home education and life in general, why they chose to start and how they began.  The book is extremely funny in places, though sad in others, and is hugely inspiring and I think this is my favourite book on home education. The reason for this is that the book is about a family who have actually taken the plunge and home educated their children and not just a book about how to home educate.

The Brave Learner: Finding Everyday Magic in Homeschool, Learning, and Life by Julie Bogart

I stumbled across this book after I had started to home educate and I found this an interesting read, although I will admit that I do not agree with everything that is written in the book.  However it does inspire you to think slightly differently about certain parts of educating our children.  It is written in a friendly chatty style which encourages parents rather than tells you to do things.   I found lots of inspiration within the book and it is full of interesting viewpoints and things to try.

Within the book there are short little stories about the author’s own homeschool journey, which I found very enjoyable, which she mixes with her own teaching style which appears to have a big focus on video games.

I think that the book could be useful to new home educators or if you are looking for something a bit different within your own journey and needs some encouragement.

Good Ideas by Michael Rosen

Personally I love Michael Rosen and this book provides some great ideas for creating fun learning experiences for children at home. It is not expressly aimed at home education but is an excellent read.

Free Range Education by Terri Dowty

This book I bought and read but alas I feel that it feels and reads as very dated.  The information within the book is written by several people who have home educated and it reads poorly in sections.  It details the different family’s experiences of home educating from a wide selection of backgrounds.