WeE Books are based on the sensible premise that home school mothers are very busy and want information that can be read in a short time, between dinner preparation, algebra questions, potty training, and phonics studies.
Because I love to read, I find time for books and magazines despite home schooling five children. However, any how-to information had better be clear, well-organized, and to the point. I’m not about to waste any precious time on material that is poorly presented and thought-out.
Once upon a time (actually only about a month ago) I read about an opportunity to review home school material. It seemed like a neat thing to try, and as a result I got to choose three WeE Books to read. I got another two as a freebie somewhere along the line, not on topics I would have chosen, but interesting none the less.
After going through five WeE Books, I am impressed. Each one is quick to read, well-organized, and encouraging. Each one has at least one useful link. If you need information—now!—it’s a great idea to spend $1.95 for instant access to a well-thought-out, organized article on the topic of your choice. The booklets each contain a long appendix full of general home school and The Old Schoolhouse information, so I only print out the actual article, which ranges from 5-10 pages, to read in bed. Since it is so easy to lose sheets of paper, I like the booklet title and page number at the bottom of each page.
A Classical Education is based on Kate Kessler’s interview with Christine Miller, conducted several years ago for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. Christine shares how she transitioned from a Charlotte Mason approach to classical education to challenge her teens. She set up a website to encourage classical homeschoolers and give them a single place to go to for an introduction to this type of education. She also began a publishing company to share excellent out of print resources with others.
The Great Books, by Kate Kessler, is based on an old interview with Fritz Hinrichs of Escondido Tutorial Service. Hinrichs discusses what a Great Books education is all about, why it is important, and what it has meant in his life. While stressing that students must be carefully guided when first encountering the great books, Hinrichs also has suggestions for parents who cannot participate in his program. Even though I’ve read and reread various books on classical home schooling, I found this booklet very worthwhile.
Career Exploration for High School Students by Carol Topp, is very informative, though short. Carol explains the 4-step career exploration process and lists resources, including websites, to help parents and students look toward the future. The author’s enthusiasm, based on having taught career exploration to home school teens, is contagious.
Because my children are not rebellious, I did not expect to find anything useful in Home Schooling the Rebel, Part 2 by Deborah Wuehler. I was wrong. This booklet is full of wisdom for parents of ordinary children as well. It was a privilege to learn from Deborah’s experiences which she shares simply and with respect for her children.
Ruth Beechick discusses how to Build Strong Arithmetic Thinking in her WeE Book. I have always loved her approach to early learning, and here it is in a simple article, complete with almost three pages of checklists to track your child’s informal arithmetic learning! If you have little children and do not own Beechik’s book The Three R’s, you should get this booklet.
Currently there are 40 WeE Book titles, covering a wide range of subjects. It’s worth checking them out if there’s something you want to know and you do not have access to other material on the topic.
Well, I enjoyed reading and reviewing these little booklets, but on Thursday, the Lord willing, I will get back to sharing about our high school at home experience. In the meantime, enjoy all the blessings God has given you! See you on Thursday for Tea Time with Annie Kate.
Deb's book on the rebel sounds intriguing. My dd is pretty compliant, but I'll bet there is still some useful wisdom in Deb's book.
These books sound like a winner! You've probably gathered I'm a bookworm too, but I also find it hard to find time to read. I intend to get some of these books as they are inexpensive and sound like they have valuable information.
Just today I borrowed a book from my great-uncle on the topic of the Doolittle Raid, as I just read a book about DeShazer, who was part of that raid and than a prisoner of the Japanese. The book looks interesting but long… I wonder if I'll find time to read it soon?
Thanks again.
P.S. Thanks for making me a friend. I need to figure out how to do that with you. My blogging skills are still sub-par.