Wednesday, December 5, 2007 - The Homeschooler's Book Of Lists Review Part 1

The Homeschooler's Book Of Lists  Stats:

Author: Sonya A. Haskins

Publisher: BethanyHouse Publishers

ISBN: 10: 0-7642-0443-2 --- ALT: 978-0-7642-0443-2

Cover: Softcover

Pages: 556

Accompanying CD: Yes; in back cover

Category: Homeschooling

When Sonya contacted me to see if I might review her Book Of Lists, I was thrilled. As in most things, I was too late in planning to get my interview questions to Sonya for posting, but I thought I would come up with some questions and answers a homeschool mom might have before purchasing it for herself.

These are the questions I came up with:

Q1. What is it? How can I use it?

Q2. What does it cost? (How much is the cover price?)

Q3. Is it really worth the money?

Q4. What ages is it geared for?

Q5. Will it work with the homeschool method I am using?

Q6. Have you used The Homeschooler's Book of Lists yourself?

Q7: How well did it work for you?

Q8: What is on the CD that comes with it?

Q9: How would I use that? - Why do I need it?

Q10: What, if anything, would you change about the book?

 

First let's find out a bit about Sonya Haskins.

SONYA HASKINS

Sonya has written extensively on the subject of homeschooling and her work has appeared in magazines such as Homeschooling Today, Educational Dealer, Pastor’s Family, Guideposts for Teens, and Physician’s Practice Digest. Sonya is a founding member and the Web site administrator of a local support group for homeschoolers. She enjoys organizing moms’ nights out, counseling new homeschoolers, volunteering at various events including book sales, and coordinating other homeschool-related activities. Sonya has a heart for encouraging homeschoolers. She also teaches Spanish, Latin, and an Introduction to Languages class to home-educated students, and she loves discussing etymology (see List #148)!

The author of six books, all local bestsellers, Sonya is a popular guest speaker and advocate of home education. She lives in Jonesborough, Tennessee, with her family. You can visit www.sonyahaskins.com for Sonya’s more detailed biographical sketch and pictures of the author, her family, and their active life as homeschoolers.

Visit her blog, A Homemaker's Cottage.  

Now for a proper review of and introduction to A Homeschooler's Book Of Lists by Sonya Haskins.

Q1. What is it? How can I use it?

My Answer: When we started homeschooling officially, fourteen years ago, we used a package-type textbook approach. Today, not only can we not afford that, but we use wonderful books like this one to mold the curriculum to our children's learning styles. The cover of The Homeschooler's Book Of Lists boasts that there are "More that 250 lists, charts and facts to make planning easier and faster!" It lists the topics covered in the book, which are: History & Government, Mathematics, Religion, Science, Geography, Great People, Quotations & Speeches, The Arts, And Much More... It also states it is "much more than a reference book," that it "is filled with facts and essential information that will supplement any elementary-level curriculum" and is "particularly helpful for teaching multiple grade levels or subjects."

It has "more than 250 lists about Great People, important dates, mathematical formulas, word origins, and more-- plus special checklists and ideas too, and lesson planning." The lists are "organized by academic area and can be used according to your child's specific needs, learning style, personality, and interests."

Q2. What does it cost? (How much is the cover price?)

My Answer: The cover price is $19.99.  

Q3. Is it really worth the money?

My Answer: As with many homeschooling families, twenty dollars is something you want to spend wisely on curriculum. When we spend money, whether on clothes or books, we try to purchase items that will give us the most use for the rest of our children. There are some resources that just are not a good fit to every homeschool family's library because it doesn't fit their faith, or it doesn't fit their methods or the ages of their children. The Homeschooler's Book Of Lists is diverse enough that it is a great fit for each of these categories regardless of ages or homeschool method. It will be a very good supplement to the homeschool mom's resource shelf.

The lists Sonya has used cover so much. And, though the cover says that it is for elementary-ages, I feel it is a great resource for every age. We are huge history buffs. That means history of everything. Some Lists that interested me were:

List #11 - U.S. Presidential Election Results - was interesting to me because it lists the Election Year, the Elected President, his Opponent, the Electoral Votes, the Popular Votes, and the V.P. It also includes of notes of interest. It stats with President George Washington and runs through each election up to George W. Bush.

List #12 is Assassinations/Attempts of World Leaders. It was interesting to read details.

List #20 - Creating a Bill - Steps to making a law.

List #103 - Animals Once Considered Extinct.

List #154 - Famous People During Each Historical Era. What people in history were alive at the same time? What accomplishments happened in the same era? This is an interestign list.

Q4. What ages is it geared for?

My Answer: I feel, from a mom's viewpoint, I could use the information in The Homeschooler's Book Of Lists for any age child. It says it is geared toward elementary-level curriculum, but when do we stop using any of this information? Yes, parts of speech or basic Bible verses may be geared for younger children, but I myself picked up the book and looked through the lists because of the interesting content. Some of these lists may seem basic or elementary, but this is a great resource for older children as a reference book.

Q5. Will it work with the homeschool method I am using?

My Answer: We are basically an eclectic homeschool family. That means we use a little of several methods. We use textbooks/workbooks for math and science. We use reading books and unit studies for writing English, grammar, etc. Phonics - we use words and handwritten letters and everyday things in our home. For Bible, we use the Bible and the Heart of Wisdom Approach.

I don't know every homeschool method. I do know that this will fit most methods, and I would be interested to know what method it doesn't work with. The only homeschoolers who will be disappointed with all of these lists are those who want to avoid Christianity in their homeschools. Besides that, Sonya has listed different Popular Homeschool Methods, a description of each method and how to use The Book of Lists with each of them, including the Charlotte Mason Method, Classical Education, DVD/Video School, Eclectic Method, Internet/Computer Courses, Montessori Method, School-at-Home (Textbook Method), Unit Studies, Unschooling, and Waldorf Education. If your method of homeschooling is not shown, Sonya recommend Paul and Gena Suarez’s book Homeschooling Methods, published by Broadman & Holman Publishers in 2006 for additional information about the methods of teaching your children home.

 

Be looking for the answers to Q6-Q10 in the next few days:

Q6. Have you used The Homeschooler's Book of Lists yourself?

Q7: How well did it work for you?

Q8: What is on the CD that comes with it?

Q9: How would I use that? - Why do I need it?

Q10: What, if anything, would you change about the book?

 

Do you have this resource? What do you think about it? Does it sound appealing to you?

blessings!
Jacque

Thursday, December 6, 2007 - Untitled Comment