Catherine, from Adventures in Domesticity, joins us as a guest writer again today to finish part two in her series. (You can read the first part of this series here.)
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First of all, remember that textbooks aren’t inherently bad. There are times when a textbook is the best choice. Other times, a textbook may serve as a “spine” for a course and be supplemented with other books. For example, Sonlight Core 100 uses Hakim’s Story of US supplemented by historical fiction and biographies. In upper level science, in particular, textbooks may be the best way for a student to learn the material. But, don’t be afraid to supplement.
Second, think outside the “school” mentality. My kids are both interested in cooking, but I wanted them to learn the science behind it. I found Alton Brown’s I’m Just Here for the Food and I’m Just Here for More Food to be the perfect books. They explain not only the “how”, but also the “why” of cooking. I add to this several Food Network shows and lots of real cooking, and I’m pleased to see how much they’re learning.
Third, consider biographies and historical fiction. Reading about famous scientists can be a great way to start a study of a scientific concept. In the same way, reading fiction about a historical time period often leads to a student researching that time period on their own.
If you check out our bookcase at home, you will see tons of fiction and historical fiction, but also a few textbooks. I’ve watched my children learn so much from “real” books that I turn to textbooks only when it’s a clearly better choice than anything else. So, don’t be afraid to step out from the traditional textbook path. Introduce your children to historical fiction, biographies and more. Use whatever looks interesting to enrich your homeschool experience.
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About Today’s Guest Writer:
I am a 42 year old mom to Lydia, age 13, and Christopher, age 10. Until 3 years ago, I was working full-time as a family doctor while my husband supervised the children’s education at home. Now, due to chronic pain issues, I stay at home with the kids while my husband is developing a math tutoring business. If I’m not blogging, I’m knitting, reading, or cooking. Our family is also very involved in our church. Check out my blog at http://www.domesticadventure.blogspot.com/ to hear more about the craziness that is my life!
photo by bethany actually
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Really great suggestions!
We use a mix of literature and textbooks in our homeschool. I think it’s nice to be able to draw from both. But, I’m definitely going to have to check out some of the books you mentioned!
I enjoyed this 2 part series Catherine, thanks for writing it! I myself love textbooks so it’s helpful to me to remember that it doesn’t have to be the core of everything.
“Use whatever looks interesting to enrich your homeschool experience.”
Yes, great reminder!