When I first began homeschooling, I got online and read every web article that I could. I checked out books from the library. I combed through homeschool catalogues and I talked to every homeschooler that I could find. I wanted to gain information about every aspect of homeschooling. I sure wish I had this book, The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling to refer to.

This book has everything! Now, let me tell you, that some TOS Crew Members read this book from front to back like a novel. I, however, decided to review it more as a reference guide. As usual you can see what the other Crew members wrote about The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling by clicking here.

The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling has a whopping 509 pages with 34 chapters that are divided in to 9 sections called "Parts" a 10th Part serves as a resource guide. Here are the very informative 10 Parts.

• Part 1 - Homeschooling: Is it for You? - Seven chapters discussing the advantages and disadvantages of homeschooling and what it takes to have a good homeschool.
• Part 2 - Choosing a Curriculum - Five chapters on choosing the right curriculum for your children.
• Part 3 - Organizing and Planning - Two chapters that cover the homeschool environment and setting up your homeschool day.
• Part 4 - Preventing Burnout - Contains five "Burnout Busters".
• Part 5 - What to Teach - When and How - Two chapters that talk about what to teach when, and guidelines for teaching each of those subjects.
• Part 6 - Homeschooling Teens - Four chapters on something that I am not ready to tackle but will have to all too soon.
• Part 7 - Computers in the Homeschool - This very interesting subject has three chapters.
• Part 8 - Creative Solutions - Three chapters on working with toddlers, transitioning from school to home (boy do I wish I had that one a few years back) and working with the reluctant reader.
• Part 9 - Measuring Your Success - Another three chapters on this controversial subject - Do we test? And if we don't how do we know if we are on track?
• Part 10 - Resource Guide - The great aforementioned three part section.

Debra Bell, the author, is a seasoned homeschooler, and what I like about this book is that she uses experiences, both good and bad, from not only her own homeschool, but the experiences of other homeschools as well. The book is very easy to read, and is laid out with wide margins to take notes. Five icons ~ ones for Suggested Readings, Websites, From the Bell Files, Voices of Experience and Buying and Resource Information make it very simple to find something you need within each section of the book.

The only small (very small) warning that I have to make about this book is that the author uses a lot of categorizations in her book. Although she warns that no- one will fit into a single category, it's hard to not get discouraged when you or your child don't automatically take on all of the characteristics of a certain group. You have to remember what she states. No one is going to fit into an exact category. Each child is unique and you have to treat them that way.

I would highly recommend this book for any homeschoolers shelf, or even the shelf of those who are thinking about homeschooling. It is published by Apologia Press the makers of the great Apologia Science Curriculum (can anything bad come from Apologia?) and with a price of just $20 this resource can't be beat. Once you purchase the book, there is even a password to a secret section on the Apologia website that lists national, state and local organizations as well as suggested homeschool companies and a lot more. How cool is that? You can access the Apologia website for The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling by Clicking here or on any one of the hi-lighted sections above. Happy Homeschooling!

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I was given a free copy of "The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling" to try out and review on my blog.

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