Most homeschool families today are involved in some form of co-op. Indeed, for many, homeschool co-ops have made homeschooling much more feasible, providing classes taught by other parents and social time for children as well as for homeschool parents.
I highly recommend that prospective homeschooling parents read several, if not all, of the following books on Catholic homeschooling. There are several reasons for this. Together they make up a wealth of information that will be invaluable to you. Secondly, even the various Catholic authors, who have a great deal of homeschooling experience, vary significantly in their ideas and methods. I certainly don't agree with everything I've read in each book! (Several of the books even recommend items that have been placed on the Red Flag List.) The different perspectives will give you a more complete picture of the possibilities of homeschooling - leaving you better informed to make decisions about your children's education.
Foreward by Ralph McInerny
This is a "February book". You know---one of those books you need to read when the dark gray days of February stretch out as endlessly as the school year, when it seems that no one has accomplished anything despite your unwavering effort, and when you realize that you still have fifteen years to go before your youngest graduates from homeschooling. Reading Homeschooling with Gentleness will reassure you that your work has not been in vain and that your children are likely learning much more than it appears at this moment.
This book is a collection of thirty-six "journal entries" (one for each week of the school-year) - stories about the author's family life and homeschooling intertwined with scripture, recipes and her own reflections about life and God's love. (Neat, huh?) The stories are touching, funny, encouraging, sad, uplifting - just like life in this imperfect world (particularly with a family) really is.
Note: This review is based on the 1993/1998 editions of this book. The book was rewritten in 2006 and that edition has not yet been reviewed.
I haven't been able to read this entire book yet because (although I've had the book less than two weeks) I've already lent it out to a friend. At first it didn't look like much, but after reading a number of the essays, I've come to see why this book can be considered a real treasure. This is a collection of essays written by real homeschooling moms who share some of their experiences and the stories of how homeschooling has worked for their families.
Since I have been homeschooling since the Paleozoic era of the 1980's, there are times when I feel like I've heard it all before. Not with the Catholic Homeschool Companion. Almost every article offered me a fresh perspective, reaffirmed a belief I already had, inspired me with encouragement, or taught me something new.
I know a number of people who decided to homeschool based on the information provided in this book. The authors have done a very impressive job of outlining the positive benefits of homeschooling, in a non-threatening fashion. Because many of the reasons they give for homeschooling focus on practical and "natural law" reasoning they can be easier for some people to handle than arguments that focus on Church teaching (after all, you have to start somewhere =).
DYOCC is quite a bit different from the other books on Catholic Homeschooling. Instead of simply discussing homeschooling, as the other books do, Mrs. Berquist outlines an entire homeschool curriculum you can use with your children or adjust to your liking. She includes suggestions for putting together your own curriculum and a grade by grade outline which includes recommended texts, sample weekly schedules, a number of study guides, lists of important dates and people, poetry suggestions and extensive lists of appropriate literature and history stories.