I actually planned to get this out last week, but Life happened and I didn’t get it done.

Since Katherine and I started back to school last week, I thought I would start my review of the Back to Basics Living Bundle by picking something from the Homeschool category. There are six products:

The Naturalist Homeschool Planner
Back To Basics Homeshcool MP3 Collection
Color Coded Planner for Student
Easy Peasy Chores. Black and White Cards
Easy Peasy Chores. Color Cards
Homeschooling Fundamentals.

Ok, well, picking something was not as easy as it sounded, but I finally settled on Homeschooling Fundamentals by Tiffany Davis from the blog Imperfectly Happy

The plan was just to skim over it first, but Tiffany Davis’ style is so engaging, I read the whole thing. For someone just in their second year of homeschooling, like me, this 46 page eBook offers a load of encouragement.

Although her book isn’t technically divided into “chapters”, I’m going to use a chapter reference so I don’t lose you in the different sections. So, in the first chapter, the author introduces herself and tells about her own homeschooling journey. The second chapter, called “Getting Started” answers many questions that tentative homeschoolers ask. If she missed something, I don’t know what it would be.

The third chapter covers different homeschool methods, like Traditional, Classical, Unit Studies, Charlotte Mason, and Unschooling. She explains each method and discusses why someone might or might not choose that particular method. She closes the chapter by saying she uses an Eclectic method which means that she has borrowed parts of each method that work for her family.

Chapter four covers Spaces, Schedules and Accountability. She stresses the importance of being organized, without being a slave to organization. Chapter five covers the “S” word: Socialization. To quote Tiffany, “Unless you are a hermit that refuses to take your child outside, you’re going to be ok, and so are they!” (p.32).

The next chapter covers Coops and Classes, (including online classes) that can supplement what you are doing at home. In chapter seven, Tiffany discusses burnout, what it is, and ten tips for avoiding it. After just coming through a dry season myself, let me add a hearty Amen to those tips!

Chapter 8 section includes some some helpful links and book recommendations. The last section is an “About the Author” page, telling you more about Tiffany and providing a link to her website

If you are considering homeschooling, or are a novice homsechooler wondering what in the world you’ve done, This eBook offers some great advice and encouragement.

This eBook is one of many included in the Back to Basics Living Bundle which will be available for purchase from January 18th to January 24th. You can find out more about that here.