{"id":33162,"date":"2014-07-16T06:30:32","date_gmt":"2014-07-16T10:30:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/simplehomeschl.wpengine.com\/?p=33162"},"modified":"2026-02-23T11:03:37","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T16:03:37","slug":"reading-for-moms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/reading-for-moms\/","title":{"rendered":"A summer reading list \u2014 for moms."},"content":{"rendered":"

\"summer<\/a><\/span>Written by contributor Anne Bogel of Modern Mrs. Darcy <\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

F<\/span>or weary homeschooling parents, summer is a great time to rest, re-group, and remember\u00a0why you chose to\u00a0homeschool in the first place. I don’t know about you, but nothing kindles my enthusiasm for a subject more effectively than a good book.<\/p>\n

Come July, my enthusiasm for homeschooling needs some kindling.<\/strong><\/p>\n

That’s why, every summer, I like to stock my bookshelves (and my beach bag) with books that remind we why we chose this homeschooling path, inspire me to do better, and encourage me for the upcoming school year.<\/p>\n

I’ve found these\u00a05 books extremely helpful at times when I needed to be reminded why we do what we do:<\/strong>
\n
\n\"books<\/a><\/p>\n

1. The Well Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home<\/a>, Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise.<\/h4>\n

Every time I re-read this modern classic, I have two thoughts:<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0This is the education I want my kids<\/em> to have, and
\n2. This is the education I wish I<\/em> had had.<\/p>\n

(We don’t hew strictly to the guidelines set out in this book: we call our own philosophy “classical unschooling<\/a>,” and it’s less structured than what’s set forth here. But nothing beats WTM for inspiration, in my book.)<\/p>\n

2. Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child<\/a>, Anthony Esolen.<\/h4>\n

As a homeschooling family, we often feel like we’re swimming against the cultural tides.<\/p>\n

This smart, witty, and encouraging book reminds me that’s not a bad thing, and will inspire you to thoughtfully evaluate the ways you educate your kids at home.<\/p>\n

3. The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way<\/a>, Amanda Ripley.<\/h4>\n

As a homeschooler, you may think a book about the public education system in three countries isn’t important to you.<\/p>\n

But I found this journalistic account of three American exchange students who spend a year in the countries with the best public education systems today (Finland, South Korea and Poland) a fascinating way to examine how to create a culture that values education<\/strong> \u2014 whether that’s in a public school classroom, or my own home.<\/p>\n

This book is about public school, but the takeaways for home educators are everywhere. (Spoiler alert: Ask your kids questions.\u00a0Talk with them about books and science and the news. And weekly trips to the local bookstore won’t hurt.)<\/em><\/p>\n

\"read<\/a><\/p>\n

4. The Talent Code: Greatness Isn’t Born. It’s Grown. Here’s How<\/a>, Daniel Coyle.<\/h4>\n

Coyle examines how to help kids, athletes, business people, or anyone maximize\u00a0their potential by focusing on 3 key elements: coaching, motivation and practice. Those abstract concepts spring to life with easy-to-grasp, easy-to-implement examples that will change the way you coach, parent and practice your own stuff.<\/p>\n

If you want to skip the theory and cut to the how-to, go straight to the stand-alone companion book, The Little Book of Talent: 52 tips for improving your skills<\/a>.<\/p>\n

5. All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenthood<\/a>, Jennifer Senior.<\/h4>\n

Homeschoolers experience the challenges of parenting plus<\/em> the challenges of teaching, every day. Taking a step back to evaluate why parenting is hard \u2014 and why it’s worth it \u2014 can give you the steam you need to keep going, while helping you find the fun and<\/em> the joy of parenting.<\/p>\n

(For further reading,\u00a0check out these 5 classic homeschool reads to encourage you<\/a>. And for goodness sake, make time to read a book just for the fun of it<\/em>. This list of breezy novels<\/a> is a good place to start.)<\/p>\n

What books fire YOU\u00a0up to start another school year? Share your favorites in comments!<\/i><\/p>\n

<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Written by contributor Anne Bogel of Modern Mrs. Darcy For weary homeschooling parents, summer is a great time to rest, re-group, and remember\u00a0why you chose to\u00a0homeschool in the first place. I don’t know about you, but nothing kindles my enthusiasm for a subject more effectively than a good book. Come July, my enthusiasm for homeschooling…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":33168,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[342,26],"tags":[224],"class_list":["post-33162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home-relationships","category-relationships","tag-summer"],"yoast_head":"\nA summer reading list \u2014 for moms. - Simple Homeschool<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Anne shares a summer reading list to inspire homeschool moms.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/reading-for-moms\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A summer reading list \u2014 for moms. - 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