The Kindlings

In my last post, I wrote about what we felt were the pros and cons of homeschooling in our point of view and specifically for our family. We looked at the list and were enthusiastic and delighted when we saw the benefits that could be gained but stopped to discuss the drawbacks and disadvantages.

To help us get more clarity, we spoke to several homeschooling families here in London and in Dubai. We read books and blogs and we prayed. We saw the kids thriving at home and were starting to feel confident that maybe, just maybe this was a good option for us too.

Eventually, we decided to go for it, relying on the Lord to lead us and guide us.

Next, we spent several weeks researching different philosophies of “home education” as it is called here in the UK. Both of us independently did our own research and we both felt strongly that Christian Classical Education was the way we wanted to go. I also liked many aspects of the Charlotte Mason education philosophy and looked at the possibility of combining the two.

Here is a list of books I read during this time, which impacted me in some way and which I recommend.

Book Title:	Author:	Brief:
Rethinking Education: How to take charge of your child’s education	Susan Wise Bauer	Classical Education
Classical Education and the Homeschool	Doug Wilson	Classical Education
The Lost Tools of Learning (this is a free download online)	Dorothy L. Sayers	Classical Education
The Well-trained Mind (a reference book but I went through the first Foundations stage)	Susan Wise Bauer	Classical Education
The Core	Leigh Burtin	Classical Education
Charlotte Mason Companion	Karen Andreola	Charlotte Mason
Consider This	Karen Glass	Charlotte Mason – also about blending Classical and Charlotte Mason
Know and Tell	Karen Glass	More in-depth study of CM’s narration principles.
Morning Time	Cindy Rollins	How one mum started a practice called “Morning Time” and how it benefited her kids.
Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler’s Guide to Unshakable Peace	Sarah McKenzie	Many helpful insights here.
The Homegrown Preschooler: Teaching Kids in the Places They Live	Kathy H. Lee and Lesli Richards	Many ideas for using your home as a classroom. They are the ladies behind the curriculum “A Year of Playing Skillfully”.
Teach Them Diligently	Lou Priolo	Using scriptures in child training.