Reviews by Contributor

Alicia Van Hecke

Alicia with two of her six children

Alicia Van Hecke is the creator of Favorite Resources for Catholic Homeschoolers, and was its longtime editor and webmaster. After attending a Catholic elementary school in California, she was homeschooled for all of highschool and became Kolbe Academy's first homeschool graduate in 1988. Alicia went on to receive her B.A. in Liberal Arts from Thomas Aquinas College.

She and her husband, John Van Hecke, have homeschooled their six children from the beginning. Their oldest child is a graduate of Thomas Aquinas College and is now working at the Newman Center of a large state university. Number two is currently a junior at Thomas Aquinas College. Number three has just started out as a probationary member of the local fire department. And finally they have three children still at home and homeschooling, a junior in high school, a freshman in high school and a seventh grader.

She has experience teaching Math, History, Literature, Religion, Latin and Music for a variety of circumstances and ages. She has given talks and workshops on a wide variety of educational and spiritual topics (and especially enjoys speaking on the topic of preparing children to engage the culture) at homeschool conferences in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Kentucky, Tennessee, California and Colorado. She works part-time at her local parish as a liturgical assistant and proof-reader.

Various writings, projects and interviews:

"100 Things You Can Do To Make the World More Pro-Life (and Catholic) No Matter Who is President"

8 Heads Are Better Than One - A Van Hecke family blog in which we all take on silly story-related pseudonyms and write about movies.

"Apologetics: Sacraments, Service and Study," an essay in A Catholic Homeschool Companion (Sophia Institute Press).

Architecture for Kids

The Catholic Home: Authentic Catholic Identity In The Family A Podcast with Deacon Jeff from The Catholic Cafe

"Choosing Worthwhile Homeschool Materials" and 'Preparing Homeschool Kids to Engage the Culture" - webinars for Homeschool Connections.

Homeschooling: Educating Across the Generations An Interview with Il Sussidiario

Living Differently: A Catholic Parent's Guide to Changing the World (An online project currently in progress)

Studeo (personal blog)

Love2learn Moments - Thoughts on education, parenting and homeschooling that have played for a number of years in several Catholic Radio markets.

"Was Incarnate of the Virgin Mary: Professing the Creed for the Year of Faith" at The Wine Dark Sea

"Why Study Heresies?" - an essay in Why Should I Learn This? A Guide for Homeschool Parents and Students by Erin Brown Conroy

Favorite Authors: (in no particular order) Pope Benedict XVI, Norton Juster, Pope John Paul II, Kathryn Forbes, Cervantes, Caryll Houselander, St. Augustine, Willa Cather, G.K. Chesterton, Regina Doman, Mark Twain, J.R.R. Tolkien, Gretchen Rubin, William Shakespeare, J.K. Rowling, Fr. James Schall, S.J., Hilda Van Stockum, C.S. Lewis, St. Athanasius, Ben Hatke, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Carol Ryrie Brink, Homer, Rumer Godden, Frank Sheed, Suzanne Collins, Flannery O'Connor, Fr. Thomas Dubay, Bill Watterson, Fr. Michael Gaitley, Barbara Cooney, Evelyn Waugh, St. Thomas Aquinas, Tomie de Paola, Jane Austen

More favorites here. You can contact her by e-mailing love2learnmom at gmail dot com.