Alicia Van Hecke

A Charlotte Mason Companion

Book cover: A Charlotte Mason Companion
Author(s): 
Karen Andreola

I have talked to a number of people who read For the Children's Sake, loved it, and wanted more. Karen Andreola has really provided for that need with this book. It was delightful to read Mrs. Andreola's personal experiences and ideas for applying the philosophies of Charlotte Mason to her own family's homeschooling years.

Dinner's in the Freezer: More Mary, Less Martha

Book cover: Dinner's in the Freezer: More Mary, Less Martha
Author(s): 
Jill Bond

Jill Bond is a big name in Christian Homeschooling circles. Her success in homeschooling her own children and at the same time being active in her community and among homeschoolers at large owes a great deal to the ideas which she outlines in this book. The book, subtitled A Home Management System, is primarily about a concept called "mega-cooking", i.e. cooking in larger quantities and freezing portions for later use.

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Book cover: The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
Author(s): 
Stephen R. Covey
Sean Covey

Having a healthy skepticism of "self-help" books caused me to be lacking in enthusiasm when this book was recommended to me by my older brother. He had been studying it with some friends at work and had high praise for its content. I think I would never have picked it up except that I happened to be at my brother's house while he and my mom read a chapter aloud. Wow. It wasn't anything like what I had expected and turned out to be quite good.

The Tightwad Gazzette

Book cover: 'The Tightwad Gazzette'
Author(s): 
Amy Dacyczyn

This book is available in either three individual volumes or a newer paperback compilation. The books are collections of individual Tightwad Gazzettes, a newsletter filled with thoughts and ideas about saving money, getting out of debt, living on one income, etc. Some of the ideas seem a little extreme, but Mrs. Daczycyn explains that she has had people in very desperate situations call her for advice. She feels that it's worthwhile to include all of these ideas as they may be helpful to some.

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families

Book cover: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families
Author(s): 
Stephen R. Covey

This is a great book! Although Stephen Covey is a Mormon, it is amazing how Catholic his underlying principles are. I was particularly struck by this because I happened to be reading it alongside The World's First Love by Bishop Fulton Sheen, which is about Our Lady. Both authors discussed the true meaning of freedom at length and their principles and conclusions were remarkably similar. The book covers seven major ideas, which when incorporated into our lives, can have a profound effect on our ability to accomplish goals and deal well with other people.

A Child's Book of Prayer in Art

Book cover: 'A Child's Book of Prayer in Art'
Author(s): 
Sister Wendy Beckett

This book is designed to help your child discover the lessons present in many fine works of art. The inside cover explains "In this, her first book for children, Sister Wendy has selected paintings that can speak to children, illustrating the important values of life, such as love, respect and forgiveness.

A Landscape with Dragons

Book cover: A Landscape with Dragons
Author(s): 
Michael D. O'Brien

This book has helped me to understand the importance of stories in a child's spiritual and intellectual formation. Mr. O'Brien explains how mythology, fiction, fantasy and fairy tales help children understand the real world - both what we can see and what we can't see. Stories help teach children the difference between right and wrong, good and evil. Unfortunately, many fiction stories give the wrong messages about good and bad. Mr. O'Brien gives parents the tools to tell good from bad and includes his own analysis of some popular stories and several Disney movies.

Designing your Own Classical Curriculum

Author(s): 
Laura M. Berquist

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.

Pages