Eclectic Homeschooling

The essence of eclectic homeschooling is to borrow freely from a range of different styles of homeschool philosophies and combine them to find your own personal taste and convictions, and hopefully your children’s learning style.

So What Is Your Homeschool Philosophy?

Of course, ‘how to homeschool’, then becomes more of a challenge because our philosophy seems a bit ‘wishy-washy’, as we each determine what works well and what we want to achieve.

We all like to know where we are going, and eclectic homeschooling seems to have no real anchor to hang its foundations on. For some finding an anchor is easy, as they have thought long and hard about what their educational goals are, whilst for others, it is a journey of trial and error.

In truth, I think most eclectic homeschoolers lean towards a particular homeschooling style, such as:

Classical Education

Charlotte Mason

Unit Study

Montessori

Steiner

Natural Learning

Eclectic homeschoolers glean from other philosophies to strengthen and individualise their own foundations and firm them up as they go.

This does require some thought, and reading through different authors who have pondered this can help the home educator determine how to find their way. Our style also changes to incorporate different circumstances and flow with the fluctuations of life.

Laying A Foundation For Your Homeschool Philosophy

Over the years I have read many books on homeschooling philosophy. I LOVE some of the suggestions and often their core ideas and values overlap in places.


Ten of My Favourite Homeschooling Books For your convenience I have linked these books to an online seller. Most of the books have free postage, however the ones marked with an * are only available for purchase in the US but it's worth paying for the postage.
The Three R's by Ruth Beechick This is a set of three books that instruct you on how to get the basics right. It is perfect for a homeschooler with 4-8 year olds.
You Can Teach Your Child Successfully: Grades 4-8 by Ruth Beechick I think I've read this book about 5 times. I often pick it up as a reference for tackling cetain subjects. It is so sensible, I highly recommend it.
A Biblical Home Education: Building Your Homeschool on the Foundation of God's Word by Ruth Beechick Another great book from Ruth Beechick. She exposes some of the curriculum traps and helps homeschoolers see things from a biblical worldview.
A Charlotte Mason Education: A Home Schooling How-to Manual by Catherine Levinson This book helped me so much in my early years. It showed me how I could actually achieve the education that I wanted for my children. This is an excellent introduction to homeschooling. A must buy in my opinion.
Seasons of a Mother's Heart by Sally Clarkson Encouragement for homeschool mums is what this book is all about. If I'm feeling overwhelmed I know I'll find some solace here. It is also excellent to use for group Bible studies. Another must buy!
The Ministry of Motherhood: Following Christ's Example in Reaching the Hearts of Our Children It inspires us to see the true value of motherhood and discipleship of our children. Excellent for a devotional and group study. This is not just for homeschool mums it's for all mothers.
Successful Homeschool Family Handbook by Dr Raymond & Dorothy Moore This is the first book I read on homeschooling. It converted me instantly. It is an old book but still has many gems.
Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling by John Gatto I've not actually read this book but I have heard John Gatto speak and he has some excellent thoughts on the education system. Challenging read.
The Complete Guide to Getting Started in Homeschooling by Mary Pride. This book is the size of a thisck telephone book. It has so much information about styles, curriculum, and options for homeschooling. Although there are a lot things mentioned only relevant to America it still has oodles for new homeschoolers.
Things We Wish We'd Known - 50 Veteran Homeschoolers Share by Diana Waring. The wisdom of hindsight is what this book is all about. Excellent read.