One of the great lures for some homeschooling families is the "all-in-one-workbook" that promises to teach a whole year's worth of school in 550 pages, plus glossary and answer key. Some families have used them for years, and claim great success. Many families don't rely on them exclusively, but find them to be very useful as supplements.
McGraw Hill's Comprehensive Curriculum
The Comprehensive Curriculum of Basic Skills by McGraw Hill, has reading, math, English, and spelling all in one book per grade. The books are colorful, and pleasant, though not particularly imaginative. The reading sections are particularly unexciting. A stack of library books would be better if a parent wishes to enchant the child with books, though using a page here and there from these books may be useful. The math pages are long on basic calculations, but short on problem solving. The sections on formal grammar in the early grades may seem a bit unnecessary.
The books could be useful for a few worksheets here and there, and may be good for a child who thrives on drill. The series is available for Grades Preschool to 6.
AEP's Learn at Home
American Education Publisher's Learn at Home series is more comprehensive, and a good choice if there is little room for books while traveling or a core curriculum to make the transition to homeschooling easier is desired. There are lesson plans for every day, with a variety of activities in each subject area. It is not even mostly worksheet-based. Much of the work is done aloud or on other paper, since there are only 4 to 8 workpages for each week. Specific literature books will be necessary.
There is no particular religion advanced in this series, and controversial issues are avoided, so parents may wish to bring these issues up. Parental guidance and involvement is a must with this book, and there is an answer key in the back. A child who is taught with the lesson plans and the worksheets will end up with a relatively pleasant, basic grade-level education. However, children who don't get a topic the first time may not be given another chance, and review is not a strong point in the book.
The pages are full-color, with good instructions and fairly imaginative activities. There are nice ideas for art projects, and a few (but not nearly enough!) science experiments. Be ready to supplement with library books, Internet sites, etc., since science is very rudimentary. The social studies is also very basic, and could use a few travel videos, websites, field trips and books. This is a good book to use as a basic outline, while spending time adding to the basic lessons.
Another difficulty is that a child cannot be in Grade 2 in math and Grade 5 in reading unless both books are purchased.
While Learn at Home may make a fine transition help for beginners with children in Grades Kindergarten through 6, it may also be a good book for more experienced homeschoolers and even unschoolers to have around. Experienced homeschoolers may find many of the pages useful for our own units, and the ideas in the lesson plans could be inspiring also. Unschoolers might like it on the occasional days that a child wants to 'do school', or if pages are needed for the end-of-the-year portfolio.
Long-term homeschoolers might want to try these books for life transition points, such as the arrival of a new baby or a long term illness in the family. Single parents may find the books good to use when a child is spending the day with someone else while the parent works, since they do simplify things quite a bit. All-in-all, Learn at Home is a good choice for those who want to have a bit more structure or a new source of ideas.
Patti Miller - Patti has been homeschooling her six children for more than twenty years, providing their education from birth through high school. Three ...
