Homeschooling Gifted and Advanced Learners

Regardless of the motivation to homeschool, it would be a very difficult task. Just the time spent in the house monitoring and then teaching your child would usurp a great part of the day. That commitment would be overwhelming. However, if YOU have a reason—and there are many reasons—to teach your child at home, this has to be the book to read. It has all the answers: it tells you where, why, how, and when. It would save you months and months of research and provide details that might not have been considered. And that's because Cindy West, the author, homeschooled her children for 14 years. She is also an educator with a master's degree in education and teaches workshops to home schooling parents. Public schools are not a fit for everyone, and this book, Homeschooling, provides the most thorough alternatives . . . Somewhere, someone wants to take on this huge responsibility. And for those who have the courage and the stamina, this book has done the major work for you. Bravo to Cindy West!

My experience has shown me that homeschooling gifted children is not an easy road and there is no "one size fits all" curriculum that has been created for us to use. It takes patience and intuition to even attempt to meet the needs of a gifted student. It is not impossible to educate gifted children at home in the 21st Century, especially with great resources and information available to parents. Cindy West has done a good job of pulling a lot of useful information together for parents who find themselves with a gifted or advanced student in their home. This book will give you a direction to aim for and a map to get there.

The author, Cindy West, is a veteran homeschooler with gifted children; she knows what she’s talking about. She includes practical ideas, websites, and resources, not just pie-in-the-sky theories. She also addresses practical ideas for those who struggle in certain areas (even if they’re gifted in other areas). Cindy has information about all of the core curriculum areas, including how to find curriculum that will challenge your advanced learners. She helps parents think through the best course of action for each student; this is not just a one-size-fits-all solution manual.

I would definitely recommend this book for novice homeschoolers of gifted children. Furthermore, I think a good argument could be made that this book would be valuable to any novice homeschooler because the sections on learning styles, approaches to curriculum, differentiating curriculum, and socialization are thorough and applicable to all.

Cindy West, a veteran homeschooler and publisher of Nature Explorers, shows how homeschooling children who are gifted can be a joy and doable for any parent. She rests your mind and equips you through helping you understand learning styles and strategies to use in your homeschool.

This is an excellent homeschool resource for beginners and seasoned homeschoolers alike and works with children who are exceptional by any definition.

Just by themselves, these real-life examples and homeschool tips on enrichment make it worth the buy. Cindy talks about socialization, testing, challenges you can expect as a parent, how to prevent your child from becoming prideful, how to homeschool inexpensively, how to answer critiques, and much more.

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to any homeschool parent, new or old .... Definitely give it a try. I think this is something I’ll be referencing for the rest of our homeschooling days.