We are starting our first year homeschooling our daughter next week. I’m very excited!
My friend Quinn Cummings’ new book about homeschooling just came out, just in time for back to school. It’s called The Year of Learning Dangerously: Adventures in Homeschooling.
I’m almost as excited about this book as I am about homeschooling.
Watch the Trailer: The Year of Learning Dangerously
About Quinn Cummings
Quinn is a good friend of ours here in Los Angeles. Their family comes to our birthday parties and dinner parties and such.
We met a few years ago when my husband became friends with Don, Quinn’s husband. Don came to see Kate when she born in the hospital, helped us pack boxes when we were moving. He’s just that kind of guy.
Quinn’s very funny. Back when we used to have dinner parties (too busy these days), she was one of my favorite people to invite because she always kept everyone entertained. No surprise that she’s writing books now.
Child Actor Turned Homeschooling Mom
Quinn happens to be a child TV and movie star. She was on a show called Family that my sister and I watched religiously every week.
She was also nominated for an Oscar for her role in The Goodbye Girl, one of my favorite movies of all time.
My mom took me to see that movie in the theater — it was just her and me. I guess I must have been 9. I remember feeling so close to my mom watching that movie. It’s a movie about a mom and a daughter, and Quinn’s character, Lucy, is very precocious.
I remember how much I admired the Lucy character when I was a kid. Smart, wise-cracking, sophisticated. A lot like the real life Quinn.
Get the Book
Whether you’re brand new and nervous about homeschooling, or you’ve been doing homeschooling for 20 years, I think you’ll relate to this book.
I just ordered it on Kindle. I know it’s going to be one of those books I devour in a weekend.
I already started flipping through it and I can tell you already, it’s hilarious, heart-warming and encouraging. (I promise, I’ll write a review soon.)
Click here to order The Year of Learning Dangerously: Adventures in Homeschooling.
Oh, and you can read Quinn’s blog here: The QC Report.
Are You Homeschooling?
Are you homeschooling? Do you want to?
Yes or no? Why or why not?
Please share your thoughts in the comments.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
We were set to homeschool this year until we came across a private school started by homeschoolers. It’s VERY different than any other school. I like the LOW LOW hours, just a couple days a week, and no homework, and the children learn to self-govern, which is so important. I feel they will get to be around other motivated children and then spend the rest of their time here at home learning all about life and family relationships!
Good luck with homeschool this year!
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Sounds like a fun read
I homeschooled my first 4 and was very quickly disillusioned. It dissentigrated into pretty much school-at-home. Not fun for any of us, no matter how much I tried to incorporate fun learning stuff. We slogged through, anyway :/
Too late for my oldest kids but very fortunately in time for my 5th, I discovered Unschooling (see http://www.HoltGWS.com) What a JOY! And incredibly effective. My daughter could be a poster child for unschooling. Now 19, extremely well-rounded and well-educated. You can take a peek here (www.TirzahDuncan.com) for some proof
We found Unschooling, a style of Homeschooling, to be a wonderful approach to learning and to life.
Blessings on your Homeschooling, AnnMarie
Enjoy your homeschool adventure! My 18yo has been homeschooled all her life, my 16yo is in her third year of public high school after spending her earlier years homeschooling and my 14 and 13yo boys started out homeschooling but are now in their 4th year of public school.
I loved having my kids with me nearly every day until I started having serious thyroid and adrenal issues. Then the brain fog, depression and fatigue became too much for me AND the kids! I had dreamed of homeschooling all of the all the way through high school but am happy for the time we did have… what a life!
One year our social studies/geography curriculum consisted of watching all the episodes of GlobeTrekker (which we ordered and borrowed from our public library). What a hoot! (Ian Wright is our hands-down favorite trekker!) We often translated what we learned into something from the kitchen: my favorite classroom! Somehow though, I could never interest my children in trying the chicken foot delicacy served on the Japanese bullet train or the haggis from Scotland! Lol… those were the days!
My daughter home schools her two children and has been from the beginning. The schools here in South Florida seem to teach a dumb down version of education and everything is all about the FCAT’s, so Jessica decided to take on the teacher for both her girls and she loves it! More importantly, her girls love it. They are 8 and almost 10. The older one is quite advanced and she is in 6th grade, something that public school would never allow her to do. There is the FLVS (Florida Virtual School) that she attends and it was just voted one of the top 25 coolest schools in America (http://www.flvs.net/areas/aboutus/pages/awards.aspx) and she loves that. My daughter is able to combine her values and expectations for education on her girls while they are able to learn outside the regular school “box”. It has been a blessing and loads of fun for them all. I get to teach Home Economics: one of my favorites and being around my grand kids all the time is also another blessing! Good luck to you and remember, if doesn’t matter HOW the information gets into your child’s head, just so long as they learn it LO
Best of luck in your adventure! As a “veteran” homeschooler of 3 girls, ages 6, 9 & 11, the only advice I give is flexibility! I am an eclectic homeschool, employing classical methods, Charlotte Mason style and unschooling. It has worked really well for our family and my girls are definitely learning life skills as well as book knowledge. I hope all goes well for you and I must say, the early learning years are divine.
I might pick up that book just because I love witty writing. I’m sort of planning on homeschooling, but haven’t read any books on the topic yet.
I heard an interview with Quinn about the book on NPR. She sounded just like her “Family” character–incredibly bright, articulate and witty. And I loved the things she had to say about her daughter and homeschooling.
Homeschooling isn’t an option for us, but I very much admire families who can make it work, and the incredible kids who grow up with it.
Enjoy your homeschooling experience. I hope it’s great for you.