Useful reference books for Homeschooling Parents by a Homeschooling Parent

Contribute to the Library Catalogue!  Any suggestions to the list below would be welcomed!

Book Lists for the Domestic Church and Her Library:

HOMESCHOOLING BIBLIOGRAPHY:

PART I. The Trivium and the Liberal Arts:

HOW TO FIND BOOKS: The Trivium is a neo-medieval reconstruction to educate the "free man".  In the past, free people were nobles who did not have to labor and provide for their own needs.  Their food, shelter, and material needs were provided for by the common classes (e.g. farmers, builders, tailors, etc.).  This freedom allowed aristocrats' time to focus on intransitive activities [i.e. "self-cultivation"] that enhanced their own use of their intellect.  The foundation of liberal learning were grammar (typically Latin), dialectic (how to reason/argue), and rhetoric (how to convince and command). 

In the modern era, it is imperative that every person who votes and thus determines in part the destiny of nations the opportunity to master their mind and tongue through the liberal arts.  In an age that poo-poos liberal learning, it is important to prioritize this knowledge base since it is the foundation upon which learning of all kind is most secured: First, To be able to read well is the key to a life of self-directed learning.  In an age when people are expected to career hop as the norm, the ability to learn new things later in life is vital for survival.  Secondly, one cannot make much progress in the spiritual life without knowing how to read God's Word, the Lives of the Saints, and the catechisms of the Church.  God respects human freedom, so we should know how best to use our ability to think and reason and how to pray.  

***What's imperative about selecting material to support yourself in administering a liberal arts course in reading, writing, and arithmetic is a holistic view of the human person and the habits of mind needed to encourage the virtuous use of the intellect.***

Aids to "Grammar" Stage: Birth to "Age of Reason"

Aids to "Dialectic" Stage: "Age of Reason" Through Puberty

Aids to "Rhetoric" Stage: Puberty to Young Adulthood

PART 2a. The Mechanical Arts: Applying Math & Problem Solving

HOW TO FIND BOOKS: We have bodies.  We have bodily needs.  We are not angels who operate only by the direct will of God.  We both depend upon God's active "thinking" of our continued existence just as angelic beings do, but also indirectly too through the demands of our physical natures in the visible order of Creation. The "servile arts" or mechanical arts focus on addressing our material wants.  From tailoring clothes to growing food, from self-defense to automechanics, the mechanical arts are extensive, and they rely not so much upon "book learning" as practice in both doing and making.  That said, there are books that can aid the homeschooling parent in putting together activities and exposing your children to more hands-on curriculum.  This aspect of the domestic church's curriculum should not be neglected as most people will end up in some kind of service or manufacturing setting that relies upon a variety of skills, both specialized and transferrable.  Most people will not end up as lawyers, historians, poets, and the like whose education should be more heavily liberal.

PART 2b. Res Domestica--- Learning Through Chores

HOW TO FIND BOOKS: Every child should have responsibilities in the household.  Of course, these are treated as mindless tasks that drag them down.  What if our chores were also opportunities to learn about the world, ourselves, and God?

PART 3. Catechesis & Faith Formation

HOW TO FIND BOOKS: The most important responsibility of a Christian parent is to bring their children up in the Faith.  The most important role is to bring clarity to the doctrines we live by and to instill in them a respect for the dogmas and their necessity.  Dogmas are inevitable.  To say there are no such things as "dogma" or that they are impractical or even strictly a "religious" phenomenon are misguided modern notions.  The ancient philosophers also taught dogmatics.  They were keys to a principled, well-ordered life of integrity.

PART 4. Business Education: Forming Entrepreneurs in an Uncertain Economy

HOW TO FIND BOOKS: from filing taxes to tracking budgets, all people should have a basic grasp of business and the law in order to guide their prospects in the market and avoid problems with the State.

PART 5. The Humanities

HOW TO FIND BOOKS: To be an insipid person whose curiosity about the world has run dry makes you less like the "little ones" whom were most dear to Christ.  Feed your imagination and curiosity on a daily basis if only to add a relish of seasoning to both your own life and others.  You should also know about your civilization which you take for granted on a daily basis...

PART 6. The Scientific Method & the Domestic Church as Laboratory

HOW TO FIND BOOKS: Similar to the issue above with the Humanities (where self-ignorance is most impious): our consumerist society makes opportunistic use of the fruits of technological civilization almost thoughtlessly-- i.e. how people "scroll" mindlessly on social media or eat microwaved popcorn when watching a movie, etc. without thinking about computer networks or thermodynamics. Have you ever thought where all of these technological marvels come from?  Or how we understand what we use?  The Natural World is a book of the Creator.  Would it not be impious to leave that book unopened?

PART 7. Capstone Projects at Home: Applying What You've Learned

HOW TO FIND BOOKS: Activities that unite the family in a common adventure will bring a family closer together alongside the life of common prayer.  It'll also provide opportunities for leadership, team work, and social skills needed in the workplace.

PART 8a. Vocational Discernment

HOW TO FIND BOOKS: Are you meant for marriage?  For the priesthood?  For religious life?  These involve the Sacraments and leave marks upon the soul.  To consider one's "calling" is of fundamental importance and each soul must determine for themselves what God wants from them.  Parents cannot answer those questions but they can give children the sensibilities and spiritual life needed to listen to God and to discern His will.

Part 8b. Career Resources