Issue #13, finally!

The new issue, at last!

I want to try to give you the closest thing possible to leafing through it, so here are some details as to the articles — and there are a few you can read for free, right there on the magazine’s site.

First is a lovely article by Laura Grace Weldon, author of Free Range Learning — a book full of treasures, no matter where you are on your homeschooling journey — and a terrific blogger. I know you already have too much to read, but please check her out: http://lauragraceweldon.com/

Laurette Lynn has an article as well: “We don’t homeschool,” which is all about the power of words and labels in our lives. (I was moved and inspired by it to write a companion article, “In the Beginning was the Word.”) Laurette is the host of Unplugged Mom Radio — check it out right here: http://www.laurettelynn.com/

We know we’re doing the right thing in homeschooling, but it’s wonderful to hear from the new generation of homeschoolers. R. Brent Cochran, homeschool graduate and Harvard scholar, contributed an article on teaching our children about classical music. He offers a succinct and lively history of the subject, as well as offering some terrific tips on how and why to teach it.

Speaking of music: My own experiences as an adult student of classical violin led to an article whose title pretty much says it all: “The Best Teacher is a Student.”

And speaking of music studies: My experiences in the waiting room of our local music school led to a sympathetic look at what a tough job those school parents have, in “I Could Never Do That!”

Apparently they were having a sale on exclamation points, because next is “Just Say No!” The husband of a friend of mine was a bit iffy on the idea of homeschooling their daughters — until a stranger took it upon herself to explain to him why he shouldn’t do so.

Did you hear the bad news about homeschooling in Spain? The good news is it may not be as dire as you think. Many thanks to the homeschoolers who answered my many questions on the subject for “Homeschooling: Illegal in Spain?”

Michelle Copher, who has perfect timing without even knowing it, sent SHM “Four Principles to Make Learning Last” right when we needed it. She and her sister blog at Layers of Learning: http://www.layers-of-learning.com/

Recently, a new mom in my local homeschooling group inspired me to write an article about homeschooling with allergies. Many, many thanks for those who answered my questions in patient, painstaking detail for one of this issue’s free-to-read articles:

http://www.secular-homeschooling.com/013/allergies.html

We are tremendously luck to have the debut article by Valentina Rose, who contributed the beautifully written “I Walk Alone: A Homeschooler in China.”

What started out as a review of one book turned into an overview of homeschoolers in young-reader fiction. Please check out another free-to-read essay right here:

http://www.secular-homeschooling.com/013/fiction.php

And, available only online — a letter to Gordon Korman, the author of Schooled, by a couple of young homeschoolers, and his reply.

http://www.secular-homeschooling.com/013/fiction-sidebar.php

Then we have product reviews, contributions by young writers for the Home Scholars section, and a “Money Matters” article about the trials and tribulations of making our own bread (two recipes included).

Please enjoy — and spread the word!

http://www.secular-homeschooling.com/013/index.html