I have been preparing to homeschooling my oldest daughter since before her birth. During that time, my learning philosophy has shifted, our family has come to Christ, and all of our priorities have changed. For the past two years I’ve felt like I’m learning about homeschooling all over again, from a perspective that honours God and His word. I’ve diligently read, researched, signed up for freebies and newsletters, and then it was time.

Not an arbitrary start date (though we are registering Kaelynn officially for the first time this Fall), but rather the fact that we couldn’t delay any longer. Our oldest child was in desperate need of some structured learning time, or she was going to sink into a pit of perpetual frustration. We began ‘formally’ schooling and I soon learned that reading about homeschooling and actually putting the pedal to the metal are two vastly different experiences.

If a professing resource junkie like me can hit a wall when real life meets homeschooling, how much more desperate must families who are suddenly led to this decision feel when confronted with a strange new world? Thankfully homeschooling mother of six and successful business-woman Terri Johnson has created a 26 part course – Homeschooling ABCs – that succinctly guides parents through the first 26 weeks of their new journey.

Delivered by email/download, each weekly lesson is 10 – 12 pages in length and deals with one specific aspect of homeschooling. With the first lesson Johnson sets parents on the path to learning with their children – giving brief, do-able ideas you’re on your way – even if you just pulled your child from public school yesterday. In bite-sized segments that even busy homeschooling moms can digest Johnson outlines the basic tenets of the main aspects of home education.

Scheduling, history, learning styles, socialization, fine arts, this is truly a comprehensive introductory course in homeschooling for parents. Each week’s topic also has an accompanying ‘homework assignment’, no Johnson won’t grade your work – much of it is hands on – but she does at times ask you to read more on the subject, to interact with your children and to put your plan into action.

When I first saw Homeschooling ABCs I’ll be honest, I thought I was already firmly established in the basics. Well, I was wrong. I’ve been learning so much, from a new perspective and I love it. Each topic is presented so clearly, no getting bogged down in extraneous detail, but giving enough information to start parents down the path if they’re interested in exploring certain subjects further. Additional reading, websites and curriculum suggestions are often given to help parents go deeper, but the lessons themselves and practical teaching suggestions combined with the extravagant free bonuses that arrive every few weeks will keep your children busy for awhile as well!

I was completely, and totally WOWED by the free downloads that come with the course. These aren’t your typical freebies, the ones you’ve seen scattered around the internet everywhere else? No, these are full length e-books, instruction manuals, lengthy samples you can actually use in your homeschool, full-sized lapbooks, audio downloads. To say that I’m impressed is an understatement. The course costs $10/month over 6 months, and you can pay monthly. It doesn’t get much more affordable, that’s only $2.30/lesson! The free inclusions pay for the course many times over. What’s more, Johnson’s customer service is excellent, and she encourages you to send in your burning unanswered questions to her later in the course. If a certain topic comes up often and isn’t sufficiently covered, she’ll write up additional reports.

Homeschooling can be very simple, or very complicated. There is a huge learning curve, and it’s so helpful to have an experienced mom beside us each step of the way. Terri Johnson is that mom, and I’ve been so blessed to review her course, Homeschooling ABCs.

For more information, and to enroll in Homeschooling ABCs or the free five-day mini-class visit the official website. You can also find Terri Johnson selling historical maps, timelines, geography resources, history books and more at Knowledge Quest. To read more reviews of Homeschooling ABCs visit the Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew blog.