Learn to Learn with 8 Great Smarts for Home Schoolers by Tina Hollenbeck (review and giveaway)

 Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book, and giveaway, free of charge, from Moody Publishers, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it, all opinions are my own

I know many of you are swapping over to homeschooling, or starting your second year, 

and this book can be a HUGE help to you,

in knowing HOW your child learns!

Synopsis:

This book is based on the 8 Smarts identified by Kathy Koch, in her book, 8 Great Smarts: Discover and Nurture Your Child's Intelligences:

word, logic, picture, music, body, nature, people, and self

 Great Smarts for Homeschoolers tailors these ideas to the unique setting of the home classroom. Tina Hollenbeck applies the 8 Smarts to each division of a complete curriculum. 

Yet when it comes down to it, the real benefit of homeschooling is personal relationships. Hollenbeck concludes by showing that when parents know their kids’ multiple intelligences—and when kids understand their family members in turn—it leads to a healthy homeschool dynamic. So don’t try to teach in the dark. Know your kid’s smarts, then watch them start engaging with their world in fresh ways.

Review:

Tina has done an excellent job in making taking the 8 Smarts, the ways our child learn, and breaking them down into easily understood examples, where even if you haven't read Kathy's book, you have an immediate idea, of how to change how you teach your child. So many new parents to homeschooling, fall into the trap of replicating school at home. And while it's not wrong per se, it doesn't lend itself to the true freedom, that actual homeschooling can be.

In the book Tina says "teaching them how to learn, and to love learning, will make them the leaders you want to be".  And that is what the true freedom of homeschooling is. You don't have to learn just out of a textbook, you can learn by doing, by watching documentaries, by taking an outside internship, no matter what the subject ,there are so many different ways to learn about it! If you stick with the eight smarts of learning, you quickly understand that "traditional school" may not be the best way your child learns. 

I was lucky to have a couple of very good mentors when I started homeschooling, so even though the first year my child was more comfortable with more traditional online schooling at home, by the middle of the second year ,we knew that she needed to learn differently and were comfortable departing from that path. Part of it is her ADHD and dyslexia diagnosis, that her brain just can't stay with a traditional text, but the rest is really part of the eight smarts. She just learns differently. 

Now that we are on schooling I can really see where the eight smarts can come into play. Last year was very untraditional, and this year continues that route. Even though she's in high school, the textbooks are more of references, versus how she is learning, with online methods and different deep diving research aspects, that she is more comfortable doing. The 8th smarts also help me to understand, that we both learn differently, therefore my innate teaching style for her, will not work, unless I alter it to what she is comfortable with. 

And that is the beauty of using the eight smarts, both parent and child can grow in better understanding, and that understanding can bleed over to other aspects of your life as well. I've noticed since homeschooling, that it seems like homeschool kids are much closer to their parents, during and after they move out and start their own families. I really think it has to do with how the parents use these eight smarts, and are better able to reach their children, and have a better relationship with them. I would really recommend this book to everyone who homeschools, even if you've been at it for a couple of years. Take a look at this book, and see if you need Kathy's book as well, and take a different approach. Even if you don't homeschool, this book can help you with your child's interests and help them with homework and studying! See if it helps you make a happier child, and a happier family! 

FYI: 

The link above to Kathy's book is for the Kindle edition, which is under $9. I highly recommend getting both, AND then taking the free Smarts assessment on Kathy's website with your teen (free code included in Kathy;' book for it)

Giveaway:

One lucky BTHM reader will win this book for themselves and their family, so start themselves off on a better understanding of their child (children)!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About Tina Hollenbeck and Dr. Kathy Koch:

 

Tina Hollenbeck is a Jesus-follower, wife, mother, and homeschool advocate. She and her husband educated each of their children at home from birth through high school graduation. Tina owns The Homeschool Resource Roadmap, a free database that describes thousands of homeschool-oriented learning options. She also mentors homeschooling parents, aiming to help them see that they are designed and equipped for the task.

 

Dr. Kathy Koch (“cook”) is the founder of Celebrate Kids, Inc., based in Fort Worth, Texas. She has influenced thousands of parents, teachers, and children in thirty countries through keynote messages, seminars, chapels, banquet talks, and other events. She is a regular speaker for Care Net, Summit Ministries, the Colson Center, and Teach Them Diligently. She is also a popular guest on Focus on the Family radio, she was featured in Kirk Cameron’s movie, Connect, and she has published five books with Moody Publishers.