The Philadelphia region is rich with homeschooling families and resources. Homeschooling your children can be a complicated and confusing decision. We’d like to grow this page with your help, to support each other as a community. If you have any suggestions for this page, please contact us!
Evaluations
Talking Stick facilitator Paige Menton is excited to offer homeschool evaluations again this year (through grade 6) during May and June.
Evaluations take half an hour. The fee is $30 and $20 for siblings. Our goal is to put parents and young people at ease and to have a relaxed conversation about the learning that has interested them throughout the year.
For information or to schedule an appointment, email Paige directly here.
Homeschoolers’ Guide to the Galaxy
Where to begin? This informative, witty, and often brilliant pamphlet by our Founder, Katie O’Connor that dispels many myths and rumors and lays down a lot of helpful tips and fact about homeschooling.
An excellent resource for veteran homeschooling families as well as those just getting started. To download (PDF), click here.
Recommended Books
This list was curated by our founder and co-director, Katie O’Connor. It is a fantastic collection for every homeschooling family.
Self-Direction/Motivation
Daniel Pink
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
Alfie Kohn
Punished by Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A’s, Praise, and Other Bribes
Beyond Discipline: From Compliance to Community
Emotional and Social Intelligence
Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk
Jeanne Segal
The Language of Emotional Intelligence: The Five Essential Tools for Building Powerful and Effective Relationships
Nathaniel Branden
The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem: The Definitive Work on Self-Esteem by the Leading Pioneer in the Field
William L. Ury, Roger Fisher, Bruce M. Patton
Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In
Marshall B. Rosenberg and Arun Gandhi
Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life
How People Learn
Kathy Hirsch-Pasek
Einstein Never Used Flashcards: How Our Children Really Learn–and Why They Need to Play More and Memorize Less
Stuart Brown
Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul
John Holt
Learning All The Time
Growing Without Schooling: A Record of a Grassroots Movement
How Children Learn (Classics in Child Development)
Peter Bergson and Susan Shilcock
The Other Basics
Hans G. Furth and Harry Wachs
Thinking Goes to School: Piaget’s Theory in Practice
Homeschooling
Valerie Fitzenreiter
The Unprocessed Child: Living Without School
Grace Llewellyn
The Teenage Liberation Handbook: How to Quit School and Get a Real Life and Education
Jan Hunt
The Unschooling Unmanual
Lori McWilliam Pickert
Project-Based Homeschooling: Mentoring Self-Directed Learners
David Guterson
Family Matters: Why Homeschooling Makes Sense
(Note: Each book titled is linked to Amazon with an “affiliate link”, which means that you pay the same price but Talking Stick receives a portion of the purchase price directly from Amazon. So, you can help us while helping yourself!)