Comments on Barb's Books for Younger Children

I wish that I would have gotten Barb's Booklet Building Book and Jumpstart Navigator for Younger Kids years ago. They are great at starting you out on a lifestyle of learning. There's stuff to get you going in a non-drastic, non-overwhelmed way for me and my children. I tend to overplay everything. I especially appreciate the different planning sheets (I have tweaked them, as she says to do) and the idea of planning "academic" looking stuff for only 20-45 minutes a day. The other subjects are being learned, but in a non-schoolish way. These books have given me permission to relax... thus my kids relax and enjoy learning. My kids are older, (ages ), but these books have been a great jumping-off point for us. I found that I needed to back and kind of start over. These were great for helping us do that. ~Deanna B.

That's a great way to put it, Deanna....I, too, found that when we got these books (Booklet Building Book and Jumpstart Navigator for younger children), my sons were at the "top" age range, and my daughter was even older, but they ALL really, really enjoyed the various pages we copied or made for ourselves. Yes, they were a great "jumping off" point! :-) And now my books are going to have "new life," as my daughter wants to use lots of the ideas for her little cousins over the summer (she babysits full days for her 4-year-old and 9-year-old girl cousins). ~Amy in WA

"We use The Booklet Building Book with our 5 to 10-year-olds until the 13-year-old sees them and usually decides that he wants to make one too! The ideas are great and the masters make it very easy to implement." ~Lorrie Flem, homeschooling mom of 7 for 10 years; WA; editor of T.E.A.C.H. Magazine for homeschooling moms.

"I have thoroughly enjoyed your Jumpstart Navigator book! You write in such an easy-to-read manner (as I was reading, I felt like I already knew you! I enjoyed many of your parenthetical comments!) and your suggested activities look so FUN! I'm looking forward to doing some of them with our children."   ~Christine P.


"I just received your Jumpstart Navigator for Younger Children. This will be a huge assistance to me. We just found out that we are expecting our ninth baby so things aren't going to get any slower around here. It will be wonderful to have some preplanned things for the children to do on those days when I can't lift my head off the pillow.    :-)   Thanks so much, Barb, for the effort and energy in writing these resources. The Spirit of God shines in your writing. He has blessed you with a tremendous gift and I, for one, am grateful that you use it to bless us other homeschoolers traveling the journey with you.    ~Cyndi Clack; Homeschooling Mom of 8

"I just wanted to send a note and thank you for your Jumpstart Navigator for Younger Children and Booklet Building books. I heard you at the "Mass HOPE" Convention (in Massachusetts) last year, and purchased them then. I then filed them for "later reading", which just happened to be last week. I wish I had read them last spring! What a refreshing blessing they have been. ... This is my second year homeschooling our son, now in third grade, but I've felt that I was cramming workbooks down his throat this year, and joy was not a common occurrence! Also, I just pulled my Kindergartner out of a Christian school where he was not able to keep up with the pace of reading, etc. What a wonderful change I've noticed in our family! I'm sure that God was telling us earlier in the year to homeschool him, but I was too afraid to even entertain the thought." ~Kris

"Moms who have seen your Jumpstart Navigator (for Younger Children) are experienced homeschooler with unschooling tendencies and are familiar with lifestyle of learning. ... Your book has given the sense of direction that they needed in order to feel comfortable doing what they already know God has called them to." (Name withheld)

"I just loved [Barb's Jumpstart Plans]... This will help parents navigate the channels of homeschooling without buying curriculum that could be both expensive and unsuitable for their child, while giving them time to develop their own philosophy of homeschooling and understanding their child's learning style. It certainly provides a jumpstart especially for those pulling their children out of traditional school on short notice. This addresses many of the questions I have been asked or heard raised by those just starting to homeschool." (Name withheld)

"This was my first year of unschooling (well, my version). The Jumpstart Navigator by Barb Shelton has really helped me to "de-school" my mind. The changes in our schooling have been slower in showing up, but I'm a slow learner! In the Jumpstart Navigator, Barb takes you through a Parent Re-Education season where God can show you what true education is. It takes a while for the child to 'deschool' too. So be patient!" (Name withheld)

"I've already read Wisdom's Way of Learning and receive Marilyn's Lifestyle of Learning newsletters... I just wanted to get my hands on more materials that would encourage me to apply the Lifestyle of Learning approach. Someone recommended your Jumpstart Navigator book, which I ordered -- and I'm so thankful I did! :-) (Name withheld)

Cindy W. had posted information about my materials on the WWOL email list. Another mom had responded: "I wanted to thank you for posting all the info about Barb's stuff when responding to "What does a lifestyle of learning look like?" So Cindy came back and responded:

"You're welcome! :-) I'm just one of those people who cannot keep quiet about something when I'm excited about it! Barb's materials have been an answer to prayer for me. I want to have a lifestyle of learning, but without some sort of direction and structure, I would end up getting absolutely nothing accomplished... so I think her things are the perfect balance for me." ~Cindy W.

Now, in response to this, I (Barb) would like to say that, since writing Wisdom's Way of Learning, Marilyn has come out with several wonderful books that help further explain this message, and that also help you in applying this message to your homeschool in very practical ways. One is Developing a Lifestyle Routine, another is Get to Know Your Children, and another Develop Vision for Your Family. I have to tell you that these books (and all her others as well) are NOT just "nice extra's"; they are foundational to your being (becoming) able, free, and equipped to walk in all that God has for your family! I cannot stress this enough! Even if you never read another word of my books, GET MARILYN'S BOOKS! They will help take you where you really want to be in homeschooling. Contrary to what it may seem, this is not a heavy message, as some have viewed it. It does require thinking and rethinking through of things, a willingness to shed old, fruitless ways, and a boldness to walk a way that is different from the world, but I assure you it will be WELL worth every bit of effort you expend and all the "dying to self" you do in the process. "Unless a seed is sown into the ground and dies, it remains fruitless." Allow your old ideas to be buried; it is only then that God will be free to bring all the life and fruit into your home, relationships, and education that He desires and that we as parents so long for. The world will not get us there! Only "laying it all down at the feet of Jesus" and being willing to let Him lead us will!

The following 3 posts are part of a

continuing conversation on an email list...

"Barb Shelton's book Jumpstart Navigator is excellent!!!!! Run and go get one!!! I just got it a couple of weeks ago at a curriculum fair and it's great. It's a "step-by-step Jumpstart plan of constructive, interesting, real-life learning on which to get your 4-to-12-year-old going... while also launching the parent into a season of re-education of what 'true education' really is." [Update Note from Barb: The Guide-a-log now does this, or my explanation of this season at my website.] By 'true education' she means what GOD thinks, not our society, and we do need to renew our mind to it, since the traditional way is all we've known. God has a plan for each individual family and we need to find out what it is." (Name withheld)

"I agree 100%! I love that book. It has really freed me up and released the bondage that curriculum placed on me. Glad to hear I'm not alone!" (Name withheld)

"I also love her book. It's the perfect resource to recommend to those new to homeschooling who don't know where to start, and like everything else Barb's written, it's oh, so practical!" (Name withheld)