Summary:

Educating the WholeHearted Child by Clay and Sally Clarkson is a wonderful handbook for homeschool parents.  Here is a chapter by chapter breakdown:

The first chapter helps parents decide if homeschooling is the right thing to do for them!
The second chapter deals with the discipleship training of children, with many ideas to raise a child for the Lord.
The third chapter shares ways to strengthen your child's mind for increased learning and development.
The fourth chapter covers many different methods of homeschooling including the Clarkson's Home-Centered Learning model.
The fifth chapter shares practical advice for teaching the Home-Centered Learning model; curriculum suggestions included.
The sixth chapter discusses the different learning styles of children and how knowing your child's learning style can help tailor teaching for them.
The seventh chapter deals with home management.  When the home is functioning and running smoothly homeschooling is easier to accomplish.
The eighth chapter is for mothers.  Mothers have a great influence on their children and being able to know what she needs and wants is important.
The final chapter covers the many ways families can find support for homeschooling.
In the appendix there is a reading list and many great reproducible homeschool planning forms.

This handbook covers it all!
 

My thoughts:

I first read this book in 1998.  I found it spoke right to me and I could not put it down for days.  This book answered so many of my homeschooling questions at the time.  The Home-Centered Learning model is beautiful.  I felt that I needed to start to implement many of their ideas into my own homeschool right away.

The use of real books is especially exciting to me.  I love books!  The Clarkson's drew a lot of ideas from Charlotte Mason as they developed their method.  It was this book that sparked my first interest in Charlotte Mason of which I am very grateful for.  One of my favourite parts of Educating the WholeHearted Child is the section on discovery corners.  Discovery corners can be anywhere in the house and each one focuses on a different type of learning.  This way the whole house becomes a place of learning and it is not just centered in one room.  I also really like the ideas on creating family traditions year round.  One new tradition we thought of, after being inspired by this book, is to designate one day a year to celebrate the life of one of our ancestors.

I feel that there are many wonderful ideas included that every family could benefit from.  It is a heartwarming book to read.