A strong house is built on a strong foundation, just as our home learning philosophy and environment must be built on a strong foundation. Some foundational issues to discuss with your spouse are wisely dealt with here by Anne Elliott, a veteran homeschool mom of seven. Each of these four foundations is fleshed out with vision and practical ideas. They are: order, respect, attention, and parental example.

An orderly day is the important beginning for a successful day. Anne gives guidance in structuring the family day in order to accomplish the many duties and tasks for the day. Respect encompasses respect for parents, authority, peers, property, and more. Anne's Biblical teaching, complete with snippets of actual dialog you might use, is invaluable.

She presents many good reminders about parental example, but the section of the book that I found most helpful was the chapter on Paying Attention. To one extent or another, each of my kids has struggled with self-control and/or paying attention. Learning to control emotions should start early and can reap great benefits in getting children to sit still in church or listen attentively during reading time. Paying attention is a skill that can start small and grow. Anne gives examples of how she structures her time with her children in order to work on this important skill.

Down-to-earth, Biblical, warm, and practical, this book would be a great gift for the new homeschooling mom.

Product review by Christine Field, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, December 2010