Ruth Beechick (1925–2013)

2022: I reread this earlier this month to see if I wanted to pass it on to the kids to read. I have a better understanding about Bible culture history than I did a couple of years ago and see nothing in this book that directly contradicts what we know from Scripture. I plan to have Selah read this next.


2020: This book is on my kids' homeschool reading recommendations list but they've never read it. I'm really glad I read it first because, while I do think it's a valuable story, I don't think it's wise to have children read it without a lot of discussion throughout. A lot of reviewers have gotten fired up about this book but she prefaces that it's speculation---imagination---she never claimed it was historical in every way! I really loved the beginning when she imagined life in the Garden of Eden and man's relationship with God and nature. As the book progressed, I liked it less, but I think that's because she spent a lot of time "making the case" for Enoch. I just don't know what I think about the Book of Enoch but I do know that no one alive today knows the true story. I also liked her imagination of the tie between Shem and Terah, the father of Abraham. I've always wondered how Abraham ended up following God---maybe this is how!… (mer)

This is not a book that is likely to be appreciated by those who feel the need to do "school at home" and/or major academics with their kindergartners. It IS a resource that will be appreciated by those homeschoolers who prefer a more laid-back "lifestyle" approach to homeschooling but would like something to help keep them on track.

The activities described in this text are organized into "units," making them easy to find even if you don't actually DO them as units. They are simple, "time with mommy," real-life types of activities. Most young children will find them fun. Although most of them are ideas that many mothers COULD come up with on our own, many of them are also easily overlooked (especially once you have several children and can't remember who knows what). It had never crossed my mind, for example, to introduce my preschooler to nutritional vocabulary (such as the wording on food labels), despite the fact that our family is very conscious of these concepts and eats a very healthy diet.

I gave the book four stars instead of five due to two factors. First, the telephone section needs updating. (Is anyone actually still on a party line?) Second, I would have preferred a different collection of reading selections in the stories and poetry sections. Some of the stories/poems are good, but we will be skipping over many of them.… (mer)

When I first began to homeschool, I thought I would only be able to teach up to about third grade, maybe fourth. Then I found this book and realized that we could do this long term. This was, quite literally, a God-send to me. It helped me to plan an outline for what to teach, to know if I had covered the subjects which needed to be covered and whether I had done it well. It also explained a lot of "school-speak" to me so that I was able to communicate with other educators. I have gotten rid of most of my textbooks, but not this one.… (mer)

Ruth Beechick is my home school hero. I recommend that everyone who is considering homeschooling read this book and others written by her. She helps you to get over the classroom mentality and gain confidence in your ability to teach your child. This book gets right into the nitty gritty bits and the nuts and bolts of how to teach, what to teach and why. She is a Christian, and looks at teaching from that perspective, but I think anyone would find this book a great resource for teaching their children.… (mer)