Heidi Johnson has been "officially" homeschooling her four children for the past 12 years and has a passion for "helping families be all that God has called them to be." She wrote How to Homeschool Kindergarten in response to the many moms who have asked for advice when it comes to teaching Kindergarten.

This e-book caught my eye because I am now teaching Kindergarten to my third child. This was my first time ever to read an e-book. I am still partial to printed books, but I enjoyed reading How to Homeschool Kindergarten and appreciated the overall tone that Kindergarten doesn't have to too serious and formal. I know from experience that there will be plenty of time for that later!

Though very informative, the book was written in a casual and personable style. The author emphasizes that teaching this grade should be easy, fun, and inexpensive. She writes, "This manual is designed to be a skeleton that you can use and adapt to your personality and needs." I came away feeling encouraged rather than overwhelmed and was reminded that the way I treat my child is far more important than what I teach .

This e-book is 31 pages long and consists of 11 chapters plus a conclusion. Topics covered include:

•  The importance of relationship and environment

•  The four essentials of homeschooling Kindergarten

•  A valuable list of resources, including websites and books

•  Teaching letters, reading, writing, and numbers

•  Teaching a variety of subjects, including music and art

•  Plus much more!

Heidi also gives detailed instructions about organizing all of your supplies, and she even provides personal photos to show the system that works best for her. Another tip that I personally liked was her explanation of the difference between routine and schedule. It was a great reminder to me, a type-A person by nature, that my children are more important than the tasks!

Even though I think $19.95 is a little pricey for a short e-book, I would still recommend it to parents just starting out or to parents who are feeling burnout. The price is well worth it if it helps parents relax and truly enjoy teaching their young children!

Product review by Brandi Tesreau, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, September 2010

Another review:

This resource is a great downloadable e-book that you can buy via PayPal for only $9.95. The author begins by talking about homeschooling in general--the environment you create for your homeschool, the relationship you develop with your child, the routine you need to establish--just nuts and bolts for someone starting out. She then proceeds with practical ideas for teaching the basics to your kindergarten-aged child. She gives many practical ideas for teaching phonics, counting, skip-counting, money, time, science, art, music, history, writing and reading. Much of this is just practical, commonsense stuff, but when you are first starting out it is just good to have it all lined out like this so you can get an overall picture of where you are heading with your teaching. The author recommends a few resources that she has enjoyed using but mostly gives ideas of games and resources she has used that cost little or no money to prepare and use. Although this is not my first experience homeschooling, I have used a few of the author's ideas with my kindergartener this year. I am always open to new ideas, and she has some excellent ones. I found this guide very practical, and for 9.95 it will bring a lot of peace of mind to first-time homeschoolers starting this journey with their kindergarten-aged child.

Product review by Christine Hindle, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, November 2010