The Well-Trained Mind by Jessie Wise (2004, Hardcover, Revised)

This book has been an answer to prayer. I have been looking for educating my 6 boys with the trivium method but did not know how to myself and cannot afford to send them to a private school that uses this method.

My husband and I are excited to educate ourselves with this method at the same time educating our children.

This is an excellent resource and guide for any homeschooling family! Whether or not you are a Christian or desire a Classical education for your children, this book lists other fine books to help support your goals, whatever they are. I'm very selective about the books I make room for, and this makes the cut!

I refer to this book often and will again over the next few years, so I don't think that it's expensive. A book that will be used for years is a bargain! And contrary to many people's conclusions, it is not inflexible. If you actually read the book, rather than glancing at it, which indeed is overwhelming, you find that the given schedules are merely SUGGESTIONS, and that tangents and detours in the course of study are to be expected, especially in the younger years when children are learning so much about everything! The authors support following a child's interest that is triggered by previous study, they do not squelch it. So much of what they say strikes a true chord for me, and our approach is not entirley classical at all.

I use their proposed schedules as a guideline to be sure that we are touching on what we need to, but I supplement and alter as we need.

I found the authors to be open and enthusiastic rather than condescending. They are passionate about learning and it shows. I appreciate the organization models they provide and the wonderful resources they list, as this hschooling endeavor CAN be overwhelming at times. This book gives me a foundation, and we build or alter from there.

I love this book!

Before homeschooling, my daughter attended a classical private school. I loved the education she was receiving there and wanted to transfer that to the home setting. This book was essential in helping me put together my curriculum. The Well-Trained Mind lays out specifically what to do in each subject area as well as giving suggestions for which materials to use. I checked this book out of the library so many times, I finally decided I needed to purchase it. Now that I have been homeschooling for a few years, I feel more confident to branch out and choose some different curriculum than what is in The Well-Trained Mind. You can still benefit from this book if you do not plan on doing a completely classical approach. I refer to this book throughout the homeschooling year as well as when setting up my plan for the next school year. You will not be disappointed.

I originally checked this book out of the library. Then I discovered that it was a 'must have' book. I was putting a Post It on, what seemed like, every page so that I could go back and re-read it. The book has many ideas - way too many to even use but it's a AWESOME tool. The Well-Trained Mind is a 'MUST HAVE' book in your Homeschool library!

I like those books that were recommended by Ms. Wise. The information inside this book is very helpful. It saves me a lot of time searching for the right materials to teach my kids. However, I also suggest to start kids' phonics with MCP (Modern Curriculum Press) Phonics book Level K to F, especially, Level K to C because they are in color pages. Also, the least expensive way to purchase these workbooks is to purchase from Oasis.

I purchased the Well-Trained Mind after reading a borrowed copy. I homeschool my children and was looking for a more aggressive and structured approach with proven results. The WTM provides a lot of structure and discipline...more than I really will use! But having a comprehensive guide that provides an excellent education, clear goals, and uses affordable and practical resources is a must-have for my shelf.

It gives me a great guide to turn to, providing a logical sequence that follows the natural stages of childhood development. The WTM simplifies curriculum from birth to graduation. It saved me a lot of grief in trying to figure out "How do I go about this homeschooling thing?" I like flexibility but also like good direction to spring from. I needed solid guidance!

This updated edition does recommend some resources that are not in the previous one, but will refer to some of those recommendations (for example, the old resource is a good choice, but this new one is more highly recommended). A homeschool teacher does not have to scrap the old plan with each new edition.

Pure "unschoolers" will probably not use much from this book. Anyone looking for a middle-to-aggressive style of homeschooling should find this book good to have around for reference. The attitude of the parent and personality of the child will probably influence the real-life intensity of the program in the later years. Of course, a great freedom in homeschooling is that you can choose how much info from each source to take!

The 800-ish pages of the book is intimidating at first, but when looked at section-by-section, is very doable. Focusing on the basics of the stage your student is at simplifies the program down to a managable level. I read the book entirely to see what the goals were, then went back and studied the few things I need to be doing at the moment to be on track.

I feel that the more average person (like me!) will want to whittle the aggressiveness of the program down a bit. I may or may not teach Latin. Real life may not be conducive to hours of science every week. A parent may have to make do with resources at hand sometimes. The book does acknowledge this type of thing; but I'm sure the goal of the book was to provide an ideal and comprehensive resource-- the whittling down is for the parent to choose.

There are lots of resources listed in this book to help the homeschooler along. Many of them can be obtained inexpensively or free (for example, at your library or online). Great stuff! Realistic and practical.

In all, this is my favorite source for my curriculum and homeschool advice!

I love this book/program! Co-Author Susan Wise Bauer is a homeschool graduate, so she has lived it, and is now Professor of Literature at William and Mary. I love it that the authors did not just write a book based on "educational theory" but drew from their own (and others) similar schooling experience. The book explains why a classical education is valuable today, how to implement, and even step by step curriculum and literature application.

This book is filled to the brim with hope for homeschool and supplemental educational material. I am excited to start using the information that this book has detailed for homeschooling my 3 children. I have asked other moms who homeschool what books they reccomend and this one is always at the top of their lists. Amazing, informative, and encouraging.

If you want to understand how, what, and where to find the best resources to teach children this is the book! I never knew one book would cover everything you need to understand how to teach our children, its the best!

This is a comprehensive step by step instruction to help you get started or re-vamp your homeschool program.

It is also easy to pick and choose sections to follow, I really like her history and science sections for all three stages of learning, it was very useful in helping me teach my children.

This book is so amazing. It is very clear on what to purchase to have a successful classical crsitian education and also encourages us to adapt to our own families. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is wanting to homeschool the Classical Christian way