Catholic Homeschool

Catholic homeschool is the best time to teach the Catholic prayers and the Catholic catechism answers. Preserving this element is the whole purpose of bringing them home: that they learn to know, love, and serve God in this world.

After prayerful consideration of all the elements involved, we take the resources that we have and persevere for the good of the children the best that we can.

Today there are so many home education helps that it can be easier to give a good education at home than before the turn of the century. (That's a fun line to write - being one who used that term to mean one hundred years earlier!)

We choose Catholic homeschool (accredited homeschool program, or not) in order to use the Catholic catechism for children. Catholic Baptism, Catholic Eucharist and Confirmation preparations are the best times to learn about the Catholic prayers and Catholic saints. When we keep our children home from institutional schools we have the freedom to choose the best books and we frequently settle on some version of the Baltimore Catechism.

Catholic Homeschool Catechism

The main reason for this website is to help others learn the truths of the Catholic Faith easily. A helping hand with instruction and drill are always welcome, especially if it is on hand all day at anytime.

There are many helps with video instruction of Math, Science and even Writing. Well, we're doing our little bit with audios and printables of the First Communion and Confirmation catechisms. Our audios help with reviewing the questions and answers - just like having a tutor to help with review.

Help and be helped. The basic Catholic beliefs in the St. Anne's Helper series Audio Catechism and Catechism Copybook (printable worksheets) use the most frequently asked questions for First Communion and Catholic Confirmation and are like having a tutor available at anytime.

We have also added free coloring pages to print both Catholic topics and links at the bottom to our other website with other topics. 

Use Known Catholic Principles

Once you have a good catechism for children (my favorite: Jesus Comes (Our Holy faith)) all Catholic books can be compared to it, simply because all books can be compared to the Ten Commandments and the Apostles' Creed. All large decisions in life can be compared to the basic Catholic beliefs. This certitude makes using Catholic values so much easier which is the main reason we choose to homeschool!

Catholic homeschool can be the very best place to start whether in accredited homeschool programs or not.

- Find good answers to the Catechism. Beware some publishing houses' versions.

- Use the principle of non-contradiction. (A thing cannot be true AND not true at the same time.)

- Always choose the better answer. (It is precise and usually concise.)

Compare!

Does the catechism that you use teach these truths?

- God is the Creator of Heaven and earth and of all things; Creation and the term Heaven are often missing.

- Original Sin;

- singular confession answers for the sacrament of Penance;

- non-subjective answers like Baptism IS, Confirmation IS, the Holy Eucharist IS, the Mass IS, etc.

First Communion Catechism

First Communion is usually the first sacrament studied in a Catholic homeschool. School is geared toward learning the Catholic prayers, Ten Commandments, and the seven sacraments. Reading little books or stories from the Catholic Bible and the different Catholic saints really fill out the school day. Children learn to love the people in the Bible and the saints from history just as they like learning about their relatives and friends in a photo album.

It can sometimes be very hard to find good Catholic books that that give Catholic details. St. Anne's Helper has met this difficulty in the Audio Catechism and Catechism Copybook for First Communion. Once the children learn the basics they can move on to bigger ideas. Getting the basics right is easy with St. Anne's Helper.

Catholic Confirmation Catechism

Confirmation can be a harder subject to find explicit instruction in Catholic beliefs. Its questions and answers used to be woven with the higher levels of the Baltimore Catechism and newer books aren't easy to find in many bookstores.

During the early 1900s many parishes had the Confirmation on the same day as the First Communion! With good reason, too. This is the sacrament that gives us the grace to be strong in the Faith and to persevere, but it isn't necessary to know all of the basics in order to be well disposed to receive the sacrament. So the little catechisms of the early 1900s covered only three or four questions on Confirmation! The important thing to remember is that the sacrament confers the grace with or without grueling academics. Being well disposed to receive the sacrament does not mean getting an A+ in a rigorous program. It means wanting to receive the graces and being in the state of grace to receive it well.

The place where the rigorous academics can help the disposition is when the questions and answers, method, and way of life teach the student to know, love and serve God. The better he studies the better he might know Him, which means he has the better capacity to love and serve Him. This is one reason religious and parents are thrilled with a bright student. This is also a sign of a vocation since the student has a better start knowing God.

In a Catholic homeschool the learning never quits. Whether we are actively studying or simply doing our routine chores we have the opportunity to learn. All our learning is supposed to lead us to God - this is the very purpose of education! At home the Faith can be better integrated with the family since the members are all learning the same things.

Confirmation is also the subject more adults need the answers to because so many did not go on to receive the sacrament of Confirmation after being baptized or receiving Communion. Having an audiobook catechism for them is so handy since they can learn the basic Catholic beliefs as they drive or do minor chores. The review is easy!

St. Anne's Audio Catechism and Copybook (or printable worksheets) for Confirmation is taken from several Confirmation booklets and can be used to supplement accredited homeschool programs and eclectic approaches. All of the questions required or asterisked in little booklets were included.

Dictation Using A White Board

An 8' x 4' white board is usually less than $30 if you get melamine coated Masonite at a building supply store. Frame yours, if you like with, inexpensive mold-board. It is so great to have plenty of space to write without needing to spend hundreds of dollars!

This way the teacher can teach from dictation with some copy help for younger students. With the dictation approach the teacher does not write the word first unless the student has trouble with a new word. The teacher reminds the student of a particular phonics rule or then models how a big word is spelled. This takes longer, but rewards the student with life-long spelling skills. St. Anne's Helper Copybooks can be used as printable worksheets for manuscript and cursive writing penmanship practice.

Lowe's and other lumber stores have melamine coated Masonite and many office supply stores carry proper whiteboards that you can use in a Catholic homeschool or classroom. Our Masonite 4X8 has served well for over six years.

Catholic Homeschool Curriculum

These pages help us explain our favorite resources:

Catholic Home School Forum

Share your best Catholic home school ideas and Catholic resources here! There are many books, DVDs, CDs, and downloads that can help others like home school worksheets! Let this be the friendliest and most helpful home school forum on the net!

Home School Curriculum Providers
Find Seton Home Study School, Our Lady of Victory, Kolbe Academy, Catholic Heritage Curricula and more. Again, be encouraged to leave a submission with your best experiences.

Home School Book Providers
We all have favorite bookstores. We suggest that you start with these: Refuge of Sinners, Adoremus Books, Emmanuel Books, TAN, Neumann and more in the search to find good Catholic home school books.

Catholic books
St. Anne's Helper has suggestions of good Catholic books for catechism class and a list of Catholic book sellers to help you find Catholic home school books.

Catholic Holy Days of Obligation
Catholic holidays are usually referred to as Catholic Holy Days of Obligation and feast days. Holy Days of Obligation are just like Sundays for Catholics. Feast days are the days that venerate titles of Our Lady, the Catholic saints, or the merits of particular patron saints.

Manuscript and cursive writing
Catholic homeschool families find that there are many stamping crafts, and art projects that could honor these days as well as help teach the virtues of these saints. Spiritual bouquets, get well cards, and cards for all occasions are not only good little acts of kindness (visiting the sick!), they help build handwriting skills.

Catholic Liturgical Calendar
Many Catholic calendars have a separate list for patron saints and another for Catholic saints list in a booklet like Is it a Saint's Name? (Tan Books) You can also use the back half of a daily Catholic Missal which lists the saint of the day. A Catholic Missal is the original "thought for the day" book!

Roman Catholic Saints
Catholic Saints names lists are also excellent for choosing a name for Confirmation. Many Catholic calendars have a separate list for patron saints and another for Roman Catholic saints list.

St. Anne's Helper
Audio Catechism (CDs or downloadable audiobooks) and verbatim Catechsim Copybooks (Catholic Ebooks for Manuscript and Cursive writing worksheets) for First Communion and Confirmation. They teach the questions and answers that are generally asterisked to be memorized in preparation for these sacraments.

See Seton Homeschool's great defense of the Baltimore Catechism.

These home school websites have great resources and ideas too:

Homeschool Articles at Homeschool-Living.com
There are several excellent Catholic homeschool articles on this page. I like these two best: "Designing Your Homeschool Curriculum: Choose Latin!"and "Parents, Know the Four Temperaments" since learning Latin and knowing the four temperaments have been giant helps in our family. They actually offer short cuts in school and daily living. Anna Marie has a great grasp on the value of Latin and of knowing the four temperaments. Not only have her children graduated from college, she has a son who is a priest and one preparing to be a lawyer!

Homeschool Faith and Family Life
This is a sweet site that has a list of the benefits of homeschooling. Judy has published her own sweet Catholic Ebook, too.

Catholic Homeschool Blog Directory
See this Directory for Catholic Homeschool Blogs as listed by state!

Our favorite Homeschool Curriculum Providers.

Our Favorite Catholic Homeschool Book Providers.

Children learn the Catholic prayers and catechism answers easily with St. Anne's Helper. You can comment with your favorite homeschool ideas on our Homeschool forum below. Share your successes.

Catholic First Communion Audio, etc.

First Communion Audio Clip Purchase

First Communion Copybook Sample Purchase

480 Coloring Pages To Print Purchase

Catholic Confirmation Audio & Worksheets

Confirmation Audio Clips Purchase

Confirmation Copybook Manuscript Sample Purchase

Confirmation Copybook Cursive Writing Sample Purchase

Other St. Anne's Helper Products

Does your bookstore have St. Anne's Helper CDs?

Thank You For Sharing.