Looking for books for homeschool moms? Explore my Mother Culture book basket for the school year, with thoughtful reads to encourage faith, education, family, and a love of learning.
Back in April, I shared a little experiment I was trying for the summer: creating my own Mother Culture reading list. I chose books in four different areas—heart, body, mind, and soul—and I gave myself the summer to work through them. Well, now that we’re heading into a new school year, I thought it would be fun to come back and tell you what I actually read, what I didn’t read, and what I’m putting into my book basket for the year ahead.
And if you watched that original video or read the blog post, you may remember that I had some pretty ambitious plans. But I think that’s part of the fun of doing this as a homeschooling mother. We make our plans, we live our homeschool life, and then we adjust. I like planning four books for summer and four-ish books for the school year. I use the four categories that Charlotte Mason came up with for her philosophy on mother culture. However, my plan is just a base. I add and subtract based on how God presents my time and year and adjust accordingly.
So, let’s dive into my school year reading basket in the hopes of inspiring you with your own. Welcome to Healing Home. I hope you are encouraged and inspired by your time here.
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Quick links mentioned on the YouTube video:
Quick list of books for homeschool moms mentioned in this post:
Modern Miss Mason
The Call of the Wild and Free
The Valley of Vision
Nourishing Traditions
Emmanuel
Raising Gen Alpha
The Biblio Diet
Charlotte Mason Vol 1 (Lionheart Heritage Press)
The Inspired Homeschooler
Morning Time: A Litergy of Love
The Nature of Rest
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What is Mother Culture Books?
If you’re not familiar with the idea of Mother Culture, the basic idea is that as mothers, we shouldn’t stop learning simply because we’ve finished our own formal education. Especially as homeschool moms, we are spending so much of our time cultivating our children’s minds and hearts that it’s easy to forget that we need to keep cultivating our own as well.
For me, Mother Culture has become a way to be intentional about that. I’m not trying to read dozens of books or create another impossible list of things to accomplish. Instead, I’m choosing a few good books that I want to slowly work through during the school year.
I’ve divided them into four categories, and these are going to be my core books. There are plenty of other books I’m hoping to read, but these four areas will give me a little bit of direction when I don’t know what my next book should be.
Books for Homeschool Moms – My Book Basket
Before I get into this year’s books, I want to quickly say that I did finish Modern Miss Mason by Leah Boden and The Call of the Wild and Free by Ainsley Arment from my summer list. Both were fantastic reads, and I would highly recommend them to homeschool moms.
I also didn’t finish The Valley of Vision, so that one is staying with me. And I never actually started Nourishing Traditions, but I did read The Biblio Diet, which I absolutely loved and will be rereading this fall, as my church is going to be doing a Sunday School class on it.
So, with all of that said, here’s what’s going into my book basket this school year. If you want to grab the printable to jot down your own Mother Culture books, grab it through the sign up below!
1. Heart: Divinity & Theology
“To help mothers to give their children such teaching as should confirm them in the Christian religion.”
For the heart, I’m continuing with The Valley of Vision. Each prayer is so rich that I don’t want to rush through it just to check it off my reading list. I want to actually sit with it and let it shape my own walk with the Lord. I love the leather-bound copy, so if you have the extra to splurge on it, I think it’s well worth it.
I’ll also be reading Ruth Chou Simons’ Emmanuel this Christmas. I’ve wanted to read this book for years, and I’m finally making room for it this year.
As a homeschooling mother, there are so many things competing for our attention, and I want my own time in God’s Word and with good Christian books to remain part of the foundation of our home.
2. Body: Physiology & Health
“To give the knowledge necessary for the care and development of children in sickness and health.”
For the body, I’m actually carrying The Biblio Diet back into my reading list. The book is actually going to be the foundation for a Sunday School class at my church, so I am planning to re-read it in the coming months.
I’m also putting Raising Gen Alpha here in this section, although it probably could be placed in the mind category as well. I reviewed this book previously and loved it so much that I gave my copy to my pastor. Now our staff is reading it together, so I’m going to read through it again this fall. Whenever I talk to parents of Gen Alpha, I always recommend getting it to at least read the chapter on anxiety; I think most parents of Gen Alpha will find it helpful. Dave Boden is the author of this book, and he is the husband of Leah Boden, who wrote Modern Miss Mason. Mr. Boden looks at Gen Alpha through the lens of being Anxious minded, Leading influencers, Pandemic-impacted, Hyperconnected, and AI-shaped.
Together, these books give me a chance to think more intentionally about the physical, developmental, and everyday needs of the people God has entrusted to me, which is really what I want this part of my Mother Culture to be about.
3. Mind: Mental & Moral Science and Education
“To show the principles of education, and methods based on these principles.”
This is probably the category I’m most excited about because I’m continuing with Charlotte Mason Volume 1. I finally found a beautiful hard copy from Lionheart Heritage Press, and it’s even illustrated, which makes me very happy.
I’m reading this one slowly because Charlotte Mason’s writing can take some work to digest. I don’t want to rush through it. I want to understand her educational philosophy and really think about how it applies to our own home education.
I’ll also be continuing The Inspired Homeschool by Jennifer Pepito. I’ve already read most of it and reviewed it, but I want to go back through it without the pressure of writing a review. When I’m reading for a blog post or video, I tend to move quickly, and I want to give myself the opportunity to actually sit with the book this time.
And then I’m adding Morning Time: A Liturgy of Love by Cindy Rollins. I’ve really enjoyed her podcast lately, and she’s mentioned this book a few times on some of her episodes. I’m really trying to add a morning time routine into our homeschool rhythm, and I’m looking forward to reading this one with that effort in mind.
4. Soul: Nature Lore & the Elements of Science
“To enable mothers to awaken their children’s interest in Nature, and to give them their first ideas.”
For the soul, I’m going to be reading The Nature of Rest by Eryn Lynum. I’ve heard Eryn talking about this book on several podcasts, and I’ve been really intrigued by it.
I think this is a particularly important category for me because one of the things I took away from The Call of the Wild and Free was how much I want to get outside with my children and cultivate a love of nature. I don’t want every part of our homeschool to happen at a table with a pencil and workbook. I want our children to experience the world around them, too.
Conclusion
So those are my core Mother Culture books for this school year. But there are so many other books I have planned to read, too. These four are simply going to be my anchors. They’re the books I want to keep coming back to throughout the year, while still leaving room for other books that catch my attention.
And of course, there are all of the books we’re going to be reading together as a family. For example, we’ll be reading Sarah, Plain and Tall as part of our Living off the Land unit study, along with plenty of other read-alouds throughout the year.
I think that’s what I’m enjoying most about this idea of Mother Culture. It’s not about creating the perfect reading list or trying to become the most well-read homeschool mother. It’s about continuing to learn alongside our children and making space for books that help us grow.
So if you’re looking for some books for homeschool moms to add to your own reading list this year, I hope this gives you a few ideas. And if you’d like to see the full list, I’ve updated my Mother Culture printable for the school year, and I’ll have that available over on the blog.
Because maybe Mother Culture isn’t about becoming the woman who reads the most books.
Maybe it’s simply about becoming a woman who never stops learning.
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