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Homeschool Resources, Magazines, and More
November 2009- I've collected many home-school related links over the past decade or so, and this page had gotten impossibly long. To make things easier to navigate, I've divided it into new categories (navigation links are on the left), with the main page remaining focused on resources and products for homeschools and home education. We check links periodically, but they do go dead occasionally. Please feel free to let us know if a link is broken. You can sometimes find a resource, even if the link is broken, by searching for the name of the item. Homeschoolers are supposed to be creative, and creativity will get you there if the resource still exists!
I hope you find what you need here--enjoy browsing!
If you are considering homeschooling or trying to choose curricula, the best way to make a decision is to read extensively. Read book reviews, magazines, and catalogs. Read homeschool and curriculum-related forums and bulletins. Read materials from many different perspectives until you understand the issues and options that affect your home education decisions. When you've absorbed plenty of knowledge, you'll be able to make the decision that's right for your family. This isn't a comprehensive listing of homeschool sites- that would be impossible to maintain- but it is a list of the sites I've found interesting and informative. The list is not sorted by type of site (catalog, information, magazine) because many of the sites have overlapping purposes. The descriptions should tell you enough to let you know which sites will be most useful to you. Many of the sites are connected with paper publications or catalogs, so be sure to request information to read off-line. If you find a dead link or would like to suggest a site to add, please e-mail me. |
National Home Education Research Institute
Need some statistics to support your decision to homeschool? Dr. Brian Ray?s organization is the source for high-quality research results. His book, Worldwide Homeschooling, is a fascinating snapshot of homeschooling around the world.Ann Zeiss's site is one of the longest-running sites on the web. It may take you a year to get through all her content! She even offers you the opportunity to host a blog on her site. Enjoy!
The Eclectic Homeschool Online and Eclectic Homeschool Lite (for beginners)
The Home School Internet Resource Center
An online resource for creative homeschoolers. Feature articles, resources, product reviews, topical web link index, bookstore, academic departments, homeschool advice, support & legal information by state.
A good source for useful links and information.
Home Educators Association of Virginia
A state organization that provides complete information on homeschooling in Virginia, including The Virginia Homeschool Manual, a huge compendium of valuable homeschool information. They also sponsor a statewide convention and homeschool graduation in June.National Home Education Network
"The National Home Education Network exists to encourage and facilitate the vital grassroots work of state and local homeschooling organizations and individuals by providing information, fostering networking and promoting public relations on a national level. Because we believe there is strength in a diverse network of homeschoolers, we support the freedom of all individual families to choose home education and to direct such education." Lots of excellent information here, including reprintable articles for homeschool newsletters.Homeschool-Your-Boys - Teach your sons and have fun together at the same time! This website offers practical counsel on the reality of teaching boys. It's a true delight, if you know what to expect and how to deal with it!
Homeschooling Boys
If you are homeschooling boys, here are some excellent articles.Balancing the Sword - A comprehensive study guide to gain a working knowledge of the entire Bible.
World Book Scope and Sequence
The encyclopedia company has put together a typical course of study for preschool through high school. This can be useful in planning your own course of study.Family Classroom & The Homeschool Encouragement Center
The Homeschool Encouragement Center is a safe haven for Christian homeschooling parents to come for guidance, encouragement, practical suggestions, prayer needs, and daily fellowship. There are links and online chat.Home Schooling Resources
Look no further for homeschooling ideas, materials, curriculums, and resources!Charlotte Mason Approach
Penny Gardner is the author of the Charlotte Mason Study Guide, and her site is packed with excellent articles and information about CM's delightfully simple and effective educational methods. She has a wonderful list of books and links, and I like her encouragement for mothers to enjoy learning along with their children.John Taylor Gatto
If you're undecided about the merits of the public education system, John Taylor Gatto's books, Dumbing Us Down and The Underground History of American Education offer an insider's look at the goals and methods of the government school system.Jon's Homeschool Page
One of the oldest homeschooling pages on the web. Lots of links and useful information, including a list of homeschool-friendly colleges. Fortunately, the list is hardly necessary anymore, as most colleges are homeschool-friendly. .Unschooling
Unschooling is the novel ideal that institutional, coercive methods of learning are neither natural nor effective, whether used at home or in government schools.The Well-Trained Mind
Susan Wise-Bauer's site focuses on classical education. You'll find book reviews, links, and articles here. Free e-mail updates.Trivium Pursuit
One of the original sites devoted to classical education. The Bluedorn's offer a nice selection of articles and a "Christian Logic" e-mail loop as well as new and used curriculum materials.Learn in Freedom
This text-heavy site is loaded with excellent information supporting "learning in freedom, taking responsibility for your own learning." It offers articles and excellent links for learning resources, including a regularly updated list of colleges which accept or actively recruit homeschoolers (as noted above, this list will always be incomplete, as most college now welcome homeschoolers).Christian Book Distributors
Good prices, fast shipping for a wide variety of (not just Christian) homeschool materials. I've ordered a lot of things through their catalog and website, and have always been happy with their service. Their frequent catalogs contain interesting book and product reviews by the Andreola family.Tapestry of Grace
This is a very popular unit study that "attempts to show how the Word of God and the Hand of God are the warp and woof of the tapestry of time."Life in America
A chronologically arranged unit study, focusing on American history.Homeschool Social Register
This site offers homeschool families a private, non-intrusive way to contact other homeschoolers in their geographic area. There are links for homeschoolers worldwide, plus topic based links. A new feature of this site is the Homeschool Wiki-- a user-compiled batch of articles on "the most painless way to satisfy the bureaucratic requirements for homeschooling legally" in a specific geographic locale. It's a fast-loading site and a terrific resource, so take a little time to browse!Vegsource
This vegetarian-oriented site hosts some very active homeschool forums with boards for practically every brand of homeschooler, as well as a used curriculum swap board. Lots of interesting reading! I've swapped curriculum on this board, and it's amazing how quickly you can sell or buy exactly what you need. They have strict rules as to what can and cannot be listed, so be sure to read the rules before posting.Vision Forum
This company offers great prices on the reprinted G.A.Henty historical fiction, plus the All-American Boys Adventure Catalog, the Beautiful Girlhood Collection, and more.
Sonlight Curriculum
This website is loaded with valuable information and it hosts some excellent forums offering subject-specific help. People often ask what curriculum our family uses, and I am happy to refer them to Sonlight. We adapt their wonderful core packages to suit our own learning styles and interests, and we have been delighted with almost everything they recommend. A Sonlight education will be not only well-rounded, but also thoroughly enjoyable. Try them!Homeschool Marketplace
This family-owned site replaces the beloved Elijah Company. At the time of this posting (11/09), they have some good articles and resources. It looks like they plan to grow!Greenleaf Press
The Famous Men series was one of my favorite history resources for the elementary years. The Greenleaf site offers articles, e-mail loops, and a look at the Greenleaf catalog. Another catalog must-have.Lifetime Books
This company offers an "always incomplete resource guide" with excellent product reviews. They also have a free e-newsletter and several discussion lists. This could be the biggest homeschool catalog available!Cornerstone Curriculum Project
The Quine's website offers outstanding resources including Music and Moments with the Masters, World Views of the Western World, Adventures in Art, Science the Search, and Math Made Meaningful. An excellent foundation for literacy!Timberdoodle
A small, family-owned company that focuses on hand-on learning tools. They carry some unusual items, and provide excellent service.Tobins Lab
An outstanding homeschooler-owned company that offers books and items that encourage science through discovery, lap book resources, and more.Common Sense Press
The home of Learning Language Arts Through Literature, a Charlotte Mason compatible literature program, as well as other homeschool resources.Design-A-Study
Kathryn Stout offers simple, logical, and inexpensive overview guides for language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, and more. These are excellent resources for putting together a custom curriculum.Whole Heart Online
Clay and Sally Clarkson, authors of The Whole Hearted Child, have put together a helpful site and offer a free e-newsletter.Teach America to Read and Spell
An inexpensive, phonics-based reading and spelling program.
SAT Preparation
Jacob Richman has developed this site with over 3,000 multiple choice questions divided into 21 groups. There is also a database browser to review and print the questions and the correct answers.Fluent Handwriting
My favorite handwriting program is affordable and infinitely adaptable. You can use the same book and CD with all your children, and by installing the Barchowsky Fluent Handwriting font on your computer, you can create custom copy sheets for each of your children (standard worksheets are included with the program). It?s a great way to have them practice handwriting while copying their memory verse. I highly recommend the program!Professor B Math
If the thought of math brings something less than delight, you ought to meet Professor B. His unique, enthusiastic approach uses a scripted text and videotapes to teach math in a relatively enjoyable, low-stress way.Chalk Dust Company
Another source for math video courses.Kids Educational Software For Preschoolers
Smart Neurons provides educational software for preschoolers and kids to help enhance their pre-reading skills, story building logic and imagination.Carolina Science
This homeschool-friendly company has a huge catalog of science supplies, plus an interesting site with a lot of math, technology, and science information.Runkle Geography
An excellent geography course that includes a simple system to help you memorize countries of the world.Word to Word
This site provides links to many free foreign language resources. They offer dozens of languages, from Abenaki to Xhosa, and language courses, translators, and much more.High School Diploma
At James Madison High School, you can earn a high school diploma anywhere, anytime, in distance learning courses that let you study at home.The Pearables
This family-owned company offers interesting character-building tales designed to "bear fruit."State Unit Studies
About.com offers free, basic unit studies for each of the 50 states. These sites are sometimes very slow to open, and you may find annoying pop-up ads, but the information can be useful.Clonlara School
An accredited alternative school, providing K-12 curriculum to home educators.Robinson Self-Teaching Curriculum
Dr. Robinson has an inexpensive, formula-based approach to homeschooling. His own children seemed to learn well with this approach, but it probably helped that he is a scientist and could provide a bit of help through the math and science content! His CD's may be helpful as a supplemental library for homeschoolers.Rainbow Resources
Not a pretty site, but a huge selection of discounted homeschool curricula, some useful links, and downloadable planner pages. They also offer a large catalog (I'm not kidding when I say large-- it's almost as big as Richmond's Yellow Pages Directory!). Their booth is always mobbed at curriculum fairs, so the catalog is definitely the easiest way to shop.Children's Books
Heavily discounted homeschool books and resources.Chatham Hill Games
A good source for educational toys, games, models, and puzzles.Sheppard Software
This site offers a wide selection of educational games. These online learning games for kids include games for history, geography, science, punctuation, grammar, brain games, and much more. There is even a selection of pictures to "paint." Just choose a picture, click on a color, then click on the area you want to paint. The site will probably work best if you have a fast internet connection (DSL, cable, satellite).Hearthside Homeschool Helps
A gentle introduction to Konos- an activity-based unit study.Titus 2
Steve and Teri Maxwell have put together a nice site for Christian homeschool families. There are active message boards, particularly for Teri's hyper-detailed organizational system, Managers of Their Homes. They also offer a free monthly e-newsletter.Flylady
If you battle with organization issues and household maintenance, visit Flylady. Through her system of daily e-mails, she will teach you how to make your home an orderly, happy place, fifteen minutes at a time. It takes a few days to get used to her reminders and to remember what a 27-fling boogie is, but the whole system is very much like having a caring mentor at your elbow, keeping you on track. As you read the e-mails, you learn to focus on what is important, and to accomplish a lot in manageable bits.Special-Needs Students
Judith Munday's site offers professional help and resources to parents homeschooling children with special needs.Smart Kid at Home
Home is a wonderful place for gifted students. They are able to learn at their own pace, take college classes as early as necessary, and enjoy an in-depth exploration of ideas that is not possible when much of their time is wasted in school. This site explores some of the benefits, and offers articles, links, and other information.Dorling Kindersley
This is the publisher's site for some of my favorite history and science books. They're the kind of bright, well-illustrated books you and your kids will pick up and read for fun.Usborne
Another publisher of enjoyable history, foreign language, and geography books. The Usborne Book of Science is an excellent study tool for the Natural Sciences CLEP.Children's Books Central
Offering "A PLACE TO START: for writers, readers, collectors, illustrators, librarians, teachers, parents, publishers, printers, storytellers and kids." Lots of information and excellent links related to children's books, both old and new.Free Homeschool Forms, Calendars, and Worksheets
Donna Young's site offers free, printable forms for every conceivable homeschool need, plus homeschool forums and more.Free Elementary Worksheets
If your child needs to brush up on a particular skill, this site has many free worksheets on virtually every subject available for download.Kaboose
This site is not specifically for homeschoolers, but it contains links to many educational items and interesting sites.Unique Teacher Gifts
Unique teacher gifts and educational awards consisting of crystal apples, golden apples, and marble apples etc.The Home Fire
Terri Camp's site, offering books, a homeschool DVD, bread-making equipment, workshop tapes, and more.The Parker Family Website
Here's a look at one family's homeschool, with some very helpful articles.Enhanced Learning Products
Quote: "Enhanced Learning Products specializes in educational materials, toys and games that help kids learn in fun and easy ways by involving the senses. Educational songs, puzzles, manipulatives and more help children enjoy learning. We also offer free educational information to help parents and teachers."Christian Word.co.uk
A simple Christian site for simply the best in Christian books, teachings, articles, poetry and music CDs.The HomeScholar is a family-owned site in WashingtonState that provides tools and resources to parents considering homeschooling through high school.
Magazines
TEACH
TEACH Magazine will calm your spirit and soothe your soul with lovely pages filled with edifying encouragement, inspiration, and practical ideas in a 44-page quarterly Christian magazine for moms. If you want to be the best mommy, wife, and homemaker you can possibly be, you will love TEACH!Home School Enrichment
This very nicely done magazine offers a broad, well-chosen selection of articles that advance its goal, which is "to provide encouragement and information to the Christian homeschool community." I always enjoy its warm, supportive tone and clean, professional design.The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
This high-quality magazine offers a lot of reading for your subscription dollar, including in-depth product reviews and articles of encouragement. They also offer good e-mail newsletters. Watch for their subscription specials, as they offer some terrific deals.Home Education Magazine
One of the pioneers in the homeschool field, this magazine and its website are loaded with useful information, especially for those with an unschooling bent. HEM's periodic sale of back issues is a bargain worth waiting for. Free e-mail newsletter and downloadable homeschool guide.Homeschool Today
Comprehensive site hosted by "Homeschool Today" magazine, a Reformed-Christian perspective publication that offers ready-to-use lessons in art appreciation, grammar, etc.The Homeschool Link
The price is right on this tabloid-style publication-- it's free. It contains interesting articles and links to other homeschool-friendly sites. I wouldn't choose it as my only resource, but it's a nice supplement.Homeschool World
Mary Pride's "Practical Homeschooling" magazine and accompanying website has good articles and reviews, active forums, and useful links. Columnists have included John Taylor Gatto and members of the Swann family.Life Learning Magazine
This Canadian publication is focused on unschooling, and offers a wide selection of personal-experience focused articles. An interesting read!Home School Digest
This magazines site has good links, plus a look at Skeet Savage's quarterly journal, "Home School Digest." This glossy-covered, perfect-bound magazine is packed with articles from a conservative Christian perspective.