FREE REPUBLIC HOMESCHOOLERS’ FORUM 2009-10 (How-to Start Homeschooling / Curriculum / More…)

9-23-09 | All FReepers who've contributed

[Tired of Taxes]

***** This is a discussion thread for homeschoolers. Please respect the purpose of this thread. Disruptive posts will be reported to the Admin Moderator. *****

PLEASE WAIT FOR THE ALL-CLEAR BEFORE POSTING COMMENTS. THANK YOU!

INFORMATION INCLUDING THE LIST OF RESOURCES WILL BE PASTED IN THE NEXT TWO POSTS WITHIN THE NEXT FEW MINUTES.

[mnehring]

bfltr

[Tired of Taxes]

*** GET STARTED HOMESCHOOLING ***

STEP ONE: Check the laws in your state.

Visit the Home School Legal Defense Association’s website. Click on your state for a summary of the laws regulating homeschooling there. Some states have stricter regulations than others. Be prepared to abide by the laws in your state. Joining HSLDA is highly recommended.

STEP TWO: Find a homeschool support group in your area.

The homeschooling community is well-organized. There are support groups suitable for almost every family. Homeschool organizations offer activities such as band, cooperative classes, field trips, graduation ceremonies, honor societies, socials (i.e. dances, the prom), sports, youth groups, and much more.

Many homeschool organizations are affiliated with churches, and you may be required to sign a Statement of Faith in order to join. Other groups merely rent space at churches. Still, other groups meet at libraries, museums, etc., and most communicate online via email. You may find homeschool support groups online by searching for your state name and the word “homeschool”. Or check the HSLDA website for state-level organizations listed there. Another option is to communicate with a homeschool parent in your state here on Free Republic.

STEP THREE: Choose a curriculum plan.

Scroll down to see the list of educational resources recommended by homeschoolers on Free Republic and posted below right here on this thread. The most appropriate curriculum for your child(ren) will depend upon age level, the method of learning that best suits each child, and the student’s interests.

You will find that homeschool parents on Free Republic are always willing to share advice and support. If you have questions, feel free to ask. If you start a new thread to ask for advice, remember to ping Metmom so that she can send a ping to the list of homeschoolers here.

Remember to contact Metmom to add your name to the Homeschool Ping List. Also ask for your name to be added to the Another Reason to Homeschool ping list for other articles about the state of education today.

[Osage Orange]

Being an X HS'er......I'd be happy to answer questions or help any new HS'ers out there.

Started out in probably 1988 or so.....in SoCal.

Moved to OK....in '97.

The girls are now in College....and doing pretty well.

[Tired of Taxes]

**** HOMESCHOOL RESOURCES (in alphabetical order) ****

Please note: This list is not intended to include every homeschool curriculum available on the market. Rather, it is a list of resources recommended specifically by homeschoolers and others interested in educational topics here on Free Republic. The colleges and universities also were suggested by participants here on FR.

Disclaimer: The Free Republic website and its owners do NOT officially endorse any of these products. This list was compiled for informational purposes only by participants on Free Republic. The website links below are provided only to give more information on each item. They are not intended as solicitations. Free Republic cannot be held responsible for these websites, their content, nor any sales transactions made. Sometimes links, websites, and/or products are altered, so please remember to use your own discretion.

ASSESSMENT Let’s Go Learn COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES Looking for a college? Consider these options: Ave Maria University Belmont Abbey College Brigham Young University The Catholic University of America Christendom College College of the Ozarks Franciscan University of Steubenville Furman University George Mason University (Economics Dept.) George Wythe University Grove City College Hillsdale College John Paul the Great Catholic University (Also see this Free Republic thread.) Patrick Henry College Samford University Thomas Aquinas College U.S. Air Force Academy U.S. Merchant Marine Academy U.S. Military Academy at West Point University of Dallas Wheaton College COMPLETE CURRICULUM A Beka AlphaOmega Lifepac Ambleside Online (free online, similar to Charlotte Mason) Baltimore Curriculum Lesson Plans (free online, based on Core Knowledge) Calvert School Core Knowledge Core Knowledge Lesson Plans (free online) Mater Amabilis (free online Charlotte Mason curriculum) My Father’s World Seton Home Study School Sonlight Veritas Press Winter Promise (History, English) World Book Encyclopedia & Learning Resources (free online guide) COMPUTER & TECHNICAL SKILLS e-Learning Center COURTSHIP Courtship Connection CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS The Bright Blue Thinking Book Building Thinking Skills The Fallacy Detective Mind Benders DIPLOMAS & TRANSCRIPTS North Atlantic Regional High School (in Lewiston, Maine) Also see “Recordkeeping”. DRAMA & THEATRE Acting Magic DUAL CREDIT Check with your local community college. Other dual credit opportunities: St. Petersburg College ECONOMICS Calumet “K” (Merwin, Webster) (free online) Economics in One Lesson (Henry Hazlitt) (free online)* Economic Sophisms (Frederic Bastiat) (free online)* The Incredible Bread Machine (Susan Love Brown), a book based on this R.W. Grant poem, “Tom Smith and His Incredible Bread Machine” The Incredible Bread Machine: A Study of Capitalism, Freedom, & the State (by R.W. Grant) Uncle Eric series (Richard J. Maybury) * * Also see Free Republic Library below. ENGLISH Language Arts, Spelling, Vocabulary Analytical Grammar Character Quality Language Arts Discovery Education – English (free online) Draw Write Now (Art, penmanship, and storytelling) Easy Grammar Systems edHelper.com (free worksheets) Educators Publishing Service(Explode the Code, Ridgewood Grammar, Wordly Wise & more) English from the Roots Up Explode the Code Horizons Institute for Excellence in Writing Phonics Pathways Play ‘n’ Talk Reader Rabbit (CD) Ridgewood Grammar Rod and Staff Saxon Phonics Scripps National Spelling Bee Study Zone (check later if not available yet) Shurley English Spelling Power Spell to Write and Read Straight-Forward English (Garlic Press) Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons Vocabulary from Classical Roots (also see Educators Publishing Service) Word Journeys Wordly Wise Words Their Way Writing Strands (See Institute for Excellence in Writing) FOREIGN LANGUAGES edHelper.com (free worksheets) Power Glide Spanish Numbers FREE REPUBLIC LIBRARY Articles and threads of interest to homeschoolers Educational Topics: Astronomy Picture of the Day The Chronicles of Narnia (C.S. Lewis) Creation vs. Evolution Economics: Richard Maybury’s Books Economics: Two Great Classics Folding @ Home Project Freeper Book Club Gods Graves Glyphs Handwriting (Debate over cursive handwriting) HTML Bootcamp (cached) HTML Sandbox Introduction to Ancient Greek History Inventions and Discoveries Lord of the Rings (J.R.R. Tolkien) Mathematics Science String Theory ‘blog Word for the Day Homeschool-related articles and threads: Another Reason to Homeschool Articles tagged “homeschool” Articles tagged “vaccination” Distance Learning Free Republic Homeschoolers’ Forums 2005 – Present Proposal for Free Republic High School Diploma and other discussions on fast-tracking through high school Saxon and Singapore math adopted by public school Emergency Preparedness: Gardening Home Gardening & Disaster Preparedness FREE REPUBLIC PING LISTS Relevant to homeschooling: Homeschool Ping List (Contact Metmom) Another Reason to Homeschool (Contact Metmom) Other ping lists of interest: Astronomy Picture of the Day (Contact Sig226) Gods, Graves, Glyphs (Contact SunkenCiv) GAMES & TRIVIA Funbrain (free online) Sheppard Software (free online) Also check under each subject for games for a particular subject. GEOGRAPHY Netstate.com: Learn About the 50 States (free online) WorldAtlas.com (free online) HISTORY 1776, by David McCullough Drive thru History Greenleaf (Famous Men series) History Link 101 (free online) Kingfisher History Encyclopedia The Mystery of History A Patriot’s History of the United States Presidents of the United States (free online) The Story of the World TRISMS TruthQuest History: Age of Revolution I, II, III

HOBBIES Letterboxing North America Sewing Made Easy HOMESCHOOL CATALOGS, STORES & SWAPS (Reminder: Please see disclaimer above.) Area 127 Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers (Latin and Greek) The Curriculum Coop Homeschool Classifieds Homeschooler’s Bookshelf Homeschooler’s Curriculum Swap HSLDA Curriculum Market Love to Learn Memoria Press Naturally Simple (free or low cost online resources) Peace Hill Press (Well-Trained Mind) Pennywise Learning Rainbow Resource R.O.C.K. Solid, Inc. Smart Alec Books Veg Source HomeSchool Talk & Swap Veritas Press HOMESCHOOL GUIDES & HOW-TO BOOKS Better Late than Early Also see The Moore Formula Homeschoolers’ Success Stories (by Linda Dobson) The Homeschooling Revolution Homeschool Your Child for Free Man’s Unconquerable Mind (by Gilbert Highet) The Well-Trained Mind HOMESCHOOL MAGAZINES / NEWSLETTERS / NEWSPAPERS The Link Homeschool Humour LAPBOOKING Currclick Dinah-Might Adventures Live & Learn Press Living Literature with Lap Book Learning Tobin’s Lab LATIN Latina Christiana Latin’s Not So Tough LEGAL ADVICE Home School Legal Defense Association LESSON PLANS Donna Young Homeschool Lesson Plan Forms LITERATURE (including young readers) 100 Good Books 100 Great Books Bob Books Books by Charles Dickens Books by G.A. Henty Children’s Literature Lesson Plans & Resources (free online) The Chronicles of Narnia (C.S. Lewis) The Colored Fairy Books (refers to the color of the book). Free online. Eragon (by Christopher Paolini) Hardy Boys & Nancy Drew mysteries Homeschool Detectives series Homeschooler’s Bookshelf Laura Ingalls Wilder books Little Britches (book series) by Ralph Moody Little House in the Big Woods (Laura Ingalls Wilder) (free online lessons) Lord of the Rings & The Hobbit Lesson Plans (free online) McGuffey Readers Mrs. P (website with stories, games) Redwall series Spiderwick Chronicles, The Starfall Store Stobaugh’s American Literature Williwaw (by Tom Bodett) MATHEMATICS AAA Math Basic Facts Worksheet Factory (free online) Discovery Education – Math (free online) Donna Young Math Worksheets (free online) edHelper.com (free worksheets) Fun with Baseball Stats (free online) Homeschool Math Curriculum Guide (website) Horizons Math Key-To Series Learning from Baseball (websites) Math Fact Café (free flashcards & worksheets) Math-U-See Math Worksheet Site Miquon Math PBS Fantasy Baseball (PDF file) (free online) Rent Calculators Saxon Math Singapore Math Straight-Forward Math (Garlic Press) Super Kids Math Worksheet Creator (free online) Teaching Textbooks MUSIC Music Forms San Francisco Symphony for Kids OPEN COURSES (FREE ONLINE) Open Learning Initiative - Carnegie Melon ORGANIZATIONS Of interest to homeschoolers Alliance for the Separation of School & State Focus on the Family Home School Legal Defense Association PUZZLE-MAKERS & WORKSHEET GENERATORS (FREE ONLINE) Discovery School’s Puzzlemaker edHelper.com Home School Planet (More worksheet generators can be found listed under Math, English, and other subjects.) RECORDKEEPING Curriculum Click – Master Planner Donna Young’s Free Printables Homeschooler’s Guide to Portfolios and Transcripts The HomeSchool Mom Homeschool Tracker REFERENCE BOOKS Usborne books DK Eyewitness books SCIENCE Apologia Physics Anatomy of the Human Body (free online) Bob Jones Chemistry Castle Heights Press Discovery Education – Science (free online) edHelper.com (free worksheets) Home Science Tools Jason Project Learning from Baseball (websites) Moody Science Videos Noeo Science Ocean studies (Smithsonian) (free online) The Periodic Table of Videos (free online) Physics: The Batting Cage (fun website) Physics in Sports connection (online video) Rainbow Science The Science Spot – Puzzle Corner (free online/PDF files) Scientific American Inventions and Discoveries (Carlisle) (Also see “Free Republic Library.) Real Science 4 Kids Tobin’s Lab TELEVISION & VIDEO PBS Mail List UNIT STUDIES The Prairie Primer (based on Little House series) TRISMS Unit Studies VIRTUAL SCHOOLS Educere K-12 Florida Virtual School Switched on Schoolhouse Also see this Free Republic thread. WEBSITES ABOUT HOMESCHOOLERS & HOMESCHOOLING Successful & Famous People (who were homeschooled) YOUTH GROUPS American Heritage Girls Boy Scouts of America Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program 4-H

[Tired of Taxes]

You’ve been pinged because you either contributed to this list at some point or expressed an interest. (My apologies if I missed anyone.) Or, your ping list and contact name might have been added.

The educational resources many of you recommended on the last forum have been added to this newly updated list. Thank you!

[Tired of Taxes]

All clear to post comments.

[Tired of Taxes]

Looks like I’ll have to ping you for a ping, after all! I forget how to make the Homeschool Ping List graphic work. It won’t look right if I send it.

[668 - Neighbor of the Beast]

Just curious here. Approx how many freepers on that ping list?

Great links too — thanks for the ping!

[panthermom]

Please put me on your ping list, I have started homeschooling my youngest this year, 12 yrs. old, and need all the help I can get!!!!

[achilles2000]

Thank you for doing this. BTW, www.khanacademy.edu (org?) offers terrific help for free in math, science, and some economics topics...

[Marie2]

Hi, you can add me to your ping list.

Homeschooling for 15 years; still have three kids “in class.”

Happy to help anyone with questions. (I’m in California).

Recommended curriculum that I see listed above: Spelling Power (I start that in 2nd grade and use regular Phonics before that), Apologia Science (ALL their Science - start after your kid has about 7th grade math skills). Saxon Math I start at 4th or 5th grade (Saxon 54).

Recommended curriculum I didn’t see listed above:

The Learnables for any foreign language.

Daily Grams for Grammar.

The Winston Grammar program, especially for kids who learn “kinesthetically.”

Modern Curriculum Press’ “Adventures In Phonics” to teach reading.

Modern Curriculum Press’ Math for grades K-3.

A Beka British and American Literature for the jr. high and high schoolers.

“Economics In One Lesson” and “Whatever Happened to Penny Candy” for high school economics.

I like to teach high school history by having my kids read biographies of great men and women from history. This gives them some proper if imperfect heroes, and teaches history in context.

I like to supplement a basic world history course in jr. high with Henty’s historical fiction.

[scottteng]

Yeah for FLVS aka the Florida virtual school. Helps the single dad still home school the two teens even though some of the purists say that virtual school does not count as it is a government program. We do lots of extra stuff as well.

[GoRepGo]

Awesome collection of resources!

[Peanut Gallery]

Also for lapbooking, we like to use http://www.homeschoolshare.com/ .

[Antoninus]

Thanks for posting this. I don't have any specific tips except to say that all FReepers should at least consider this route for their kids. It has so many benefits, among them:

1.) Fostering a closer family bond
2.) Giving your kid more 1-on-1 attention than they'll ever get in a classroom.
3.) Helping to keep the corrupt world out of your life and those of your children.
4.) Networking with a multitude of awesome, like-minded people who will truly enrich your life and those of your kids.

[sitetest]

This school year will likely be our last one homeschooling. The older guy went off to the local Catholic high school last year, and the younger guy will likely follow him next year.

Ten years has flown by quickly.

[Peanut Gallery]

I may have missed it, but I did not see www.homeschoolbuyers-coop.org. It is a free subscription service that offers deep discounts to homeschoolers for various educational programs like CyberEd (which goes by a new name now), Rosetta Stone, and many others.

[HungarianGypsy]

you forgot me. *pout*

[JenB]

Hmm, I guess it’ll be time to start with educational things before I know it! Sure babygirl is only 5 months old right now but she’ll need to learn to read one of these years...

It’s very exciting to think about homeschooling, having been homeschooled myself (and so was my husband). It gives us a slightly different perspective on things, I think.