How to Find Home Schooling Resources

Home schooling can appear to be an overwhelming venture, but it does not have to be. To begin, become knowledgeable with your state's laws. I found that the easiest way to find information on a specific state's laws is to go online and do a search. Also, finding an online home schooling group can offer you and your family a lot of support. There will be people with different amounts of home schooling experience, and if you are uncertain about anything, you can consult with them.

You do not need a specific curriculum. There are different companies available which can provide you with a packaged year, but do not feel that you have to go that route.

What is great about home schooling is that you can use the resources that are readily available to you.

Look Into Your Nearest Resources

Look into your community and neighborhood. What kinds of things are available to you and your family? What about public libraries, museums, historical centers, parks, and/or the YMCA? You can teach your child how important it is to be be involved in community activities. Frequenting such places is not only educational but affordable.

Also, look into volunteer opportunities that you and your child can get involved in. Time is much more flexible when home schooling. Teaching your child community service is a valuable gift.

Tutors

Are you afraid that you can't teach your child everything? If you don't feel you can teach him/her, then find a tutor. Try the area colleges. College kids will be glad to tutor your child for some extra spending money. If there aren't any colleges near you, try retired teachers.

Television

Television can help! Check the listings on the Discovery Channel or the Animal Planet. There are many cable channels that offer educational programming for children and teens. Watch the programs together and start a dialog on what you watched. Ask questions and create conversation. Get involved in your child's learning process.

Websites

The site www.edhelper.com has Pre-K to high school level activities.

There are a number of subjects available. There are free portions on this site, but to get access to everything there are fees.

I have used this site throughout the past three years. I particularly liked how the subjects were divided into units and that answer sheets were provided. It is a very organized and helpful site.

The http://www.freemathhelp.com site is exactly as it sounds.

This site offers free math information for algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and calculus. It offers math lessons in text or video form. The site also has games, a glossary, graphing tools, a message board, and an archived questions page. Worksheets are available as well.

There are formulas and study tips and an amazing amount of math information available.

Not only is the channel informative, but the site, www.discovery.com is a great resource for home schooling.

The Discovery site is not only full of information; it has lesson plans and a teacher's store and teaching tools as well. You can get many ideas and pull from this site's resources.

The site www.infoplease.com/homework/ offers a wonderful range of subject information on core subjects. It also has information on skills needed such as writing and research, speaking and listening, and studying. Other tools are offered on this site such as the periodic table and a conversion calculator.

There are also heritage features, an analogy of the day, a daily spelling bee, and history and current events trivia.

Brandon Kehoe maintains http://www.zen.org/~brendan/kids-homework.html .

He adds new links every month. There is access to the Encyclopedia Britannica, Gray's Anatomy, The Oxford Shakespeare (just to name a few) and many more!

Ask Questions and Enjoy!

Home schooling can be a wonderful experience for both you and your child. You are directly involved in your child's learning. Most times you will find that he/she learns at a faster rate than public school children due to the one on one interaction.

Do not be afraid to ask questions. It is easy to end up overwhelmed, and finding the proper support system is necessary. Do your research and enjoy your time with your child!