I just received a free literature based project pack PDF file on My Side Of The Mountain.
I LOVED that book when I was young! Yippee! This is going to be fun!
http://www.freehomeschooldeals.com/
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Friday, October 19, 2012
We Never Expected To End Up Here
This is an update on how things are going in the K12 online charter home school program.
First, a quick recap: I pulled my sixth-grader out of public school in February. After trying the same things over and over, and following the recommendations of his school professionals, I realized that we were getting nowhere. My son asked me to homeschool him, and I knew right away it was the only thing to do.
We deschooled for a while, we tried unschooling, and finally when I began to understand what works for this individual young man, I found that I had to take him back to a fourth grade level and work with him in the core subjects. It seems that it was in the fourth grade where he became lost. We found workbooks at that grade level, and he used the Khan Academy website for math. After this experience I had strong concerns when I had enrolled him in the 6th grade with the K12 online charter school. We had yet to cover the fifth grade in his home studies. I did not know if he would be able to keep up. However, had we kept him in the brick and mortar public school, he would have been promoted to the 7th grade despite poor progress, and things would be worse.
When he was in public school, we performed the daily "backpack dump" together. I helped him sift through the wads of crumpled papers, sorting them according to which were due, past due, in need of additional work, or ready for the wastebasket. I assisted him with his homework, attended parent-teacher conferences, and did my best to decipher the coded grade entries and comments on an online school resource called ParentLink. Report card comments like "joy to have in class" did not explain why my child was struggling. I could not put my finger on the problem. My son is a good kid with a well-developed set of intrinsic values. He even attended after school study programs. Why was he failing? I was mystified.
Working with him in the K12 program these past weeks, I can see more clearly what the problems are than I was able to with a less structured approach. One is that he tends to be very disorganized and easily distracted. He often misplaces his books. Sometimes he gets up and leaves his desk in the middle of work to go do something unrelated to school, and if I observe without intervening, it could be over an hour before he gets back to work if at all. I often redirect him to focus on his work.
Another problem is simple self-discipline. It took me a long time to realize that when I thought he was busy doing schoolwork on his computer, he was really playing online games advertized to kids through an online dictionary, and he would quickly toggle back to the online school when he saw me looking in his direction. While I don't condone this behavior and have been taking steps to prevent it, I don't blame him for falling into the temptation of doing something easy and fun rather than buckling down and working. It's human nature. Now is the time for him to learn to discipline himself to do the hard work and achieve his goals first, and do the easy fun things as a reward for his accomplishments. My husband and I are working to help him learn to make the right decisions for himself, without making all of his decisions for him.
One of the biggest issues is reading comprehension. He can aloud read quite well, but he doesn't always process what he reads. This affects his ability to answer test questions and complete assignments correctly. If I have to work in another room in the house, I will often return to find him struggling, or doing some work incorrectly because he didn't understand the instructions. Yesterday during an online test, (K12 calls them assessments,) he gave a wrong answer to a question, and I knew that he understood the correct answer because we went over the material together and he was able to discuss it with me. I worded the question differently, and he corrected himself. This is a common occurrence and he often needs to retake assessments as a result.
We were told that the K12 program takes a 6th grader about 5 - 6 hours a day, five days per week, but as it turns out it's been a lot more work than we anticipated. Three days a week, we generally start the day at 8:00 or 8:30 in the morning, and work almost nonstop until 4:00 or 5:00, depending on other scheduled activities. I try to build in little "recesses" where we take a short break to stretch, do some self-care, refocus our eyes on distant objects, have a snack, play with the dog etc. We do take a lunch break, but often I hand him his lunch while he continues working. He also works an additional 1-2 hours per night, three nights per week. On Thursdays, he only gets in about three or four hours of work because he and his brother both have several standing appointments and activities on that day. My son has study sessions while while waiting for his brother's activities to be finished, and in between activities. He puts in additional time on the weekends. Even with this schedule he is behind.
I have noticed that even when I work closely with him, it can often take twice the recommended time to master a lesson. I've added up the amount of time we schedule for learning in a typical week, and it can be anywhere between 35 and 45 hours depending on other activities. The key word here is "scheduled." He is so often distracted that no matter how much time we set aside for learning, a good portion of it is spent off-topic. I spend a lot of time reeling him back in. Another things that slows him down is his reading comprehension issue, and a related difficulty with composition. When I reflect on the amount of time we spend on learning, I am reminded of parents who complain that their children are in school all day, then bring home loads and loads of homework on the evenings and weekends. I've come to the conclusion that when it comes to education, kids need however much time that they need.
When I have mentioned this to other K12 moms or learning professionals, they warn us of burnout. I've thought this over, and I've come to the conclusion that we must consider the needs of each child individually. My perspective comes from having three boys, each with widely different needs, talents and challenges. One of his brothers is fully grown and while growing up was extremely bright, socially outgoing, and talented with a strong will of his own. The other has multiple disabilities and life-threatening health challenges which he has fought and struggled against since birth. Each son matures at different rates, and each has different challenges and different needs. Our home schooled child seems to be socially mature for his age, although academically immature. He is highly motivated by praise and by his individual progress. He is exceptionally sensitive and kind with a strong moral compass. At this time in his life this seems to be what he needs, although his needs will change as time goes on.
We engage in as much fun recreation as a family as we can on the evenings and weekends. I provide him with plenty of activities where he relates to children his own age - we go on field trips organized by other home schooling parents, he takes extracurricular classes in dancing, singing and acting, and he attends social events for tweens. At the end of the day, we offer him some sort of a reward for demonstrating effort, progress, and hard work. Sometimes the reward is TV, sometimes it's a family outing, and sometimes it's something special that he wants to do.
It's a steep learning curve for both of us. I am learning to make sure he understands the written instructions before he begins working on an assignment. I've learned that it's important to start each day by first looking at what needs to be done and what is on the schedule, setting our intentions before the day gets away from us. I have continued many of the practices we were using prior to K12, such as setting a timer. One benefit of using a timer is that it teaches him to remain focused on a specific task or subject until the timer goes off. I'm learning to monitor and support him without increasing his dependence on me, with the goal being to increase his independence. I'm becoming more patient as I watch him struggle to work things out on his own. He's learning to be better organized, experiencing how much easier it is to get through a school day when his books and materials are found in their place. His stamina for staying focused on his work seems to be increasing. He is learning that he can do things that he didn't think he could. We've been spending a lot more time reading together.
I also believe that at least for some young people, the preteen adolescent stage is vitally important for learning a strong work ethic and other important values. Many times I have observed a period in a teen's life when they become old enough to want to make their own decisions without having the skills to make the right ones. They no longer wish to follow the rules set by their parents, but are incapable of making or following rules that serve their own interests. At some point, a time comes in a parent's life when he or she realizes that the ship has sailed, and the child is no longer as receptive to parental advice. My husband and I are working doubly hard now, before that window closes.
It's been an adjustment for my husband and I. Before starting the K12 program, I had concerns. What if it's too restrictive? What if he has to quit his extracurricular classes? I don't think I would have signed him up if someone had told me that we would be putting in so much effort. According to everyone I've spoken to, most kids in K12 only work 3-6 hours five days per week. That's 15-30 hours, not 35 to 45! It seems that the public school environment he was in previously was not effective for him, and this is where we are now as a result. We are making up for lost time. Perhaps if we had begun home schooling him earlier, we would not be working so hard now. And yet, he does not complain about his schedule. He wants to learn and succeed. He understands the importance of education. He does not want to go back to public school.
Here is a summary of my parenting goals for him at this point:
Help him to be better organized.
Help him to increase his focus.
Help him get up to grade level in reading and writing skills.
Get him caught up in his work, and encourage him to get ahead one day.
Teach him to be more responsible, better at remembering to do his chores and take care of himself and his things.
Build in a wide range of recreational and learning experiences.
We are confident that some point, he will not only be completely caught up, but will be able get all of his work done more independently in 25 or 30 hours a week, and he will have more free time. Sometimes when I reflect on the amount of work and challenge involved, or think about the things I love to do that are going by the wayside, I remember why we are doing this. It's worth it, and one day this child will be better off for it.
It seems that what we are doing is working. He is demonstrating gradual improvements on a regular basis. He may need extra intervention to overcome his difficulties with reading comprehension at some point, so we are monitoring that closely. But despite the concerns, he seems to be thriving. Back in February, I looked up the core standards for where he was "supposed" to be in math, and decided we needed to work on integers. We tried, but it didn't work at all. He wasn't ready. A few days ago, I overheard my son and husband during an algebra lesson. The lesson was about integers, and it was going well.
Update: Since I first began working on this blog post, I've had a parent teacher conference with his new K12 teacher, and she sent me some resources for helping him with reading and writing. He is already improving, although we are still about a week behind in the curriculum. Fortunately, this is a mastery based program, so a child does not get promoted and moved to the next level until he or she can demonstrate readiness. Additionally, if he's still behind at the end of the school year, he may continue working over the summer to complete the work. This is exactly what he has needed all along. I only wish I had started him on this program at a much earlier age.
First, a quick recap: I pulled my sixth-grader out of public school in February. After trying the same things over and over, and following the recommendations of his school professionals, I realized that we were getting nowhere. My son asked me to homeschool him, and I knew right away it was the only thing to do.
We deschooled for a while, we tried unschooling, and finally when I began to understand what works for this individual young man, I found that I had to take him back to a fourth grade level and work with him in the core subjects. It seems that it was in the fourth grade where he became lost. We found workbooks at that grade level, and he used the Khan Academy website for math. After this experience I had strong concerns when I had enrolled him in the 6th grade with the K12 online charter school. We had yet to cover the fifth grade in his home studies. I did not know if he would be able to keep up. However, had we kept him in the brick and mortar public school, he would have been promoted to the 7th grade despite poor progress, and things would be worse.
When he was in public school, we performed the daily "backpack dump" together. I helped him sift through the wads of crumpled papers, sorting them according to which were due, past due, in need of additional work, or ready for the wastebasket. I assisted him with his homework, attended parent-teacher conferences, and did my best to decipher the coded grade entries and comments on an online school resource called ParentLink. Report card comments like "joy to have in class" did not explain why my child was struggling. I could not put my finger on the problem. My son is a good kid with a well-developed set of intrinsic values. He even attended after school study programs. Why was he failing? I was mystified.
Working with him in the K12 program these past weeks, I can see more clearly what the problems are than I was able to with a less structured approach. One is that he tends to be very disorganized and easily distracted. He often misplaces his books. Sometimes he gets up and leaves his desk in the middle of work to go do something unrelated to school, and if I observe without intervening, it could be over an hour before he gets back to work if at all. I often redirect him to focus on his work.
Another problem is simple self-discipline. It took me a long time to realize that when I thought he was busy doing schoolwork on his computer, he was really playing online games advertized to kids through an online dictionary, and he would quickly toggle back to the online school when he saw me looking in his direction. While I don't condone this behavior and have been taking steps to prevent it, I don't blame him for falling into the temptation of doing something easy and fun rather than buckling down and working. It's human nature. Now is the time for him to learn to discipline himself to do the hard work and achieve his goals first, and do the easy fun things as a reward for his accomplishments. My husband and I are working to help him learn to make the right decisions for himself, without making all of his decisions for him.
One of the biggest issues is reading comprehension. He can aloud read quite well, but he doesn't always process what he reads. This affects his ability to answer test questions and complete assignments correctly. If I have to work in another room in the house, I will often return to find him struggling, or doing some work incorrectly because he didn't understand the instructions. Yesterday during an online test, (K12 calls them assessments,) he gave a wrong answer to a question, and I knew that he understood the correct answer because we went over the material together and he was able to discuss it with me. I worded the question differently, and he corrected himself. This is a common occurrence and he often needs to retake assessments as a result.
We were told that the K12 program takes a 6th grader about 5 - 6 hours a day, five days per week, but as it turns out it's been a lot more work than we anticipated. Three days a week, we generally start the day at 8:00 or 8:30 in the morning, and work almost nonstop until 4:00 or 5:00, depending on other scheduled activities. I try to build in little "recesses" where we take a short break to stretch, do some self-care, refocus our eyes on distant objects, have a snack, play with the dog etc. We do take a lunch break, but often I hand him his lunch while he continues working. He also works an additional 1-2 hours per night, three nights per week. On Thursdays, he only gets in about three or four hours of work because he and his brother both have several standing appointments and activities on that day. My son has study sessions while while waiting for his brother's activities to be finished, and in between activities. He puts in additional time on the weekends. Even with this schedule he is behind.
I have noticed that even when I work closely with him, it can often take twice the recommended time to master a lesson. I've added up the amount of time we schedule for learning in a typical week, and it can be anywhere between 35 and 45 hours depending on other activities. The key word here is "scheduled." He is so often distracted that no matter how much time we set aside for learning, a good portion of it is spent off-topic. I spend a lot of time reeling him back in. Another things that slows him down is his reading comprehension issue, and a related difficulty with composition. When I reflect on the amount of time we spend on learning, I am reminded of parents who complain that their children are in school all day, then bring home loads and loads of homework on the evenings and weekends. I've come to the conclusion that when it comes to education, kids need however much time that they need.
When I have mentioned this to other K12 moms or learning professionals, they warn us of burnout. I've thought this over, and I've come to the conclusion that we must consider the needs of each child individually. My perspective comes from having three boys, each with widely different needs, talents and challenges. One of his brothers is fully grown and while growing up was extremely bright, socially outgoing, and talented with a strong will of his own. The other has multiple disabilities and life-threatening health challenges which he has fought and struggled against since birth. Each son matures at different rates, and each has different challenges and different needs. Our home schooled child seems to be socially mature for his age, although academically immature. He is highly motivated by praise and by his individual progress. He is exceptionally sensitive and kind with a strong moral compass. At this time in his life this seems to be what he needs, although his needs will change as time goes on.
We engage in as much fun recreation as a family as we can on the evenings and weekends. I provide him with plenty of activities where he relates to children his own age - we go on field trips organized by other home schooling parents, he takes extracurricular classes in dancing, singing and acting, and he attends social events for tweens. At the end of the day, we offer him some sort of a reward for demonstrating effort, progress, and hard work. Sometimes the reward is TV, sometimes it's a family outing, and sometimes it's something special that he wants to do.
It's a steep learning curve for both of us. I am learning to make sure he understands the written instructions before he begins working on an assignment. I've learned that it's important to start each day by first looking at what needs to be done and what is on the schedule, setting our intentions before the day gets away from us. I have continued many of the practices we were using prior to K12, such as setting a timer. One benefit of using a timer is that it teaches him to remain focused on a specific task or subject until the timer goes off. I'm learning to monitor and support him without increasing his dependence on me, with the goal being to increase his independence. I'm becoming more patient as I watch him struggle to work things out on his own. He's learning to be better organized, experiencing how much easier it is to get through a school day when his books and materials are found in their place. His stamina for staying focused on his work seems to be increasing. He is learning that he can do things that he didn't think he could. We've been spending a lot more time reading together.
I also believe that at least for some young people, the preteen adolescent stage is vitally important for learning a strong work ethic and other important values. Many times I have observed a period in a teen's life when they become old enough to want to make their own decisions without having the skills to make the right ones. They no longer wish to follow the rules set by their parents, but are incapable of making or following rules that serve their own interests. At some point, a time comes in a parent's life when he or she realizes that the ship has sailed, and the child is no longer as receptive to parental advice. My husband and I are working doubly hard now, before that window closes.
It's been an adjustment for my husband and I. Before starting the K12 program, I had concerns. What if it's too restrictive? What if he has to quit his extracurricular classes? I don't think I would have signed him up if someone had told me that we would be putting in so much effort. According to everyone I've spoken to, most kids in K12 only work 3-6 hours five days per week. That's 15-30 hours, not 35 to 45! It seems that the public school environment he was in previously was not effective for him, and this is where we are now as a result. We are making up for lost time. Perhaps if we had begun home schooling him earlier, we would not be working so hard now. And yet, he does not complain about his schedule. He wants to learn and succeed. He understands the importance of education. He does not want to go back to public school.
Here is a summary of my parenting goals for him at this point:
Help him to be better organized.
Help him to increase his focus.
Help him get up to grade level in reading and writing skills.
Get him caught up in his work, and encourage him to get ahead one day.
Teach him to be more responsible, better at remembering to do his chores and take care of himself and his things.
Build in a wide range of recreational and learning experiences.
We are confident that some point, he will not only be completely caught up, but will be able get all of his work done more independently in 25 or 30 hours a week, and he will have more free time. Sometimes when I reflect on the amount of work and challenge involved, or think about the things I love to do that are going by the wayside, I remember why we are doing this. It's worth it, and one day this child will be better off for it.
It seems that what we are doing is working. He is demonstrating gradual improvements on a regular basis. He may need extra intervention to overcome his difficulties with reading comprehension at some point, so we are monitoring that closely. But despite the concerns, he seems to be thriving. Back in February, I looked up the core standards for where he was "supposed" to be in math, and decided we needed to work on integers. We tried, but it didn't work at all. He wasn't ready. A few days ago, I overheard my son and husband during an algebra lesson. The lesson was about integers, and it was going well.
Update: Since I first began working on this blog post, I've had a parent teacher conference with his new K12 teacher, and she sent me some resources for helping him with reading and writing. He is already improving, although we are still about a week behind in the curriculum. Fortunately, this is a mastery based program, so a child does not get promoted and moved to the next level until he or she can demonstrate readiness. Additionally, if he's still behind at the end of the school year, he may continue working over the summer to complete the work. This is exactly what he has needed all along. I only wish I had started him on this program at a much earlier age.
Monday, October 8, 2012
Great article about unschooling
Here is a great article about unschooling. I like the useful list of links at the bottom.
The Beginner's Guide To Unschooling
Here's a couple of other good sites I ran across recently:
http://www.studyladder.com
http://www.frugalvillage.com/2011/03/30/create-kids-crafts-in-your-kitchen/
The Beginner's Guide To Unschooling
Here's a couple of other good sites I ran across recently:
http://www.studyladder.com
http://www.frugalvillage.com/2011/03/30/create-kids-crafts-in-your-kitchen/
Thursday, July 12, 2012
NVA
This week, I enrolled my son in the Nevada Virtual Academy, which is a K-12 school. At first I wasn't too impressed by them. The person I spoke to read off what sounded like a long list of requirements and restrictions. I felt these requirements would make it virtually impossible for us to comply without eliminating some of the best things about homeschooling.
However, I spoke to a few moms who homeschool their kids this way, and they said that it is actually very flexible. They say that they have sound strict because if you give some parents an inch they'll take a mile. So we'll see. I do have some strong reservations but it will depend on whether it will work for my son. We want him to be educated. Our family budget is far too tight for us to be able to pay for curriculum and materials of our own choosing. We'd like for him to receive credit for his work, but the accredited schools that we like cost thousands of dollars per year. Hopefully we can make this work without too many impositions by government institutions.
However, I spoke to a few moms who homeschool their kids this way, and they said that it is actually very flexible. They say that they have sound strict because if you give some parents an inch they'll take a mile. So we'll see. I do have some strong reservations but it will depend on whether it will work for my son. We want him to be educated. Our family budget is far too tight for us to be able to pay for curriculum and materials of our own choosing. We'd like for him to receive credit for his work, but the accredited schools that we like cost thousands of dollars per year. Hopefully we can make this work without too many impositions by government institutions.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Life Skills
Today, I was in the middle of helping my son learn to spell "independence," and he broke down in frustration. He said, "I can't do it!" and literally flipped out.
He's been very frustrated with his brother lately. His brother has developmental delays, medical issues and special needs. He sometimes has trouble expressing what is on his mind, so he will scream in frustration. He loves taunting my homeschooled son, calling him names he doesn't understand. I send him to his room. My homeschooled son simmers with fury.
So today we talked about emotions and choices under the heading of "Life Skills." I bought him a binder and instructed him to decorate it any way he wishes. The name of the binder will be something like, "My feelings and choices book." His job is to learn to identify his feelings, give them a name, and stop and think about the choices available to him.
We talked about applied behavioral analysis as it applies to his brother. We discussed the things that motivate his behavior, and how he will do just about anything for attention, even negative attention. The way to motivate him is to pay attention. Paying attention to unwanted behavior simply reinforces it. He's starting to catch on.
Somewhere online another mother described a tool that she uses to keep track of her child's schooling. I found a columnar pad with five numbered vertical columns and 40 lines per page. I used 17 lines for entries of areas that I think he should study. It's a lot of areas of study, and we can't possibly cover them all every day. They are:
voice
acting practice
math
science
grammar
vocabulary
spelling
reading comprehension
geography
social studies
life skills
foreign language
music theory
guitar
spirituality
With a little effort, I'm sure we could come up with a lot more. For example, history.
Some of these topics could be addressed in minutes per day. Ten minutes on little bites of grammar, a quick twenty minutes with Sequential Spelling. It only takes 10 minutes a day to fill five rice bowls doing vocabulary words.
Today, apart from helping my son learn to identify and manage his feelings, I'm taking a "staff development day," where I'm working on an itinerary of a road trip to see the historical sites in our state. Should be fun!
(edited to omit the extra science entry on the list.)
He's been very frustrated with his brother lately. His brother has developmental delays, medical issues and special needs. He sometimes has trouble expressing what is on his mind, so he will scream in frustration. He loves taunting my homeschooled son, calling him names he doesn't understand. I send him to his room. My homeschooled son simmers with fury.
So today we talked about emotions and choices under the heading of "Life Skills." I bought him a binder and instructed him to decorate it any way he wishes. The name of the binder will be something like, "My feelings and choices book." His job is to learn to identify his feelings, give them a name, and stop and think about the choices available to him.
We talked about applied behavioral analysis as it applies to his brother. We discussed the things that motivate his behavior, and how he will do just about anything for attention, even negative attention. The way to motivate him is to pay attention. Paying attention to unwanted behavior simply reinforces it. He's starting to catch on.
Somewhere online another mother described a tool that she uses to keep track of her child's schooling. I found a columnar pad with five numbered vertical columns and 40 lines per page. I used 17 lines for entries of areas that I think he should study. It's a lot of areas of study, and we can't possibly cover them all every day. They are:
voice
acting practice
math
science
grammar
vocabulary
spelling
reading comprehension
geography
social studies
life skills
foreign language
music theory
guitar
spirituality
With a little effort, I'm sure we could come up with a lot more. For example, history.
Some of these topics could be addressed in minutes per day. Ten minutes on little bites of grammar, a quick twenty minutes with Sequential Spelling. It only takes 10 minutes a day to fill five rice bowls doing vocabulary words.
Today, apart from helping my son learn to identify and manage his feelings, I'm taking a "staff development day," where I'm working on an itinerary of a road trip to see the historical sites in our state. Should be fun!
(edited to omit the extra science entry on the list.)
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Nevada Virtual Academy
Edit to the original post: I talked to some moms who homeschool using NVA, and they say that they are quite flexible, and they just have to have clear guidelines because "some parents will take a mile." So, it's under consideration again.
Our state offers a scholarship that is only awarded to students who graduate from an accredited public or private high school in our state. Additionally they must attend accredited state high schools for two years. There are additional requirements for credits earned and grade point average.
Every bit helps, so I decided to look into one of the online charter schools to find out how a state funded charter school for homeschooling might work for us. The school I contacted is Nevada Virtual Academy.
Here are is a description of the program for middle school children:
All materials, curricula and tuition are provided and paid for by our state. Middle school aged children may be issued a computer for home use if they need one, but it must be returned at the end of the year. The total amount of time spent doing schoolwork is about 25 to 30 hours per school week. About thirty percent of the work is performed online, connected to the school. Out of that time spent online, three one-hour sessions are scheduled with a teacher. These live sessions are called Class Connect. The other 70% of time is spent working with workbooks, manipulatives and textbooks which are sent in the mail.
Students may access their schoolwork online 7 days per week, 24 hours per day, so there is some flexibility for scheduling online work. They are required to at least log in each school day. However, attendance at the three weekly scheduled live Class Connect sessions is required. Occasionally if a child must miss a Class Connect session, they can arrange to view a recorded session, however live participation is preferred.
In order to get the scholarship, graduation and attendance at an accredited Nevada school is most important for high school, so I asked about that. It's the same except they require 5 live scheduled Class Connect sessions each week instead of three, and they issue laptops to the kids instead of computers, so they can log in anywhere that there is an internet connection.
It sounds like a great program. The only disadvantages I can think of are:
1. Students are required to participate on the same schedule as 9-month students in other schools. Apparently this is a legal issue. This may not be an problem for some people, but for us one of the refreshing things about homeschooling is that we can decide when we want to take a vacation or some spontaneous down time, and we can also work through traditional school holidays if we prefer. For example, typically during month of November the kids are out on holiday for Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving, day after Thanksgiving and extra days they add for staff development. It starts to feel like they are out of school more than in, and for what? I prefer it when I can schedule my own staff development days, when I want to take them!
2. We don't get to choose the curriculum. If it bores him, if we prefer something else, it's too bad. Choice is a wonderful thing, especially in the world of homeschool curriculum.
3. Right now we love having total weekly scheduling freedom. The three weekly scheduled live sessions would be tough to fit in, especially considering how busy I am with his brother.
When he is older and working more independently, this program might work for him.
Our state offers a scholarship that is only awarded to students who graduate from an accredited public or private high school in our state. Additionally they must attend accredited state high schools for two years. There are additional requirements for credits earned and grade point average.
Every bit helps, so I decided to look into one of the online charter schools to find out how a state funded charter school for homeschooling might work for us. The school I contacted is Nevada Virtual Academy.
Here are is a description of the program for middle school children:
All materials, curricula and tuition are provided and paid for by our state. Middle school aged children may be issued a computer for home use if they need one, but it must be returned at the end of the year. The total amount of time spent doing schoolwork is about 25 to 30 hours per school week. About thirty percent of the work is performed online, connected to the school. Out of that time spent online, three one-hour sessions are scheduled with a teacher. These live sessions are called Class Connect. The other 70% of time is spent working with workbooks, manipulatives and textbooks which are sent in the mail.
Students may access their schoolwork online 7 days per week, 24 hours per day, so there is some flexibility for scheduling online work. They are required to at least log in each school day. However, attendance at the three weekly scheduled live Class Connect sessions is required. Occasionally if a child must miss a Class Connect session, they can arrange to view a recorded session, however live participation is preferred.
In order to get the scholarship, graduation and attendance at an accredited Nevada school is most important for high school, so I asked about that. It's the same except they require 5 live scheduled Class Connect sessions each week instead of three, and they issue laptops to the kids instead of computers, so they can log in anywhere that there is an internet connection.
It sounds like a great program. The only disadvantages I can think of are:
1. Students are required to participate on the same schedule as 9-month students in other schools. Apparently this is a legal issue. This may not be an problem for some people, but for us one of the refreshing things about homeschooling is that we can decide when we want to take a vacation or some spontaneous down time, and we can also work through traditional school holidays if we prefer. For example, typically during month of November the kids are out on holiday for Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving, day after Thanksgiving and extra days they add for staff development. It starts to feel like they are out of school more than in, and for what? I prefer it when I can schedule my own staff development days, when I want to take them!
2. We don't get to choose the curriculum. If it bores him, if we prefer something else, it's too bad. Choice is a wonderful thing, especially in the world of homeschool curriculum.
3. Right now we love having total weekly scheduling freedom. The three weekly scheduled live sessions would be tough to fit in, especially considering how busy I am with his brother.
When he is older and working more independently, this program might work for him.
Friday, June 8, 2012
Gantt Chart
Last night we watched the documentary The War On Kids on Netflix. It has been criticized as irresponsible, showing only the worst of the public school system and not the best of it, and failing to offer any hope or solutions. I'm sure the filmmakers would say that they did exactly what they set out to do. My answer to the critics is if you don't believe that this is a real problem, spend a day volunteering in one of the schools that serve stressed populations. I have, and all I could think of was what these children's parents might do if they could see what was really going on in their child's school. And if you don't care because your child is in one of the better schools, consider that your offspring will one day be one of the adults who will have to deal with the problems left behind by our generation. One thing I did learn about was the direct link between mass shootings at schools and drugs prescribed for conditions like depression and ADD. Additionally, increased security in schools does absolutely nothing but make the parents feel better. I did not know that. Anyway, I highly recommend watching the documentary and forming your own opinion. There are ways to get involved, such as organizations to join for youth rights.
My son was public schooled until 11 1/2 years old, and since taking him out of school, he comes downstairs nearly every morning, sits down next to me at the computer where I am checking emails and reading the news, and waits for me to begin teaching him.
One of my goals is to help him learn to set his own goals and manage his own time. We started by writing daily "to do" lists. From there we found different schedule templates for him to try, where he decides what he will work on and when. He's had some success with that, so today we tried something a bit more advanced. I showed him this Gantt chart, and then we created a simplified model of the chart in the illustration. The timeline across the top was in 1/2 hour increments instead of weeks. The summary elements were chores, schoolwork, and self care. The project name is, "A Successful Day."
I told him that one day I hope to see him write out his own ten-year plan. Where does he want to be in ten years? Five years? What does he need to accomplish year by year to get there? Where does he need to be one year from now? What does he need to get done this month, this week?
I said, "When you write out your daily schedule, how do you figure out what to write down?"
He replies, "You tell me what to write down."
"What if there was no one to tell you what to write down?"
(silence)
I said, "You'll be twenty two years of age in ten years, where do you want to be?" He says, "In ten years, I want to be working at Disneyland."
"Okay, so when you are done with your exercises, let's take a look at what Disneyland looks for in their employees."
It's a process.
My son was public schooled until 11 1/2 years old, and since taking him out of school, he comes downstairs nearly every morning, sits down next to me at the computer where I am checking emails and reading the news, and waits for me to begin teaching him.
One of my goals is to help him learn to set his own goals and manage his own time. We started by writing daily "to do" lists. From there we found different schedule templates for him to try, where he decides what he will work on and when. He's had some success with that, so today we tried something a bit more advanced. I showed him this Gantt chart, and then we created a simplified model of the chart in the illustration. The timeline across the top was in 1/2 hour increments instead of weeks. The summary elements were chores, schoolwork, and self care. The project name is, "A Successful Day."
I told him that one day I hope to see him write out his own ten-year plan. Where does he want to be in ten years? Five years? What does he need to accomplish year by year to get there? Where does he need to be one year from now? What does he need to get done this month, this week?
I said, "When you write out your daily schedule, how do you figure out what to write down?"
He replies, "You tell me what to write down."
"What if there was no one to tell you what to write down?"
(silence)
I said, "You'll be twenty two years of age in ten years, where do you want to be?" He says, "In ten years, I want to be working at Disneyland."
"Okay, so when you are done with your exercises, let's take a look at what Disneyland looks for in their employees."
It's a process.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
History At Our House
Last Friday we attended a picnic with my non-homeschooled son's class. My husband and I just made some pretty major dietary changes, but one of our agreements is that we can eat whatever is being served whenever we are invited anywhere. So, I ate a hamburger and then tried to be a helpful parent in 104 degrees for two hours. Even thought I drank a lot of water, I got sick anyway, and spent the rest of the day with a bad blinding headache with nausea. At one point I couldn't see - everything had a gray film over it. It was probably mild case of heat exhaustion. I'm perfectly fine now. We haven't done much homeschooling since that day, and it's been almost a week. I think I needed a break anyway.
Over the weekend we were busy, so we made some half-hearted attempts at staying with the homeschool program, but we mostly failed. This week I've been focused on other areas in our life, so we took Monday and Tuesday off. On Monday, my son and I prepared a gourmet feast together, so I guess that was sort of an educational experience. Yesterday, Wednesday, we got into the core subjects but not with our usual enthusiasm. Today was a bit better. It's the last day of the school year for our public-schooled son, and the excitement has taken over our day. But it's all good. We do not have to work five days each week, we do not have to work seven days. We do not have to take the summer off. We do not have to start on time in the fall. We can stop to rest whenever we need to. It's a mantra I keep repeating - there is no such thing as "you are doing it wrong." We are coasting for now, but we'll get back into it again.
Today we checked out History At Our House.
It might be a way to make sure we take care of history lessons. Classes start in the fall and it's definitely under consideration.
Khan Academy continues to work well for math. Sequential Spelling is working well, and so are the Comprehensive Curriculum and Scholastic workbooks.
We still use Time's Light Box each week for a current events/social studies exercise. They offer a weekly slideshow that show much of what is going on in the world. We sit at the computer with a globe, finding the locations where the photos are taken.
Science remains a bit sticky. I haven't done a thing to develop the unit studies that I'd like to, (science, state history and government, and art,) and often we watch a documentary for science. I know that isn't enough. At some point he's going to need to hit the books and do labs and experiments.
Art is on hold for now too. Tuesday we went to an art exhibit - it was all of the artwork done by the kids who took the classes offered by the library during spring break. My son had a piece hanging on the wall. I may take him to some other art exhibits, but first he needs to learn how to appreciate art.
Sometimes seems like for every amazing, terrific, triumphant day of homeschooling we have one terrible day and a bunch of okay days. I'm sure I'm exaggerating but regardless of what it is, that one terrific day makes the rest worth it. It is getting easier.
Over the weekend we were busy, so we made some half-hearted attempts at staying with the homeschool program, but we mostly failed. This week I've been focused on other areas in our life, so we took Monday and Tuesday off. On Monday, my son and I prepared a gourmet feast together, so I guess that was sort of an educational experience. Yesterday, Wednesday, we got into the core subjects but not with our usual enthusiasm. Today was a bit better. It's the last day of the school year for our public-schooled son, and the excitement has taken over our day. But it's all good. We do not have to work five days each week, we do not have to work seven days. We do not have to take the summer off. We do not have to start on time in the fall. We can stop to rest whenever we need to. It's a mantra I keep repeating - there is no such thing as "you are doing it wrong." We are coasting for now, but we'll get back into it again.
Today we checked out History At Our House.
It might be a way to make sure we take care of history lessons. Classes start in the fall and it's definitely under consideration.
Khan Academy continues to work well for math. Sequential Spelling is working well, and so are the Comprehensive Curriculum and Scholastic workbooks.
We still use Time's Light Box each week for a current events/social studies exercise. They offer a weekly slideshow that show much of what is going on in the world. We sit at the computer with a globe, finding the locations where the photos are taken.
Science remains a bit sticky. I haven't done a thing to develop the unit studies that I'd like to, (science, state history and government, and art,) and often we watch a documentary for science. I know that isn't enough. At some point he's going to need to hit the books and do labs and experiments.
Art is on hold for now too. Tuesday we went to an art exhibit - it was all of the artwork done by the kids who took the classes offered by the library during spring break. My son had a piece hanging on the wall. I may take him to some other art exhibits, but first he needs to learn how to appreciate art.
Sometimes seems like for every amazing, terrific, triumphant day of homeschooling we have one terrible day and a bunch of okay days. I'm sure I'm exaggerating but regardless of what it is, that one terrific day makes the rest worth it. It is getting easier.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
May 31
I'm posting the child's daily school efforts so that I can look back over them and see the trends. Keeping it online is easier for me than keeping it on paper and then risk misplacing the folder.
Today I have so many errands to run that he's going to need to be a bit more independent. He's getting into reading while I'm driving, which is a good use of his time. His brother has a speech therapy appointment today, and I often work with him one on one while we wait. Right now as I type this, I'm encouraging him to make his own list of things he wishes to accomplish today while I get organized, and then I want to encourage him to stay on task even while I'm too busy to offer much help. We'll see how it goes.
Today I have so many errands to run that he's going to need to be a bit more independent. He's getting into reading while I'm driving, which is a good use of his time. His brother has a speech therapy appointment today, and I often work with him one on one while we wait. Right now as I type this, I'm encouraging him to make his own list of things he wishes to accomplish today while I get organized, and then I want to encourage him to stay on task even while I'm too busy to offer much help. We'll see how it goes.
Wednesday May 30
Math: Scholastic page 303 Did not finish page
Reading, 25 minutes in car
Tennis
Spelling
Social Studies, The Interrupters
Reading Comprehension, Comprehensive Curriculum 98-100
Scholastic, Writing page 270-272
Reading, 25 minutes in car
Tennis
Spelling
Social Studies, The Interrupters
Reading Comprehension, Comprehensive Curriculum 98-100
Scholastic, Writing page 270-272
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Tuesday, May 29
After a pretty good Memorial Day weekend that placed household responsibilities, health and light studying ahead of video games and television, while still making some time for fun, (hurray for us) it was time to get down to business.
I was surprised to see that our oldest, who still goes to school, was up before the rest of us, and cooperated perfectly with the process of getting ready for school and waiting for the bus. The youngest got a head start on his morning physical fitness exercises, and was ready to begin school at 8:30 a.m.
We had a terrific day. I wish they could all go this smoothly!
I made a list of classes, and let him know that we would spend 30 minutes on each class. Sometimes he might work through until the timer goes off. At other times we stop at the 20 minute mark and review his work.
The classes were:
Writing
Spelling
Math
Social Studies
English
Reading comprehension
Science
Maps
First he chose reading, and read 30 minutes of The Hunger Games.
He chose maps next. It's in the 4th Grade Scholastic Success book, and he flies through it easily. He completed pages 365, 366, and 367.
Next we did spelling using book one of Sequential Spelling. We've only been working with that book since near the beginning of this month, and we are already at day 36. By the end of this week we'll be one quarter of the way through the book. He loves Sequential Spelling because he's achieving a level of success that works well for him.
Science. I drew a blank, so I opened CK-12 Life Science For Middle School in the Kindle and together we read the first chapter, "Scientific Ways of Thinking." We need to review the websites within that chapter, and then read the review questions and re-read the chapter to find the answers. I need to make a mental note to gather all of the Human Anatomy materials I've compiled and turn them into a comprehensive unit. This morning I was unprepared and thankful to have a textbook on hand.
For math he finished page 376 in Comprehensive Curriculum in the 4th grade. It was a page filled with multiplication problems, to strengthen his skills. I would like to see his speed improve but he is making progress.
Next he chose Grammar, and he worked in the Scholastic book, pages 122 and 123. While he did this I checked his math.
For Social Studies we watched about 20 minutes of The Interrupters, (the edited version,) with several stops for discussion: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/interrupters/#b
I'd like to finish this documentary and then begin working on Nevada State history and government for social studies.
Lunch: Last night we had a wonderful vegetarian homemade pizza for dinner, and today for lunch we had leftovers. I told him that after the listed classes were done for the day, he could choose to work on music, watch a science documentary or watch more of The Interrupters. As a result, lunch took about ten minutes.
He did ask if he could choose art as one of his extra choices but I explained that he can sit and draw anytime. If he wants to do art we need to have some sort of a prepared program. So clearly I also need to get the art unit ready.
Writing: Scholastic, starting with page 178-179
Reading Comprehension in Comprehensive Curriculum, page 94-97
I appreciated the way I was able to get little tasks done as he completed each block. He still needed me to provide some guidance and clarification, and some things I had to do with him, such as watching The Interrupters, but I was able to make a phone call, place the nuts for tonight's dinner in a bowl of water to soak, rinse the sprouts, fold some laundry, put together a pack of supplies for his brother's tube feedings at school, etc.
He chose for his optional activity to watch more of The Interrupters, and we made it about 44 minutes in.
In summary, this is a plan that works well for us at this time. I would like to find some time to work on units for human anatomy, Nevada history and government, and art.
I was surprised to see that our oldest, who still goes to school, was up before the rest of us, and cooperated perfectly with the process of getting ready for school and waiting for the bus. The youngest got a head start on his morning physical fitness exercises, and was ready to begin school at 8:30 a.m.
We had a terrific day. I wish they could all go this smoothly!
I made a list of classes, and let him know that we would spend 30 minutes on each class. Sometimes he might work through until the timer goes off. At other times we stop at the 20 minute mark and review his work.
The classes were:
Writing
Spelling
Math
Social Studies
English
Reading comprehension
Science
Maps
First he chose reading, and read 30 minutes of The Hunger Games.
He chose maps next. It's in the 4th Grade Scholastic Success book, and he flies through it easily. He completed pages 365, 366, and 367.
Next we did spelling using book one of Sequential Spelling. We've only been working with that book since near the beginning of this month, and we are already at day 36. By the end of this week we'll be one quarter of the way through the book. He loves Sequential Spelling because he's achieving a level of success that works well for him.
Science. I drew a blank, so I opened CK-12 Life Science For Middle School in the Kindle and together we read the first chapter, "Scientific Ways of Thinking." We need to review the websites within that chapter, and then read the review questions and re-read the chapter to find the answers. I need to make a mental note to gather all of the Human Anatomy materials I've compiled and turn them into a comprehensive unit. This morning I was unprepared and thankful to have a textbook on hand.
For math he finished page 376 in Comprehensive Curriculum in the 4th grade. It was a page filled with multiplication problems, to strengthen his skills. I would like to see his speed improve but he is making progress.
Next he chose Grammar, and he worked in the Scholastic book, pages 122 and 123. While he did this I checked his math.
For Social Studies we watched about 20 minutes of The Interrupters, (the edited version,) with several stops for discussion: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/interrupters/#b
I'd like to finish this documentary and then begin working on Nevada State history and government for social studies.
Lunch: Last night we had a wonderful vegetarian homemade pizza for dinner, and today for lunch we had leftovers. I told him that after the listed classes were done for the day, he could choose to work on music, watch a science documentary or watch more of The Interrupters. As a result, lunch took about ten minutes.
He did ask if he could choose art as one of his extra choices but I explained that he can sit and draw anytime. If he wants to do art we need to have some sort of a prepared program. So clearly I also need to get the art unit ready.
Writing: Scholastic, starting with page 178-179
Reading Comprehension in Comprehensive Curriculum, page 94-97
I appreciated the way I was able to get little tasks done as he completed each block. He still needed me to provide some guidance and clarification, and some things I had to do with him, such as watching The Interrupters, but I was able to make a phone call, place the nuts for tonight's dinner in a bowl of water to soak, rinse the sprouts, fold some laundry, put together a pack of supplies for his brother's tube feedings at school, etc.
He chose for his optional activity to watch more of The Interrupters, and we made it about 44 minutes in.
In summary, this is a plan that works well for us at this time. I would like to find some time to work on units for human anatomy, Nevada history and government, and art.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Studying on Weekends
One of the challenges of the deschooling process is changing our internalized frames about learning. We think learning happens from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, in institutionalized classrooms. Studying happens in afternoons and evenings at home in bedrooms at home desks, also at specific times. It's very structured and prescribed. And it also means that there are times when learning is off-limits because the student is entitled to some time off.
I think structure is necessary. But we are looking for a balance where spontaneous learning happens because we never really shut off our curiosity. There is never a time when it's not appropriate to be inquisitive.
Yesterday we succeeded in getting our young man to do 20 to 30 minutes each of math, spelling and reading, even though it was Sunday. He did it without grumbling or behaving as though he felt it was wrong. I think this is a good plan for us. If we can do between 90 and 120 minutes of core subject work daily as a matter of discipline, it will be easier to allow the more "soft" subjects to flow. Writing comes easier for a kid who is a competent speller. All learning comes easier for a kid who reads easily.
Daily work helps to reinforce the idea that we are inquisitive, learning beings that never take time off from this basic necessary activity. We don't normally go a whole day without resting, or eating, or drinking water. We don't go a whole day without learning either.
I think structure is necessary. But we are looking for a balance where spontaneous learning happens because we never really shut off our curiosity. There is never a time when it's not appropriate to be inquisitive.
Yesterday we succeeded in getting our young man to do 20 to 30 minutes each of math, spelling and reading, even though it was Sunday. He did it without grumbling or behaving as though he felt it was wrong. I think this is a good plan for us. If we can do between 90 and 120 minutes of core subject work daily as a matter of discipline, it will be easier to allow the more "soft" subjects to flow. Writing comes easier for a kid who is a competent speller. All learning comes easier for a kid who reads easily.
Daily work helps to reinforce the idea that we are inquisitive, learning beings that never take time off from this basic necessary activity. We don't normally go a whole day without resting, or eating, or drinking water. We don't go a whole day without learning either.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Documentaries
These documentaries have been useful to support the anatomy unit:
The Incredible Human Journey
From Conception to Birth
How Does the Brain Work? Nova ScienceNow
National Geographic: Incredible Human Machine
I'm glad we have Neftlix!
The Incredible Human Journey
From Conception to Birth
How Does the Brain Work? Nova ScienceNow
National Geographic: Incredible Human Machine
I'm glad we have Neftlix!
Friday, May 18, 2012
Better today
Right now he's watching a documentary on the human body.
It's clear that he seems to do best with about ten minutes of instruction followed by 20 minutes of practice. After 20 minutes of practice he is more easily distracted and begins to fidget. If I'm not paying attention he's completely lost.
He assured me he could work on sequential spelling for 45 minutes but I noticed after 30 minutes that we were wasting our time. Out of the 30 minutes, we spent some time looking up some of the words that he didn't understand. I also discovered that if I can show him several pictures online to represent the word, his retention is better. For example, we were working on manner - manor. He struggled with the word "manor" for days until I showed him several pictures of famous historical manors online. We were also working on mooed - mood, and he struggled with that. I showed him several pictures of mood rings, talked about what they were and how they worked. Next, I demonstrated showing how several animal sounds are spelled, showing each of them in past tense.
meow - meowed
howl - howled
moo - mooed
After that it was clear that he knew it.
So it really does look like a total of 30 minutes per class, then we switch gears. I don't know what he should do between classes, but I think that exercising, completing small tasks like chores, or getting organized are good ideas.
Playtime is NOT a good idea between classes. If he starts playing games or watching junk television between classes, he loses momentum and tends to have an attitude problem when it's time to get back to work.
He had leftovers for lunch - dino kale salad with avocado lemon dressing, mixed with quinoa lightly seasoned with turmeric and curry. Nutrition is clearly a big part of this too.
I'd like to see if we can gently bump up his attention span and the length of his classes a little at a time.
Today he's had a total of 30 minutes of spelling, 30 minutes of math, 30 minutes of reading comprehension and 30 minutes of grammar.
In the Comprehensive Curriculum book for the 4th grade, we are starting from the beginning in language arts but it's clear that he's more advanced than that in math. He demonstrated that he knows how to do rounding and estimating. He can do long division but still needs to work on some of his math facts. We are skipping a great deal of the math section because he demonstrates that he knows it and is ready to move on. I'd like to see some increased fluidity in his math skills. He seems to tire easily in math.
It's clear that he seems to do best with about ten minutes of instruction followed by 20 minutes of practice. After 20 minutes of practice he is more easily distracted and begins to fidget. If I'm not paying attention he's completely lost.
He assured me he could work on sequential spelling for 45 minutes but I noticed after 30 minutes that we were wasting our time. Out of the 30 minutes, we spent some time looking up some of the words that he didn't understand. I also discovered that if I can show him several pictures online to represent the word, his retention is better. For example, we were working on manner - manor. He struggled with the word "manor" for days until I showed him several pictures of famous historical manors online. We were also working on mooed - mood, and he struggled with that. I showed him several pictures of mood rings, talked about what they were and how they worked. Next, I demonstrated showing how several animal sounds are spelled, showing each of them in past tense.
meow - meowed
howl - howled
moo - mooed
After that it was clear that he knew it.
So it really does look like a total of 30 minutes per class, then we switch gears. I don't know what he should do between classes, but I think that exercising, completing small tasks like chores, or getting organized are good ideas.
Playtime is NOT a good idea between classes. If he starts playing games or watching junk television between classes, he loses momentum and tends to have an attitude problem when it's time to get back to work.
He had leftovers for lunch - dino kale salad with avocado lemon dressing, mixed with quinoa lightly seasoned with turmeric and curry. Nutrition is clearly a big part of this too.
I'd like to see if we can gently bump up his attention span and the length of his classes a little at a time.
Today he's had a total of 30 minutes of spelling, 30 minutes of math, 30 minutes of reading comprehension and 30 minutes of grammar.
In the Comprehensive Curriculum book for the 4th grade, we are starting from the beginning in language arts but it's clear that he's more advanced than that in math. He demonstrated that he knows how to do rounding and estimating. He can do long division but still needs to work on some of his math facts. We are skipping a great deal of the math section because he demonstrates that he knows it and is ready to move on. I'd like to see some increased fluidity in his math skills. He seems to tire easily in math.
Tough Day Yesterday
Tough days. I guess all homeschooling moms have them. Yesterday was one for us.
We started the morning out well, with spelling and math. I had to go to the chiropractor so my son brought a fiction book he's been reading. On the way home we stopped at a grocery store, reading labels and talking nutrition. If a person wished to eliminate all sugar, fat and salt from their diet, we found that in this particular store some aisles only contained one or two acceptable items for purchase.
He seemed to dawdle over lunch, taking his time and stretching it out for as long as he could. I felt myself growing impatient. After lunch, he spent about another hour working in his workbook, and then it was time to go pick up his brother at school and take him to speech therapy. During speech therapy he worked in his workbook a bit more, but his attention was beginning to wane and his productivity decline.
I was beginning to become concerned. He had spent a total of three hours on education that day, and isn't coming anywhere near the volume of finished work I hope to see from him. Former teacher comments were echoing in my mind. The problems he exhibited in school are repeating at home.
I have him a rather stern lecture on work ethic, effort, and productivity, and told him that I needed six hours of homeschool work and study per day, with a much higher volume of finished work. It didn't go well. He needed to spend an hour in his room to think. But later, he told me that maybe he reacted the way he did due to puberty. I admitted that it might be best if we gradually increase his work time and output.
We did have a talk about responsibility. I said that I've been demonstrating to him that nothing need get in the way of learning. He has access to all of the information and instruction he needs. I asked him what was getting in the way of learning, and he said his brother's name. I was stunned. Clearly he is cultivating the mental habit of making excuses for himself. I told him that responsible people determine what obstacles are getting in the way of success and then find their way around them. We are definitely going to revisit this.
I realize that his learning style is more kinesthetic, but I still want him to do worksheets. I figure that he's capable of it and simply needs to increase his tolerance for it. It's something that every typical person needs to be able to do.
Last night before climbing in my bed, I said, "Tomorrow will be better. Today I tried to be a drill sergeant. Tomorrow I will try to be Mother Theresa." At least my husband thought it was funny.
We started the morning out well, with spelling and math. I had to go to the chiropractor so my son brought a fiction book he's been reading. On the way home we stopped at a grocery store, reading labels and talking nutrition. If a person wished to eliminate all sugar, fat and salt from their diet, we found that in this particular store some aisles only contained one or two acceptable items for purchase.
He seemed to dawdle over lunch, taking his time and stretching it out for as long as he could. I felt myself growing impatient. After lunch, he spent about another hour working in his workbook, and then it was time to go pick up his brother at school and take him to speech therapy. During speech therapy he worked in his workbook a bit more, but his attention was beginning to wane and his productivity decline.
I was beginning to become concerned. He had spent a total of three hours on education that day, and isn't coming anywhere near the volume of finished work I hope to see from him. Former teacher comments were echoing in my mind. The problems he exhibited in school are repeating at home.
I have him a rather stern lecture on work ethic, effort, and productivity, and told him that I needed six hours of homeschool work and study per day, with a much higher volume of finished work. It didn't go well. He needed to spend an hour in his room to think. But later, he told me that maybe he reacted the way he did due to puberty. I admitted that it might be best if we gradually increase his work time and output.
We did have a talk about responsibility. I said that I've been demonstrating to him that nothing need get in the way of learning. He has access to all of the information and instruction he needs. I asked him what was getting in the way of learning, and he said his brother's name. I was stunned. Clearly he is cultivating the mental habit of making excuses for himself. I told him that responsible people determine what obstacles are getting in the way of success and then find their way around them. We are definitely going to revisit this.
I realize that his learning style is more kinesthetic, but I still want him to do worksheets. I figure that he's capable of it and simply needs to increase his tolerance for it. It's something that every typical person needs to be able to do.
Last night before climbing in my bed, I said, "Tomorrow will be better. Today I tried to be a drill sergeant. Tomorrow I will try to be Mother Theresa." At least my husband thought it was funny.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Gearing Up
We are using Sequential Spelling to help my son with his spelling struggles. It doesn't teach spelling rules, but that will come later. It does seem to be helping.
We continue to use Khan Academy for math. He spends about 1/2 hour per day on that.
Sometimes we go to Time's Lighbox photo of the week. We look at the pictures, then look up the location on the globe along with any other supporting information.
We begun Comprehensive Curriculum for the 4th grade. Already I can see we are closing the holes of the things he somehow didn't learn that year. Soon we will also begin using Scholastic Success with: 4th grade.
After we are done with the 4th grade review, we'll move on to do the same with 5th grade. Hopefully we can get him caught up in a timely manner.
I am still developing the human anatomy unit study that we will work on over the summer. For now we watch science documentaries.
For about 1/2 hour each day he reads to me. I help him with more challenging words. If he becomes too fatigued, I read to him for the remainder of the time.
We are currently spending about two hours per day five days per week. I hope to gradually increase it in 1/2 hour increments until he can spend at least 30 hours per week on academics.
In addition he walks on a treadmill most mornings, plays tennis once a week, spends 41/2 hours a week in dance classes, and has just started television acting classes twice monthly.
He's a busy boy.
We continue to use Khan Academy for math. He spends about 1/2 hour per day on that.
Sometimes we go to Time's Lighbox photo of the week. We look at the pictures, then look up the location on the globe along with any other supporting information.
We begun Comprehensive Curriculum for the 4th grade. Already I can see we are closing the holes of the things he somehow didn't learn that year. Soon we will also begin using Scholastic Success with: 4th grade.
After we are done with the 4th grade review, we'll move on to do the same with 5th grade. Hopefully we can get him caught up in a timely manner.
I am still developing the human anatomy unit study that we will work on over the summer. For now we watch science documentaries.
For about 1/2 hour each day he reads to me. I help him with more challenging words. If he becomes too fatigued, I read to him for the remainder of the time.
We are currently spending about two hours per day five days per week. I hope to gradually increase it in 1/2 hour increments until he can spend at least 30 hours per week on academics.
In addition he walks on a treadmill most mornings, plays tennis once a week, spends 41/2 hours a week in dance classes, and has just started television acting classes twice monthly.
He's a busy boy.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Still Settling In
Yesterday the topic of professional dancers who happen to be men came up in conversation, and the next thing I knew, my son and I were watching Dirty Dancing instead of doing math. We stopped the film several times to discuss many of the social dilemmas that came up in the film. Afterwards, checking emails, I found a group invitation to a television acting class for homeschooled kids. And off we went.
This morning we talked about the recent announcement President Obama made in favor of gay marriage, and then we watched this video clip together: Richard Dawkins Interviews the Bishop of Oxford
At the end of the clip, I read the first three chapters of the book of Genesis to him, in order to try to explain the mindset of those who start with a literal interpretation of the Bible in every aspect of their worldview, and those of us who view the Bible through a lens modern understanding.
I asked him, "How does a literal interpretation of the book of Genesis affect a person's values? He said something like, "If God gave the planet and all the animals to man to use as he pleases, then he doesn't have to care about the environment or animal rights." I asked, "Do you agree with that?" and he said, "Of course not. The planet doesn't belong to us but we should take good care of it." We talked about the biblical role of Eve as Adam's "help meet," and how that contradicts our modern understanding of women being equal to man. We discussed how in a literal interpretation of the Bible, just from the story of Adam and Eve, one could interpret that a man can't be a helpmeet to another man, and a woman can't be a helpmeet to another woman. But if one is open to embracing a modern understanding of nature and what it means to be human, then all adult humans deserve to have an adult human mate, regardless of sexual orientation. (The "adult" and "human" qualifiers were added because of all the silly talk of legal gay marriage leading to marriages between dogs and humans. Woof.)
Every day we visit Time Magazine's Light Box on the web, and as we look at the pictures, we talk about what they mean and look up the locations on the globe. The pictures are sometimes a little graphic, and we talk about that - the conditions that exist elsewhere in the world, the struggles that other people face, and why we should care.
Despite these little educational detours, the young man is making progress. We are finding that little twenty minute bursts of math and spelling drills work better when sprinkled throughout the day than trying to knuckle down and study for hours at a time.
This morning we talked about the recent announcement President Obama made in favor of gay marriage, and then we watched this video clip together: Richard Dawkins Interviews the Bishop of Oxford
At the end of the clip, I read the first three chapters of the book of Genesis to him, in order to try to explain the mindset of those who start with a literal interpretation of the Bible in every aspect of their worldview, and those of us who view the Bible through a lens modern understanding.
I asked him, "How does a literal interpretation of the book of Genesis affect a person's values? He said something like, "If God gave the planet and all the animals to man to use as he pleases, then he doesn't have to care about the environment or animal rights." I asked, "Do you agree with that?" and he said, "Of course not. The planet doesn't belong to us but we should take good care of it." We talked about the biblical role of Eve as Adam's "help meet," and how that contradicts our modern understanding of women being equal to man. We discussed how in a literal interpretation of the Bible, just from the story of Adam and Eve, one could interpret that a man can't be a helpmeet to another man, and a woman can't be a helpmeet to another woman. But if one is open to embracing a modern understanding of nature and what it means to be human, then all adult humans deserve to have an adult human mate, regardless of sexual orientation. (The "adult" and "human" qualifiers were added because of all the silly talk of legal gay marriage leading to marriages between dogs and humans. Woof.)
Every day we visit Time Magazine's Light Box on the web, and as we look at the pictures, we talk about what they mean and look up the locations on the globe. The pictures are sometimes a little graphic, and we talk about that - the conditions that exist elsewhere in the world, the struggles that other people face, and why we should care.
Despite these little educational detours, the young man is making progress. We are finding that little twenty minute bursts of math and spelling drills work better when sprinkled throughout the day than trying to knuckle down and study for hours at a time.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
How to spell "Intrinsic Motivation"
There are hundreds of websites containing valuable information useful to homeschooling families. Lately I've been concerned about the intentions of the people behind some of those websites. A website offering a complete homeschool curriculum states that the only way they'll bring the USA back to Jesus is through the homeschooling movement. People with strong Libertarian or Objectivist leanings develop websites for the purpose of teaching about history, the Constitution and their interpretation of the words of our Founding Fathers. I feel I need to be on guard to protect my child from corruption by people with radical agendas.
I've been reading "Don't Think Of An Elephant!: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate: the Essential Guide for Progressives" by Goerge Lakoff. One of the things he says is that we often vote according to our core values. The Republican Party spends many millions on think tanks which are tasked to create the language frames that will appeal to their voters. This is why Fox News is loved by some and hated by others. because the language that appeals to Conservatives repulses Liberals and vice versa. I'm also reading, "Raising Children Who Think for Themselves" by Elisa Medhus, M.D., and she states that parents need to help their children develop their own moral compass, so that they can make good decisions for themselves, rather than needing us to act as their conscious all the time.
It's not unusual for me to read several books at once but it's rather synchronous that I happen to pick up two random books that help address the issue that's been keeping me awake at night. It's simple. If the child knows who he is, he won't be easily transformed into an End Days SuperPrepper. He apparently won't be as likely to become a crackhead, either.
And then, I saw this video on Youtube, called "The High Price of Materialism," about how materialism is externally motivated and does not lead to happiness: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=oGab38pKscw
If I were superstitious, I would think my spirit guides are conspiring to send a message.
I almost bought a "how to homeschool" type book, until I saw in the reviews that the author advocates spanking children who won't study hard enough. I do not wish to lean on my son and force him to do what he should. I want him to be intrinsically motivated. He's old enough to understand the connection between education, the ability to think, and thriving in today's world.
Last night I asked him to fill out his schedule for today. I said, "Think about what you need to accomplish in order to succeed and have the life you want to have. And then think about what tasks you need to perform each day to get there. Then make out a schedule with all of those tasks on it." And so he did. And today he stuck to his schedule. I was so proud of him.
Spelling has been a stumbling block for him. The tactic I have been using is to have him pick a word from his spelling list that's been a challenge for him to spell. We spend several minutes focusing on that word. We talk about the word's origins. We say it in Latin. We talk about how the particular word traveled. For instance, "Music." Rumored to originate in Persia, where it traveled to Greece, then Greece to Rome. We talk about how the Romans traveled to what is now France, and those people began using that word. From there it traveled to England with rest of the English language, then to the USA, and later to places like India and China. We talk about why this word matters, and the things we wouldn't be able to say quite so accurately without it. We look at the synonyms we'd have to use if that word didn't exist. Finally, we break it down into consonants and talk about the spelling rules that apply to that word. By the end of this time, he is better acquainted with this word. He spells the word. He looks at me in surprise - he didn't think he'd do it. A few hours later, I quiz him again. He remembers. We contemplate the importance of language.
He seems to have so much faith in me. I want him to be able to transfer that faith to himself. Even if he barely gets the core subjects by the skin of his teeth, (of course we hope he will do much better than that) if he has faith in himself, that will make a big difference for him.
I've been reading "Don't Think Of An Elephant!: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate: the Essential Guide for Progressives" by Goerge Lakoff. One of the things he says is that we often vote according to our core values. The Republican Party spends many millions on think tanks which are tasked to create the language frames that will appeal to their voters. This is why Fox News is loved by some and hated by others. because the language that appeals to Conservatives repulses Liberals and vice versa. I'm also reading, "Raising Children Who Think for Themselves" by Elisa Medhus, M.D., and she states that parents need to help their children develop their own moral compass, so that they can make good decisions for themselves, rather than needing us to act as their conscious all the time.
It's not unusual for me to read several books at once but it's rather synchronous that I happen to pick up two random books that help address the issue that's been keeping me awake at night. It's simple. If the child knows who he is, he won't be easily transformed into an End Days SuperPrepper. He apparently won't be as likely to become a crackhead, either.
And then, I saw this video on Youtube, called "The High Price of Materialism," about how materialism is externally motivated and does not lead to happiness: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=oGab38pKscw
If I were superstitious, I would think my spirit guides are conspiring to send a message.
I almost bought a "how to homeschool" type book, until I saw in the reviews that the author advocates spanking children who won't study hard enough. I do not wish to lean on my son and force him to do what he should. I want him to be intrinsically motivated. He's old enough to understand the connection between education, the ability to think, and thriving in today's world.
Last night I asked him to fill out his schedule for today. I said, "Think about what you need to accomplish in order to succeed and have the life you want to have. And then think about what tasks you need to perform each day to get there. Then make out a schedule with all of those tasks on it." And so he did. And today he stuck to his schedule. I was so proud of him.
Spelling has been a stumbling block for him. The tactic I have been using is to have him pick a word from his spelling list that's been a challenge for him to spell. We spend several minutes focusing on that word. We talk about the word's origins. We say it in Latin. We talk about how the particular word traveled. For instance, "Music." Rumored to originate in Persia, where it traveled to Greece, then Greece to Rome. We talk about how the Romans traveled to what is now France, and those people began using that word. From there it traveled to England with rest of the English language, then to the USA, and later to places like India and China. We talk about why this word matters, and the things we wouldn't be able to say quite so accurately without it. We look at the synonyms we'd have to use if that word didn't exist. Finally, we break it down into consonants and talk about the spelling rules that apply to that word. By the end of this time, he is better acquainted with this word. He spells the word. He looks at me in surprise - he didn't think he'd do it. A few hours later, I quiz him again. He remembers. We contemplate the importance of language.
He seems to have so much faith in me. I want him to be able to transfer that faith to himself. Even if he barely gets the core subjects by the skin of his teeth, (of course we hope he will do much better than that) if he has faith in himself, that will make a big difference for him.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
The Main Thing I Learned About Japan
When we first started homeschooling, just a short twelve weeks ago, (gulp) one of the first things I did was to get my son started on a unit study about a country of his choice. This was because I can't just let a 6th grader drop all educational efforts and play video games all day, irregardless of what the experts say about the unschooling period. He chose Japan.
Then I began a furious process of cramming on homeschooling. I had nightmares for the first week but it's better now.
In the meantime I've been trying to figure out what the heck I'm going to do to make sure this kid is going to get an education -
Open doors?
Plant seeds?
Light fires?
I hate to say it but I fear the public education system has nearly snuffed out his desire to learn, and allowing his natural curiosity to take over isn't going to cut it. I'm not saying there isn't a spark there, but I am saying that he doesn't seem to know what to do about it.
The unschooling dilemma reminds me of the problem of depleted soils in industrial agriculture. They say it takes seven years to turn sterile soil into fertile organic soil. My son doesn't have seven years to get the gears going again. He's a sixth grader who was working at a fourth grade level in some of his core subjects. I can make compost all day long, but we need productive fields NOW!
So what does this have to do with Japan? We checked out every library book on Japan that we could find. We watched Japanese language, art and culture videos on Youtube. We watched Japanese movies on Netflix. We even shopped at local Japanese markets. Gradually he completed the unit study, while simultaneously working on some basic core subjects.
So today we were talking. I said something like, "You know, I have a lot of respect for Japan. When our military dropped those bombs at the end of WWII, they didn't waste time blaming the Americans for dropping that bomb. They didn't waste time blaming their Emperor for getting them into the war. They looked around, assessed the damage, rebuilt, and came back stronger than ever.
You were not getting an adequate education in public school. Now, we can say that it's all my fault because I didn't do enough to intervene. Or we can say it's your fault because you didn't study hard enough. Or we can say it's the school's fault for not teaching you well enough. Or it was the voting taxpayer's fault, for being unwilling to invest in education, making our state one of the lowest ranking states in public education.
But we aren't going to say any of those things. We are going to take a look around, assess the damage and rebuild."
My son said, "And we are going to come back stronger than ever."
Then I began a furious process of cramming on homeschooling. I had nightmares for the first week but it's better now.
In the meantime I've been trying to figure out what the heck I'm going to do to make sure this kid is going to get an education -
Open doors?
Plant seeds?
Light fires?
I hate to say it but I fear the public education system has nearly snuffed out his desire to learn, and allowing his natural curiosity to take over isn't going to cut it. I'm not saying there isn't a spark there, but I am saying that he doesn't seem to know what to do about it.
The unschooling dilemma reminds me of the problem of depleted soils in industrial agriculture. They say it takes seven years to turn sterile soil into fertile organic soil. My son doesn't have seven years to get the gears going again. He's a sixth grader who was working at a fourth grade level in some of his core subjects. I can make compost all day long, but we need productive fields NOW!
So what does this have to do with Japan? We checked out every library book on Japan that we could find. We watched Japanese language, art and culture videos on Youtube. We watched Japanese movies on Netflix. We even shopped at local Japanese markets. Gradually he completed the unit study, while simultaneously working on some basic core subjects.
So today we were talking. I said something like, "You know, I have a lot of respect for Japan. When our military dropped those bombs at the end of WWII, they didn't waste time blaming the Americans for dropping that bomb. They didn't waste time blaming their Emperor for getting them into the war. They looked around, assessed the damage, rebuilt, and came back stronger than ever.
You were not getting an adequate education in public school. Now, we can say that it's all my fault because I didn't do enough to intervene. Or we can say it's your fault because you didn't study hard enough. Or we can say it's the school's fault for not teaching you well enough. Or it was the voting taxpayer's fault, for being unwilling to invest in education, making our state one of the lowest ranking states in public education.
But we aren't going to say any of those things. We are going to take a look around, assess the damage and rebuild."
My son said, "And we are going to come back stronger than ever."
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
The Importance of the Availability of Public School
I am fortunate to be capable of and willing to homeschool my child. But not every family is like mine.
The world is made up of a vast diversity of different types of people and families. There are many different types of parents and different types of children. Choice is good, and the more choices we have, the better the lives we can craft for ourselves.
I think sometimes people forget to appreciate this. They forget that the choice that is best for themselves is not the best choice for everyone else. Sometimes they even demonize or look down upon those who do not agree with their world view.
(ahem.)
But diversity is a good thing. I personally believe that if everyone on the planet held identical lifestyles, views, opinions, beliefs etc., the world would not be as rich and wonderful. In fact in my opinion, civilization would quickly fall apart if everyone had to do everything exactly the same way. For one thing, when people hold different viewpoints, these different ideas have a way of balancing each other out and keep things from becoming too extreme one way or the other.
I do not wish to be a judgmental person. For example, I do not wish to say that homeschooling parents are better parents than non-homeschooling parents. (That would be silly - one of my children is homeschooled, one is not, and one graduated from public school. Nor do I wish to say that people who follow a specific path are better than people who are better suited to a different path. I feel that when people are judgmental, it says more about them than the people they are judging. I guess that IS judgmental.
One of the miracles of life is that some kids turn into competent adults even though they have parents who do not take advantage of the opportunity to be the best parent they can be. Either they are incapable of being great parents or they choose not to. But it doesn't always turn out that way. Some kids are damaged by their homes and communities and it creates a negative cycle that repeats with their children. When it doesn't turn out well for these kids it doesn't turn out well for the rest of us either. I'm not talking about socioeconomic class. Some of the wealthiest people put the least effort into parenting. Some parents simply should not homeschool their children, and hopefully they are wise enough to realize that. Not all parents are honest with themselves about their own limitations, but hopefully most are capable of judging what is best for their children and families.
Where does this leave the kids? None of this is their fault - and every child deserves the best. I believe in parental rights but I also believe that every child deserves an education of the best quality, whether it's home, charter, private or public school.
This is why, while I support the rights of homeschooling families, I also support the availability of pre-K AND a top-notch public education for all children. If parents and kids want to opt out and homeschool, fine. But kids shouldn't be penalized because their parents can't or shouldn't homeschool.
The world is made up of a vast diversity of different types of people and families. There are many different types of parents and different types of children. Choice is good, and the more choices we have, the better the lives we can craft for ourselves.
I think sometimes people forget to appreciate this. They forget that the choice that is best for themselves is not the best choice for everyone else. Sometimes they even demonize or look down upon those who do not agree with their world view.
(ahem.)
But diversity is a good thing. I personally believe that if everyone on the planet held identical lifestyles, views, opinions, beliefs etc., the world would not be as rich and wonderful. In fact in my opinion, civilization would quickly fall apart if everyone had to do everything exactly the same way. For one thing, when people hold different viewpoints, these different ideas have a way of balancing each other out and keep things from becoming too extreme one way or the other.
I do not wish to be a judgmental person. For example, I do not wish to say that homeschooling parents are better parents than non-homeschooling parents. (That would be silly - one of my children is homeschooled, one is not, and one graduated from public school. Nor do I wish to say that people who follow a specific path are better than people who are better suited to a different path. I feel that when people are judgmental, it says more about them than the people they are judging. I guess that IS judgmental.
One of the miracles of life is that some kids turn into competent adults even though they have parents who do not take advantage of the opportunity to be the best parent they can be. Either they are incapable of being great parents or they choose not to. But it doesn't always turn out that way. Some kids are damaged by their homes and communities and it creates a negative cycle that repeats with their children. When it doesn't turn out well for these kids it doesn't turn out well for the rest of us either. I'm not talking about socioeconomic class. Some of the wealthiest people put the least effort into parenting. Some parents simply should not homeschool their children, and hopefully they are wise enough to realize that. Not all parents are honest with themselves about their own limitations, but hopefully most are capable of judging what is best for their children and families.
Where does this leave the kids? None of this is their fault - and every child deserves the best. I believe in parental rights but I also believe that every child deserves an education of the best quality, whether it's home, charter, private or public school.
This is why, while I support the rights of homeschooling families, I also support the availability of pre-K AND a top-notch public education for all children. If parents and kids want to opt out and homeschool, fine. But kids shouldn't be penalized because their parents can't or shouldn't homeschool.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Unit Study Themes
Little House on the Prairie
The Human Body
The Titanic
Shakespeare
The Holocaust (Anne Frank)
Unit Studies by Nation
Nevada
The Environment
Ecosystems
The Human Body
The Titanic
Shakespeare
The Holocaust (Anne Frank)
Unit Studies by Nation
Nevada
The Environment
Ecosystems
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Online Resources
Over the past several months I've collected so many homeschooling bookmarks on my browser that I decided to organize them here for sharing. This blog post will serve as a handy reference page for my own use, and maybe others will find it helpful too. I will be adding new links and comments about existing ones as time permits. It's only a drop in the vast ocean of educational resources available online. Since I'm a socially progressive secular homeschooler, my opinion about about the materials and websites will differ from those who have a conservative or religious perspective. This page is a work in progress, and it may eventually be divided into several if it gets too large.
If a link isn't working or something is mislabeled I would appreciate a note in the comments section. If you know of a great educational website that you'd like to share, please add a comment, and I'll check it out. If I think it might be useful to our family I'll add it. Please keep in mind that I created this list for my own reference, so it may not be as useful for you as it is for me. Since this is a family friendly blog, comments will be monitored.
Any comments I make about a link are my own personal reaction to the content on the page. These are not endorsements - I am not receiving any payment and cannot accept responsibility for the quality of the content. We have found some of these links extremely useful. Others were added for future reference after spending only a few moments on the page or printing one worksheet, and the website may not be as good as it appears to be. Apart from loosely organizing the links by topic, they are in no particular order.
Some of the resources require completion of a membership form before gaining access. It's a good practice to find out what the website owner will do with your information before you provide it. Just in case, it makes sense to remember to surf safely, use your virus protection and spam filter tools, and let the buyer beware.
Where to go for information on how to get started in Nevada, find support groups and get legal:
free: http://nevadahomeschoolnetwork.com/
The Rise Resource Center is a non-profit organization in Las Vegas providing resources to Las Vegas homeschoolers. They offer some free workshops and some classes for kids and for parents, many of which are very low cost. http://riseresourcecenter.org/
http://lasvegasvalleyhomeschoolnetwork.com/
http://www.meetup.com/LasVegas-Freethinking-Homeschoolers/
New to Homeschooling 50 States:
This article categorizes the states according to how friendly the laws are to homeschooling:
http://voices.yahoo.com/which-states-best-homeschooling-laws-1395073.html?cat=17Which States Have The Best Homeschooling Laws
A for-fee resources: http://www.newbeehomeschooler.com/2012newbeebootcamp.htm
I'm not sure about this site yet. It appears to be new but there isn't much here and I'm uncertain of the benefit of joining: http://4yourkids.memberlodge.com/
How-to homeschool class, for $10.00 per month: http://www.homeschoolingabcs.com/home2.html
Here is a big list of homeschooling acronyms, including the acronyms of common curriculum. Trust me, as you delve into the message boards about curriculum, the acronmys can drive you nuts at first! Lots of Kids Homeschool Acronyms and Abbreviations
Standards:
http://worldbook.com/typical-course-of-study
http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards
Learning Styles:
http://www.vark-learn.com/english/page.asp?p=questionnaire
http://www.d.umn.edu/kmc/student/loon/acad/strat/lrnsty.html
Different Homeschooling Methods or Philosophies:
http://www.homeschoolmarketplace.com/choosing/approaches.html
http://www.hsunlimited.com/resources/homeschool-methods/index.php
John Holt was a schoolteacher who eventually wrote several books about educating children and has become an icon in the unschooling movement. This website includes free back issues of his magazine Growing Without Schooling: http://www.holtgws.com/index.html
Testing Services
This Christian site offers free practice SATs https://www.forsuchatimeasthis.com/
http://www.shopchristianliberty.com/testing-service/
General Support for Homeschooling Parents and Caregivers:
Homeschool Legal Defense Association is a "United States-based "nonprofit advocacy organization established to defend and advance the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children and to protect family freedoms." They have been criticized for their close ties to the Christian right. As a secular homeschooler I have my own concerns about this organization, and I am probably not in sympathy with all of their objectives. However they were involved in blocking a bill that would make all teachers in the U.S., including homeschooling parents, get a teacher's certificate, which would have made homeschooling nearly impossible for many families. Regardless, homeschooling families should be aware of this organization. www.hslda.org
Behavior modification charts http://www.freeprintablebehaviorcharts.com/pet_charts.htm#Cat
http://www.homefires.com/courses/therapist.asp
http://www.homeschooling-ideas.com/index.html
http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/
There are many homeschooling communities and forums. Websites like Yahoo, Meetup, Facebook and About.com have many communities and articles. Here are some additional places to find homeschooling community:
http://www.secularhomeschool.com/content.php
Planners and Getting Organized:
http://www.newbeehomeschooler.com/Unit%20Study%20Pages/Unit%20Study%20Year%20Planning%20Form%20july%20to%20june%20black%20white.pdf
http://www.newbeehomeschooler.com/Unit%20Study%20Pages/Unit%20Study%20Year%20Planning%20Form%20july%20to%20june%20blue%20green.pdf
http://www.pros-and-cons-of-homeschooling.com/homeschool-schedules.html
The Donna Young website contains a lot of resources, but I find the planners esp. useful:
http://donnayoung.org/forms/planners/daily.htm
This Christian site offers a free online planner, and it also has links to a fee membership a legal guide for your state, and a curriculum bookstore:
http://www.home-school-inc.com/
www.keepandshare.com
http://www.homeschoolskedtrack.com/HomeSchool/displayLogin.do
http://www.chartjungle.com/
Here's a great daily organizer for busy moms: http://www.simpleorganizedliving.com/2011/02/09/my-daily-routine-free-printables/
Curricula and Supplies, Co-ops and Reviews:
Teacher's Notebook is a great place to go to for things like clipart, teaching tips, lesson plans and activities. The great part is that the teachers are selling resources that they developed themselves. www.teachersnotebook.com
State of Louisiana Comprehensive Curriculum: http://www.doe.state.la.us/topics/comprehensive_curriculum.html
A store that sells curriculum and supplies: The Knowledge Tree
Glencoe McGraw-Hill Publishing, used by many public schools and other institutions of learning: https://www.mheonline.com/
The partner site, http://www.glencoe.com looks interesting, and I'm still looking into how it's used.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt offers Pre-K–6 resources for teachers, students, and families to support instruction in the classroom and at home, customized by state.
.http://www.eduplace.com/
AVKO Education Research Foundation is a non profit organization known for Sequential Spelling and other language arts curriculum, including materials designed for students who learn differently: http://www.avko.org/
Singapore Math, offers curriculum in math, science, Chinese and English. Their math textbooks are said to be the best in the world. http://www.singaporemath.com/
Secular curriculum: http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/secular-homeschool-curriculum.html
A highly recommended science curricula: http://www.noeoscience.com/
All about Spelling and All About Reading: All About Learning
Lapbooking: www.handsofachild.com/
This website includes a handy questionnaire tool for figuring out what curriculum is right for your student. http://cathyduffyreviews.com/
http://www.dositey.com/2008/index-page-home.php
Chalkdust Math curriculum: http://www.chalkdust.com/index.html
VideoText Interective Easy-to-Understand Algebra & Geometry
Winter's Promise Publishing, curricula for language arts, math, and science: http://winterpromise.com/index.html
http://www.mathusee.com/
http://teachingtextbooks.com/
http://www.horriblebooks.com/
Evolution for kids: http://charliesplayhouse.com/
Ring of Fire Earth Science Curriculum: Ring of Fire Science Company
Lab of Mr. Q
http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/
Handwriting without tears
http://www.currclick.com/
poetry course: http://www.chirotoons.com/poetry/
High school writing curriculum One Year Adventure Novel
www.reallygoodstuff.com/
http://www.homeschool.com/
http://www.homeschoolreviews.com/
Along with reviews, this one has lots of links and a free country notebooking unit study with subscription: http://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/
These are resources available for purchase by learning institutions. There are supposed to be free resources here too but I'm having difficulty accessing them: http://www.learner.org/
Christian Light Publications offers a terrific student planner that can be adapted for any religion or for secularism. http://clp.org/
http://www.knowledgequestmaps.com/
http://www.lifeskills4kids.com/acorn.php?page=home
Despite the fact that I am not a Christian and would never dream of teaching Creationism or Intelligent Design to my children, I have listed Christ and Bible-centered curriculum here. I find that it does help to know about all of the curriculum in order to follow homeschooling discussions.
The Robinson Curriculum is a Bible centered Creationist curriculum based on the homeschooling materials Lauralee Robinson compiled for her children before her untimely death. Her husband, Arthur Robinson, one of the world's leading global warming denialists, started marketing the homeschooling curriculum after her death. He plainly states on his website that homeschooling is necessary to return the country to Christian values, so he is also a Dominionist. The course of study includes Saxon math and the historical fiction of G.A. Henty, (1832-1902). Henty's fiction is commonly criticized for being xenophobic and downright racist. Another thing I find interesting about this curriculum is the emphasis on the children teaching themselves. To me it sounds like they not only wish to brainwash children with conservative Christian beliefs, but withhold nurturing, time, and attention while they are at it. Some secular homeschoolers have said they use these materials because they teach the classics, however I feel that there are other ways to teach the classics and I will not spend my hard earned money furthering Arthur Robinson's agenda. I do not wish to promote this curriculum but as a homeschooler I think it's important to know what it is. http://www.robinsoncurriculum.com/
Heart of Dakota (HOD) is another Christ-centered curriculum that teaches Creationism with a skeptical attitude about evolution. Their titles include Little Hands for Heaven, Little Hearts for His Glory: www.heartofdakota.com
The website at My Father's World (MFW) states that they recognize that the Bible, God's truth, is the foundation of of wisdom and education. The website also has a strong Christian statement of faith. http://www.mfwbooks.com/
Shurley English is an English and Grammar curriculum: https://www.shurley.com/
Common Sense Press: Language Arts, Writing Skills, Math, Biblical History and Science. This program would be of interest to homeschoolers who wish to teach from a Creationist or Intelligent Design perspective. The science curriculum says it contains only scientific "fact," no theory about evolution, no information about when the earth was created or how it was created. http://commonsensepress.com/index.htm
Alpha Omega Publications provides curriculum for Christian families who consider Bible study to be one of the five core subjects. They offer five different curriculum options, Switched On Schoolhouse, Monarch, LIFEPAC, Horizons, and The Weaver Curriculum. http://www.aophomeschooling.com/index.php
Bob Jones University Press
Life of Fred is a popular series of books that teach math in a story format. It 's not completely secular, but some atheists have used it and reported that it wasn't offensive: http://lifeoffredmath.com/
Special Needs
http://www.tooloftheweek.org/
English For The World of Work http://www.pearsonschool.com/index.cfm?locator=PSZu1n&PMDbSiteId=4621&PMDbSolutionId=33862&PMDbSubSolutionId=&PMDbCategoryId=33864&PMDbSubCategoryId=&PMDbSubjectAreaId=&PMDbProgramId=32081
A fully interactive curriculum for special needs. One drawback: It's not a sight-word curriculum.
https://www.n2y.com/unique/
This site contains interactive lessons in math and English,
http://www.gcflearnfree.org/
This one isn't just for special needs, but it has some terrific sight words games:
http://interactivesites.weebly.com/
This is a terrific picture chart maker which is useful for younger or developmentally delayed kids:
http://www.pogoboards.com
PCI is a reseach based reading program for children with autism, developmental delays, etc.
http://www.pcieducation.com/
Sen Teacher Free Teaching Resources for Special Education
http://www.superduperinc.com/Default.aspx
I love this tool for making customized handwriting worksheets: http://www.senteacher.org/Worksheet/35/Handwriting.xhtml
Free adult literacy pages: http://www.skillsworkshop.org/
A Youtube Channel that teaches sight reading:
http://www.youtube.com/user/mebmoose?feature=watch
A good article about functional sight words for older readers:
http://scholarworks.wmich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2554&context=reading_horizons
Sight word teaching strategies:
http://www.k12reader.com/sight-word-teaching-strategies/
Websites about inclusion and transitioning to adult services:
http://www.communityinclusion.org/
http://www.pacer.org/tatra/knowledgecenter.asp
http://www.ncwd-youth.info/
http://ichp.ufl.edu/research/videos/
http://www.syntiro.org/hrtw/
http://www.brainpopjr.com/
edhelper.com
Preschool
http://thepreschooltoolboxblog.com/?p=3901
Websites where you can look up or learn about just about anything:
earthcam.com
Websites With Supplemental Teaching Aids In The Core Subjects:
Make your own quizzes: http://quizzes.cc/
quizlet.com
These workbooks are used by classroom schoolteachers and are terrific for homeschoolers and parents who wish to supplement their child's education at home or over the summer:
http://www.evan-moor.com/
Educational comics collection: http://contentdm.unl.edu/cdm/search/collection/edcomics/searchterm/Adventures%20in%20Electricity/order/nosort
Some lesson plans that look pretty good. Check out the CareerStart lessons: http://www.learnnc.org/lp/organizations/52
This is a fantastic resource. All sorts of materials written for teachers, by teachers, and many are free: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com
This one has a fee: http://www.brainpop.com/
Here's a big list of free learning resources: http://noexcuselist.com/
Supplemental Curriculum in a wide range of subjects, featuring the Bridge Books: Carson-Dellosa Publishing
Don't forget Scholastic and Teacher Express!
This company offers online supplemental programs in reading and math. For a fee, but it looks affordable. Popular applications include Ticket To Read for K-6: Voyager Learning
Giant Website with tons of general homeschooling links:
http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/index.htm
Several topics, all free: http://www.thinkquest.org/pls/html/think.library
http://www.watchknowlearn.org
www.homeschoolshare.com
Some of the items here are available with a membership and some are free: http://homeschoolnetworklibrary.com/
http://www.edhelper.com/
This online translator contains sound files so you can hear how it is pronounced: www.dictionarist.com
1500 free pages http://www.easyfunschool.com/
Another free huge resource on several topics: http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/
all free: http://www.internet4classrooms.com/index.htm
This one is a subscription page with lots of freebies. We went here for map outlines:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/Home.html
This one is designed for professional teachers but it's also useful for homeschoolers: http://blog.reallygoodstuff.com/
Christian homeschooling page chock full of resources: http://oldfashionededucation.com/fullcurriculum.htm
Designed for professional educations and schools, a subscription page with thousands of educational resources and a 14 day free trial period: www.nettrekker.com
Lots of printables and lesson plans. Subscription but some freebies too: http://www.teachervision.fen.com/
Home Education Council of America, free and low cost membership: http://hecoa.com/
This site is a wealth of information and support: http://donnayoung.org/index.htm
http://funtasticunitstudies.com/
http://www.homeschoolfreebie.wholesomechildhood.com/
http://www.myfreeflashcards.com/
educational games: http://www.purposegames.com/
http://www.hslaunch.com/mypage/files
http://www.hsunlimited.com/freestuff/
http://sunflowerschoolhouse.com/
clickschooling.com
http://dynamic2moms.webs.com/
tons of educational online games, flash tutorials, videos and printables: www.gamequarium.org/
http://www.sophia.org/about
Compare, contrast, and find the differences between things: http://www.diffen.com/
Free worksheet generator in math, English, geography, calendars and planners, eye/hand coordination and puzzles. WorskSheetWorks
Math, English, Science, Art and Design, Design and Technology, Geography, History, Music, French and Spanish, Religious Education: http://www.topicbox.net/
Math Teaching Aids:
Khan Academy is the best! This free, donation based program provides video tutorials, online exercises and virtual badges for completing work. They also offer classes in some other subjects.
http://www.khanacademy.org/
buzzmath.com
Here is an excellent math program that is just as exciting as Khan! It helps you keep track of math standards for your state:
http://www.ixl.com/
real world middle school math: http://dfi.wa.gov/financial-education/educators-middle.htm
Singapore Math is said to be one of the best math curricula in the world. Here is a link to their free placement tests: http://www.sonlight.com/singapore-placement-tests.html
comprehensive middle school math, mostly free with fees for tutoring: http://www.mastermath.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=1
middle school math games: http://www.math-play.com/Middle-School-Math-Games.html
free math tutorials online, or if you don't want your child online you can buy the cd: http://www.aaastudy.com/
Discovery Education's web math: http://www.webmath.com/index3.html
Teaching Textbooks Math 6 Placement Test: http://184.168.83.81/Diagnostic/Math6.pdf
http://www.geogebra.org/cms/
more free math: math.com
http://www.mathgoodies.com/
http://www.purplemath.com/
http://www.bymath.com/
tons of free worksheets, including a tool for creating targeted custom worksheets: http://www.math-aids.com/
this one also offers a free email course: http://www.mathmammoth.com/
free math worksheets by mathmammoth: http://www.homeschoolmath.net/
elementary school math, tons of free worksheets: http://www.math-salamanders.com/
Timez Attacks Multiplication games: http://www.playkidsgames.com/games/timezAttack/timezAttack.htm
http://www.homeschoolmath.net/
for-fee live online math tutoring: http://www.liveonlinemath.com/
Right Start Math teaches math using an abacus. They offer an online test to help you figure out where to start your child. Right Start Math
http://www.visnos.com/home
English/Language Arts Teaching Aids Online :
http://www.grammarbook.com
Many, many reading links: http://www.eds-resources.com/edreading.htm
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/story-starters/index.html
http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/childrenindex.html
http://www.free-training-tutorial.com/spelling-games.html
http://www.pcboe.net/les/elderweb/other%20resources/Prefix%20Task%20Cards.pdf
why does grammar matter: http://grammar.about.com/od/grammarfaq/f/grammarvalue.htm
Grammar, literature and writing, middle school: http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/jcheek1/larts.htm
http://www.grammar-monster.com/
http://freerice.com/#/english-vocabulary/1423
teacher written eduware: http://www.lapresenter.com/
Spelling quizzer is a downloadable spelling bee game for 29.99 http://spellquizzer.com/
http://www.phonicsontheweb.com/
How to teach spelling: http://www.primary-education-oasis.com/how-to-teach-spelling.html
http://www.spellingcity.com/
A Laura Ingalls Wilder Unit Study that looks promising: http://www.currclick.com/product_info.php?products_id=7880
California Dept. of Education recommended literature k-12 http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/rl/ll/
reading from scratch spelling rules: http://www.dyslexia.org/spelling_rules.shtml
http://www.rfwp.com/pages/michael-clay-thompson/
A great online spelling program: http://www.bigiqkids.com/SpellingVocabulary/Main/VocabularySpellingTest.html
A free online grammar course that breaks it down into 400+ easy daily lessons: http://www.dailygrammar.com/
A free online grammar course for high school students: http://www.englishgrammar101.com/
http://www.rfwp.com/series/grammar-elementary-program-by-michael-clay-thompson#book-grammar-island
http://www.chompchomp.com/menu.htm
stories for children: http://www.longlongtimeago.com/
homonyms: http://www.ofcn.org/cyber.serv/academy/ace/lang/ceclang/ceclang054.html
synonyms: http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/phonics/synonyms/synonyms.htm
comprehension: http://www.cdlponline.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=activity1&topicID=11&storyID=104
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
vocabulary: http://flocabulary.com/6th-grade-vocabulary-word-list/
8 week supported writing course for fee, with some free resources: www.time4writing.com
http://www.kidslearntoblog.com
A great free spelling and vocabulary resource: http://www.aaaspell.com/
Language arts games for middle and high school students: http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/web_games_vocab.htm
spelling game software with a 60 day free trial: http://www.ispellwell.com/index.htm
Free spelling course: http://www.splashesfromtheriver.com/spelling/courseoutline.htm
Spell It Right - Learn How To Spell Confidently: http://www.spelling.hemscott.net/
quizhub: Free online interactive k-12 games (Ipod compatible) http://quizhub.com/quiz/quizhub.cfm
Language arts program from the UK: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/english/spelling_grammar/
High school english: http://jc-schools.net/tutorials/tools/english-hs.html
http://www.learner.org/interactives/story/
Literature
The Western Canon: http://codex-librorum.blogspot.com/#cont
Science:
A great place to find answers to science questions: http://www.tpt.org/newtons/
The Burgess Bird Book Companion and other bird resources http://satorismiles.com/2010/03/08/burgess-bird-book-companion/#1
http://www.ck12.org/flexbook/
Live camera inside an owl house: http://sportsmansparadiseonline.com/Oceanside_Barn_Owls.html
The science behind the news. A good one to check into regularly: http://whyfiles.org/
human body lapbook: http://www.squidoo.com/humanbodylapbook#module7860624
Human anatomy: Inner Body
Learning together anatomy: http://www.anatomia.learningtogether.net/
Pakistan science club: http://www.youtube.com/user/pakscienceclub?feature=watch
how to extract DNA from an onion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsXxf5VfYaY
Ellen McHenry's Basement Workshop: http://ellenjmchenry.com/
Supercharged Science, an online subscription program with experiments: http://www.superchargedscience.com/
A unit study about the central nervous system and the brain: http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/bex/bex2unit1.pdf
Neuroscience for kids: http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html
http://animatedtooth.com/decayindex2.htm
http://www.50birds.com/
http://www.unmuseum.org/unmain.htm
Anatomy arcade: http://anatomyarcade.com/
what's a solstice: http://scijinks.nasa.gov/solstice
explore the universe: http://www.childrensmuseum.org/cosmicquest/index.html
http://www.savethemanatee.org/info.htm
kids do ecology: htthttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifp://kids.nceas.ucsb.edu/
http://www.stevespanglerscience.com
http://humananatomystudyguide.com/recommends/humanantomystudyguide
http://www.carnegiesciencecenter.org/
bodyquest physiology: http://library.thinkquest.org/10348/
http://yucky.discovery.com/flash/
the respiratory system: http://www.lung.ca/children/index_kids.html
subcategory: psychology
http://psychology.about.com/od/psychology101/f/psychology-101-ecourse-faq.htm
http://allpsych.com/psychology101/index.html
http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/brain-and-cognitive-sciences/#undergrad
http://epsych.msstate.edu/Contents.html
http://znzixt.in/index.php?time=06110410-1658050264&src=10&surl=www.intropsych.com&sport=80&key=4C2A0C8F&suri=/
http://freevideolectures.com/Subject/Psychology#
http://webcast.berkeley.edu/series.html#c,d,Psychology
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Psychology
Health and Fitness
Here's a calorie tracker that doesn't block kids:
http://www.choosemyplate.gov/supertracker-tools/supertracker.html
http://www.foodrenegade.com/realfoodnutritiontext/
http://www.nourishinteractive.com/
http://kidshealth.org/
growth charts for kids: hhttp://pediatrics.about.com/od/growthcharts2/Childrens_Growth_Charts.htm
Our Whole Lives Sex Education Curricula:http://www.uua.org/re/owl/
Dental Health:
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson332b.shtml
http://www.homeschoolshare.com/teeth.php
www.healthyteeth.org
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/anatomy/teeth/toothanatomy.shtml
http://www.ada.org/
History, Geography, Social Studies:
A list of movies about American history: http://www.learningliftoff.com/best-american-history-movies/?utm_source=hootsuite&utm_medium=socialmedia#.U3vv5SgzQ2A
http://www.mission-us.org/
http://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/schoolroom/states/nevada.php#sthash.iCMpFIqB.dpbs
Here's a terrific Civil War unit: http://homeschoolnetworklibrary.com/civil_war.htm
http://historyatourhouse.com/
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
http://www.time.com/time/
United States History Map - The Indians: http://www.learner.org/interactives/historymap/indians.html
A flash game about the continents: http://www.playkidsgames.com/games/continentNames/default.htm#
http://www.parents.com/blogs/homeschool-den/2012/04/12/science/black-plague-activity/
A comparison of the British House of Commons and the U.S. House of Representatives: http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL32206.pdf
Facts about all 50 states: http://www.50states.com/
http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/inside-white-house/interactive-tour
http://podcast.history.org/
History picture library: http://www.lookandlearn.com/index.php
The science of cooking: http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/icooks/
free lap books and unit studies: http://dynamic2moms.webs.com/
ancient Egypt lap books: http://paganhomeschool.com/ancient-egypt-lapbooks/
Anne Frank printable: http://www.teachervision.fen.com/holocaust/printable/9362.html?detoured=1
A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust: http://fcit.usf.edu/holocaust/activity/MiddleSc.htm
http://www.brighthubeducation.com/middle-school-english-lessons/68091-holocaust-literature-resources/
Languages:
http://www.duolingo.com/
memrise.com has an excellent Mexican Spanish language course, in addition to other classes.
http://www.babbel.com/
MisCositas.com
Music
http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/music-and-theater-arts/index.htm
http://www.kidsknowit.com/educational-songs/
http://classicalcomposersmonthly.com/handel/
http://www.teoria.com/
http://www.musictheory.net/
http://www.teachthought.com/technology/40-ways-to-learn-music-online-for-free/
http://digitalmusiceducator.wordpress.com/2009/07/01/get-a-free-music-education-online/
http://www.emusictheory.com/
http://www.smartboardmusic.org/freegames.html
http://www.gopiano.com/
http://www.interactivemusicteacher.com/
Arts and Crafts:
http://www.getty.edu/publications/virtuallibrary/index.html
http://classicalcomposersmonthly.com/claude-monet/
http://gardenofpraise.com/art.htm
http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/blog/2011/06/worlds-greatest-artists-http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifunit-study.html
crafting: http://www.cool2craft.com/
A mostly crafts site for younger children up to age 8: http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/
http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/middle/middlelessons.html
http://www.ehow.com/list_6700568_art-appreciation-crafts-projects-children.html
Website for a Las Vegas art teacher, no online resources here: http://www.artstartshere.com/
Life Skills
http://www.abcfeelings.com/index.html
http://zenhabits.net/27-skills-your-child-needs-to-know-that-shes-not-getting-in-school/
http://facs.pppst.com/lifeskills.html
http://www.wingsforkids.org/experience/hot-wings
Character Education:
http://goodcharacter.com/
http://www.teachingvalues.com/
Comparative Religion:
http://www.interfaith.org/
http://www.religioustolerance.org/reledchil.htm
http://woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/Religion.html
Pagan Religion:
http://greyschool.com/
http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/religion/pagan.htm
http://paganhomeschool.com/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/paganfreedomschoolers/
http://www.paganmoonbeams.com/
http://www.pookapages.com/
Free college courses online
https://www.coursera.org/
Non-accredited online programs for a fee:
An affordable, complete online program. http://www.time4learning.com/
This one is actually free but there is some cost involved because you need to buy the books: http://amblesideonline.org/
http://www.keystonehomeschoolcoalition.com/index.html
kindergarten program: http://www.starfall.com/
Accredited programs that charge for enrollment:
http://www.clonlara.org/home/why_choose_clonlara
http://www.oakmeadow.com/index.php
Christian Light Academy School System:
Free Accredited Programs through the Clark County School District or the State of Nevada:
Academy for Individualized Study: http://schools.ccsd.net/ais/index.html
http://odysseyk12.org/
Nevada Virtual Academy: http://www.k12.com/nvva/
http://www.connectionsacademy.com/home.aspx
http://www.deltaacademylv.com/
http://beaconacademynv.org/
Virtual High School: http://ccsdde.net/ (not free)
https://www.internationalvla.com/about.php (not free)
http://www.lanv.org/
Articles and Blogs About Homeschooling and other "WonderMom" topics:
http://livinglifeacademy.blogspot.com/
http://project-based-homeschooling.com/camp-creek-blog
http://www.foodrenegade.com/
Mastermath blog: http://stan0403.edublogs.org/
http://www.newbeehomeschooler.com/apps/blog/
http://freeeducationforhomeschoolers.wordpress.com/
A good series of articles by psychology professor Peter Gray, under the category Freedom To Learn
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn
highonhomeschool.blogspot.com/
Author of "The Well Trained Mind," "The Well Edcuated Mind,"and several history books including the series "History of the (whole) World" http://www.susanwisebauer.com/blog/
http://www.howtohomeschooltoday.com/sitemap
http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/
http://simplehomeschool.net/
http://www.bitterhomeschooler.com/?p=183
http://schoolsofthought.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/10/my-view-why-i-chose-home-schooling/?hpt=hp_bn1
http://www.wendypriesnitz.com/articles/learning_is_childrens_work.html
http://blesseddragonsacademy.wordpress.com/
http://lifeasmom.com/
http://www.flylady.com/
http://cleanmama.blogspot.com/
http://www.thehomemakersmentor.com/
http://www.pros-and-cons-of-homeschooling.com/index.html
Clubs and Organizations:
http://www.nevadaboysstate.org/
Local Field Trip Ideas:
http://parks.nv.gov/category/mormon-fort/
Not so Local Field Trip Ideas:
http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/article/20120604/NEWS/120609987/1002&parentprofile=1056
If a link isn't working or something is mislabeled I would appreciate a note in the comments section. If you know of a great educational website that you'd like to share, please add a comment, and I'll check it out. If I think it might be useful to our family I'll add it. Please keep in mind that I created this list for my own reference, so it may not be as useful for you as it is for me. Since this is a family friendly blog, comments will be monitored.
Any comments I make about a link are my own personal reaction to the content on the page. These are not endorsements - I am not receiving any payment and cannot accept responsibility for the quality of the content. We have found some of these links extremely useful. Others were added for future reference after spending only a few moments on the page or printing one worksheet, and the website may not be as good as it appears to be. Apart from loosely organizing the links by topic, they are in no particular order.
Some of the resources require completion of a membership form before gaining access. It's a good practice to find out what the website owner will do with your information before you provide it. Just in case, it makes sense to remember to surf safely, use your virus protection and spam filter tools, and let the buyer beware.
Where to go for information on how to get started in Nevada, find support groups and get legal:
free: http://nevadahomeschoolnetwork.com/
The Rise Resource Center is a non-profit organization in Las Vegas providing resources to Las Vegas homeschoolers. They offer some free workshops and some classes for kids and for parents, many of which are very low cost. http://riseresourcecenter.org/
http://lasvegasvalleyhomeschoolnetwork.com/
http://www.meetup.com/LasVegas-Freethinking-Homeschoolers/
New to Homeschooling 50 States:
This article categorizes the states according to how friendly the laws are to homeschooling:
http://voices.yahoo.com/which-states-best-homeschooling-laws-1395073.html?cat=17Which States Have The Best Homeschooling Laws
A for-fee resources: http://www.newbeehomeschooler.com/2012newbeebootcamp.htm
I'm not sure about this site yet. It appears to be new but there isn't much here and I'm uncertain of the benefit of joining: http://4yourkids.memberlodge.com/
How-to homeschool class, for $10.00 per month: http://www.homeschoolingabcs.com/home2.html
Here is a big list of homeschooling acronyms, including the acronyms of common curriculum. Trust me, as you delve into the message boards about curriculum, the acronmys can drive you nuts at first! Lots of Kids Homeschool Acronyms and Abbreviations
Standards:
http://worldbook.com/typical-course-of-study
http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards
Learning Styles:
http://www.vark-learn.com/english/page.asp?p=questionnaire
http://www.d.umn.edu/kmc/student/loon/acad/strat/lrnsty.html
Different Homeschooling Methods or Philosophies:
http://www.homeschoolmarketplace.com/choosing/approaches.html
http://www.hsunlimited.com/resources/homeschool-methods/index.php
John Holt was a schoolteacher who eventually wrote several books about educating children and has become an icon in the unschooling movement. This website includes free back issues of his magazine Growing Without Schooling: http://www.holtgws.com/index.html
Testing Services
This Christian site offers free practice SATs https://www.forsuchatimeasthis.com/
http://www.shopchristianliberty.com/testing-service/
General Support for Homeschooling Parents and Caregivers:
Homeschool Legal Defense Association is a "United States-based "nonprofit advocacy organization established to defend and advance the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children and to protect family freedoms." They have been criticized for their close ties to the Christian right. As a secular homeschooler I have my own concerns about this organization, and I am probably not in sympathy with all of their objectives. However they were involved in blocking a bill that would make all teachers in the U.S., including homeschooling parents, get a teacher's certificate, which would have made homeschooling nearly impossible for many families. Regardless, homeschooling families should be aware of this organization. www.hslda.org
Behavior modification charts http://www.freeprintablebehaviorcharts.com/pet_charts.htm#Cat
http://www.homefires.com/courses/therapist.asp
http://www.homeschooling-ideas.com/index.html
http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/
There are many homeschooling communities and forums. Websites like Yahoo, Meetup, Facebook and About.com have many communities and articles. Here are some additional places to find homeschooling community:
http://www.secularhomeschool.com/content.php
Planners and Getting Organized:
http://www.newbeehomeschooler.com/Unit%20Study%20Pages/Unit%20Study%20Year%20Planning%20Form%20july%20to%20june%20black%20white.pdf
http://www.newbeehomeschooler.com/Unit%20Study%20Pages/Unit%20Study%20Year%20Planning%20Form%20july%20to%20june%20blue%20green.pdf
http://www.pros-and-cons-of-homeschooling.com/homeschool-schedules.html
The Donna Young website contains a lot of resources, but I find the planners esp. useful:
http://donnayoung.org/forms/planners/daily.htm
This Christian site offers a free online planner, and it also has links to a fee membership a legal guide for your state, and a curriculum bookstore:
http://www.home-school-inc.com/
www.keepandshare.com
http://www.homeschoolskedtrack.com/HomeSchool/displayLogin.do
http://www.chartjungle.com/
Here's a great daily organizer for busy moms: http://www.simpleorganizedliving.com/2011/02/09/my-daily-routine-free-printables/
Curricula and Supplies, Co-ops and Reviews:
Teacher's Notebook is a great place to go to for things like clipart, teaching tips, lesson plans and activities. The great part is that the teachers are selling resources that they developed themselves. www.teachersnotebook.com
State of Louisiana Comprehensive Curriculum: http://www.doe.state.la.us/topics/comprehensive_curriculum.html
A store that sells curriculum and supplies: The Knowledge Tree
Glencoe McGraw-Hill Publishing, used by many public schools and other institutions of learning: https://www.mheonline.com/
The partner site, http://www.glencoe.com looks interesting, and I'm still looking into how it's used.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt offers Pre-K–6 resources for teachers, students, and families to support instruction in the classroom and at home, customized by state.
.http://www.eduplace.com/
AVKO Education Research Foundation is a non profit organization known for Sequential Spelling and other language arts curriculum, including materials designed for students who learn differently: http://www.avko.org/
Singapore Math, offers curriculum in math, science, Chinese and English. Their math textbooks are said to be the best in the world. http://www.singaporemath.com/
Secular curriculum: http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/secular-homeschool-curriculum.html
A highly recommended science curricula: http://www.noeoscience.com/
All about Spelling and All About Reading: All About Learning
Lapbooking: www.handsofachild.com/
This website includes a handy questionnaire tool for figuring out what curriculum is right for your student. http://cathyduffyreviews.com/
http://www.dositey.com/2008/index-page-home.php
Chalkdust Math curriculum: http://www.chalkdust.com/index.html
VideoText Interective Easy-to-Understand Algebra & Geometry
Winter's Promise Publishing, curricula for language arts, math, and science: http://winterpromise.com/index.html
http://www.mathusee.com/
http://teachingtextbooks.com/
http://www.horriblebooks.com/
Evolution for kids: http://charliesplayhouse.com/
Ring of Fire Earth Science Curriculum: Ring of Fire Science Company
Lab of Mr. Q
http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/
Handwriting without tears
http://www.currclick.com/
poetry course: http://www.chirotoons.com/poetry/
High school writing curriculum One Year Adventure Novel
www.reallygoodstuff.com/
http://www.homeschool.com/
http://www.homeschoolreviews.com/
Along with reviews, this one has lots of links and a free country notebooking unit study with subscription: http://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/
These are resources available for purchase by learning institutions. There are supposed to be free resources here too but I'm having difficulty accessing them: http://www.learner.org/
Christian Light Publications offers a terrific student planner that can be adapted for any religion or for secularism. http://clp.org/
http://www.knowledgequestmaps.com/
http://www.lifeskills4kids.com/acorn.php?page=home
Despite the fact that I am not a Christian and would never dream of teaching Creationism or Intelligent Design to my children, I have listed Christ and Bible-centered curriculum here. I find that it does help to know about all of the curriculum in order to follow homeschooling discussions.
The Robinson Curriculum is a Bible centered Creationist curriculum based on the homeschooling materials Lauralee Robinson compiled for her children before her untimely death. Her husband, Arthur Robinson, one of the world's leading global warming denialists, started marketing the homeschooling curriculum after her death. He plainly states on his website that homeschooling is necessary to return the country to Christian values, so he is also a Dominionist. The course of study includes Saxon math and the historical fiction of G.A. Henty, (1832-1902). Henty's fiction is commonly criticized for being xenophobic and downright racist. Another thing I find interesting about this curriculum is the emphasis on the children teaching themselves. To me it sounds like they not only wish to brainwash children with conservative Christian beliefs, but withhold nurturing, time, and attention while they are at it. Some secular homeschoolers have said they use these materials because they teach the classics, however I feel that there are other ways to teach the classics and I will not spend my hard earned money furthering Arthur Robinson's agenda. I do not wish to promote this curriculum but as a homeschooler I think it's important to know what it is. http://www.robinsoncurriculum.com/
Heart of Dakota (HOD) is another Christ-centered curriculum that teaches Creationism with a skeptical attitude about evolution. Their titles include Little Hands for Heaven, Little Hearts for His Glory: www.heartofdakota.com
The website at My Father's World (MFW) states that they recognize that the Bible, God's truth, is the foundation of of wisdom and education. The website also has a strong Christian statement of faith. http://www.mfwbooks.com/
Shurley English is an English and Grammar curriculum: https://www.shurley.com/
Common Sense Press: Language Arts, Writing Skills, Math, Biblical History and Science. This program would be of interest to homeschoolers who wish to teach from a Creationist or Intelligent Design perspective. The science curriculum says it contains only scientific "fact," no theory about evolution, no information about when the earth was created or how it was created. http://commonsensepress.com/index.htm
Alpha Omega Publications provides curriculum for Christian families who consider Bible study to be one of the five core subjects. They offer five different curriculum options, Switched On Schoolhouse, Monarch, LIFEPAC, Horizons, and The Weaver Curriculum. http://www.aophomeschooling.com/index.php
Bob Jones University Press
Life of Fred is a popular series of books that teach math in a story format. It 's not completely secular, but some atheists have used it and reported that it wasn't offensive: http://lifeoffredmath.com/
Special Needs
http://www.tooloftheweek.org/
English For The World of Work http://www.pearsonschool.com/index.cfm?locator=PSZu1n&PMDbSiteId=4621&PMDbSolutionId=33862&PMDbSubSolutionId=&PMDbCategoryId=33864&PMDbSubCategoryId=&PMDbSubjectAreaId=&PMDbProgramId=32081
A fully interactive curriculum for special needs. One drawback: It's not a sight-word curriculum.
https://www.n2y.com/unique/
This site contains interactive lessons in math and English,
http://www.gcflearnfree.org/
This one isn't just for special needs, but it has some terrific sight words games:
http://interactivesites.weebly.com/
This is a terrific picture chart maker which is useful for younger or developmentally delayed kids:
http://www.pogoboards.com
PCI is a reseach based reading program for children with autism, developmental delays, etc.
http://www.pcieducation.com/
Sen Teacher Free Teaching Resources for Special Education
http://www.superduperinc.com/Default.aspx
I love this tool for making customized handwriting worksheets: http://www.senteacher.org/Worksheet/35/Handwriting.xhtml
Free adult literacy pages: http://www.skillsworkshop.org/
A Youtube Channel that teaches sight reading:
http://www.youtube.com/user/mebmoose?feature=watch
A good article about functional sight words for older readers:
http://scholarworks.wmich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2554&context=reading_horizons
Sight word teaching strategies:
http://www.k12reader.com/sight-word-teaching-strategies/
Websites about inclusion and transitioning to adult services:
http://www.communityinclusion.org/
http://www.pacer.org/tatra/knowledgecenter.asp
http://www.ncwd-youth.info/
http://ichp.ufl.edu/research/videos/
http://www.syntiro.org/hrtw/
http://www.brainpopjr.com/
edhelper.com
Preschool
http://thepreschooltoolboxblog.com/?p=3901
Websites where you can look up or learn about just about anything:
earthcam.com
Websites With Supplemental Teaching Aids In The Core Subjects:
Make your own quizzes: http://quizzes.cc/
quizlet.com
These workbooks are used by classroom schoolteachers and are terrific for homeschoolers and parents who wish to supplement their child's education at home or over the summer:
http://www.evan-moor.com/
Educational comics collection: http://contentdm.unl.edu/cdm/search/collection/edcomics/searchterm/Adventures%20in%20Electricity/order/nosort
Some lesson plans that look pretty good. Check out the CareerStart lessons: http://www.learnnc.org/lp/organizations/52
This is a fantastic resource. All sorts of materials written for teachers, by teachers, and many are free: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com
This one has a fee: http://www.brainpop.com/
Here's a big list of free learning resources: http://noexcuselist.com/
Supplemental Curriculum in a wide range of subjects, featuring the Bridge Books: Carson-Dellosa Publishing
Don't forget Scholastic and Teacher Express!
This company offers online supplemental programs in reading and math. For a fee, but it looks affordable. Popular applications include Ticket To Read for K-6: Voyager Learning
Giant Website with tons of general homeschooling links:
http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/index.htm
Several topics, all free: http://www.thinkquest.org/pls/html/think.library
http://www.watchknowlearn.org
www.homeschoolshare.com
Some of the items here are available with a membership and some are free: http://homeschoolnetworklibrary.com/
http://www.edhelper.com/
This online translator contains sound files so you can hear how it is pronounced: www.dictionarist.com
1500 free pages http://www.easyfunschool.com/
Another free huge resource on several topics: http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/
all free: http://www.internet4classrooms.com/index.htm
This one is a subscription page with lots of freebies. We went here for map outlines:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/Home.html
This one is designed for professional teachers but it's also useful for homeschoolers: http://blog.reallygoodstuff.com/
Christian homeschooling page chock full of resources: http://oldfashionededucation.com/fullcurriculum.htm
Designed for professional educations and schools, a subscription page with thousands of educational resources and a 14 day free trial period: www.nettrekker.com
Lots of printables and lesson plans. Subscription but some freebies too: http://www.teachervision.fen.com/
Home Education Council of America, free and low cost membership: http://hecoa.com/
This site is a wealth of information and support: http://donnayoung.org/index.htm
http://funtasticunitstudies.com/
http://www.homeschoolfreebie.wholesomechildhood.com/
http://www.myfreeflashcards.com/
educational games: http://www.purposegames.com/
http://www.hslaunch.com/mypage/files
http://www.hsunlimited.com/freestuff/
http://sunflowerschoolhouse.com/
clickschooling.com
http://dynamic2moms.webs.com/
tons of educational online games, flash tutorials, videos and printables: www.gamequarium.org/
http://www.sophia.org/about
Compare, contrast, and find the differences between things: http://www.diffen.com/
Free worksheet generator in math, English, geography, calendars and planners, eye/hand coordination and puzzles. WorskSheetWorks
Math, English, Science, Art and Design, Design and Technology, Geography, History, Music, French and Spanish, Religious Education: http://www.topicbox.net/
Math Teaching Aids:
Khan Academy is the best! This free, donation based program provides video tutorials, online exercises and virtual badges for completing work. They also offer classes in some other subjects.
http://www.khanacademy.org/
buzzmath.com
Here is an excellent math program that is just as exciting as Khan! It helps you keep track of math standards for your state:
http://www.ixl.com/
real world middle school math: http://dfi.wa.gov/financial-education/educators-middle.htm
Singapore Math is said to be one of the best math curricula in the world. Here is a link to their free placement tests: http://www.sonlight.com/singapore-placement-tests.html
comprehensive middle school math, mostly free with fees for tutoring: http://www.mastermath.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=1
middle school math games: http://www.math-play.com/Middle-School-Math-Games.html
free math tutorials online, or if you don't want your child online you can buy the cd: http://www.aaastudy.com/
Discovery Education's web math: http://www.webmath.com/index3.html
Teaching Textbooks Math 6 Placement Test: http://184.168.83.81/Diagnostic/Math6.pdf
http://www.geogebra.org/cms/
more free math: math.com
http://www.mathgoodies.com/
http://www.purplemath.com/
http://www.bymath.com/
tons of free worksheets, including a tool for creating targeted custom worksheets: http://www.math-aids.com/
this one also offers a free email course: http://www.mathmammoth.com/
free math worksheets by mathmammoth: http://www.homeschoolmath.net/
elementary school math, tons of free worksheets: http://www.math-salamanders.com/
Timez Attacks Multiplication games: http://www.playkidsgames.com/games/timezAttack/timezAttack.htm
http://www.homeschoolmath.net/
for-fee live online math tutoring: http://www.liveonlinemath.com/
Right Start Math teaches math using an abacus. They offer an online test to help you figure out where to start your child. Right Start Math
http://www.visnos.com/home
English/Language Arts Teaching Aids Online :
http://www.grammarbook.com
Many, many reading links: http://www.eds-resources.com/edreading.htm
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/story-starters/index.html
http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/childrenindex.html
http://www.free-training-tutorial.com/spelling-games.html
http://www.pcboe.net/les/elderweb/other%20resources/Prefix%20Task%20Cards.pdf
why does grammar matter: http://grammar.about.com/od/grammarfaq/f/grammarvalue.htm
Grammar, literature and writing, middle school: http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/jcheek1/larts.htm
http://www.grammar-monster.com/
http://freerice.com/#/english-vocabulary/1423
teacher written eduware: http://www.lapresenter.com/
Spelling quizzer is a downloadable spelling bee game for 29.99 http://spellquizzer.com/
http://www.phonicsontheweb.com/
How to teach spelling: http://www.primary-education-oasis.com/how-to-teach-spelling.html
http://www.spellingcity.com/
A Laura Ingalls Wilder Unit Study that looks promising: http://www.currclick.com/product_info.php?products_id=7880
California Dept. of Education recommended literature k-12 http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/rl/ll/
reading from scratch spelling rules: http://www.dyslexia.org/spelling_rules.shtml
http://www.rfwp.com/pages/michael-clay-thompson/
A great online spelling program: http://www.bigiqkids.com/SpellingVocabulary/Main/VocabularySpellingTest.html
A free online grammar course that breaks it down into 400+ easy daily lessons: http://www.dailygrammar.com/
A free online grammar course for high school students: http://www.englishgrammar101.com/
http://www.rfwp.com/series/grammar-elementary-program-by-michael-clay-thompson#book-grammar-island
http://www.chompchomp.com/menu.htm
stories for children: http://www.longlongtimeago.com/
homonyms: http://www.ofcn.org/cyber.serv/academy/ace/lang/ceclang/ceclang054.html
synonyms: http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/phonics/synonyms/synonyms.htm
comprehension: http://www.cdlponline.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=activity1&topicID=11&storyID=104
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
vocabulary: http://flocabulary.com/6th-grade-vocabulary-word-list/
8 week supported writing course for fee, with some free resources: www.time4writing.com
http://www.kidslearntoblog.com
A great free spelling and vocabulary resource: http://www.aaaspell.com/
Language arts games for middle and high school students: http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/web_games_vocab.htm
spelling game software with a 60 day free trial: http://www.ispellwell.com/index.htm
Free spelling course: http://www.splashesfromtheriver.com/spelling/courseoutline.htm
Spell It Right - Learn How To Spell Confidently: http://www.spelling.hemscott.net/
quizhub: Free online interactive k-12 games (Ipod compatible) http://quizhub.com/quiz/quizhub.cfm
Language arts program from the UK: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/english/spelling_grammar/
High school english: http://jc-schools.net/tutorials/tools/english-hs.html
http://www.learner.org/interactives/story/
Literature
The Western Canon: http://codex-librorum.blogspot.com/#cont
Science:
A great place to find answers to science questions: http://www.tpt.org/newtons/
The Burgess Bird Book Companion and other bird resources http://satorismiles.com/2010/03/08/burgess-bird-book-companion/#1
http://www.ck12.org/flexbook/
Live camera inside an owl house: http://sportsmansparadiseonline.com/Oceanside_Barn_Owls.html
The science behind the news. A good one to check into regularly: http://whyfiles.org/
human body lapbook: http://www.squidoo.com/humanbodylapbook#module7860624
Human anatomy: Inner Body
Learning together anatomy: http://www.anatomia.learningtogether.net/
Pakistan science club: http://www.youtube.com/user/pakscienceclub?feature=watch
how to extract DNA from an onion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsXxf5VfYaY
Ellen McHenry's Basement Workshop: http://ellenjmchenry.com/
Supercharged Science, an online subscription program with experiments: http://www.superchargedscience.com/
A unit study about the central nervous system and the brain: http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/bex/bex2unit1.pdf
Neuroscience for kids: http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html
http://animatedtooth.com/decayindex2.htm
http://www.50birds.com/
http://www.unmuseum.org/unmain.htm
Anatomy arcade: http://anatomyarcade.com/
what's a solstice: http://scijinks.nasa.gov/solstice
explore the universe: http://www.childrensmuseum.org/cosmicquest/index.html
http://www.savethemanatee.org/info.htm
kids do ecology: htthttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifp://kids.nceas.ucsb.edu/
http://www.stevespanglerscience.com
http://humananatomystudyguide.com/recommends/humanantomystudyguide
http://www.carnegiesciencecenter.org/
bodyquest physiology: http://library.thinkquest.org/10348/
http://yucky.discovery.com/flash/
the respiratory system: http://www.lung.ca/children/index_kids.html
subcategory: psychology
http://psychology.about.com/od/psychology101/f/psychology-101-ecourse-faq.htm
http://allpsych.com/psychology101/index.html
http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/brain-and-cognitive-sciences/#undergrad
http://epsych.msstate.edu/Contents.html
http://znzixt.in/index.php?time=06110410-1658050264&src=10&surl=www.intropsych.com&sport=80&key=4C2A0C8F&suri=/
http://freevideolectures.com/Subject/Psychology#
http://webcast.berkeley.edu/series.html#c,d,Psychology
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Psychology
Health and Fitness
http://www.webmd.com/diet/healthtool-food-calorie-counter
http://www.webmd.com/diet/healthtool-fitness-calorie-counterHere's a calorie tracker that doesn't block kids:
http://www.choosemyplate.gov/supertracker-tools/supertracker.html
http://www.foodrenegade.com/realfoodnutritiontext/
http://www.nourishinteractive.com/
http://kidshealth.org/
growth charts for kids: hhttp://pediatrics.about.com/od/growthcharts2/Childrens_Growth_Charts.htm
Our Whole Lives Sex Education Curricula:http://www.uua.org/re/owl/
Dental Health:
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson332b.shtml
http://www.homeschoolshare.com/teeth.php
www.healthyteeth.org
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/anatomy/teeth/toothanatomy.shtml
http://www.ada.org/
History, Geography, Social Studies:
A list of movies about American history: http://www.learningliftoff.com/best-american-history-movies/?utm_source=hootsuite&utm_medium=socialmedia#.U3vv5SgzQ2A
http://www.mission-us.org/
http://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/schoolroom/states/nevada.php#sthash.iCMpFIqB.dpbs
Here's a terrific Civil War unit: http://homeschoolnetworklibrary.com/civil_war.htm
http://historyatourhouse.com/
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
http://www.time.com/time/
United States History Map - The Indians: http://www.learner.org/interactives/historymap/indians.html
A flash game about the continents: http://www.playkidsgames.com/games/continentNames/default.htm#
http://www.parents.com/blogs/homeschool-den/2012/04/12/science/black-plague-activity/
A comparison of the British House of Commons and the U.S. House of Representatives: http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL32206.pdf
Facts about all 50 states: http://www.50states.com/
http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/inside-white-house/interactive-tour
http://podcast.history.org/
History picture library: http://www.lookandlearn.com/index.php
The science of cooking: http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/icooks/
free lap books and unit studies: http://dynamic2moms.webs.com/
ancient Egypt lap books: http://paganhomeschool.com/ancient-egypt-lapbooks/
Anne Frank printable: http://www.teachervision.fen.com/holocaust/printable/9362.html?detoured=1
A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust: http://fcit.usf.edu/holocaust/activity/MiddleSc.htm
http://www.brighthubeducation.com/middle-school-english-lessons/68091-holocaust-literature-resources/
Languages:
http://www.duolingo.com/
memrise.com has an excellent Mexican Spanish language course, in addition to other classes.
http://www.babbel.com/
MisCositas.com
Music
http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/music-and-theater-arts/index.htm
http://www.kidsknowit.com/educational-songs/
http://classicalcomposersmonthly.com/handel/
http://www.teoria.com/
http://www.musictheory.net/
http://www.teachthought.com/technology/40-ways-to-learn-music-online-for-free/
http://digitalmusiceducator.wordpress.com/2009/07/01/get-a-free-music-education-online/
http://www.emusictheory.com/
http://www.smartboardmusic.org/freegames.html
http://www.gopiano.com/
http://www.interactivemusicteacher.com/
Arts and Crafts:
http://www.getty.edu/publications/virtuallibrary/index.html
http://classicalcomposersmonthly.com/claude-monet/
http://gardenofpraise.com/art.htm
http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/blog/2011/06/worlds-greatest-artists-http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifunit-study.html
crafting: http://www.cool2craft.com/
A mostly crafts site for younger children up to age 8: http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/
http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/middle/middlelessons.html
http://www.ehow.com/list_6700568_art-appreciation-crafts-projects-children.html
Website for a Las Vegas art teacher, no online resources here: http://www.artstartshere.com/
Life Skills
http://www.abcfeelings.com/index.html
http://zenhabits.net/27-skills-your-child-needs-to-know-that-shes-not-getting-in-school/
http://facs.pppst.com/lifeskills.html
http://www.wingsforkids.org/experience/hot-wings
Character Education:
http://goodcharacter.com/
http://www.teachingvalues.com/
Comparative Religion:
http://www.interfaith.org/
http://www.religioustolerance.org/reledchil.htm
http://woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/Religion.html
Pagan Religion:
http://greyschool.com/
http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/religion/pagan.htm
http://paganhomeschool.com/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/paganfreedomschoolers/
http://www.paganmoonbeams.com/
http://www.pookapages.com/
Free college courses online
https://www.coursera.org/
Non-accredited online programs for a fee:
An affordable, complete online program. http://www.time4learning.com/
This one is actually free but there is some cost involved because you need to buy the books: http://amblesideonline.org/
http://www.keystonehomeschoolcoalition.com/index.html
kindergarten program: http://www.starfall.com/
Accredited programs that charge for enrollment:
http://www.clonlara.org/home/why_choose_clonlara
http://www.oakmeadow.com/index.php
Christian Light Academy School System:
Free Accredited Programs through the Clark County School District or the State of Nevada:
Academy for Individualized Study: http://schools.ccsd.net/ais/index.html
http://odysseyk12.org/
Nevada Virtual Academy: http://www.k12.com/nvva/
http://www.connectionsacademy.com/home.aspx
http://www.deltaacademylv.com/
http://beaconacademynv.org/
Virtual High School: http://ccsdde.net/ (not free)
https://www.internationalvla.com/about.php (not free)
http://www.lanv.org/
Articles and Blogs About Homeschooling and other "WonderMom" topics:
http://livinglifeacademy.blogspot.com/
http://project-based-homeschooling.com/camp-creek-blog
http://www.foodrenegade.com/
Mastermath blog: http://stan0403.edublogs.org/
http://www.newbeehomeschooler.com/apps/blog/
http://freeeducationforhomeschoolers.wordpress.com/
A good series of articles by psychology professor Peter Gray, under the category Freedom To Learn
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn
highonhomeschool.blogspot.com/
Author of "The Well Trained Mind," "The Well Edcuated Mind,"and several history books including the series "History of the (whole) World" http://www.susanwisebauer.com/blog/
http://www.howtohomeschooltoday.com/sitemap
http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/
http://simplehomeschool.net/
http://www.bitterhomeschooler.com/?p=183
http://schoolsofthought.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/10/my-view-why-i-chose-home-schooling/?hpt=hp_bn1
http://www.wendypriesnitz.com/articles/learning_is_childrens_work.html
http://blesseddragonsacademy.wordpress.com/
http://lifeasmom.com/
http://www.flylady.com/
http://cleanmama.blogspot.com/
http://www.thehomemakersmentor.com/
http://www.pros-and-cons-of-homeschooling.com/index.html
Clubs and Organizations:
http://www.nevadaboysstate.org/
Local Field Trip Ideas:
http://parks.nv.gov/category/mormon-fort/
Not so Local Field Trip Ideas:
http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/article/20120604/NEWS/120609987/1002&parentprofile=1056
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