Resources for Homeschooling
There are many reasons parents choose to homeschool their children, and the population of learners being taught at home is growing in no small part due to the pandemic. According to the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI), the demographics of homeschoolers span religions, ethnicities, and nationalities. The NHERI estimates more than 9 million Americans have experienced being homeschooled as of February 2020.
They cite the reasons parents choose to homeschool as varied including to customize curriculum and learning environments, accomplish more academically, enhance family relationships, provide a safer environment, protect children from racism, and to accommodate special needs or preferential learning styles among others.
These days, curriculum and support resources abound, as do social groups your family to connect with where you live for additional support and socialization. Below are many links that will guide you to these useful resources. Additionally, the opportunity to have Early College High School curriculum available to families is expanding. Western Governors University is launching its Early College High School program in 2022, and will be expanding it quickly on the road ahead. With ECHS, students completing their high school diploma can also earn and accrue college credit. It is not unusual to see a well-organized ECHS program granting students an associate degree at the same time the students are earning their high school diplomas. Check back for more on that work, but in the meantime, please explore these open and free resources that follow below to help you make the most of your curriculum, your home classroom, and your student鈥檚 academic progress while you homeschool.
Getting Started with Homeschooling
There are many myths about homeschooling. Learn the facts with this fascinating fact sheet.
Legal requirements for homeschooling vary from state to state. This resource helps you access your state education agencies.
Use this resource to connect with other homeschool groups near you, find field trips, and take part in local classes.
Selecting your Model and Curriculum
Homeschooling, by its very nature, is not a one size fits all. There are many methods of homeschooling, and you'll want to start by exploring these to find the right fit for your family. This article explores the seven primary methods of homeschooling, from classical to Montessori, Charlotte Mason to Unit Studies and more.
This award-winning collection of resources provides you an extensive list from which to choose your curriculum, complete with links to access what you need.
Additionally, free 'printables' or study sheets are available across the Internet, though you may have to navigate many ads to find the resources you wish to download.
This site lets you pick the words that are used to build an interactive spelling game on the fly. Check out the fun.
This article from K12 Learning Liftoff connects you with their top ten apps you can use to help you get and stay organized.
Scheduling and Organization
Practical advice to help you get your home classroom organized.
If you are thinking of homeschooling, you鈥檒l find a lot of resources from others on Pinterest. This link takes to you a look at how several homeschool moms organize and schedule their days.
This author is a homeschool evaluator, and has also homeschooled for 19 years at the time of writing this article. This article offers up a variety of schedules and links to lots of useful resources!
Homeschooling for Children with Special Needs
This post from homeschool.com shares tried and tested curriculums for students with special needs.
A U.S. Department of Education resource that takes a deep dive into writing, implementing, reviewing and revising the IEP.
This article helps you understand how you can draft a Student Education Plan for your homeschooled student with special education needs.
The following links provide resources and advice for homeschooling children diagnosed with dyslexia.
This article from Time4Learning is rich in resources to help you homeschool your child, whether you have just discovered or had it as a driver to homeschool. Get help with Reading, Math, Grammar and much more.聽
This post from LearningAbledKids offers up vetted curriculum choices for children with learning challenges. It also reminds us that many times, these children possess extraordinary gifts as well.
And speaking of gifts, this article gives you nudges to help you find your child鈥檚 superpower, from honesty or humility to love or leadership.聽
