HOUSE Member Favorite Curriculum Sites

The AIMS Education Foundation publishes materials for math and science education with a fun approach. Through attention-getting anecdotes and hands-on activities, students are exposed to a wide variety of experiences. http://www.aimsedu.org/

Blue Stocking Press publishes books for students in subject areas that are generally considered beyond them and that encourage intelligent discussion. Bluestocking Press’ founder, Jane Williams, believes younger students are very capable of acquiring knowledge in the areas of business, economics, finance, and history sooner than conventionally thought if the subjects are explained clearly. http://www.bluestockingpress.com/

The Critical Thinking Company offers books and software to develop critical thinking skills of children in preschool through grade 12.http://www.criticalthinking.com/index.jsp

Fun-Books wants to appeal to parents who understand that the traditional school model of learning is very limiting. If you're homeschooling, you don't have to stay in the school zone anymore. Don't be afraid to get out there and explore the possibilities!

http://www.fun-books.com/

Home Training Tools sells science curriculum, kits and supplies for pre-k through high school. From magnets to dissection kits, you will find what you’re looking for here.

http://www.hometrainingtools.com/

Jackdaw puts together kits with reproductions of historical documents and study guides for educators. Transcripts and translations of difficult to read documents help provide better understanding. http://www.jackdaw.com/

Rainbow Resource Center is an Illinois-based online store for homeschoolers, and offers a free catalog. It’s huge and filled with detailed review of every product. They often have better prices on homeschool materials than Amazon. http://www.rainbowresource.com

Life of Fred at Polka Dot Publishing offers a refreshingly fun approach to math, in textbooks, beginning with fractions and going through algebra. It’s worth checking out for the offbeat sensibility but sound math. 

http://www.stanleyschmidt.com/FredGauss/index2.html

Handwriting Without Tears offers a simpler approach to handwriting.  Program begins with preschool through fifth grade and uses manipulatives, music and fun.  This handwriting style does not use as many serifs or flourishes, which can make it easier.  Upper level has handbooks for improving print or cursive. http://www.hwtears.com/  

HOUSE Member Favorite Homeschool Authors

The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to a Classical Education at Home by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer (books, curriculum etc..) http://www.welltrainedmind.com/

The Homeschooling Book of Answers, Homeschooling for Excellence and What about College?by Linda Dobson. The author also has a website for social networking and advice, Linda Dobson’s Homeschool Crone Café where the wisdom of experience is passed to today’s homeschooling families. http://homeschoolcronescafe.ning.com/

John Holt and John Taylor Gotto are two must read authors for parents who homeschool because they don’t believe traditional school works.

John Holt suggested reading How Children Learn http://www.holtgws.com/johnholtpage.html

John Taylor Gotto

http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/

Core Knowledge products ofE.D. Hirsch author of the What Your XXX Grader Needs to Know series. http://coreknowledge.org/CK/about/index.htm

Rebecca Rupp, Ph.D., has homeschooled her three sons for more than 10 years and has written The Complete Home Learning Sourcebook, Getting Started on Home Learning, Committed to Memory: How We Remember and Why We Forget and Home Learning Year by Year.

HOUSE Member Favorite Websites

Arcademia Games: Interactive, flash-based math and language arts game.  You can play kids all over the country.  The site is great for timed math games.

http://www.arcademicskillbuilders.com/

Living Math This site is a different approach to math using history, science and literature to approach math. http://livingmath.net/

Colonial Williamsburg’s http://www.history.org.  Visiting is best, but if you can’t the site has a wealth of information about colonial times.  Lots of games, online interactive exhibits and actual documents to explore.  Colonial Williamsburg has virtual field trips once a month, which are videos and live streaming video of experts answering kids’ questions.  Homeschoolers can get a discount on these via http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org

VegSource This site includes active homeschool discussion boards and classifieds.

http://www.vegsource.com/homeschool/

Kathy Schrock’s Guide for Educators A well-organized site for science links.

http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/sci-tech/scigs.html

SpellingCity This site provides a fun online spelling program. Imagine yourself playing spelling games online the day before your spelling test.

http://www.spellingcity.com/

ClickSchooling brings you daily recommendations by email for entertaining websites that help your kids learn. The site has a searchable collection of previous site recommendations. http://clickschooling.com/

Homeschool Freebie of the Day M-F, they post a new homeschooling “freebie”. Freebies like: Unit Studies, Ebooks, Audio Programs, Games, Samples, Lesson Plans, and Classic Books etc...http://www.homeschoolfreebie.wholesomechildhood.com/

The Learning Network, the educational blog, from the New York Times provides for free lesson and activity ideas, quizzes and games, vocabulary builders, discussion questions for students all based on the current events content of the newspaper.

http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/

Illinois Homeschool Freedom Watch is a blog for notification of political and governmental issues impacting Illinois homeschoolers.

http://ilhomeschool.wordpress.com/

Illinois State Broad of Education’s webpage regarding homeschooling.

http://www.isbe.state.il.us/homeschool/default.htm

Everything Homeschooling is a site that provides free materials as well as a comparatively inexpensive subscription service that provides an online learning site with weekly lessons, hands-on projects, writing ideas, unit studies, weekly challenges, reading suggestions as well as many planning materials.

http://www.everythinghomeschooling.com/default.aspx

National Geographic Kids provides: Information about animals, people and places, Games, Videos, Stories, Activities and Photos. http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/

HOUSE Member Favorite Articles

Why Homeschool?  An interesting article from 2010 on the Utah Home Education Association site that collects the latest research on why homeschooling is a good idea. http://www.uhea.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=19&Itemid=1

How Spelling Supports Reading by Louisa Moats. Provides information on why spelling is important and takes spelling instruction beyond memorizing lists.

http://www.ldonline.org/article/How_Spelling_Supports_Reading

Better Test Performance the Navy SEALs Way. Useful non-traditional test preparation advice.

http://studyprof.com/blog/2008/11/25/better-test-performance-the-navy-seals-way/