Homeschool Links
Please send me a FREE copy of You can homeschool!
(Provided through HSLDA)
New to Homeschooling? Start here!
http://www.youcanhomeschool.org/starthere/default.asp
Home School Legal Defense Association "The Home School Legal Defense Association is a non-profit advocacy organization established to defend and advance the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children and to protect family freedoms." The site has many valuable resources, from local homeschooling laws to studies and statistics on homeschooling families.
Homeschooling and the Internet... a great educational resource!
I (Heidi) have long been a fan of great websites to choose crafts, different worksheets, research, puzzles, etc. My favorite for several years has been Enchanted Learning.com so I was excited to see it at the top of this list. I also love EdHelper. These sites are excellent resources for you, but they are not free. A year subscription will cost you approximately $20.00, but if you use it as often as we do it will be worth the fee.
The websites listed below represent some of the best educational sites on the Internet today. You’ll find websites with: online quizzes, printable worksheets, free online books, online spanish lessons and reading lessons, online games for extra practice with math facts, state capitals, etc. science lessons you listen to online, and free online lessons and lesson plans for every subject.
Homeschool Discounts
Many companies offer a discount to educators, including homeschoolers, with some form of proof that you are an educator. If your state requires a Notice of Intent to Homeschool, or an application to homeschool, you can often use these as adequate proof of homeschooling. For stores that require something different, the reply from your school district, letterhead from your umbrella school, or an identification card from a homeschooling support group are other options. For specific requirements, please ask the individual retailers what they require.*
Below is a list of some companies that offer discounts to homeschoolers. I have linked to the website if one exists, but that does not necessarily mean that the website honors the discount. Most of the sites have a "store locator" where you can find a brick and mortar store near you.
Companies offering discounts to homeschoolers:
- SprySoft - online computer software company that offers homeschoolers academic versions of popular software (also includes free ground shipping on all web orders; for more information on academic versions of software, select "Homeschool" when it asks for your school's location)
- Henne's Drafting & Art Supply - up to 25% discount extended to educators including homeschoolers
- Borders bookstores - 20% discount; apply in store
- Staples office supply store - call 1-888-636-9555 for information on their Teacher Rewards Program
- Barnes and Noble bookstore - Educator's Discount Card available in stores only, 20% discount, must show copy of letter of intent to apply for the discount card.
- Joann Crafts - 10% in-store discount; apply in store and get a 25% discount on your entire purchase the day that you apply
Many museums offer a special membership to educators, so it is always worth it to ask.*If you wish to know whether a store offers a discount, one way to approach the subject is to ask if that store offers a discount to educators. If the answer is yes, you could persue whether the discount is extended to homeschoolers as well. If it is not, it is always a good idea to ask in a friendly manner if they have considered extending their educator discount to homeschoolers and give them some stats on the large numbers of local homeschoolers in your area. Often a retailer may not have considered the idea. If one of their competitors does offer such a discount, few retailers want to watch business walk away because they will not meet a competitor's offer.
Free Forms For Home Schools
No matter what type of homeschooling you do, (Charlotte Mason, Classical Education, Deschooling, Eclectic Relaxed, Mixed Curriculum, Home Made, and Individualized, Literature based, The Moore's, Montessori, Principal Approach, Religion Based, Traditional, School-at-Home, Boxed Curriculum, Unit Studies, Unschooling, Natural Learning Method, Virtual Schooling, Waldorf, After Schooling or Summer Schooling) there's something here for you.
- logs
- menu planning guides
- report cards
- planners
- goal sheets
- transcripts
- letters
- and more!
Have any favorite websites you'd like to see listed here?
Email the Webmaster and let us know!
Did you know?
Today an estimated 1.6–2.0 million children are being taught at home by their parents.Brian Ray, Worldwide Guide to Homeschooling, Broadman & Holman, 2002, p.7.
On average, homeschool students in grades 1-4 perform one grade level higher than their public and private school counterparts.
Lawrence Rudner, Scholastic Achievement and Demographic Characteristics of Home School Students in 1998,
Education Policy Analysis Archives, http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v7n8/.
Homeschooling Legalities
You can find out what the law is regarding homeschooling in your state by visiting HSLDA's website. Simply follow this link and click on the state you live in.