Homeschool Resources

The Pinnacle Library Cooperative offers a variety of homeschooling resources. A selection of more recent titles has been curated, and you can click this link to view the items in our catalog where you can read descriptions, see where they are, and place holds.

All three of our Branches have subscriptions to Practical Homeschooling magazine that you may read in the Branch, place on hold, or checkout.

Additionally, each of our Children's Services Desks have a binder called, "Homeschool Connections Resources Binder" that you may view in the Library (not available for checkout) that contain a variety of information about homeschooling resources.

All Online Resource Subscriptions White Oak Library District Offers Residents
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Educational Philosophies
John Holt GWS is a homeschooling method that's sometimes referred to as unschooling, a term coined by educational pioneer John Holt. Homeschoolers who follow this style allow their children's interests to form the basis for their studies; they believe that children are curious by nature and have an innate desire to learn.

Simply Charlotte Mason’s curriculum helps you and your child grow through good habits, great books, and guided discovery.

TJEd is a leadership model, also known as Thomas Jefferson Education, that focuses on teaching students how to think as opposed to what to think. It emphasizes reading classics and discussing them with a mentor (a parent or other adult).

Waldorf schools offer a developmentally appropriate, experiential, and academically rigorous approach to education. They integrate the arts in all academic disciplines for children from preschool through twelfth grade to enhance and enrich learning. Waldorf education aims to inspire life-long learning in all students and to enable them to fully develop their unique capacities.

The Well Trained Mind is classical childhood learning that's divided into three different stages: grammar (the foundation years), logic (the middle school years), and rhetoric (the high school years). This three-part model is called the trivium.

Online Curriculums for Homeschooling
Grassroots Homeschoolers a non-denominational, non-sectarian, registered non-profit organization existing for the purpose of supporting and nurturing homeschooling families. We provide social support and practical information regarding homeschooling to supporting members of the organization and the general public who are either contemplating or actively involved in homeschooling children.

Home Educators Resource Directory This is a one-stop Directory for information, supplies, services and support for the homeschool community. Organized by local, national, global resources, local events calendars, special offers, newsletters, educational articles and homeschool support groups.

k12 is for those who want to know that their kids are meeting state standards while still enjoying an individualized approach, this site offers a complete, integrated curriculum as well as online support and assessment tools.

Leaping from the Box: Homeschooling and Unschooling Resources & Articles to assist Homeschoolers and Home Educators. Move beyond the "cookie-cutter" box mentality in your homeschooling or unschooling journey. Materials for Independent Learners including tips for using textbooks (curriculum), community resources & online information.

Living Montessori Now is run by Deb Chitwood, a certified Montessori teacher. She writes about using Montessori principles and methods in Montessori schools, traditional classrooms, homeschools, parenting, and life in general.

Moving Beyond the Page's homeschooling curriculum offers packages with a focus on critical thinking and comprehension for ages 5 through 12. It takes into account the student's strengths and learning style, and delivers project-based instruction that meets or exceeds state and national standards.

National Home Education Research Institute conducts homeschooling research, is a clearinghouse of research for the public, researchers, homeschoolers, the media, and policy makers, and educates the public concerning the findings of all related research. NHERI executes, evaluates, and disseminates studies and information (e.g., statistics, facts, data) on homeschooling (i.e., home schooling, home-based education, home education, home school, home-schooling, unschooling, deschooling, a form of alternative education), publishes reports and the peer-reviewed scholarly journal Home School Researcher, and serves in consulting, academic achievement tests, and expert witness (in courts and legislatures).

Oak Meadow's approach focuses on delivering academics for preschool through high school using imaginative, child-centered methods with a strong emphasis on the creative arts: drawing, painting, music, and handwork.

Websites for Online Learning
Khan Academy offers free online learning in a variety of subjects, including math, biology, chemistry, physics, finance, and history. There are short video clips on each subject as well as interactive exercises that allow students to practice their new skills.

Starfall is a homeschooling website that was started as a free interactive way to teach young children to read using phonics, kids can play games, watch short videos on letters and sounds, and flip through "books" of stories.

DuoLingo is a free app that can help kids learn a variety of languages, including Chinese, German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Arabic, and more.

Project Gutenberg is a library of over 60,000 free eBooks. Choose among free epub and Kindle eBooks, download them or read them online. You will find the world's great literature here, with focus on older works for which U.S. copyright has expired. Thousands of volunteers digitized and diligently proofread the eBooks, for enjoyment and education.

ClickSchooling is a publication of the Homeschool Buyers Co-op, the world’s largest buyers club for homeschooling families. Our mission is to help home educators provide the best possible education to their students. In support of that, we scour the Internet for the world’s best educational resources, and publish daily reviews on this website and in our ClickSchooling Ezine.

Time4Learning If your kids enjoy computer games, this is a good homeschooling resource. For a fee ($19.95/month for the first child in preschool-8th grade: $30/month for the first child in grades 9-12), children can access learning games to improve reading, math, science, and social studies skills.

Reading Eggs was created by a highly experienced team of elementary school teachers, writers and developers to help children become fluent and proficient readers. The multi-award winning early learning resource supports your child’s learning to read journey with carefully designed online reading games and activities that are easy to follow, self-paced, and highly engaging for young learners.

Academic Earth was launched on the premise that everyone deserves access to a world-class education. In 2009, we built the first collection of free online college courses from the world’s top universities. The world of open education has exploded since then, so today our curated lists of online courses are hand selected by our staff to show you the very best offerings by subject area. We also make sure there is something for everyone: whether you want to explore a new topic or advance in your current field, we bring the amazing world of academia to you for free.

Lesson Plans
History & Culture: Lesson Plans from The Smithsonian.

Military Kids Connect lesson plans integrate website content about military life and world cultures with key concepts in Language Arts, Math and other subjects.

Money: Practical money skills for children with special needs.

Shopping & Retail:
 40 lesson plans to create a shopping unit.

Homeschooling Blogs
Simple Homeschool contributing writers teach a variety of age groups at home, from preschoolers to high school seniors preparing for graduation. The blog provides direction and encouragement for those beginning to consider homeschooling and offers practical advice and curriculum reviews.

Special Needs Homeschooling was started by Heather Laurie 4 of her 5 children were diagnosed with autism. Her homeschooling was filled with therapy, doctor’s appointments, and behavioral issues that others just didn’t understand.

The Happy Housewife was created by Toni Anderson, a mother of seven children. She writes about diverse topics, including recipes, budgeting, curricula, and school projects.

Homeschooling Twitter Feeds & Facebook Communities
Hip Homeschool Moms connects moms (and dads), building friendships and offering practical advice for families living the homeschool lifestyle! Find them on Twitter & Facebook

The Simple School homeschool mom blogger posts about the simple ways to homeschool on her Facebook Page.

The Old Schoolhouse magazine, one of the most popular homeschooling magazines, shares inspiring stories on Facebook & Twitter

Twitter Hashtags
Search #homeschool to find all the tweets that have mentioned homeschooling on Twitter at any given moment. You can also use the hashtag #hsblogger to discover new homeschool bloggers.

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