GETTING STARTED HOMESCHOOLING

"When we started homeschooling, I felt as though I had tucked a child under each arm
and jumped off a cliff. Imagine my surprise to discover we have wings." ~Maura Seger

FPEA

Florida Parent Educators Association (FPEA)
Check here to find all the basic information you need to know about homeschooling in Florida, including contact information for groups in District 11 and what is expected of you by the law.

FPEA Starting Point Guide

Lee County School Board - Home Educator Contact
Ms. Roberta Henderson
Home School Educator
Department of Student Welfare & Assignment
The School District of Lee County
2855 Colonial Blvd.
Ft. Myers, FL  33966-1021
(239) 337-8259

Beginning Homeschooling:

http://eho.org/default.asp - Eclectic Homeschool Organization website. A great place to get started.


Homeschooling in Florida:

http://eho.org/support/state.asp?stateid=9 - statewide homeschool support organizations.

Learning is 4 Everyone:

http://www.learningis4everyone.org -- Learning is For Everyone, an education resource organization empowering families and learners with information and networking opportunities encompassing all aspects of education.

Curriculum Choices recommended by some of our members:

www.flvs.org - Florida Virtual School (FLVS) is an established leader in developing and providing virtual K-12 education solutions to students all over Florida, the U.S. and the world. A nationally recognized e-Learning model and recipient of numerous awards, FLVS was founded in 1997 and was the country’s first, state-wide Internet-based public high school. Today, FLVS serves students in grades K-12 and provides a variety of custom solutions for schools and districts to meet student needs.

http://www.time4learning.com/ - online, interactive curriculum for PreK - 8th

http://www.khanacademy.org/ - The Khan Academy is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) with the mission of providing a world-class education to anyone, anywhere. Despite being the work of one man, Salman Khan, this 1600+ video library is the most-used educational video resource as measured by YouTube video views per day and unique users per month. We are complementing this ever-growing library with user-paced exercises--developed as an open source project --allowing the Khan Academy to become the free classroom for the World.

www.abeka.com - Traditional, textbook based Christian curriculum

http://www.calvertschool.org/ - Calvert School.  For over 100 years, Calvert School has offered a homeschool curriculum for families across the world. Our curriculum is a blend of tradition and innovation. Let us help you inspire the best in your child.

www.sonlight.com - Literature and history based curriculum. Sonlight Curriculum is a Christian company specializing in literature-based homeschool curriculum programs. We provide complete curriculum packages and individual resources and materials so you can build the preschool or K-12 homeschool curriculum that best meets your family's needs. Sonlight is based in Littleton, Colorado and serves customers in over 150 countries worldwide. Possible to adapt for a more secular approach.

http://www.oakmeadow.com/ Curriculum provider. Secular. Online and printed.

www.cosmeo.com/ Requires high speed connection. Aligned to state standards. Considered a homework helper, but could be used to help define homemade curriculum or as a bridge until new curriculum is established. Fee based.

www.brainpop.com/ Online, animated videos by subject. Has handy online reviews and printable tests for your portfolio. Has general and advanced subjects and levels. Fee Based.

www.amblesideonline.org/ - A favorite FREE curriculum site

http://www.schoolofabraham.com/readinglists.htm -- Lots of Book lists

www.redshift.com/~bonajo/ -- Can't do without Paula…

www.starfall.com. Great stuff for pre-reading and early reading.

Classical

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/activeboards.php - The Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer message boards

http://www.bradenbryce.com/homeschool/ - Reviews and Quizzes for Story Of The World by Susan Wise Bauer

http://www.randomhouse.com/bantamdell/shakespeare/playhouse.html# - fun with Shakespeare


History

http://utopia.utexas.edu/project/portraits/ - A selection of portraits of historical figures from the Perry-Castañeda Library, University of Texas at Austin. The images in this collection are in the public domain. You do not need to ask for permission to use these images.

http://www.homeschoolinthewoods.com/ - excellent resource for timeline figures and more!

http://www.homeschoolinthewoods.com/HTTA/TimelineHelps/ - teaching with timelines


Homeschool Resources

http://donnayoung.org/index.htm - Printables and Resources for Homeschooling


Legal

http://www.nhen.org/leginfo/default.asp?id=241 - National Home Education Network -Legal and Legislative Information Network

http://www.flhef.org/laws2001.html#240.116 – Florida homeschool laws


Language Arts

http://www.dailygrammar.com/ - Improve your writing with free grammar lessons. By signing up for this free email service, you will receive a short, fun grammar lesson Monday-Friday. There will also be a quiz each Saturday.

http://www.bookadventure.com/ - popular reading incentive program

Math

www.rightstartmath.com - Activity and mastery based math curriculum. RightStart Mathematics uses the AL Abacus to provide a visual, auditory, and kinesthetic experience. The elementary and intermediate program lessons guide the teacher day-by-day and year-by-year, helping children understand, apply, and enjoy mathematics while surpassing state standards. Grades PreK-middle school

www.mathusee.com - Our goal is to help produce confident problem solvers who enjoy the study of math. The reason we study math is so we can apply what we learn in everyday situations. The students learn their math facts, rules, and formulas, and are able to use this knowledge in real life applications. The study of math is much more than committing a list of facts to memory. It includes memorization, but it also encompasses learning the concepts that are critical to problem solving. PreK - Calculus

www.videotext.com - VideoText Algebra and Geometry.  The main components are the “videotext” (the video lessons), and a WorkText.  However, unlike textbooks that may use a video supplement, in this case, the video lessons ARE the textbook!  With computer-generated graphics, animation, and color-sequencing, the student will actually enjoy watching the mathematics concepts develop right on the screen.

 

Music

http://www.stevenestrella.com/composers/index.html?styletimeline.html - Stylistic Timeline of Music History


Science

http://www.hometrainingtools.com/ - good place to order science tools and supplies

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/kids.shtml - hurricane preparedness for kids

http://www.wildwildweather.com/ - wild weather info. For kids


Testing

http://www.firn.edu/doe/sas/fcat/fcatsmpl.htm - Sample FCAT items for practice


Unschooling

http://home.earthlink.net/~fetteroll/rejoycing/unschooling/unschoolingphilosophy.html - Unschooling clearinghouse!