The best homeschooling information
from the friendliest folks in the Rocky Mountain region!


Curriculum & More


Home education has many advantages. One of the best is having so many choices in the learning materials we can use! Some families employ just a textbook or two, while others use an entire packaged curriculum with all the bells and whistles. Others find that unit studies or delight-driven unschooling fits them best. Still others take ideas from all over and design their own eclectic curriculums. Home learning is as individual as each family using it.


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Starting Points
ClickSchooling
Get one, fun, educational website recommendation a day! Monday-Math. Tuesday-Science. Wednesday-Language Arts. Thursday-History Social Studies. Friday Virtual Field Trips. Weekends are for Electives -- Art, Music, Foreign Languages. A Yahoo list sponsored by Homefires and moderated to maintain integrity.

Home Learning Year by Year
How to design a homeschool curriculum from preschool through high school.

Scope and Sequence:
A Typical Course of Study for Grades K-12 from World Book that closely approximates what's being taught in public schools. It's a handy 'shopping list' of core subjects.

The Well-Trained Mind
A guide to Classical Education at home.



Distance Education
Time4Learning
An activity-filled online program for pre-K - 8. Subject area include Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies. They also have a detailed scope and sequence for each grade level so you'll know exactly what your child will be learning.


Putting Together Your Own Curriculum

Art
All About Art
Learn about famous artists, the different styles of art, and view the works currently on display at a variety of museums.

Awesome Games
Online art and games. Have the kids create their own bookmark or doorknob sign, solve 10 different categories of Word Search, play an animal-footprint detective, or assemble puzzles of continents. Oh yeah, and maybe take up French while they're there, too. And, watch out for that leaf!

Clip Art
Boy, if you ever need clip for any project, this is the place. Print these for drawing lessons or discover something new - like the Braille alphabet!

You Draw
In September 1999 world population reached 6 billion... What is 6 billion? It's such a big number no one can really imagine what it represents.
This unusual online exhibition encourages you to draw with your mouse, make an e-card, submit your artistry, and maybe get 15 minutes of fame. (Requires Java.)


History
A History of US
Covering US History from pre-colonial times to the end of the cold war, this is an easy and engaging read on American History out there. A 1999 Parents' Choice Silver Honor Winner.

The Way Back Machine
Do you remember something on the internet that doesn't exist anymore? Life Magazine? Old Compuserve files? A band that no longer exists? Sites dedicated to the Baby Jessica tragedy? If it was was once in cyberspace, but has since gone the way of glam-rock and computers the size of your living room, it's on Way Back. If you're not sure how to teach history, this is a really fun way to ease into it. Even just browsing around brings up some amazing things you never knew.

Kidlet Warning: This site is not rated G.

The Moonlit Road
Moonlit Road has ghost stories and strange folktales of the American South that you can read or listen to online. Follow the "cultural background" links in each story to find out more about where each one originated. A little spooky, but fun!


Language Arts (English, Grammar, Spelling)
The Pagosa Springs' Daily Post in southwest Colorado is an online magazine viewed by 20,000 visitors every month. The Post is open to receiving writings from homeschoolers of all ages. It could be a photo essay, a write up about local events, life as a homeshooling student, or even creative stories. Visit their site to submit your ideas.

Story Time Felts
Fun felt products for kids! Includes fairy tales, nursery rhymes, math, and science. Fun for practicing Language Arts with children up to age 12.

Math
Book of Think: Or How to Solve a Problem Twice Your Size
Abstract math problem solving and logic activities for kids aged 9 and up. Younger math whizzes may like this too.

I Hate Mathematics!
Boy, me too! After many tries. this ended up being the math book we used from grade school right up to college. Filled with fun facts, laugh-inducing games and silly actvities to teach math without giving mom a headache.

The HomeSchool Mom's Math Page
From games to worksheets, for your littlest to your senior in high school, there's something for everyone here.

Saxon Math
One of the most popular homeschool math curriculums, covering 1st grade through Calculus. Includes worksheets and answer keys. Teacher's manuals also available.

Science
Bad Astronomy
A huge library of myths and common misconceptions.

Make a Comet and Other Astronomy Craft Projects
What exactly is a star, a comet, a nebula? How do telescopes work? Download 12 free & fun projects. Click on Educational Outreach.

Nasa Quest
Web-based, interactive explorations designed to engage students in authentic scientific and engineering processes. The solutions relate to issues encountered daily by NASA personnel.

Steve Spangler Science Experiments
A hands-on library of Steve's most requested science experiments, recipes and cool science projects from his weekly television appearances and live presentations throughout the country. Lots of nifty goodies and gadgets to order for home use, too.

Try Science
A variety of science experiments to do at home, along with science competitions to enter.