Pauline's Guide to Homeschooling in PA

Homeschooling Curriculum
ON THIS PAGE:  What To Teach:  Scope and Sequence  /  Borrowing Textbooks from the School District /  Where to Buy Curriculum:  Homeschooling Catalogs  /  Where to Buy Used Curriculum  /  Conferences, Conventions, & Curriculum Fairs  

There’s lots more homeschooling info on my site!   Check out my Homeschooling Main Page.

Homeschoolers have a lot of choices available to them.  Please take the information you find useful from these pages and ignore the rest.

This Web Page by Pauline Harding for Art Nurk, hardingpj@yahoo.com.
Please do not copy the information on this page without permission.

One of the strengths of homeschooling is that the parent gets to decide what to teach and when.  If you are new at this, you’ll soon realize that there are many different approaches and philosophies regarding home education.  New homeschoolers can be overwhelmed at the choices available.  Here are some resources I’ve found useful to help me decide what (and how) to teach my kids.  Remember, though -- a good education does not mean the same thing for each child – do what is best for your child and your family.

Homeschooling Materials, Supplies, Curricula, etc.

There are as many different approaches to homeschooling as there are homeschooling families.  Take some time to figure out what approach might work for you and your child.  There are many homeschooling books on the market, and most libraries carry a selection of them.  If one style doesn’t sound like it’s a good fit, keep looking!

As far as materials, it's not necessary to spend a lot of money.  In fact, your most valuable resource is your library card.  Nonetheless, most homeschoolers do buy some "school" stuff -- everything from a book or two to complete curriculum packages.  There are many companies providing curriculum materials and other resources to homeschoolers.  Some materials are also available at local teacher supply stores – check the Yellow Pages.  If you're starting out, though, don't spend a whole lot of money at first – many people change curriculum in their first year.  PA Home educators can borrow textbooks from their local school district. 

Some districts allow homeschooled students access to public school sports, clubs, and classes, an option that may or may not be the right choice for you.  (In many cases, similar opportunities are available in the homeschool community.)  To learn more, see my page on Homeschoolers in the Public Schools - Sports, Clubs, & Classes - Why & How

What To Teach:  Scope and Sequence

“Scope and Sequence” means what you are going to teach and when.  Some homeschoolers use a packaged curriculum, like Calvert, Sonlight, or Abeka, which tells you exactly what to teach at each grade level.  Others prefer to put together their own plan each year, taking into account their child’s interests, strengths, and needs, combined with opportunities such as family travel, local classes for homeschoolers, and so on.  If you lean towards creating your own curriculum, it can help to get familiar with a typical scope-and-sequence.  No need to follow one slavishly, rather, you can look to these resources to get ideas.  For example, you can get ideas for science “unit studies”, or see what math skills you can integrate into daily life, or find literature topics to discuss while reading aloud.  Again - these resources should be used as suggestions – not directives set in stone.

Ø       Typical Course of Study, (from World Book) – a good place to start, as this list is not as detailed (and not as overwhelming) as the Virginia SOL’s.

Ø       Virginia Standards of Learning – I like to use these standards to get a sense of what public school kids are being taught.  They are especially useful for math and science scope-and-sequence and overall approach.  If you are a relaxed homeschoolers, it can also be helpful to see what standards your children are covering through play and daily life.  Again, use them for ideas – every child will be different.

Ø       Home Learning Year by Year : How to Design a Homeschool Curriculum from Preschool Through High School – This is my favorite resource – Rebecca Rupp lists ideas of what kinds of things you might want to teach at each grade level, and suggests resources to use.  It’s a great resource for choosing topics for a science co-op, etc.  If you’re a unit-studies, relaxed homeschooling, eclectic type of person, you’ll love this book.

Ø       The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home – This book gives a rigorous plan for teaching from a classical perspective in a more school-at-home way.  The author’s plan is strong on history and English, not so strong on science.

Ø       Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum: A Guide to Catholic Home Education – A nice complement to The Well-Trained Mind if you are Catholic.  The chapter in which she argues for leaving college work for college (rather than doing it in high school) is well worth reading.

Ø       Catalogs – Order a ton of homeschooling catalogs – you’ll find many of them are packed with resources and guidance. A very comprehensive one is Rainbow Resource.

PA School District must lend textbooks

"The school district of residence shall, at the request of the supervisor, lend to the home education program copies of the school district's planned courses, textbooks and other curriculum materials appropriate to the student's age and grade level."

Many home educators in PA do not bother with borrowing textbooks. Some families find it useful to borrow them to see what kids in public school are doing.  You may also find them useful if your child will be returning to school, if your child is coming out of high school and would like to continue using the same texts, or if you want to use textbooks and cannot afford to purchase them.  Some families find the math textbooks particularly useful.   

Keep in mind that schools do not always use textbooks, and therefore may not be able to lend them. For example, elementary classes often do not use textbooks for science or social studies.

Those who request textbooks have found that districts sometimes take quite a while to come up with them.  The PDE's FAQ page says "The law does not require that the requested materials be provided within a particular period of time. However, PDE encourages school districts to work cooperatively with their homeschooling families in this regard in order to assist these families in providing a good educational experience to their children, and to provide the texts and materials within a week of the request if possible." If you are having problems in this regard, contact the PDE to see if they can help.

If you do borrow books, do not feel that you must be a slave to the textbook.  Remember that classroom teachers rarely use the entire textbook; rather they pick and choose based on the time available and the needs of their students, and supplement with activities and possibly field trips.  You can do the same.

Use the Library!

Remember, your most important homeschooling resource is your library card. 

If you use the library a lot, and especially if you use multiple libraries, you might want to subscribe to Library Elf, a great service that keeps track of the books you've checked out and sends you reminder emails before the books are overdue. There is a small fee for the service, but it's saved me many more times as much in library fines, so I think it's worth it!

Where to Buy Curriculum:  Homeschooling Catalogs

There are tons of mail-order catalogs full of homeschooling supplies. Rather than try to keep an up-to-date list, I am including here some links to other people's lists.  I've also included a few of my favorites.  As always, you must decide what's right for you and your family. Use the information here that works for you, and ignore the rest.

MY FAVORITE:

Ø       Rainbow Resources Center
This is my favorite homeschooling supplier. They carry most of the popular homeschool books and curriculum materials, along with a bunch of fun educational stuff. Everyone I've given their catalog to loves it, regardless of their approach to homeschooling. Don't even attempt to go through it all online, though, their catalog is huge. Get them to send you a catalog, so you can circle things that look interesting, turn down the corners of pages, etc.

OTHER PEOPLE'S LISTS OF HOMESCHOOL SUPPLIERS & RESOURCES:

Ø       A to Z Home's Cool - Homeschooling Web Site
A good comprehensive homeschool site.

Ø       Homeschool Resource Guide
Lots and lots of homeschooling resources, sorted by subject (math, science, etc.) Includes a list of umbrella schools and complete (all-in-one) curriculum suppliers.

Ø       Ultimate Guide to Christian Resources Homeschooling
Just what the title says!

Ø       Favorite Resources for Catholic Homeschoolers - Favorite Suppliers
Lots of resources for Catholic homeschoolers.

Ø       Jon's Homeschool Resource Page
The web pages/resources/religious section includes pages of Jewish, Catholic, Muslim, Mormon, etc. resources.

HOMESCHOOL HINT:

Ø       Look through homeschool catalogs at Christmas time. There are all kinds of educational things that make great gifts! Puzzles, games, historical paper dolls, science kits, art supplies and books of all kinds - you can even get ideas for the adults on your list!

Where to Buy Used Curriculum:

Homeschoolers can't keep everything - there's just not enough room!  So often you can find the stuff you want second hand.  Local groups often hold curriculum "flea markets" in the spring and fall.  These are also great for browsing and getting familiar with different resources.
If you're looking for a specific book or other item, the internet is probably your best bet.  There are several places online to buy and sell curriculum.  Here are my favorites.  I have used almost all of these and have always had smooth, pleasant transactions.

Ø       eBay
People frequently buy and sell homeschooling supplies via eBay auctions.  Worth a look if you're trying to find used items at a decent price.

Ø       Half.com
This is getting to be another of my favorite used book sites.  Very easy to use.  My only complaint is that they often make mistakes in cataloging books - read carefully to be sure you're getting the product you have in mind, and email the seller to verify condition.

Ø       Amazon.com
Amazon has a growing selection of used items. It is also an excellent place to sell your own used books.

Ø       BookFinder.com Search for Out of Print and Used Books
Want to find a used copy of a particular book?  This site searches thousands of little used bookstores for you - this is one of my favorite web sites!.

Ø       Vegsource.com
This is probably the cheapest, quickest way to buy and sell popular materials.  Look for their homeschool swap boards.  (In Internet Explorer, you can search the headlines using “Edit – Find on this page”.) 

Ø       www.myhomeschoolstore.com
A new site where you may list homeschool-related items for sale.  (I haven’t used this one, but it’s run by a Delco mom!)

Homeschooling Conferences, Conventions, & Curriculum Fairs

Homeschool conferences usually combine talks on various topics with vendors selling homeschooling materials.  Many families take the opportunity to look at materials from a variety of vendors before buying.  A conference can be informative and inspirational, giving a homeschool mom renewed energy and ideas.  Most of these conferences are held annually.

The most comprehensive information about homeschooling conferences, including lists of conferences and tips for attending, is here.  A smaller list of Christian homeschool conferences is here.  A few tips for going to a large conference are here. 

Other Resources - Two homeschooling sites that have been around forever: