Making Curricula Choices
Teaching Our Own contains articles on learning styles correlated with curriculum approaches.
A Homeschool Review YahooGroup collects reviews of curriculum, though curriculum Q & A is a large part of most homeschooling sites.
Tutors are listed on the high school page.
Curricula Suppliers
These are some of the larger suppliers to homeschoolers. There are many, many good vendors, and this list is not meant to be an exclusive endorsement. It is just a place to start.
General Suppliers
Growing Scholars (local)
The Homeschool Room (Stallings, NC, 704.821.2662 map)
HomeSchool Station (Polkton, 704.272.8247, map)
The Curriculum Exchange (York, SC)
Homeschool Buyer's Co-op negotiates group buy deals with suppliers; sign up for free
Online Bookstores - New and Used
Meta- searchers: These search engines search other sites (like Amazon, Half.com, etc.) for used books by ISBN, author, title, etc. and return results in order by price. Their sources overlap somewhat. Some also do movies and music.
Bigwords (unique in that you put in a list of books and it find the lowest total cost using multiple vendors and the cheapest price all from the same vendor)
Student Listings free registration required
New and used:
Academic Book Services offers used K-12 textbooks
Book Byte offers used college textbooks
Dover Publications offers inexpensive paperbacks
eBay (Note: eBay no longer allows the sale of teacher editions)
Swap Simple is a unique, secure, peer-to-peer trading service for books, DVDs, video games, and audiobooks. You list the books you want to "sell" and receive credits you can use to get items you want. The purchaser pays shipping.
Used Curricula
Karrousel Kids Homeschool Room (Matthews, 704.847.4316, map)
The Book Lady (Blair Place, 3513 West Hwy 74, Monroe 704.282.0646 map)
HSLDA (anyone can sell, only members can buy)
Homeschool Christian Sale Board
"Twaddle-fee" Book Swap YahooGroup
Homeschool Buyer's Co-op Classifieds
Homeschool Used Book Sale YahooGroup
This Little Piggy Stays Home Auctions (started by an eBay PowerSeller for homeschoolers because of eBay's policy change)
PaperBackSwap allows members to swap paperbacks for the price of media mail postage
Online Classes
Online classes are listed in the High School Curriculum section, but there are some programs offered to middle school and even younger.
Annenberg Media offers Video on Demand courses in science, foreign language, literature, art, etc. that have been aired on public television (broadband required) -- a great supplement to many subjects.
Free Curriculum on the Internet is a collection of links to ... well, the name says it all ...
Universal Class offers hundreds of affordable online classes taught by dedicated instructors sharing their knowledge on almost any imaginable topic.
History and Geography
Also look at Unit Studies which are often built around history, particularly at the middle school / high school levels.
Homeschool in the Woods (timelines)
The Great Books is designed to help Christian educators use the classical model to help each high school student own his or her faith as a total worldview
Free World Geography and Cultues curriculum is an online 36-week schedule and guide, designed as a supplement for middle school / high school. Good as a booklist as well. Scroll to the bottom of the page.
Economics
Too many people on uneducated in economics, but it touches every area of life.
Economic Theory
If you want to study Keynesian economics (the kind that justifies deficit spending), pick up almost any college textbook and believe what you hear on the news. The following resources offer an alternative perspective that will resonate with your common sense:
Bluestocking Press (Richard Maybury) offers a good basic introduction to economics and government through a variety of books, study guides and curriculum packages.
The Ludwig von Mises Institute was founded in 1982 as the research and educational center of classical liberalism, libertarian political theory, and the Austrian School of economics. It serves as the world's leading provider of educational materials, conferences, media, and literature in support of the tradition of thought represented by Ludwig von Mises and the school of thought he enlivened and carried forward during the 20th century. It offers many thousands of hours of audio and video, thousands of free books in the literature section along with the full run of rare and wonderful journals, biographies and bibliographies of great economists. They also offer free lectures and audiobooks for download at iTunes U.
Foundation for Economic Education offers a great library of resouces in PDF format for download including the classic Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt and Free Market Economics: A Syllabus, which offers text, discussion questions, and further reading suggestions. They also have audio and video resources freely available.
Personal Finances
Dave Ramsey offers curriculum for young children through adult on budgeting, investing and entrepreneurship, as well as podcasts, online tools, a forum and many other services to learn about responsible stewardship of personal resources.
Crown Financial Ministries, founded in 1976, is an interdenominational ministry dedicated to equipping people around the world to learn, apply, and teach biblical financial principles. They offer curricula and many online resources to accomplish their goal. Explicitily Christian.
Science
Of course, traditional programs like A Beka, BJU, etc. have science texts and bajillions more are available from academic publishers at any major bookseller. Here are some others for various levels:
Kitbook combines the features of a textbook with the hands-on learning of a science kit
Science for High School "channeled discovery" (research-based), designed for the home school
Caveman Chemistry is a quirky book that takes an historical (and somewhat philosophical) approach to chemistry with not-your-average labs included. Be prepared to do some material-gathering, but likely to be very motivating!
For those of you who fondly remember real chemistry sets from your youth and want the same for your kids, check out the Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments and the companion website. This is the real deal!
Chemistry Professor (college level video courses)
Home Science Tools offers major curricula and related lab kits, as well as individual lab supplies, specimens and chemicals
Online Biology Book are modified lecture outlines M. J. Farabee has developed over the many years of teaching college-level introductory biology.
Online Anatomy and Physiology by Greg Landry, Appalachian State U.
Supply houses:
Great Scopes How to Buy the Right Microscope
If you are uncomfortable with the idea of millions of creatures killed for the purposes of dissection, here are some alternatives:
Digital Frog offers a digital frog dissection, as well as ecological field trips on multimedia CDROMs -- the frog CD contains lots of great interactive info that pertains to all vertebrates
AVAR Alternatives Search links to various alternative anatomy materials
The following offer lending libraries of dissection alternatives:
Center for Scientific Creation
Math
Vector64 links and commentary on a number of resources (mostly high school)
Textbook-based programs
Reviews of selected math texts and other articles at Mathematically Correct
MPA Developmental Math (arithmetic)
Shiller Math - Montessori at Home (elementary)
Mastering Mathematics (grades 1-8)
Singapore Math (Pre-school to high school)
Saxon (K - high school)
Math U See (arithmetic - precalculus)
Professor B Math (arithmetic, algebra)
Life of Fred (fractions to calculus and statistics) Who says math is boring?
Key Curriculum Press (algebra to calculus, special topics)
Mark Solomonovich's Geometry (read his critique of modern geometry texts)
Hands on Equations is a visual and kinesthetic teaching system for introducing algebraic concepts to students in grades 3 to 8.
Video and computer-based programs
Math Relief (algebra)
Teaching Textbooks (Math 5 - precalculus)
Videotext (algebra, geometry)
YourTeacher (pre-algebra, algebra, geometry)
ALEKS (K-8, algebra, geometry, pre-calculus, statistics, business math)
Thinkwell (pre-algebra through calculus)
Personal Professors (algebra, geometry)
Ask Dr. Callahan (algebra through calculus)
HeyMath! (grade 3 - 12)
Tablet Class Math (Pre-algebra through college algebra) Free 30-day trial.
Hotmath offers worked solutions for many textbooks (including Saxon) plus video lectures for a small annual fee. 24/7 math tutoring also available for a per session fee
Language Arts and Literature
Phonics
Spell to Write and Read (Sanseri)
Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons
The Phonics Road to Spelling and Reading (K-4 complete language arts curriculum)
Phonics Tutor method of instruction teaches students the common sounds for an extended set of Orton-Gillingham phonograms with spelling rules; on CD with workbooks
Progressive Phonics is an all-in-one reading system available on the Internet that is totally free.
Grammar
Writing
Institute for Excellence in Writing
The Complete Writer (Susan Wise Bauer)
Spelling / Vocabulary
SpellingCity is a free online tool for practicing parent-entered or already prepared spelling lists, with games and dictated tests
Get a Clue is an inductive, word derivation method of vocabulary building (Gr. 5-12)
Literature
Other
Foreign Language
*** For local classes see the Academic Activities section. ***
Auralog (TELL ME MORE) offers highly rated language learning software with speech recognition for 10 languages
BYKI (Before You Know It) is mainly a vocabulary building program with audio flashcards. Useful supplement. There is a scaled down free version to try. Over 70 languages.
World Language Center at PLCMC plus Mango online language learning with your library card
Multiligual Books carries a variety of learning resources as well as foreign language movies, links to radio stations and more.
SpanishPod101 is an online course offering some free content, as well as instruction in regional variations
Learning Spanish Like Crazy (Even if you use another program check out the Verbarrator conjugation drill program here.)
Latin and Greek
Sherri Madden, a Classics major from Rhodes College and recipient of a Fulbright award, offers Latin classes for elementary, middle school and high school students. Contact Sherri Madden at 704.443.5255 or via email for more information.
The Latin Road to English Grammar
American Sign Language University is a free online resource
Computer Programming
Microsoft Beginner Developer Learning Center offers free online classes in web pages and simple Windows programming
Homeschool Programming, Inc. Text-based courses using Microsoft Visual Studio Express Edition (free); there is one course for teens and one for younger students
Motherboard Books offers courses for all ages using the fun programming language Logo
Enrichment
Greathall Productions (Jim Weiss)
Check out the Academic Activities section for more classes and activities.
Software
Academic Superstore carries thousands of name-brand software and hardware products at special academic prices. Huge site!
The Quarter Mile math drills
Videos and webcasts
Netflix movie rental club; PBS and other documentaries, Standard Deviants, a few Teaching Company high school courses, in addition to entertainment.
PBS is a source of educational videos for purchase.
Documentary Videos offers high quality drama and non-fiction programming for purchase. It has all aired on public television or the many cable TV documentary channels.
Annenberg Media offers Video on Demand courses in science, foreign language, literature, art, etc. that have been aired on public television (broadband required).
Exploratorium Webcast Archive: use MediaPlayer or RealPlayer to view video on scientific topics
United Streaming from Discovery Education integrates seamlessly into any curriculum with 8,700 full-length videos segmented into 80,000 content-specific clips tied directly state and national standards. Get this at a huge discount here.
