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Guide for Homeschool Parents

Helpful Web Sites

Parenting

American Library Association Homepage for Parents and Caregivers - http://www.ala.org/alsc/parents.links.html

National Parent Information Network - http://npin.org/
Sponsored by the ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education, this site "provides information to parents and those who work with parents and to foster the exchange of parenting materials." There are full text articles, a parenting discussion list, "Parents AskERIC" question answering service and much more.

Parents’ Guide to the Information Superhighway - http://www.childrenspartnership.org/
Thorough introduction to computers and the Internet and tips on how to introduce computers and guide their use by children from age two through eighteen. Also included are rules for safe use of the Internet and netiquette.

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About Homeschooling

Home Education Press - http://www.homeedmag.com/
On this website you'll find homeschooling news and information, support and encouragement, thoughtful writings and helpful resources for your family's homeschooling adventure!

Home School World - http://www.home-school.com/
From the publishers of Practical Homeschooling magazine. See the Home Life Catalog - your source for homeschooling and family products!

The Homeschooling Zone - http://www.homeschoolzone.com/main.htm
Resources for moms, a marketplace, entertainment, home education help, resources for special needs kids, small business support, and links to some great hand-picked educational sites.

Jon’s Homeschool Resource Page - http://www.midnightbeach.com/hs/
FAQs, online discussion and support groups, homeschoolers’ home pages, national homeschooling organizations and local support groups, and connections to many of the best sites on the net.

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Resources for Subject Information

Amazon Interactive - http://www.eduweb.com/amazon.html
Explore the geography of the Ecuadorian Amazon through online games and activities. Learn about the rainforest, the people who call it home and much more.

Ask Jeeves for Kids - http://www.ajkids.com/
A "safe" Web search tool that allows young people to ask questions in everyday language.

Association for Library Service to Children - http://www.ala.org/alsc/
A division of the American Library Association. Lists of Newbery, Caldecott, and other award-winning and notable books, recordings, videotapes, Web sites, and software for children.

Bill Nye the Science Guy - http://www.billnye.com/
Nye applies his entertaining approach to science to the Web with a Demo of the Day, highlights from the day’s television episode, and a chance to e-mail your own query.

Black History - http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/BHM/AfroAm.html
This Black History site explores African-American issues on the Web through a full range of activities.

Children’s Literature Web Guide - http://www.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/index.html
Lots of links to literature-related sites, including home pages of children’s authors and illustrators with e-mail connections.

KidsClick! - http://www.kidsclick.org/
This Web search engine for kids was created by the Ramapo Catskill Library System. It contains more than 5,200 sites.

KidsHealth - http://www.kidshealth.org/
Accurate, up-to-date information about growth, food and fitness, medical and surgical conditions, and the latest treatments. Special sections for kids, parents, and professionals.

Kids Web - www.npac.syr.edu/textbook/kidsweb
Presents students with a subset of the Web that is very simple tonavigate and contains information targeted at the k-12 level.  Topics are: the arts, the sciences, games, reference, sports, social studies, and miscellaneous.  There are also links to external lists of materials on such subjects that more advanced students can browse for further information.

Library Spot - http://libraryspot.com/
Free virtual library resource center.  Each link is hand selected and reviewed by an editorial team.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) - http://www.nasa.gov/
Find out how to get photos from space, see a launch, and more. Teachers can get a lesson plan.

The Oregon Trail - http://www.isu.edu/~trinmich/Oregontrail.html
The story of the trail and those who traveled it. A compendium on the great western journey. Includes great stories in the Fantastic Facts section. Related to the PBS program on the Oregon Trail.

Science Fair Project Resource Guide - http://www.ipl.org/youth/projectguide/
An excellent resource from the Internet Public Library that links kids to all sorts of exceptional resources for their projects.

The Why Files - http://whyfiles.org/
This project of the National Institute for Science Education offers well-researched and clearly written investigations of current topics in science. A new story is posted every other week, and the site also includes a small but worthy collection of scientific images.

World Flag Database - http://www.flags.net/
Large, clear, printable flag graphics and basic country information can be found here.

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Homeschooling Information

Abcedarian Academy Home Preschool - http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Forest/2468/

Michigan Electronic Library - http://www.mel.org
A selected list of sites containing information on all aspects of home schooling for parents.

The Home School Internet Resource Center - http://www.rsts.net/home/sitemap/index.html
334 2nd Street, Catasauqua, PA 18052-2501
A selected list of the organization’s services and resources as well as information about their curriculum.

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Laws, Regulations, and Organizational Resources

Michigan Department of Education
608 W. Allegan St., PO Box 30008
Lansing, MI 48909
Superintendent of Public Instruction: Thomas D. Watkins, Jr.
Phone: (517) 373-3324
E-mail: MDEWeb@michigan.gov
http://www.michigan.gov/mde

Wanda Bazzett
Phone: (517)373-1833
Email: BazzettW@state.mi.us

H.O.M.E. (Homes Organized for Meaningful Education)
Sue Cameron
Grand Blanc, MI 48439
(810) 750-4382
E-mail: mi.home@sbcglobal.net

Home School Legal Defense Association
P. O. Box 3000
Purcellville, VA 20134-9000
Phone: (540) 338-5600
http://www.hslda.org
E-mail:  info@hslda.org
HSLDA has over 55,000 families, supported by more than 50 dedicated staff members, who have banded together to ensure that our rights are respected and our freedoms are protected.

Homeschool Support Network
P.O. Box 6442
Brunswick, ME 04011
Phone (207) 657-6889 or 1-888-300-8434
E-mail: HSN@HomeEducator.com
http://www.homeeducator.com/HSN/
The Homeschool Support Network was formed in 1986 as a non-profit educational service organization simply to help provide information, encouragement and support to parents and families interested in homeschooling.

National African-American Homeschoolers Alliance -www.naaha.com/
This group founded in 2003 is a non-sectarian organization for all African-American homeschoolers.

National Home Education Network -www.nhen.org
National group to promote grassroots work for state and local homeschooling organizations.

Network of Michigan Home Educators (NMHE) - http://nmhe.tripod.com/id2.html
Listing of local support groups with contact information for the state of Michigan.  Recently updated.

Information Network for Christian Homes
4934 Cannonsburg Road
Belmont, MI 49306
(616) 874-5656
E-mail: interequest@inch.org
http://www.inch.org

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Curriculum Resources

Homeschooling Freethinkers
Discussion forums, Books, Curricula for secular homeschooling
www.hsfreethinkers.com

Homeschool Resource Center and Mott Media
1130 Fenway Circle
Fenton, MI 48430
(810) 750-1722
www.HomeschoolingBooks.com

Home Study International
PO Box 4437
Silver Spring, MD 20914-4437
(301) 680-6570 or 1-800-782-4769
E-mail: contact@hsi.edu
Christian distance education provider.  Pre-school through college.

League of Observant Jewish Homeschoolers
Jewish homeschooling resources
www.chayas.com/homeschoolindex.htm

Seton Home Study School
1350 Progress Drive
Front Royal, VA 22630
(540) 636-9990
E-mail: info@setonhome.org
www.setonhome.org
Catholic homeschooling for k-12.

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Books Available at GDL

Teaching Techniques

Amerikaner, Susan. 101 Things to do to Develop Your Child’s Gifts and Talents.

Griffith, Mary. The Unschooling Handbook: How to Use the Whole World as Your Child’s Classroom.

Jones, Claudia. Parents are Teachers, Too: Enriching Your Child’s First Six Years.

Kealoha, Anna. Trust the Children: A Manual and Activity Guide for Homeschooling and Alternativeearning.

Spietz, Heidi Anne:

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The World Around Us

Bell, Neill. The Book of Where, or, How to be Naturally Geographic.

Caney, Steven. Steven Caney’s Kids’ America.

Milord, Susan. Hands Around the World: 365 Creative Ways to Build Cultural Awareness & Global Respect.

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Hands-On Science

Sportworks: More than Fifty Fun Games and Activities that Explore the Science of Sports.

Burnie, David. How Nature Works.

Hann, Judith. How Science Works.

Hauser, Jill Frankel. Super Science Concoctions: 50 Mysterious Mixtures for Fabulous Fun.

Rockwell, Robert E. Hug a Tree: and Other Things to do Outdoors with Young Children.

Simon, Seymour:

Taylor, Barbara. Earth Explained: A Beginner’s Guide to Our Planet.

Whitfield, Philip. Why did the Dinosaurs Disappear? Questions about life in the past answered by Philip Whitfield with the Natural History Museum.

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Using Literature in the Home Classroom

Best Books for Children: Preschool through Grade 6.

Barstow, Barbara. Beyond Picture Books: A Guide to First Readers.

Carroll, Frances Laverne. Exciting, Funny, Scary, Short, Different, and Sad Books Kids Like about Animals, Science, Sports, Families, Songs and Other Things.

Ehlert, Lois. Eating the Alphabet: Fruits and Vegetables from A to Z.

Freeman, Judy. Books Kids will Sit Still For: The Complete Read-Aloud Guide.

Gunnings, Thomas G. Best Books for Beginning Readers.

Odean, Kathleen:

Reed, Arthea J. S. Comics to Classics: A Parent’s Guide to Books for Teens and Preteens.

Thomas, Rebecca L. Primaryplots: A Book Talk Guide for Use with Readers Ages 4-8.

Trelease, Jim. The Read-Aloud Handbook.

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Making Mathematics Fun

Allison, Linda. Eenie Meenie Miney Math!: Math Play for You and Your Preschooler.

Burns, Marilyn. Math for Smarty Pants.

Kaye. Peggy. Games for Math: Playful Ways to Help Your Child Learn Math from Kindergarten to Third Grade.

McMillan, Bruce. Eating Fractions.

Sharp, Richard M. The Sneaky Square & 113 Other Math Activities for Kids.

Stienecker, David:

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Notable Series and Books of Interest

America the Beautiful Series.

Brown Paper School Series.

Eye Openers Series.

Eyewitness Books.

Celebrate the States Series.

Enchantment of the World Series.

Allison, Linda. Brown Paper Preschool Series.

Bell, Neil. Book of Where or How to Be Naturally Geographic.

Caney, Steven. Steven Caney’s Kids’ America.

Gralla, Preston. Online Kids: A Young Surfer’s Guide to Cyberspace.

Haslam, Andrew. Make It Work!

Reader’s Digest. How in the World.

VanCleave, Janice. Science for Every Kid series.

Kaye, Peggy. Games for Math: Playful Ways to Help Your Child Learn Math from Kindergarten to Third Grade.

Sharp, Richard M., and Seymour Metzner. The Sneaky Square and Other Math Activities.

Stienecker, David L. Discovering Math Series. (Addition; Division; Fractions; Multiplications; Numbers; Subtraction).

Weitzman, David. My Backyard History Book.

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Books for Homeschooling Parents

Mothering. Schooling at Home; Parents, Kids, and Learning.

Colfax, David. Homeschooling for Excellence
David and Micki Colfax provide a step-by-step manual for people who want to educate their children at home, written by two former educators who taught all three of their own sons at home--and saw them accepted at Harvard! An invaluable sourcebook for improving a child's education.

Gorder, Cheryl. Home Schools; an Alternative; You Do Have a Choice!
This book has been a homeschooling bestseller since 1987! It has appeared on the Small Press Bestseller list for ten consecutive years. "Home Schools provides valuable encouragement for those parents who want to assume the responsibility for their children's education."--Home Education Magazine.

Guterman, David. Family Matters; Why Homeschooling Makes Sense.
Guterson teaches his neighbors' kids in his high school classroom, but he and his wife teach their own children at home. This honest, perceptive discussion of children, families, education, and our common life as a nation scrutinizes school life, and investigates the inexhaustible opportunities for learning outside it.

Holt, John Caldwell. Learning all the Time.
John Holt, in his last book, clearly demonstrates how children begin to read, write, count, and investigate the world without being taught. Learning cannot be coerced, he maintains; indeed, it is "as natural as breathing."

Moore, Raymond S. School Can Wait.

Pedersen, Anne. Schooling at Home; Parents, Kids, and Learning.

Exerpts from Mothering Magazine.

Ray, Brian D. Strengths of Their Own; Home Schoolers across America.
It is truly a one-of-a-kind book on homeschooling. I [the author] have tried to make it an engaging and comprehensive report. It includes statistics, analyses, and, in the last chapter, a powerful declaration about homeschooling’s benefits to children, families, and society.

Ray, Brian D. A Survey of Research on Home Education; Context, Concerns, Children’s Performance and Success in Adulthood.

Voetberg, Julie. I am a Home Schooler.

Describes the experiences of an eight-year-old girl who is taught by her mother on their farm in Washington State.

Wise, Jessie. The Well-Trained Mind; a Guide to Classical Education at Home.
Teach your child at home or supplement his or her classroom learning --this book provides you with the techniques, curriculum, and resources necessary to ensure that your child's education is the best it can be.

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How-To Books

What Your First Grader Needs to Know; Fundamentals of a Good Sixth-Grade Education.

What Your Second Grader Needs to Know; Fundamentals of a Good Sixth-Grade Education.

What Your Third Grader Needs to Know; Fundamentals of a Good Sixth-Grade Education.

What Your Fourth Grader Needs to Know; Fundamentals of a Good Sixth-Grade Education.

What Your Fifth Grader Needs to Know; Fundamentals of a Good Sixth-Grade Education.

What Your Sixth Grader Needs to Know; Fundamentals of a Good Sixth-Grade Education.

Blumenfeld, Samuel L. Homeschooling; a Parent’s Guide to Teaching Children.
Describes what homeschooling is all about, it helps parents decide whether this choice fits their family lifestyle. This book covers virtually every aspect of homeschooling: why parents choose homeschooling, devising and implementing a personal philosophy of education, what to teach and how to teach it, handling the need for socialization, dealing with the bureaucratic system, and much more.

Deckard, Steve. Home Schooling Laws and Resource Guide for All Fifty States.

Gorder, Cheryl. Home Education Resource Guide. [1996 ed.]

This title has been used by homeschoolers since 1987 and is a comprehensive guide to resources for a home education.

Hendrickson, Borg. Home School; Taking the First Step; a Program Planning Handbook.

Hirsch, E. D. What Your Kindergartner Needs to Know; Preparing Your Child for a Lifetime Learning.

Designed for parents to use with their children, and co-edited by the author of Cultural Literacy,

Holt, John Caldwell. Teach Your Own; a Hopeful Path for Education.

Polly, Jean Armour. The Internet Kids and Family Yellow Pages.

Rupp, Rebecca. The Complete Home Learning Sourcebook; the Essential Resource Guide for Homeschoolers, Parents, and Educators Covering Every Subject from Arithmetic to Zoology.
This exhaustive and comprehensive sourcebook provides parents and teachers with information on all the resources needed to plan a well-balanced curriculum for the home or the classroom, from preschool through high school.

Scheps, Susan G. The Librarian’s Guide to Homeschooling Resources.

Wade, Theodore E. The Home School Manual; Plans, Pointers, Reasons, and Resources.
An excellent handbook covering all significant aspects of home education, yet in a practical and readable form.

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Software Sources

American Homeschool Association
PO Box 3142
Palmer, AK 99645
Phone: 907-746-1336
Fax: 907-746-1335
Web Address: http://www.homeedmag.com/

Home Education Magazine
P.O. Box 1083
Tonasket, WA 98855
1-800-236-3278

Online networking and services organization; free online newsletter; free downloadable information files: all fifty states, educational websites, email networking lists, newsgroups, resources files, and more.

Brighter Vision Learning Adventures
P.O. Box 9018
Buffalo, NY 14269
Phone: 1-800-370-5838
Web Address: http://www.brightervision.com

Free offer of fun-filled books and activities designed to prepare your child for success in school.

Clonlara School Compuhigh
RR 8 Box 234AA
Fairmont, WV 26554
Phone: 304-291-6746 or 1-866-983-8481
Fax: 304-291-3555
Email: stan@compuhigh.com
Web Address: http://compuhigh.com

Online high school courses. Single courses or diploma program.

Eagle Software Corporation
2711 2nd Private Rd
Flossmoor, IL 60422-
Phone: 708-798-6532 or Toll Free: 888-603-2453
Fax: 708-798-6530
Email: sales@eaglecorp.com
Web Address: http://www.eaglecorp.com

Software that encourages participation in governmental processes through letters and internet.

Early Advantage
270 Monroe Turnpike
P.O. Box 4083
Monroe, CT 06468-4063
Toll Free: 888-999-4670
Email: customerservice@early-advantage.com
Web Address: http://www.early-advantage.com

Language course for children teaches through an animated story. Associate words, objects and actions to learn French, German, Spanish or Italian.

Enchanted Learning
Phone: 206-232-4880
Email: info@enchantedlearning.com
Web Address: http://www.EnchantedLearning.com/Home.html

Producer of children's educational websites and games designed to capture the imagination while maximizing creativity, learning, and enjoyment.

Great Wave Software, a division of McGraw-Hill Children's Publishing
P.O. Box 1650
Grand Rapids, MI 49501-1650
Phone: 1-800-443-2976
Fax: 11-800-453-2253

Great Wave Software products are curriculum based in Early Learning, Math, Language Arts, and Geography. Multiple learning levels, customizable, match features of the games and learning levels to individual children's learning style. Free demo CD to homeschooling families on request.

Laureate Learning Systems, Inc.
110 E. Spring Street,
Winooski, VT 05404-
Phone: 802-655-4755 or Toll Free: 800-562-6801
Fax: 802-655-4757
Email: info@LaureateLearning.com
Web Address: http://www.LaureateLearning.com

Laureate’s award-winning talking software is designed by expert speech-language pathologists and special educators to help students with special needs gain critical cognitive, language, and reading skills.

Michigan Teacher Network
Web Address: http://mtn.merit.edu/

This website supports Michigan educators by providing information that has been evaluated for quality, relevance, and effectiveness in the learning environment.

MindPlay
160 W. Ft. Lowell,
Tucson, AZ 85705
Phone: 520-888-1800 or Toll Free: 800-221-7911
Fax: 520-888-7904
Email: mail@mindplay.com
Web Address: http://www.mindplay.com

Educational, curriculum based software for Special Needs learners. Download free demos and shareware at http://mindplay.com

PCS Educational Systems Inc.
1444 W Bannock
Boise, ID 83702
Phone: 603-778-8480 or Toll Free: 800-429-3110
Fax: 208-343-1321
Email: dguiney@pcsedu.com
Web Address: http://www.edventures.com

PCS Edventures! is a new distance learning resource for K-12 students which is comprised of hundreds of interesting subject modules which build an interactive and coherent curriculum. Includes student profiles, email, chat room (monitored), student forums and educational contests.

Soleil Software, Inc.
3853 Grove Court
Palo Alto, CA 94303
Phone: 650-494-0114 or Toll Free: 800-501-0110
Order Only Fax: 650-493-6416
Email: soleil@soleil.com

Award-winning, colorful, content-rich multimedia software programs including Zurk’s Learning Safari, Zurk’s Rainforest Lab, etc.

The Writing Company
10200 Jefferson Blvd Box 802
Culver City, CA 90232
Phone: 310-839-2436 or Toll Free: 800-421-4246
Fax: 310-839-2249
Email: access@socialstudies.com
Web Address: http://socialstudies.com

Books, charts, videocassettes, software, stimulation games and a variety of other supplementary curriculum resources.

Wildridge Software Inc.
245 Wildridge Farm Rd.
Newark, VT 05871
Phone: 802-467-3811 or Toll Free: 888-244-4379
Fax: 802-467-3442
Email: ABIGGERWORLD@wildridge.com
Web Address: http://www.wildridge.com

Interdisciplinary curriculum for junior high and high school students developed by homeschoolers over the past 30 years. The first unit study of the curriculum, Stars and Stories, integrating astronomy, mythology and related mathematics, is now available on CD-ROM.

Wired Learning: Web-Based Lessons, Activities, and More!
Web Address: http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/wired.html

Online materials that encourage learning using technology.

WorldView Software
76 N Broadway Ste 4009
Hicksville, NY 11801
Phone: 516-681-1773 or Toll Free: 800-34-STUDY
Order Only Fax: 516-681-1775
Email: TECWV@aol.com

We offer ten programs in social studies for middle through high school students, grades 7-12.

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Electronic Databases Available through Genesee District Libraries

These large databases are available to you on the Genesee District Library website. By typing in your library card number, you and your children will have access to these enormous resources for research. The information is current and easy-to-use. Just go to the Research area on the web site. Below are descriptions of the resources.

Electric Library Elementary

Electric Library makes it possible to conduct real research over the Internet, using a deep database of reliable sources. Never before has finding the information you need been so fast and so easy! Articles from magazines, and newspapers. Maps, pictures, and television and radio scripts are also included.

Electric Library is the best way for students of all ages to do research. Electric Library is available for K-12 Schools, public libraries, and academic institutions. The information it contains is always up-to-date. Electric Library is updated daily via satellite!

Sirs Discoverer for the Young Researcher (For In-Library Use Only)

An informative database of full-text articles, helps develop research, reading, writing, language and computer skills while making learning fun and intuitive for the young researcher. Children can do research, read stories, learn about important people, places and events, find fun projects to do, and much, much more.

Articles fall under one or more of 15 categories: animals, arts, countries, cultures, drugs and alcohol, environment, health & human body, history & government, just for fun, notable people, personal growth, science, social issues, sports, technology. This informative reference database contains thousands of full-text articles selected from more than 1000 magazines, newspapers and government documents. Each article is selected for its educational content, interest and level of readability.

In addition to regular articles, Photo Essays can be found within the database. Photo Essays, portray social issues and global concepts through colorful photos accompanied by brief text. The unit title (Example: National Parks) is listed first, followed by the specific topic. Each unit contains photos chosen for their visual impact.

OCLC’s FirstSearch

OCLC's FirstSearch® is an interactive online information system that gives you vital, timely information about books, journal articles, films, computer software, and other materials in your subject area. The FirstSearch service available on the World Wide Web is a product of OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc., a nonprofit membership organization serving libraries and educational institutions worldwide.

InfoTrac’s Kid’s Edition

Kid's Edition has 75,973 articles. Use this database designed for schools, to search magazines, newspapers, and reference books for information on current events, the arts, science, popular culture, health, etc. A Gale Group product.

FACTS.com

FACTS.com brings together content from seven core reference databases to answer questions about events, issues, statistics and people of the last 20 years. FACTS.com also delivers additional special features including maps, photographs, historic documents, and overviews of key issues, newsmakers and events since 1980. All the relevant material in the database is connected using approximately half a million internal hyperlinks. FACTS.com is updated every week. In addition, headline news stories from Reuters are updated every hour.

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