Brevard County, Florida's source for homeschooling information.
Learning Resources and Links
You do not have to spend a fortune to home educate your children. The internet is loaded with learning opportunities! With the addition of quality books, you can give your child an education that will far surpass that provided in classroom schools. On this page and its associated links, you will find sites to explore and excellent materials to help you. Check back frequently as this page will be continually updated.
Math
Learning Links
Mesopotamian Mathematics (math and history)MathWork -- On-line math worksheet generator
Math Word Problems for Children
Mathematics Computation - Free Worksheets
The Story of an Experiment, I-III - Essay about teaching math (for parents)
AAA Math - Interactive Worksheets
InterActMath.com - Interactive Worksheets tied to Pearson math books
Math.com - Math Lessons
Recommended Resources
Sir Cumference and the Great Knight of Angleland and others in the series -- These amusing books for 9-12 year olds bring math to life, by teaching sometimes confusing topics in a story format. These books make math fun!Language Arts
Learning Links
Grammar/writing
Guide to Grammar and WritingPhonics/Reading
Early Reading SkillsPoems
Memorizing poetry is an excellent activity for all ages. It gives one an appreciation of beauty and different ways to look at the world.Poems for Children
On-line stories
Reading aloud is enjoyable and stimulating. If you don't have time to read aloud, try audio stories. These links include both visual and audio stories.Children's Storybooks Online - Links to sites with audio and written stories.
Kids' Corner - Beatrix Potter, Grimm's Fairy Tales, Alice in Wonderland, and other classics.
RadioLovers.com - Old Time Radio Shows
Recommended Resources
Primary Language Lessons and Intermediate Language Lessons by Emma Serl. Using gentle, interactive lessons, these reprints of early 1900's English books grab the attention of children and teach good information in a short session. Particularly good for children who do not like texts and workbooks! Primary Language Lessons had lessons to complete second and third grades, while Intermediate Language Lessons is for fourth through sixth grades.The Harp and the Laurel Wreath edited by Laura Berquist. This volume contains poems, dictation selections, and excerpts from Shakespeare's works arranged by the classical stages of grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric. Extremely useful for memorization and dictation, this book also teaches high school level analysis of poetry. Yes, all of these poems may be found on the internet or in other books, but the convenience of having them all selected and laid out is a huge plus for busy homeschooling parents.
Ted Jacobs sets poems to music in his CD's. Days Gone By includes many poems by Eugene Field, Emily Dickinson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and others. His second CD, A Child's Garden of Song has sixteen Robert Louis Stevenson poems to sing. These offer an easy and enjoyable way to memorize poetry!
Languages
Learning Links
Various Languages
Ignite the Fire! - This site offers links to free courses for many languages including French, German, Spanish, Latin, Russian, Welsh, Dutch, Gaelic, Italian, Hawaiian, Japanese, and more!Recommended Resources
Catherine Bruzzone's language series is excellent for young ages, four to ten year olds. Fun lessons and songs make learning a language quick and easy. French for Children, Spanish for Children, German for Children, and Italian for Children include CD's and a workbook.The Lyric Language series is also excellent for young children. Children sing songs to learn the chosen language. Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Swedish are among the choices.
For older students, the best audio program is Pimsleur. It is a large investment, but your student will make tremendous progress. Native speakers present an excellent accent, and the dialogue learned is useful. Pimsleur comes in many languages, a few of which are Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Russian.
If your student prefers using the computer, Rosetta Stone is outstanding. The teacher may set up the program in many ways, but the idea is that the student sees four choices, hears a word or sentence, and chooses the right one. The student may also see the written words if desired. The system may also be set up for the student to speak into the microphone and see if his accent matches the speaker in the program. This program is also a substantial investment, but it guarantees results. Used by the State Department to train diplomats, Rosetta Stone is available in almost every language on the planet including Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Chinese, Hebrew, and Arabic. These titles are for two years of study at an intense high school or college level.
Greek
Learning Links
InTheBeginning.org - Learn New Testament GreekHow to Write Greek Alphabet
Wordbase Greek - New Testament Greek
The Greek Alphabet
Learn Ancient Greek Grammar
Recommended Resources
For an introduction to New Testament Greek for seventh grade and up, Basic Greek in Thirty Minutes A Day, offers a non-threatening, workbook format. Simple exercises help the student read Greek quickly. For in-depth study, William Mounce's books such as Basics of Greek Grammar are well-respected.Latin
Learning Links
Quia - Games to complement Latina ChristianaTextkit - Learn Latin
Thesaurus Precum Latinarum - Treasury of Latin Prayers
Ecclesiastical Latin Pronunciation Guide
Harvard Classics Prose and Poetry Recital Page - Harvard Classics Aeneid, Cicero
Recommended Resources
For comparison of Latin materials and reviews, see the Latin Program Comparison Chart.An easy to implement and interesting program is found in Memoria Press's series beginning with Prima Latina and continuing with Latina Christiana 1 and Latina Christiana 2. The Latin-challenged parent may learn along with the student by using the terrific DVD's for LC 1 and LC 2.
For advanced or high school level students, two programs are particularly good. Henle Latin and Grammar with Cheryl Lowe's Study Guide offer the rigor of earlier times with large doses of fascinating history in the readings. Henle Latin has a Catholic basis that should not be a problem for most non-Catholic families; however, Latin in the Christian Trivium, written from a Protestant perspective, is another excellent choice. It focuses on reading the Bible in Latin and has a very interesting fictional story about a Roman centurion and his family. For a secular Latin study, Ecce Romani is a solid program with beautiful color pictures.
For Latin fun, try Amo, Amas, Amat, and More which lists many familiar and unusual Latin phrases with their literal translations and the meaning they have come to have in English. The card games Rummy Roots and More Roots are fun, family games that teach Latin and Greek word roots.
History
Learning Links
Mr Donn's Ancient History Page - Ancient History Lesson PlansHyperHistory - World History
Suite101.com - History for Children
The Food Timeline - What people ate in the past
Education World - History resources for teachers
Rivendell - Ancient Egypt, Celtic Europe, Modern China
EyeWitness to History - Primary Source accounts of events in world history
Sonlight Books Arranged by Well-Trained Mind 4-Year Cycles
Florida Timeline - Florida History
Jump Back in Time - American history
Primary Source Materials - Links to Primary Sources
AP US History Web Links - AP History unit studies and links
RC History - Catholic perspective to history
Geography/Maps
Learning Links
Sheppard Software - Interactive mapsOutline Maps
Walk through the Continents - Large maps to print
Maps for Geography Testing - Outline Maps
EnchantedLearning.com - Outline Maps
Recommended Resources
The Audio Memory CD's teach geography so thoroughly that your children will astound everyone! Using simple tunes, Geography Songs and States And Capital Songs teach even your youngest or most reluctant learners world and U.S. geography. Make sure to buy a new copy of Geography Songs as the copies on the used market are missing some of the changes in world geography that have occurred in recent years. For painless geography study, Trail Guide to World Geography and Trail Guide to U.S. Geography include three levels of related questions that require only a few minutes to answer.To have high quality outline maps at your finger tips, consider a copy of Uncle Josh's Outline Maps on CD- ROM. This resource includes maps of ancient kingdoms as well as current countries.
Science
Learning Links
eNature.com - Field GuidesEarth and Moon Viewer
Nutrition Explorations
Singing Science Records - Fun Science Songs
Human Anatomy Online
Art
Learning Links
Art Takes Time - Elementary art lessons linked to historyArtcyclopedia - Art Encyclopedia
National Gallery of Art
ExploreArt - Art lessons focusing on particular classic artists
CGFA- A Virtual Art Museum - Art indexed by name, nationality, and time frame
Sanford - Art lessons for grades K-8
Art Education Internet Links - Art instruction on many topics including ceramics, photography
The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Art History Timeline
Music
Learning Links
Science of Music: Exploratorium's Accidental Scientist - Interactive music siteClassics for Kids - Classic music for children including composers, the orchestra
The Classical Music Pages - Information on composers, music history, including downloadable music
Recommended Resources
Music Masters CD's -- These EXCELLENT audios combine a biography of the composer with an overview of his music. The story format makes these suitable and enjoyable for all ages -- including homeschooling parents! About an hour in length, Music Masters CD's are also great for car-schooling, and they are tremendous bargain at about $3 each. Available composers are Berlioz, Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Handel, Vivaldi and Corelli, Dvorak, Schubert, Tchaikovsky, Wagner, Brahms, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Schumann and Grieg, Haydn, Foster and Sousa, Verdi, and Strauss.For an introduction to the symphony and classical music, Leonard Bernstein's Children's Classics is very good. It includes Peter and the Wolf, Carnival of the Animals, and the Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, narrated by the master conductor, Leonard Bernstein.
Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts on DVD will provide hours of entertainment (and education!) on music and the orchestra. Originally filmed in the 1960's before a live audience, these DVD's show Mr. Bernstein conducting the orchestra, playing the piano, and explaining many concepts. This set includes 9 DVD's with 25 shows.
If you have never enjoyed opera or just don't know much about it, Classical Child at the Opera will make you an opera lover. Fourteen songs from various operas are translated into English so that children and homeschooling parents can sing along. My children absolutely love this one!
The Classical Kids series CD's have fictional characters interacting with great composers of the past. We did not enjoy these as much as the Music Masters, but your family might really like them! Titles are Beethoven Lives Upstairs, Mozart's Magnificent Voyage, Mr. Bach Comes to Call, Tchaikovsky Discovers America, Mozart's Magic Fantasy, and Vivaldi's Ring of Mystery.
Economics
Learning Links
Martha's List of Online Economics Lessons For K-12EconEdLink - Brief lessons in economics
Crafts and Gen. Learning
Learning Links
Kids Domain - Activities, games, clipart, craftsSchoolExpress.com - Worksheets, unit studies
4th and 5th Grade Student Research Resources
The Gateway to Educational Materials - Lesson plans on many topics
abcteach - worksheets, forms, clipart
Activities for Kids - Teachers - holiday activities, worksheets, forms
Elementary Theme Pages By Jim Cornish - links for creating unit studies
50states.com - Worksheets and facts about the USA
Paula's Archives of Homeschool Advice - Homeschooling advice on many topics
First-School Preschool Activities and Crafts
The Crayon House - coloring pages
Resources for Christian Teachers - Puzzles, games, coloring pages, holidays
BrainPOP - interactive learning on science, social studies, math, English, health, and technology
Free-Ed.Net - free courses in 120 vocations/disciplines
The Tongue Twister Database - fun elocution exercises
FREE Crochet Patterns
Crochet Table Pattern Links: Beginner's Patterns
Easy or Beginner Crochet Patterns
Christian Character & Faith
Learning Links
Stardust Christian Academy's Character Studies Page - links to studies on characterChildrens Corner for Boys and Girls - Wholesome Words - Stories, Bible memory, Bible quizzes
Bible Gateway - Translations and audio of the Bible
God's Yellow Pages - Bible verses classified by a virtue or vice
Forms -- To organize your home and homeschool
Learning Links
Donna Young's Homeschool Printables and Resources - Forms for many usesCHASE SC Homeschool Association Free Forms For Home Schools - Timelines, reading logs, journals, diplomas, transcripts
Highland Heritage - Forms by subject
