Summary

Provide a solid education at home without breaking the bank. Introduced in 2000,Homeschool Your Child for Freegave countless parents the plan and peace of mind to get their kids' education on the right track. Now, authors LauraMaery Gold and Joan M. Zielinski have revised and updated their popular guide, offering their expert homeschooling advice and information, plus new tools and resources to help you and your child succeed: Complete curriculum plans for a comprehensive education, from preschool through high school Where to find free online courses; NEW! Ways to partner with public schools; NEW! Legal guidelines and compliance requirements for home educators Keys to graduating a homeschooler; NEW! Developing personal finance management and life skills; NEW! Teaching tips and motivators from successful homeschoolers Career and vocational guidance; NEW! And so much more! Comprehensive and clear,Homeschool Your Child for Freegives you access to free instructional materialfrom reading-readiness activities for preschoolers to science projects for teensto help build a strong foundation that will last into adulthood. You don't need to drain your bank account to guarantee a good education for your child. With a computer and the Internet, you have the largest library and laboratory right at your fingertipsall for free!

Author Biography

LauraMaery Gold writes a popular weekly Internet column for homeschoolers and operates one of the largest homeschooling lists on the Internet. She and her husband, Dan Post, are the homeschooling parents of seven, ranging in age from infant to adulthood. They are the authors of a number of books on technology, and religion, and business. After having lived all over the world, the family now resides in Kent, Washington, where she and Dan teach their children through an eclectic curriculum of free educational resources.
Joan M. Zielinski is the mother of four—one of whom is LauraMaery. A professional educator for nearly thirty years, Joan is a former Teacher of the Year for the Kent, Washington School District who recently retired to undertake volunteer work in literacy education. She and her husband, Stan, breed champion St.Bernards.

Foreword by Kristine Farley	p. ix
Introduction to the Second Edition	p. xi
Conventions	p. xiii
Why We Homeschool	p. 1
Homeschool How-To's	p. 8
Internet Safety	p. 12
Teaching Tips	p. 16
Motivators	p. 22
Dealing with Difficulties	p. 28
Legal Issues	p. 32
Assessment Testing	p. 36
That "Socialization" Question	p. 42
Support Groups	p. 46
Email Lists	p. 50
The Boards	p. 54
Curriculum Core: Scope and Sequence	p. 56
Placement Testing	p. 68
Lesson Plans	p. 71
Worksheets	p. 76
Unit Studies	p. 79
Field Trips	p. 83
Preschool	p. 90
Special Education	p. 95
Unschooling	p. 101
Online Courses	p. 106
Public School Partnering	p. 110
Education Essentials	p. 114
Community Involvement and Public Service	p. 115
Listening Skills	p. 121
Logic and Critical Thinking	p. 124
Library and Media Skills	p. 128
Information Literacy	p. 132
Reference Materials	p. 135
Research Skills	p. 138
Study Skills	p. 143
Values, Standards, and Ethics	p. 146
Language Literacy	p. 151
Etymology and Linguistics	p. 154
Grammar, Usage, and Punctuation	p. 157
Handwriting and Penmanship	p. 161
Literature	p. 163
Reading Skills	p. 168
Spelling	p. 174
Vocabulary	p. 177
Written Expression	p. 180
Mathematics Mastery	p. 186
Basic Math	p. 192
Pre-Algebra	p. 196
Algebra	p. 199
Geometry	p. 203
Computer Math	p. 206
Trigonometry	p. 208
Calculus	p. 211
Statistics	p. 214
Art Appreciation	p. 218
Art History and Appreciation	p. 222
Crafts	p. 227
Design	p. 229
Drawing	p. 231
Painting	p. 234
Sculpture and Ceramics	p. 237
Visual Arts	p. 239
History Highlights	p. 243
American History	p. 248
American West	p. 253
Ancient, Medieval, and Renaissance History	p. 256
Family History	p. 258
Modern American History	p. 261
State History	p. 263
World History	p. 267
Music Marathon	p. 270
Music Appreciation	p. 274
Music Theory	p. 278
Musicianship	p. 281
Vocal Music	p. 285
Social Studies Skills	p. 287
Business and Industry	p. 290
Civics	p. 293
Culture and Society	p. 297
Current Events	p. 302
Economics	p. 305
Geography	p. 310
Psychology	p. 314
Social Issues	p. 317
Humanities Home	p. 320
Dance and Performance Art	p. 323
Drama	p. 326
Foreign Language	p. 329
Public Speaking	p. 333
Journalism	p. 336
Philosophy	p. 340
Religious Education	p. 343
Science Scholarship	p. 349
Anatomy	p. 355
Archaeology and Paleontology	p. 358
Astronomy	p. 360
Biology	p. 364
Botany	p. 367
Chemistry	p. 370
Earth Science	p. 374
Environmental Studies	p. 377
Physical Science	p. 380
Scientists and Inventions	p. 385
Technology	p. 387
Zoology	p. 391
Health Handbook	p. 395
Community Health	p. 399
Drug Education	p. 401
Human Development	p. 405
Mental Health	p. 409
Nutrition	p. 411
Personal Health	p. 414
Physical Education	p. 417
Safety and First Aid	p. 421
Graduation Guidance	p. 424
Graduation	p. 425
Personal Finance	p. 427
Life Skills	p. 430
Getting Ahead	p. 433
College Prep	p. 436
Financial Aid	p. 439
Career Planning	p. 441
Appendix: Curriculum: Scope and Sequence Recommendations	p. 445
Acknowledgments	p. 451
Index	p. 453
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Supplemental Materials

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Excerpts

Chapter 1

Why We Homeschool

All good parents homeschool their children. Some do it full time. Some do it part time in partnership with professional educators. And some do it while their kids are on break from traditional schools. If you teach your children at all, you homeschool.

Homeschoolers cut across all segments of the population. Although the movement is indisputably largest in the United States (reliable research puts the number of American homeschooled children at 1.5 million, or 1 to 2 percent of school-age children), Canadians, Europeans, and thousands of expatriated North American families in the military, in missionary service, in business, and in the civil service are also embracing homeschooling.

Homeschoolers advocate dozens of educational philosophies, ranging from strict school-at-home programs to militant unschooling. There are parents who have homeschooled from birth, parents who enroll their children in supplemental classes, and parents who embrace public or private school and supplement it with their own after- school and weekend programs.

While the homeschooling movement is often perceived as conservative in nature, a sizable number of homeschoolers are adamantly liberal. Homeschoolers cover the range of human experience. They include self- avowed "hippies," rural farm families, gay couples, single parents, grandparents, stepparents, and kindly aunts.

Some families homeschool in small church or neighborhood "co-ops," some are affiliated with charter or private schools, and some go it alone. Some homeschooling families are devoutly religious; some have no religious affiliation at all. The homeschooling community embraces Pagans and Catholics, Baha'is and Mormons, Buddhists and Sikhs, Jehovah's Witnesses and Protestant Christians, Hindus and serious atheists, Muslims and Jews.

Parents homeschool because their children are gifted, learning disabled, behavior disordered or easily overlooked, hyperactive, or just plain bored. Some parents homeschool because they feel undermined or unsafe. Most parents homeschool for smaller classes, individual attention, and customized curriculum. And most of all, parents homeschool their kids because they simply want to. Because they're good parents, and they believe it's the best thing for their children.

No matter how-or why-you homeschool, you're welcome here. And congratulations on choosing to teach your children both economically and intelligently.

Intelligently? Absolutely. In choosing this book, you're gaining access to thousands of resources that make up the best and most current information available anywhere. No stodgy, fifteen-year-old, out-of-date textbooks for your kids. By choosing to homeschool your child for free, you're also choosing to homeschool your child for now. For the world your child lives in today, rather than the world that existed in 1996, when many of her friends' out-of-date social studies and science textbooks were written. If you use this book properly, you'll also teach your sons and daughters how to find their independent way around modern technology to do the kind of research and study that will make them successful in college and the business world.

By making wise, intelligent, frequent use of the Internet, you're teaching your children two things: one, that there are answers to all their questions, and two, that those answers are within their grasp. You'll teach them how to find information, how to work efficiently, how to avoid time-wasting dead ends, and how to focus on their educational goals. Do we guarantee that this book will make your child smarter? Yes, we do. Will your child be better off if he's homeschooled? Of course. Is homeschooling the answer to all your problems? Well . . .

Here's how it works. If you haven't yet been on the Internet, it's time to start. Visit your community library, recreation center, or YMCA and ask for assist

Excerpted from Homeschool Your Child for Free: More Than 1,400 Smart, Effective, and Practical Resources for Educating Your Family at Home by LauraMaery Gold, Joan M. Zielinski
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.