Homeschool Resources

Let me begin by saying that I am no expert at homeschooling.  There are thousands of other mothers who have written posts just like this one, and with many more years of experience in teaching their children at home.  They write about their personally time-tested methods, and there is a lot of wisdom to be gained by reading about what "experienced" homeschooling looks like.

Lately, I've had some questions about my family's homeschool experience (which is, in all honesty, still quite new), and I thought it could be helpful to have the resources I use and love all in one place, other than my list of bookmarks.

My Homeschool Philosophy

Honestly, I think there are as many ways to homeschool as there are people who do it.  Most homeschooling moms I've talked to aren't completely in one camp or another.  They take bits and pieces from methods they like, and combine them into something that fits their lifestyle and resonates with them on a personal level.

Before my family began our homeschooling journey, I read about several different homeschooling methods.  It was important to me that even though I am home-schooling, I didn't want to recreate school-at-home.  The method that really resonates with me is the educational philosophy of Charlotte Mason.  Simply Charlotte Mason and Ambleside Online offer excellent summaries of what a CM education entails, as well as curriculum guides, book lists, and many other resources.

Curriculum

Easy Peasy All-In-One-Homeschool
This is the curriculum I've used for the 2013-2014 school year.  It is 100% free of charge, and in my opinion, it is fairly "CM" in its approach. (Or at least I've tweaked it for us to be that way.)  It really is "easy peasy" to use.  I relied on it a lot at the beginning, and now I mostly use it as an outline and I find some of my own resources.  Lee Giles, the woman who put this together, uses a lot of online games/activities, and that's fine sometimes, but I want my kids to have more paper and pencil work.  So I will often see what the game or activity is, and then print off or make up a worksheet for them to complete instead.  Then they can play the game afterward, if they want.  There are also many, many Facebook groups that offer support and help to those parents using the EP curriculum.  I found it a bit overwhelming, but that's just me.

Milestones Academy
This is one I want to take a closer look at.  It appears to be a CM curriculum and is free of charge.  I've had it bookmarked for awhile, and just haven't had the time I'd like to have to really dive in and see what it's all about.

Simply Charlotte Mason and Ambleside Online, are of course, curriculum based on Charlotte Mason's educational philosophy.  As I said above, they are both a wealth of information, and offer it for free.

Sites I've Bookmarked 

(and some I use a lot!)

Reading/Language Arts
Starfall
Free Phonics Worksheets
Free Phonics Lessons
K12 Reader
Mr. V's Daily Oral Language
The Amazing-Incredible Handwriting Worksheet Maker

Math
Math-Aids (I use this almost exclusively for printable math worksheets)
Dad's Worksheets
Kindergarten Math Worksheets
Math is Fun (Great for my kids' learning, even greater for my own review!)
Math Mammoth (I've pretty much decided that this will be my math curriculum for Fall 2014.)

All Subjects
TLS Books
Worksheet Fun
Worksheet Works
Soft Schools

US History/Science
US History.org
Mission US (a fun, interactive way to learn about history)
Liberty's Kids (also check out full episodes of the show on YouTube)
Guesthollow
Exploring Nature Educational Resource

Other
Activity Village
mypuzzle.org

Additional Resources

Washington Homeschool Organization is my go-to site for questions and news about homeschooling in my state.  There's all kinds of great information, and all in one place.  Whenever I have a question, I send it in an email, and I get a phone call within 2 hours.  This year, I want to attend the convention in June.  

Home School Legal Defense Association keeps up with what's happening with homeschooling at the national level.  They encourage homeschoolers to join, and in return, they provide additional access and legal representation for any homeschooling related matters.

Family Learning Organization offers homeschooling advice and standardized testing services as well as yearly assessments reviewed and signed by a certified teacher.  The assessment is what I use every year to satisfy Washington State's requirement.