As schools close down across the country, homeschooling is no longer a choice!
It’s the new normal for many families — and it can be a great opportunity for you and your kids.
But for those of us who haven’t homeschooled before, it’s a bit daunting.
Thankfully, there is a myriad of great resources available for new homeschoolers.
The homeschooling movement has grown over the last few decades, and there are many books and curriculum options now available to those who choose to homeschool—or those who are forced to homeschool by the coronavirus outbreak.
If you’re struggling to organize your educational efforts, here are five homeschooling resources for Christian families to get you started.
1. HSLDA’s “Getting Started” Website
The Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) is well known for defending homeschooling families.
But the organization also provides support to those who are just getting started in their homeschooling journey.
This helpful website provides checklists, planning materials, resources, and Christian curriculum options for those who haven’t homeschooled before. It also informs families of their rights as homeschooling parents.
There’s even a section about starting in the middle of a school year—exactly the situation many of us are facing!
So if you’re scrambling to get your homeschool plans in conjunction with your school district’s requirements, take a look at this website and breathe a little easier.
2. Free Online Libraries
Most, if not all, public libraries are now closed due to the pandemic, limiting options for books, audio resources, and instructional videos.
But several online libraries have opened their websites and expanded their offerings in recognition of the needs of students and families during this time.
Open Culture and Open Library are two of these organizations. These online repositories offer textbooks, novels, audiobooks, and video resources for work or pleasure.
Open Culture even offers over 1,000 free online courses in subjects like art, chemistry, computer science, writing, math, and more. The courses are suitable for advanced high school students.
Since these resources are not exclusively faith-based, it’s best for parents to browse these sites and make selections for their children. You should be able to find a wide variety of kid-friendly and student-friendly resources to aid your family’s learning!
3. PureFlix’s Homeschool Aids
PureFlix is a Christian streaming service offering wholesome movies and TV shows for discerning viewers. With plenty of entertainment options appropriate for kids and families of all interests, PureFlix has a growing membership.
And the streaming service has also launched a free online homeschool curriculum with educational materials and weekly video guides!
If your family has a few visual learners, these supplemental tools are worth checking out. You’ll find documentaries and movies that pair well with any textbook or curriculum you’re using.
Start your free trial today and spark creativity in your homeschooling!
4. Rod and Staff Curriculum
Rod and Staff works to create books and materials that will make students of all ages “God-conscious.” The textbooks published by Rod and Staff incorporate the Bible into all subjects through illustrations and stories.
This Bible-based and academically-sound curriculum is useful for grades 1-10. Rod and Staff also offers extra resources to help teachers and students transition into a homeschooling lifestyle.
If your children are avid readers, they’ll enjoy the stories and poetry in Rod and Staff’s readers for all grades.
5. The Teaching Home Magazine
The Teaching Home provides “information, inspiration, and encouragement [to homeschooling families] from a distinctly Christian perspective.”
The magazine is committed to helping homeschooling families pursue excellence in education while maintaining Biblical standards for content and training.
In the magazine’s free email newsletters, you’ll find unit studies, links to helpful resources, free curriculum offers, and answers to your questions about homeschooling.
The magazine also offers an archive of back issues with a wide variety of information and resources, including materials about the challenges of teaching several children at once.
The Teaching Home makes homeschooling feel more accessible and achievable in a time of uncertainty and change.
As you choose resources for your homeschooling journey, remember to pray for all the other families across the country who have suddenly found themselves homeschooling their children.
May this time be instrumental in bringing many families closer to each other and to God!