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Homeschooling:
A Pathfinder
by Linda Fiske, Librarian
Every year more parents decide to educate their children at home. There are as many reasons as there are families. There is help for this challenging undertaking, available on the Internet and at your local library.
Encyclopedias
Books
Magazines
Databases
Websites
Program & Events
Local Resources
Associations
Encyclopedias such as World Book, The Encyclopedia Americana and specialized subject encyclopedias and dictionaries are available in print form in the libraries. Encyclopedias are also available on OCPL's Online Databases.
Here are some useful Subject Headings to search for materials:
Home schooling
Home schooling -- Curricula -- United States
Home schooling -- Curricula -- United States -- Handbooks, manuals, etc.
Home schooling -- Handbooks, manuals, etc.
You may also use the keywords homeschooling, home schooling or education-parent participation to search the OCPL Online Catalog, as well as searching specific subject areas for help teaching topics such as math.
To browse in the library for books on homeschooling try Dewey numbers:
371.04 (education and family)
649.6 (parenting)
Books
You can find many books on homeschooling by searching the catalog. If the book you want isn’t available at the library you usually attend you can always have it sent there for you. You can do this either online or at the library.
There is a series of books that is very helpful in lesson planning. One title is Making the Grade: Everything Your 6th Grader Needs to know. They are available for different grades. Other helpful titles are:
Home Learning Year by Year:
How to Design a Homeschool Curriculum from Preschool Through High School
by Rebecca Rupp
Homeschooling Handbook:
From Preschool to High School, A Parent’s Guide
by Mary Griffith
Homeschooling:
Take a Deep Breath
by Terrie Lynn Bittner
Mary Pride’s Complete Guide to Getting Started in Homeschooling
by Mary Pride
Videos & Audiobooks
Books on cassette and CD are available for both younger children and teens. These include non-fiction, classics and “just for fun” reading. Videorecordings in both VHS and DVD formats are also available. Many, such as the Bill Nye The Science Guy series would be a great addition to lesson plans. Always feel free to ask a librarian for help if you do not find what you need.
Several libraries in the system carry Home Education Magazine which is also available on the Internet. Two other magazines on the Internet are Homefires: The Journal of Homeschooling (aimed at homeschoolers in the San Francisco area, but still useful) and Practical Homeschooling Magazine.
Online databases are not the same as Internet web sites. They are based on respected reference works, journals and magazines. This is information that you cannot get free on the Internet.
For articles about homeschooling, see OCPL’s Online Databases. Here you can access magazine and journal articles, newspapers, and reference books 24 hours a day using your OCPL library card number and PIN number. You will find Magazines and Journals, newspapers, encyclopedias, information on health, auto repair, ancestry and even a special section just for students.
For in-library use of the online databases, please see a librarian.
Web Sites can change and disappear without notice, but here are a few to get you started.
American Homeschool Association
Homeschool.com: Your Virtual Homeschool
Home Educator
Homeschool Legal Defense Association
LEAH New York
Syracuse LEAH
Libraries in the OCPL system often have events that are specifically for homeschoolers or can be used as part of a lesson plan. You can find out what events are taking place at the different libraries by going to the OCPL Web Page and clicking on the Events Calendar button.
Syracuse Loving Education at Home (LEAH)
e-mail info@syracuseleah.org (faith based)
Parents Instruction Challenged Children
e-mail picc@twcny.rr.com (faith based)