General Resources
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ALERT: Hyperlinks are not showing up as “blue” for some reason. Please hover your mouse over the names of resources to find the links to those pages! Sorry for the inconvenience!
There are so many resources available for homeschoolers.
One of the best places to start your research journey is to understand the legal requirements in your state.
The states vary widely in their requirements, so be sure to contact your state department of education directly before making any “official” moves to start homeschooling.
You’ll want to find out any paperwork you have to file, where that filing belongs, any testing that is required (and in which grades), and what degree of accountability is called for. 
For the record, I am against most homeschooling compliance laws. Many times a state board of education tries to apply the restrictions they place on public schools to home education – and not only does it NOT make sense, it is misguided and intrusive. Pennsylvania is particularly intrusive.
Having said that, I do strongly encourage you to follow the law closely. Some districts have been known to pursue legal action against homeschooling families. This intimidation is reprehensible, but the sense of the government being “in charge” is remarkably strong.
Some places to start:
National Home Education Legal Defense
Some MUST READ resources! Know the TRUE background of education in the US:
John Taylor Gatto, father of the modern homeschooling movement, explains in crystal clear terms why the educational system in this country is in shambles.
In the “unschooling” world, the important name to start with is John Holt. He examines how real life actually does a great job of teaching people, if we give it a chance.
A WONDERFUL author to read is Linda Dobson. In particular, her book, “The First Year of Homeschooling Your Child” gave me so many specific pieces of information that I used in my first year. It helped me “relax” as much as is possible in the first year…
While researching the nuts and bolts of the homeschooling lifestyle, don’t forget the other stuff.
If you go to the web site of your state’s department of education, you can find the relevant law for homeschooling.
It IS legal in all 50 states, and was in fact NEVER “illegal.” Up until the 1980′s there simply had been no specific laws about home education, but neither were there laws against it.
Once you determine your legal requirements, start searching for support groups.
For all homeschoolers, but particularly newbies, support is crucial. The first year is often fraught with insecurity and anxiety (which hopefully my webinars will help you overcome!).
But nothing replaces face to face support. Do an internet search for “homeschool groups” in your state, and then narrow the results down to your city and nearby vicinity.
Approaches to Home Education/Educational Philosophy
Classical Education – learning follows the natural developmental stages of the brain: first children learn best through repetition and memorization, then they learn logic, then they learn to form coherent, logical, and sound arguments using the tool of rhetoric. This is the general approach that we loosely follow in our house. This approach is also referred to as the “Trivium,” since it breaks education down into three stages: grammar, logic, and rhetoric.
There are TONS of resources for this philosophy, but the ones I most recommend are:
The Well Trained Mind (GREAT book and web site!)
Tanglewood (Gives a nice overview of the classical approach)
The Great Books Academy (if you think “classic” books are too hard to read, it’s because you weren’t exposed to them enough – when you dive in and start to read through them with your children, you CAN understand them! And develop a VERY rich understanding of the world and human nature…)
Closely related to the Trivium concept, or Classical Education:
A Thomas Jefferson Education (I LOVE this book!)
The Charlotte Mason approach
GREAT supplemental studies resources:
Click here for Camp Constitution – where you and your child can learn about the US Constitution
