Web Sites and Resources

This page contains a list of various web sites and resources that will be of interest and value to homeschooling families.

FINS Members' Educational Websites and Videos

Read to Me Dad - children's stories read aloud showing each page by Jay Moore

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEkVFknO2a_yEEYTp8ztXiw/videos?shelf_id=0&view=0&sort=dd  

Getting Started Videos by Barb Beideman - 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5Jzjw6doTA&feature=youtu.be - This is part one of a three part series on why and how to get started homeschooling. It covers reasons to homeschool, benefits and costs, setting goals, and curriculum.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0URQYzp_-0s&feature=youtu.be - This is part two of a three part series on why and how to get started homeschooling. It covers styles of homeschooling, curriculum, scheduling, a typical day as well as tips for new homeschoolers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPvnggr4k_8 - This is part three of a three part series on why and how to get started homeschooling. It covers information specific to homeschooling in Pennsylvania and complying with the law.  Resources related to this video are available here: https://sites.google.com/site/pittsburghfins/home/pennsylvania-homeschool-law

Homeschooling Middle School videos by Rick and Barb Beideman - 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVkyz-MBUeA 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBE9ylyFF1w 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkxCETjmARo

Site About Writing by Josiah DeGraaf

https://storyembers.org/ 

General Homeschooling Sites

http://chaponline.com

Christian Homeschool Association of Pennsylvania 

http://homeschoolcentral.com

Lots of information about homeschooling

General Homeschooling Resources

www.ck12.org  online textbooks from California

www.learner.org  video courses made for PBS

http://www.khanacademy.org/  The Khan Academy is a not-for-profit organization with the mission of providing a high quality education to anyone, anywhere.

www.watchknow.org  an attempt to organize learning videos

www.teachertube.com  learning videos

www.educationworld.com  a variety of resources

ww.edhelper.com (on-line educational supplements)

www.enchantedlearning.com  (on-line educational supplements)

www.donnayoung.org  - educational printables for a fee

www.iknowthat.com -free info on all subjects

http://school.discoveryeducation.com/  lots of good information and puzzle maker page

http://www.criticalthinking.com/index.jsp  Critical Thinking Books and Software

http://www.oldfashionededucation.com   Free curriculum site

http://www.amblesideonline.org/    Free curriculum based on the Charlotte Mason approach

http://allinonehomeschool.com/ Easy Peasy Complete Free all in one Christian homeschool curriculum

http://www.ellenjmchenry.com Homeschool mom's lesson plans and ideas for different subjects

http://downloads.cas.psu.edu/4H/PA4HPublications.pdf  4-H materials - many can be downloaded and make wonderful curriculum and projects

www.academicearth.org  online degrees and video courses from leading universities

www.ocwconsortium.org  open courseware consortium  courses from universities and colleges all over the world - click on Use at the top of the page to get to the list.  These are courses you could use at home and put on transcripts.  Admissions departments of universities recognize these courses as having high academic quality. The courses often include the syllabus, tests, and hand-outs.

http://www.teach12.com/teach12.asp?ai=16281  Teaching Company - videos of college courses.  Many are also available through the library

http://www.homeschoolshare.com  has free resources for unit studies and lapbooks including Five in a Row  

https://underthehome.org/home Free K-3 Charlotte Masson inspired curriculum

Testing Sources

http://www.christianlibertypress.com/proddetail.asp?prod=TS-CAT02

This is an online CAT test. Computer administers the test and results can be printed immediately.

http://www.setontesting.com/  CAT-E, Iowa, Terranova

http://www.familylearning.org/   CAT

http://www.HomeSchoolerTests.com  

Woodcock Johnson III Individualized Achievement Tests for Preschool -- 12th grade.

http://thurbers.net/teatests.html CAT

http://www.mailordercentral.com/sycamoretree/  CTBS – Terra Nova

http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/released-tests/    achievement test to use for  practice

Oportunities through Carnegie Mellon

https://www.cmu.edu/gelfand/gelfand-outreach/index.html There are dozens of opportunities for children to learn and grow at Carnegie Mellon.  Many activities are held during the summer or on evenings and weekends during the academic year.  We invite you to look at the programs that are listed to see if there are activities that are aligned with the needs of your child.

Co-ops

http://www.enrichmentday.org/ Enrichment Day co-op meeting at Fellowship Baptist Church, Economy Borough.

http://k12star.weebly.com/ - STAR co-op meets at Dorseyville Alliance Church

http://www.virtualhomeschoolgroup.com/  Free virtual co-op

http://saltpittsburgh.weebly.com/  SALT (Speaking About Life and Truth) speech and debate

Reading Resources

http://www.fcrr.org/  Florida Center for Reading Research excellent materials for teaching reading

www.starfall.com -free help to teach a child to read

www.bookadventure.com  offers quizzes on many books and prizes

http://qa.bookitprogram.com/enrollment/homeschool.asp  Pizza Hut Book It!  Register in May.

Pathway Readers - books created for Amish schools.  Request an order sheet by mail at:

Pathway Bookstore, 2580 N 250 W, LaGrange, IN  46761.  Spring sale starts March 15 and ends May 31 every year.

https://www.robeson.k12.nc.us/cms/lib6/nc01000307/centricity/domain/890/24_ready-to-go_genre_book_reports.pdf -  book report ideas and forms

https://www.scoilnet.ie/uploads/resources/19249/18943.pdf  - graphic organizers that help create reading strategies

English/Grammar Resources

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/kmn7v2cbj1n49sa/AAA3LCg4h4JvB4rQSS1MkKEFa?dl=0nal+find Free online writing and grammar workbooks from Scott Foresman

http://www.rfwp.com/mct.php  Michael Clay Thompson materials for language arts

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MCTLA/  a Yahoo group to discuss Michael Clay Thompson materials

http://www.sparknotes.com/sparknotes/  online study guides

http://gec.kmu.edu.tw/~lc/ecorner/eBook/Descriptive%20writing.pdf descriptive writing book with ideas and forms

Free performances at Grove City College.  Children's theater is usually in mid-April. Fall and spring musicals as well.  

https://my.gcc.edu/html5/apps/theatre/tickets.html 724-458-3331  or email theatretickets@gcc.edu  

Public Speaking

https://sites.google.com/site/finsgavelclub/home Toastmasters Gavel Club meeting a CCAC (community college)

http://saltpittsburgh.weebly.com/  NCFCA Speech Club meeting in the North Hills

Writing Resources

http://www.time4writing.com/ Online writing for elementary through high school

http://www.writeguide.com/ Online writing courses and help

http://www.writeathome.com/  Online writing courses and help

Math Resources

www.math.com  lots of math resources

http://coolmath4kids.com/ Cool math 4 kids is an amusement park of math, games and more - especially designed for fun, fun, FUN!

www.artofproblemsolving.com   a variety of resources including many excellent free videos

http://www.singaporemath.com/   math curriculum - placement test are available at this site

www.mathcounts.org  Math Counts competition and club for middle school students 

http://www.moems.org/  Math Olympiads for elementary and middle school students

http://www.math-drills.com/   math worksheets

http://www.khanacademy.org/  The Khan Academy is a not-for-profit organization with the mission of providing a high quality education to anyone, anywhere.

https://amysflashcards.com/  Resource site provided by local retired homeschool dad who also provides math tutoring

Mini Math Conference at Grove City College in March Dr. Kelleen Bonomo  Email:khbonomo@gcc.edu

Science Resources

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/ - lots of great ideas for science fairs and fun science projects with directions

http://www.carnegiesciencecenter.org/programs/homeschool/ -here they list all homeschool classes

http://www.periodicvideos.com/#  videos for the elements of the periodic table

http://www.scitechfestival.com/mainsf.asp Pittsburgh Regional Science and Engineering Fair

www.tomatosphere.org  science project involving growing tomatoes 

http://www.ssp-pgh.org  Faraday Lecture information

http://www.orwc.org/  This is the site with information about the Ohio River Watershed Celebration each September

http://www.streamrestorationinc.org/  Watershed information

http://www.khanacademy.org/  The Khan Academy is a not-for-profit organization with the mission of providing a high quality education to anyone, anywhere.

http://www.county.allegheny.pa.us/parks/north-park/nature-center-programs.aspx North Park Nature Center Programs

Young Nature Explorers Class, second Tuesday of every month 10 am to 11 am, or 1 pm to 2 pm. Program for children and parent. Pre-register 724-935-2170

see schedule at https://sites.google.com/site/latodaminaturecenter/events-and-programs

Social Studies, History, Geography and Citizenship Resources

http://www.studentnewsdaily.com  Provides current news stories and follow-up questions to encourage students to think about current events.

nationalgeographic.com has a geo bee quiz 

http://www.travelpod.com/traveler-iq  traveler IQ challenge at

www.sheppardsoftware.com-states

http://www.mccollam.com/fun/geoquiz/  geography quizzes

http://www.quia.com/mc/4.html  matching game for state capitals

http://explorepahistory.com/ Pennsylvania History site  with lots of information

Civics Resources

http://www.civiced.org/ 

Foreign Language

https://www.duolingo.com/   free site for learning languages   

http://www.openculture.com/freelanguagelessons   free resources for learning 40 different languages

Music Resources

http://www.gmajormusictheory.org/Fundamentals/workbooks.html  Free music theory worksheets

Computer/Programming Resources

www.openoffice.org  free download like Microsoft Office

http://scratch.mit.edu - fun introduction to programming

http://www.learnerstv.com/course.php?cat=Computers  resources for teaching computer programming

www.snopes.com -check out those urban legends that find their way into your e-mail

http://www.forthuntparent.com/academy/HTMLFrontPage.cfm?from=FINS&CFID=377417&CFTOKEN=b25e09aaffa03280-77C8F452-D9D9-671F-8826BE6E3C695CFA  Free for now HTML 100 for kids nine and up

http://homeschoolprogramming.com/  computer programming for kids and teens

Typing Resources

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/

www.freetypinggame.net

Christian Resources

http://www.biblegateway.com/ -free Bible help with many, many versions of the Bible

http://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/spiritual_growth_for_kids/character_crew.aspx  Developing Christian character in children

Gifted Sites and Resources

http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?A0=TAGMAX

You should be able to use this link to join TAGMAX national homeschool gifted list.  Lots of traffic.   

http://www.tagfam.org/ 

This link has some information about the TAGFAM electronic mailing list,

one of the oldest email lists for parents of gifted children.  TAGMAX is a spin-off

of TAGFAM. 

http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/  Great site for all kinds of information and resources 

http://www.cmu.edu/cmites/  C-mites special programs at Carnegie Mellon University 

http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/~leap/  Andrew’s Leap summer program at CMU for middle school and high school students 

http://www.stephanietolan.com/is_it_a_cheetah.htm  Is it a Cheetah? by Stephanie Tolan 

http://www.prufrock.com/  publisher of materials for gifted 

http://www.cty.jhu.edu/  Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth 

http://www.davidsongifted.org/  Davidson Institute for Talent Development

http://www.educationaladvancement.org/ Institute for Educational Advancement

http://educationaladvancement.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=23:grc-overview&catid=11&Itemid=24   Gifted Resource Center with database to search for contests and scholarships

Special Needs Resources

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SpecialneedshomeschoolersofWPA/

http://www.nathhan.com/   National Challenged Homeschoolers Associated Network

http://home.earthlink.net/~tammyglaser798/authome.html -homeschooling and autism

http://www.fcrr.org/  Florida Center for Reading Research excellent materials for teaching reading 

http://eps.schoolspecialty.com/  Catalog with some materials specifically designed for special needs

http://www.joyceherzog.info/Joyce_Herzog/Welcome.html -homeschooling special needs resources/curriculum

Buying Resources

http://curriculum.handinhandhomeschool.com/  Reviews, opinions, and feedback on homeschool curriculum

http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/homeschool/   Homeschool Buyers Co-op  discounts on materials

http://www.rainbowresource.com/index.php  Rainbow Resource Center  - largest homeschool materials catalog

http://www.timberdoodle.com/  Fun catalog of homeschool materials

http://www.scholastic.com/bookfairs/events/warehouse/states.asp?st_abbrev=PA  the Scholastic Warehouse in Munhall has periodic sales

Field Trips 

http://www.fieldtripfactory.com/ field trips that can be set up locally

http://www.factorytoursusa.com/ -find cool places to tour all over the states

Contests

http://www.artandwriting.org Scholastic Art and Writing contest enter in the fall grades 7-12

http://www.chapcontest.com/essay_contest.html CHAP essay contest begins Jan. 1 ages 10-18

http://www.freewebs.com/pigmom/grovecityprojectfair.htm This is a project fair held in March 

High School Planning

http://www.hslda.org/highschool

http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/000000/00000019.asp

http://www.thehomescholar.com/

http://www.homeschooldiner.com/specials/high_school/college.html

http://www.everydayeducation.com/home/index.shtml

http://www.collegeplus.org/

http://www.collegeconfidential.com/ 

http://www.collegeboard.com/html/apcourseaudit/teacher.html This is a great resource for creating your own AP course or just a general high school course.  Scroll down and click the course that interests you.  Many suggested resources will be available as well as four sample syllabi for each course.

High School Transcripts

http://www.hslda.org/highschool/academics.asp#transcripts

http://www.raisingrealmen.com/handouts/HomeschoolingHighschoolSampleTranscript2010.pdf

https://homeschoolpennsylvania.org/index.php/knowledgebase/transcripts-and-testing/    Transcript generator from CHAP

Discussion Groups

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/homeschool2college/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hs2coll/

Courses

http://www.pottersschool.org

http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/online_hs.htm

http://www.ocwconsortium.org

http://www.youtube.com/user/ucberkeley#g/p 

http://www.virtualhomeschoolgroup.com/

http://www.khanacademy.org/  The Khan Academy is a not-for-profit organization with the mission of providing a high quality education to anyone, anywhere.

http://www.learnerstv.com  Video Lectures, Video Courses, Science Animations, Lecture Notes, Online Test, Lecture Presentations. Absolutely FREE.

http://ocw.mit.edu/high-school/  Highlights for High School features MIT OpenCourseWare materials that are most useful for high school students and teachers.

http://www.udacity.com/

    These are programming courses, starting from CS101 and up

https://www.coursera.org/

    Wider variety of courses

http://teacherweb.com/USA/BlueTent/Thompson/apt19.aspx

    Online Honors and AP English courses

http://www.laroche.edu/academics/scip.htm 

    Scholar Credit Initiative Program at La Roche College for juniors and seniors in high school

http://www.openculture.com/freelanguagelessons   free resources for learning 40 different languages

Testing

http://cty.jhu.edu/ts/grades78.html

http://www.collegeboard.com

http://sat.collegeboard.com/practicesat-question-of-the-day

College

https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/default.aspx

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/

http://www.collegeguide.org/itemdetail.aspx?item=f6837a32-967f-4d49-a174-72a13b6560bf&page=1

over 30 colleges (mostly private) listed and their requirements for homeschoolers

Financial Aid

http://fastweb.org

http://finaid.org

http://mappingyourfuture.org/paying/scholarshipresources.htm

http://www.fafsa.ed.gov

https://profileonline.collegeboard.com/prf/index.jsp

FINSPittsburgh@gmail.com