Resources

• NC Official Homeschooling Website - part of the Department of Non-Public Education (DNPE) - this is the place to register a homeschool and create an account online, find legal requirements for homeschools and minimum requirements for entry to the UNC system, request a certificate for students to take Driver's Education classes free at area high schools, update homeschool information, ask legal questions, and print a copy of your homeschool's official registration record & verification card (which is needed for many homeschool discounts)

• NC Community College - Career & College Promise program - provides up to two years of community college education tuition free, with programs to earn Associate's degrees and/or Technical program certificates

• NC Public School K-12 Standards, Curriculum, and Instruction - information about what the state teaches students in each grade (helpful for families trying to match public school curriculum or those preparing to send students to a public school at some point)

These groups are great places to find support, socialization, and advice; some are email only, some have websites, Facebook pages, meetings - all are secular unless noted.

• Chapel Hill-Durham Homeschoolers (and surrounding areas): park days, co-op (Friday Enrichment), sponsors field trips, craft fairs, etc; has email loop, Facebook page, and website.

• Durham/Orange Homeschool Happenings Clearinghouse: information sharing; has Facebook page

• Homeschoolers of Color: has a co-op and Facebook page

• Friday / Jimmy Games, no membership required

• Mebane Area Homeschoolers/Unschoolers: sponsors field trips and park days, has Facebook page

• NC Five in a Row: Members attend field trips to tie in with Five In A Row curriculum

• NC Homeschool Adventures: Facebook group that meets for field trips

• TAFFY: group for homeschooled teens and their families; has Facebook page

• Wake Forest Homeschoolers: has a co-op, park days, sponsors annual Prom for area homeschoolers, has a Facebook page

• Christian Co-ops: Deerstream, Great Endeavor, Providence Tutorials

• spice-line: moderated email loop *conservative/Christian*

these places offer classes to homeschoolers and public school students while tracked out; please visit their websites for current classes and activities

Academic:

• Amy Ruff's School (High school Spanish; LA; Intro Psych; SAT/ACT/AP prep) or email

• Caerus Academy

• Greensboro Science Center

• Morehead Planetarium (year round classes & a summer camp with help for children with special needs)

• Museum of Life and Science

• NC History Museum in downtown Raleigh

• NC Natural Sciences Museum in downtown Raleigh

• North Durham Regional Library - see events page of this website

• Stephanie Iraggi (Personal Finance & Entrepreneurship for Teens)

Fitness:

• Bull City Gymnastics

• Team Time @ Chapel Hill YMCA

Art & Garden:

• Durham Arts Council

• Duke Gardens

Self Directed:

• Clapping Hands Farm, Pittsboro

• Pathfinder Academy

• Piedmont Wildlife Center

• Homeschool Gathering Place (off Hwy 70/Glenwood Ave in Raleigh) has new and consigned curriculum, etc

• Not Just Paper (Brame) has classroom supplies and manipulatives

• Brewer Testing Services provides in person Woodcock-Johnson and various at home tests

• Lighthouse Educational Services provides in person Woodcock-Johnson and various at home tests

These places have regularly scheduled days with programs especially for homeschoolers.

• Stagville (fall & spring)

• Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown (September & February/March)

• Old Salem (September & May)

• Biltmore (September)

• Monticello (September)

• Reed Gold Mine (March)

• Bennett Place (April)

• Somerset Place (April)

• Alamance Battleground (May)

Homeschoolers are eligible for one free visit to the Zoo and Aquariums every year, see sites for details.

• NC Zoo in Asheboro (reservations must be made 2 weeks in advance during a school day for Randolph county)

• NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher

• NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores

• NC Aquarium at Roanoke Island

Curriculum:

• Build Your Library - secular literature based curriculum guide for K-12

• Cathy Duffy Reviews - thorough reviews of homeschooling materials

• ck-12 - free online interactive, customizable textbooks & quizzes mostly for middle and high school

• Enchanted Learning - downloadable curriculum, mostly elementary school, some free, some for purchase

• Free Typing Lessons - create accounts for students to practice typing for free

• Homeschool Classifieds - online marketplace for new and used homeschooling materials

• Math Is Fun - simple explanations and examples of math concepts

• Teachers Pay Teachers - downloadable lesson plans and activities for purchase; sign up for their mailing list and get weekly emails that include ten free resources

Support Groups, Places To Find Resources:

• North Carolinians for Home Education (NCHE) - Statewide Christian support organization with annual conference

• Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) - provides legal support for homeschoolers as well as other free and paid resources

• Homeschooling in NC - tips, events, discounts, resource lists

Durham Network of Care website - For families in need of medical or financial assistance, personal care or public services. This is an online resource guide of Durham’s Public Agency programs, clinics and duties. It also provides access to other care providers, Juvenile Justice program, and LGBTQ Center. Durham Liaison is Debra Duncan.

NC State Education Assistance Authority - one way for parents to access up to $8,000 per year to help pay for private school or help pay for qualified educational expenses (homeschoolers must provide state ID number) for students with disabilities

For children with special needs

• Chapel Hill Parks and Rec. for programs under "adapted recreation." Some are free like special days at Kidzu children's museum, Sibshops for siblings of children with special needs, and Fridays Fun Nights for families to play, swim, wall climb, socialize. Other programs include aquatics, special olympics, social groups for various age groups.

• Every Child Can Learn Support group with monthly social gatherings for families and children with special needs. Contact by email or on Facebook.

• Helping Horse in Raleigh, therapeutic horse riding for people with disabilities.

• Camp Shelanu, Camp Sabra at the Levine JCC. These day camps work with children on the autism spectrum, with hearing and vision impairments, cerebral palsy, Down Syndrome, ADHD, sensory processing disorder, and others. Their building and pool are fully wheelchair accessible.

For children with autism

• UNC Teacch They are pioneers in their theory and folks from all over the world come to learn from them. They offer a program where parents work alongside their children. By the end, the parent is the therapist. They offer ongoing support groups for fathers and mothers. They are especially valuable to adults on the spectrum as they have training and support groups. They host sensory friendly days at MLS, Morehead Planetarium.

• The local Durham chapter of Autism Society of NC meets monthly as a support group and most times with invited speakers addressing various topics. ASNC is the overarching umbrella of services in NC but they also have Camp Royall in Carrboro. They offer camps for kids and families and other special events. It is a wonderful, magical place where a person can be themselves without judgement and enjoy all their amenities.

For children with special medical needs

• Adolescents Transitioning to Leadership and Success (ATLAS) offers a range of Duke-affiliated services developed to foster resilience and independence in adolescents and young adults with special healthcare needs. In addition, ATLAS strives to provide support for parents.

• Attendance Sheet - the one recommended by the state

• Daily Goal Tracker - checklist style

• High School Transcript - one example of a high school transcript

• Report Card Sample for Elementary and Middle School - not required by the state, but helpful for records getting discounts

• Sample Schedule - covers an entire year, with a sample weekly schedule

• Spreadsheet schedule - arranged by day and by week

• Weekly Timed Schedule - schedule for one week with times included

• Weekly Tracker - for elementary and middle school

Senior Year Hints - great document with information about getting ready for college

• Everyone has questions, but no one is in this alone! If you or your kids have questions about your transition to homeschooling, feel free to email the North Durham Library's Homeschool Learning Lab group at north-durham-library-homeschoolers@googlegroups.com A number of experienced homeschool families will receive your email and someone will get back to you. We even have kids who have volunteered to reply to questions if you want to hear about things from their perspective!

• Keep doing less until everyone is having fun. Then add more fun things.

• Most kids need a period of "deschooling" after leaving public school, before starting a homeschool program. - It usually takes a few years to figure out what works best for your family. Almost everyone has stories of trial and error and materials they never quite got around to using.

• New homeschoolers always try to do too much! You will worry that you are not doing enough, but you will be doing way more than you need to. So relax! You are doing fine!!

• Need to keep little ones occupied so you can work with older students? Try squirting some different colors of paint into a plastic bag. Double bag that and tape it to a window or table.

• Set high school graduation date as July 31st for your students can take summer classes as high schoolers, if needed. They can always graduate early, but this might get them some free summer classes at Community Colleges.