This is the time of year when folks just getting into homeschooling inevitably come looking for information. I just ran across a list of info I created for someone a couple of years ago, so I thought I'd recreate it here before tossing it, just in case....
Comprehensive Curriculum:
BJU Press - very sound in history and science topics
http://www.bjupress.com/page/Home
A Beka - great grammar programming; poor history and science
http://www.abeka.com/?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
Veritas Press - great books!
http://www.veritaspress.com/
Sonlight - more great books!
http://www.sonlight.com/
And in case you haven't linked yet, all the above are Christian. For at least one secular option, you might look at:
Oak Meadow
http://www.oakmeadow.com/
and just one more:
K-12
http://zsem.k12.com/npages/1_paperclip_dyn.html?st=IN&se=Bing&campaign=Indiana_Local_Intent-Search&adgroup=SL_K12_Curriculum&kw=k 12 curriculum&tt_geocat=local&tt_campaign=k8_brand_search
Oh, and then there's Calvert - pricey unless you can somehow find it on Ebay or used somewhere....
http://homeschool.calvertschool.org/
Or if you're looking to go the cheapest route, there's Alpha/Omega (again, Christian). I have never found these to be well done. They are NOT rigorous in any sense of the word, and I do not believe they would ever serve a child well used alone:
http://www.aophomeschooling.com/products.php?utm_source=microsoft&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=alpha%20omega%20curriculum&utm_campaign=Homeschool
The catalogs for the publishers also make terrific informational circulars for you. Most of them critique products in order to help you decide what might be right for your family.
More good catalog sources:
Home Science Tools - mostly science resources, packaged in small amounts for homeschoolers, rather than in class size batches, so more affordable than Carolina Biological, in general:
http://www.hometrainingtools.com/Default.asp?eid=SEM11071
My personal all-time favorite and the "Bible" of homeschooling curriculum:
Rainbow Resource Center (with a phone book size catalog!):
http://rainbowresource.com/index.php#id=album-4&num=327
They carry both secular and Christian resources, as does Home Science Tools (though they are more Christian oriented)....
Rod and Staff Publishers is a Mennonite concern. They do not use the internet. They have sound grammar resources, if you don't mind their perspective. You can call for a catalog:
606-522-4348
They are extremely kind and patient to deal with - please be courteous in return!
Check with your city/county school board office to see if your area may still have a book warehouse and if they will allow educators to obtain free textbooks for use from said facility. Our county just recently closed theirs and began selling the books online in large lots. I'm not sure how many of these may be left around the country, but if you don't mind using textbooks (which I must say I abhor, in general), then it might be worth your time to check out this possibility for free materials.
Other online info to check out:
Homeschool Buyers' Co-op Guild - a group that offers group discounts of various sorts of different types of learning materials:
http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/field-trips/
MSNucleus.org - free elementary and middle level science curriculum online.
Mr. Q's science lab - free elementary biology curriculum online and other sciences for sale:
http://eequalsmcq.com/homeschoolers.htm
Some learning channels on TV offer free, online curriculum to go along with some of their programming. These include National Geographic, the Discovery Channel, the History Channel, etc.
Edhelper.com provides literature study questions, etc. to help with lit studies. Cost is about $20 per year. This is for elementary and I think they also have some middle school stuff, too....
http://www.edhelper.com/
Free, online math: MEP math
Free, online grammar: KISS grammar
Please see my links page, listed on the right, for links to those and other free, online materials.
Good sources for high school level coursework:
Khan Academy
http://www.khanacademy.org/
Hippocampus
http://www.hippocampus.org/?select-textbook=42
I hope this information helps someone who has questions about homeschooling,
Regena
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