Homeschooling Resources
Magic Tree House Home Adventures
Read and Explore with Jack and Annie Every Week! Each week, Magic Tree House Home Andventure will feature videos from the author, activities, craft ideas, themed recipes, reading challenges, cross curricular lessons, Family Trivia Night games ideas, and much more.
Many of the Magic Tree House books are available in electronic format off our website through Overdrive. Check them out and begin the adventure.
Khan Academy
The nonprofit organization offers free video-based lessons and practice exercises in math, reading, grammar and other subjects. In response to school closures, Khan Academy created multiple resources for parents, including daily schedule templates for elementary students and weekly math learning plans for grades 3 through 6. The organization also launched a virtual summer camp with themed activities for Pre-K to second-grade learners via the Khan Academy Kids app.
PBS Kids
The PBS KIDS suite of resources features a robust lineup of videos, games and apps for young children. With a separate webpage devoted to parenting resources, the site offers a sprawling array of free content aimed at helping kids with not only math and literacy but also social and emotional skills. PBS KIDS also offers arts-and-crafts activities for younger children, while middle-school students can find hands-on engineering challenges on the Design Squad Global site.
See a librarian for our large collection of books, magazines and DVDs on homeschooling
Books:
- Home Learning Year by Year
- Mary Pride's Complete Guide to Getting Started in Homeschooling
- Homeschooling and the Voyage of Self-Discovery
- The Homeschooler's Book of Lists
- The Homeschooling Handbook
- 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum
- Christian Home Educators' Curriculum Manual
Magazines:
- Practical Homeshooling
- Home Education
DVDs
- DVD 027.62 - Reading: Reading Rockets
- DVD 500.2 - Primary: Getting Ahead in Primary Science, Grades 3-4
- DVD 511 - Mathematics: Getting Ahead in Mathematics, Grades 3-4
The children's librarians will also be happy to demonstrate how to use your Manchester Public Library card to access age-appropriate research databases such as Searchasaurus, Novelist K-8, Kids Search and Student Research Center. These databases link directly to magazine and encyclopedia articles, as well as current and historical photographs of the subject, theme or person that is being researched. These databases are quick and easy to navigate, so don't forget to include them as part of your studies!
To find the chronological order of series that your children are reading, try:
Mid-Continent Public Library - Juvenile Series and Sequels
To find the reading level or help selecting a book, try:
KidsBookSeries
Local, Regional and National Home School Organizations Online Groups include the following links:
Connecticut Homeschool Network
Home School Legal Defense Association
Homeschool Central
Homeschool World
Homeschool.com: The #1 Homeschooling Community
National Home Education Research Institute
TEACH CT