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Alessandra over at Virtue Blog has the story of this year's new American Girl's "Girl of the Year" doll being homeschooled. Alessandra asked whether this was a new highlight for homeschoolers. Compared to Home Schoolers taking home national prizes in the National Spelling and Geography bees, I'll have to say no. Even, in terms of media, its probably not all that big. Jess (the girl doll) is homeschooled with a reason, her parents are exploring Aztec ruins. In that same vain, CBS had a series a few years back with a homeschool family as the lead characters. Promised Land was...

A spot for homeschool families to share advice and offer support as we prepare for the 2005-2006 Homeschool Year Many home-educated children continue their lessons throughout the summer, but we parents often look to purchase new materials and begin new projects in September. In the past, FR homeschoolers started a thread every year to post links and recommend books and materials to each other. I haven't seen that done recently, so I'm creating one here. (My apologies if I missed anything). If there is anything you'd like to recommend to other home educators, please do so: Are there books, CDs,...

WASHINGTON - Seventh-grader Tyler Curtis says he's never had to worry much about doing well at his studies, and he's not about to start now. That's saying something. Tyler is facing 272 of the country's best young spellers — and the biggest prize ever — at the 78th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee running Wednesday and Thursday. "It would be nice to win," the 13-year-old from Camden, Tenn., said Tuesday. "But I'm not going to get all stressed out over it." His competitors include 145 boys and 127 girls aged 9 to 14, mostly from around the country and U.S....

NEW PORT RICHEY - When Sarah Cheney began excelling in her home school lessons, her parents decided it was time for some accelerated learning at the next level. So they joined what has become a growing trend for home schooled high school students. The Cheneys signed up their daughter for dual-enrollment courses at Pasco-Hernando Community College, an option once reserved for students in public schools. ``She's done well,'' said Richard Cheney, her father. ``She's gotten all A's, except one B.'' Dual enrollment allows teenagers to take college courses while they are still in high school. The credits earned are counted...

Barnes and Noble University is offering a free online course starting May 2, about getting started with homeschooling. I've taken a couple of their courses (not this one), and typically, course materials consist of activities and short readings posted for discussion and opinion. (Of course B&N would like you to buy the recommended books, but you don't really have to. No tests!) The main value is being able to chat with like-minded folks. The course outline is here: http://educate.barnesandnoble.com/educate/bn/home/catalog/toc.jsp?productId=25320

Editor's note: This is an excerpt from a speech given by Kevin Swanson, the executive director of the Colorado Home School Association, at a banquet that was part of Homeschool Day at the state Capitol April 8. One-hundred and twenty years ago, when Laura Ingalls Wilder walked into her one-room schoolhouse, there were no police officers in the hallways, and not a single arrest made the entire school year. A police officer in Colorado Springs recently told me that he makes an arrest a day at a high school in that city. One-hundred years ago, there were barely 3-4 percent...

MYRTLE POINT, Oregon (AP) -- One day after jazz band practice, 14-year-old Peter Wilson's band teacher pulled him aside. The instructor wanted to know whether Peter, who is home-schooled alongside his three brothers, liked being taught by his mother, and why he didn't come to public school full-time, instead of just for music. The teacher seemed uncomfortable bringing it up, and the conversation was brief, Peter said. When he got home, he told his parents. Mark and Teckla Wilson, who are raising their four sons in Mark Wilson's roomy childhood home in this former timber town, soon found out to...

One day after jazz band practice, 14-year-old Peter Wilson's band teacher pulled him aside. The instructor wanted to know whether Peter, who is home-schooled alongside his three brothers, liked being taught by his mother, and why he didn't come to public school full-time, instead of just for music. The teacher seemed uncomfortable bringing it up, and the conversation was brief, Peter said. When he got home, he told his parents. Mark and Teckla Wilson, who are raising their four sons in Mark Wilson's roomy childhood home in this former timber town, soon found out to their annoyance that the teacher's...

MYRTLE POINT - One day after jazz band practice, 14-year-old Peter Wilson's band teacher pulled him aside. The instructor wanted to know whether Peter, who is home-schooled alongside his three brothers, liked being taught by his mother, and why he didn't come to public school full-time, instead of just for music. The teacher seemed uncomfortable bringing it up, and the conversation was brief, Peter said. When he got home, he told his parents. Mark and Teckla Wilson, who are raising their four sons in Mark Wilson's roomy childhood home in this former timber town, soon found out to their...

Homeschool numbers growing, tracking difficultWednesday, April 6, 2005 Denver, Colo. – An outgrowth of the 1960s alternative school movement, homeschooling, is on the upswing in the United States, and a Penn State researcher is trying to piece together a snapshot of the movement where in many cases, states require little record keeping. "Until the 1980s, most of the students kept out of regular schools to be homeschooled were breaking state laws," says JoAnn C. Vender, graduate student in geography. "In research on the geography of education, there are very few studies on home schooling because the data are hard to...

A homeschool group in South Carolina is beginning to raise funds to help defend two of its members – a teenage boy and a mother – who were arrested after a confrontation with a plainclothes police officer at a park. The incident occurred at Simpsonville Park in Simpsonville, S.C. last Wednesday. A group of mothers and children from Upstate Homeschoolers Unlimited were socializing and playing in the park – a common activity for homeschool support groups. After a call came in to police about someone in the park having a knife, a plainclothes policeman rushed into the picnic shelter where...

Vaughn Could Graduate College At 19 POSTED: 1:32 pm CST November 8, 2004 UPDATED: 2:10 pm CST November 8, 2004 KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Homeschooling helped a local girl graduate high school and make history at an area college, KMBC's Natalie Moultrie reported. Charion Vaughn, 15, is the youngest student on campus at Kansas City, Kan., Community College. "They're shocked, telling me I'm lying. And I have to prove it, then they're pretty much impressed," Vaughn said. Vaughn is not only the youngest on campus, but because of her high ACT scores, her college is paid for. Vaughn and her...

Experts Say Homeschooled Children Better Prepared Academically CLEVELAND -- The numbers for home-schooled children are booming. Researchers say it's grown 28 percent over the past four years. But does spending time outside of the traditional classroom hurt their social skills? One of the biggest criticisms of home schooling is that children will lack the social skills necessary to become successful adults. NewsChannel5's Debora Lee talked to two college students who got their elementary and secondary education at home in order to get their point of view on the homeschooling debate. Jon Woodhams is a freshman at the Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory...

It took Pam Rudolph about six months of consideration before doing something that changed the way her family lives. “It’s not a decision you make lightly by any means,” Rudolph said. When Rudolph’s son, Clay, 13, was in fifth grade, she was concerned about how preoccupied he was with with his clothes and other trends at school. “It really upset him ... It started affecting his grades,” she said. Knowing two families in which the children were homeschooled encouraged Rudolph in making the decision to homeschool her own three children. “I saw how happy their children were,” she said. After...

Generation Joshua director Ned Ryun – son of the track star and Republican Kansas congressman, Jim Ryun – believes homeschool students have the activist traits that make outstanding citizens and leaders because of their hands-on experience in the battle for homeschool freedom. Generation Joshua was launched this spring with the hope of engaging homeschool teenagers in the political process. Student Action Teams Make A Difference The election data for individual counties show that the Generation Joshua Student Action Teams made a significant impact on the election results. Ohio was the key to the 2004 election. Thousands of Generation Joshua students...

I attended the big Bush rally, held yesterday in Westlake, Ohio. I've heard numbers tossed about from 18 to 25 thousand people. My take is it had to be closer to 25, maybe even more. One of the nicest observations I made was that there were many, many young voters - 30 and younger. From what the media keeps saying, all the younger people are going to vote Kerry. It sure didn't look like it from what I could see. Another observation I made (no surprise) was that there were droves of Christian people (Catholics and Evangelicals) and lots and...

YOUR GOVERNMENT AT WORK Homeschoolers portrayed as terrorists Federally funded security exercise concocts fictitious foe -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted: September 22, 2004 1:00 a.m. Eastern © 2004 WorldNetDaily.com In an federally funded exercise to prepare emergency responders for a terrorist attack, a Michigan county concocted a scenario in which public-school children were threated by a fictitious radical group that believes everyone should be homeschooled. The made-up group was called Wackos Against Schools and Education. The exercise in Muskegon, Mich., yesterday simulated a situation in which a bomb on board a bus full of children knocks the vehicle on its side and fills...

This thread is for those who homeschool, those who want to homeschool, and those who support homeschool families. I know that we face many obstacles, and this is a place for support. Let's create a true "haven" for us to gather and discuss homeschooling within our FR home. This weeks topic is: The "S" Word I know that many if not all of us have heard the socialization argument voiced by friends and family. Many of my friends that have recently started homeschooling have been at a loss in terms of what to say or how to handle this....

Summer is right around the corner and family vacations are being planned. We will soon hear the chorus of "Mom are we there yet?" and "Dad I need to go to the bathroom". In honor of the homeschoolers who have worked so hard this year, we are having a beach party! Bring your sunscreen and sunglasses...we are going to get sand in our shorts. :) CurriculumLearn About The Sun NASA Lesson About The Sun Identifying Seashells CraftsFoam Sun Visors Beaded Sunglass Strap Bring Your Sandcastles Home! I am sure that so many of you had more to add to...

I have had many freep mail me about starting a thread just for homeschoolers. Well I am taking the plunge. This thread is for those who homeschool, those who want to homeschool, and those who support homeschool families. I know that we face many obstacles, and this is a place for support. Let's create a true "haven" for us to gather and discuss homeschooling within our FR home. Monday always seems to be the most hectic. I thought if we started this group on Monday that the start of the week wouldn't be so hard to handle. :) So...