History at Home

The Alabama Department of Archives and History offers History at Home. Enjoy history at home by learning about and making historical crafts. Print out the directions and materials and get started!

Activity Village

Activity Village is chock-full of resources: coloring pages, crafts, reading logs, puzzles, games, recipes, and much more. Visit this website for those little extra things that you might need to reinforce new concepts or to add fun to your school day.

BizKids

Biz KID$ is a public TV series where kids teach kids about money and business. Their website offers lesson plans and activities for each of the shows and could be used as a possible Consumer Math credit for high school students. Though it is geared towards middle/high school students, elementary students would enjoy the shows.

Brightstorm Math

Brightstorm Math is a website with FREE video tutorials for upper level math starting with PreAlgebra. In addition, it offers ACT/SAT test prep for those who are college bound. A wonderful resource for those who need a little extra help.

The New School Year

Needing encouragement and maybe some direction or even inspiration as you begin this new year of homeschooling? Download The New School Year for yourself and pass it on to other homeschool moms. This e-book is packed full of articles from homeschool saints and pros.

Innovative Classroom

There are so many wonderful FREE teaching resources online. If you were really resourceful, you really could get all your curriculum for FREE. It simply takes some time to find and organize.

Innovative Classroom is yet another site for lesson plans, unit studies, printables, and other misc. teaching resources. Explore to find a supplement for something your students find interesting or see if you can find another way to study those tedious subjects of grammar, writing, and math. Don't be afraid to be innovative and creative - you may find you like it!

Sign Up for Field Trips Here

One of the most important group links is our Field Trip Sign Up page. Here you can reserve seats and pay for group admittance into scheduled events this year. Highlands Homeschoolers offers many opportunities for your students to learn outside of the home and opportunities to share these moments with others who are on the same educational journey.

Sign on and create your account today, and we hope to see you at an event soon!

Don't forget to check out our Mini Family Field Trip to Huntsville in the spring!

Pizza Hut's BOOK IT! Program

Homeschoolers can now enroll individually for the Pizza Hut BOOK IT! Reading Incentive Program.

"Who is eligible for the BOOK IT! Program for homeschools?
Any student in grades K-6 (5 years old by September of current school year) that is homeschooled and does not attend any other educational facility.

What are the program dates for 2009-010?
October 1, 2009, through March 31, 2010.

When will the 2009-10 materials be shipped to enrolled homeschools?
Materials will arrive by early to mid-September."

Reading is essential for advancement academically, and if students have a love of reading at a young age, they will have a valuable tool for the future!

Homeschool Freebie of the Day

On Freebie of the Day, you never know what you will find: A book on drawing, a recording of a famous story, tips on organizing your home, how to make something, etc. It can be overwhelming at first, but it is important for you to be aware of this resource.

The freebies are only available for ONE day. You can subscribe to an email alert which gives you a sneak peak into what is being offered. You can then decide if it is something you and your family would use.

It is always nice to get something for FREE!

Online School Planner

Home School Incorporated offers a FREE web-based planner for homeschool families. Looking for ways to get away from paper or for a way to get your older student to be more independent? You will find solutions here! You will need to play with the system a bit to figure out how it fits you and your school, but it is a great way to "plan, educate, and record."

donnayoung.org

Donnayoung.org is a wonderful website as you get yourself organized for the new school year. You will find printable forms and planners for not only school, but also home life. In addition to planners, you will find printables for handwriting, math, science, art, and more.

Campfire Valley

Campfire Valley is an ecamp with devotionals, activities, crafts and more. So, let your children go to camp right in the shelter of your own home!

Alabama.gov Kids Page

Alabama.gov Kids Page is filled with information about the state of Alabama. They can learn about Alabama history and state symbols, print coloring pages, explore state wildlife and nature, play games and printable activities, and even earn an ACE alabama.gov diploma! So, if you are looking for Alabama History curriculum, look no further; it is all here for FREE.

Quest for Compassion

Quest for Compassion is an interactive journey into four distant villages. Your kids will explore fun games while discovering some of the stark realities of the developing world. They'll learn things they never knew, keep a prayer journal, read Bible verses on poverty, and much more. Plant the seed of compassion in your child's heart. Also, please consider sponsoring a child and letting your child develop a lifelong pen pal!

Practical Money Skills for Life

Practical Money Skills for Life seems to be provided by a major lending bank, and that is interesting by itself. BUT, there are wonderful resources for you and your children! There are podcasts, interactive games, worksheets, and lesson plans in teaching financial "literacy". You can also download most of these resources for FREE after a free login. Anyone for teaching money skills to our children these days?

Summer Learning Guides

Teacher Vision is offering FREE Summer Learning Guides for Grades K-6. These guides are filled with activities to review and prepare your students for new content in the next school year. So, if you don't want to take a full summer break, why not use these FREE resources to keep your students on track? This website also offers unlimited resources throughout the school year for a fee.

Summer Reading Programs

During the summer, we may not focus on typical schoolwork, but we always emphasize and encourage reading with our children. This is often the time when they explore their favorite authors or discover new classics to treasure. Instead of a link to a website, today I want to give you some resources both online and off to aid you in exploring reading this summer.

The first place you should check out is your local library. Right now most libraries are having weekly events and offering incentives to anyone who reads and uses the library resources. Perfect for all ages! (Even you, Mom!)

Shelby County Libraries
Jefferson County Libraries
Check your local phone book for libraries in other counties

For grades 1-6, you can enroll in the Barnes & Noble Summer Reading, and your child can earn up to 2 FREE books.

For ages 4-18, you can enroll in LifeWay Christian Stores' Summer Reading Race for entry into drawings for FREE stuff.

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine is offering an interactive reading program online for all homeschooled students. Check out the Summer Reading Splash for more reading fun!

HomeschoolView Tube

HomeschoolView Tube is a "You Tube" video sharing community for homeschoolers. The neat thing is that now you have another place to go for supplements to add to your studies. They are new, but they already have videos for science, history, Bible, math, etc. Check it out today!

Home School Inc.

Home School Inc. is a wonderful site to know about as you begin planning for the coming school year. They offer a wonderful FREE online planner with ways to give assignments to individual students and make older students more independent. In addition, they offer online reviews from people who are using the curriculum that you are considering; this is an excellent resource for those who are needing an unbiased opinion and view.

I have personally used their web based planner this past year, and I enjoyed the ways I could adjust it to fit into our needs. Those who prefer digital paperwork will love this system!

My Audio School

My Audio School is a blog with links to FREE audiobooks that you can download or listen to on your computer. This is a great fun way to get some reading in this summer! Download a few to your student's mp3 players for a long trip, or set aside a quiet moment each afternoon to listen to a chapter together.