Lesson plans, worksheets, quizzes, activities and games are all readily available at no cost to home schooling families. Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) offers lesson plans and tools for all grade levels on their website, and PBS's popular show, "Nova," has its own site full of teacher resources. The Smithsonian Institution also has an educators' section overflowing with resources for home schooling. Look for teacher and educator areas on websites for most large libraries and museums, government agencies, universities, nature organizations, science magazines and educational television programs. You can also ask textbook publishing companies and magazine publishers for samples; many companies give away samples to teachers who might end up buying their products in bulk later.
Students can learn via online instruction and games. FunBrain offers a wide assortment of interactive games that teach kids language and math skills, and you can choose the games by grade level. The website Kids' Sites, lists children's websites by subject matter. Many government organizations have free educational materials, such as the U.S. Forest Service's Smokey the Bear website. It offers free downloadable children's activity workbooks and posters. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has a free downloadable coloring book that teaches kids about safety in natural disasters. The California Department of Boating and Waterways offers a free boating safety course that includes a free book about water safety, with a test in the back that you can take and mail in for free. If you pass, they mail you a boating safety certificate.
Dubbing itself the "Number One Homeschooling Community," homeschool.com offers a "New to Homeschooling" primer that discusses the advantages and disadvantages of home schooling, as well as the costs, legalities and other considerations, such as college entrance after home schooling. This website also offers free curriculum and resource links, home schooling forums and newsletters, and an article archive. Another home schooling online hub is Home School World, which is the website component to "Practical Homeschooling" magazine. This website offers home schooling articles, organizations and advocacy groups, experts, forums, and events.
Home schooling laws are different in every state. The Home School Legal Defense Association has a wealth of knowledge posted on its website about current issues affecting home schoolers such as federal and state legislative issues, legal cases with precedence, news headlines, required standards and home-schooling organizations.