Much of the time, public school initiatives and regulations do not affect homeschoolers. The “next big thing” in public education, called Common Core education standards, already is, however, and that influence will grow. There are three major ways this nationwide initiative affects homeschool families: curriculum, testing, and student data tracking. There are some positive things about Common Core for public school students. For homeschool families, it largely represents an intrusion into their education freedoms.

Homeschooling is a big decision. But it may be exactly what your family needs. Think through your educational options with these free homeschool resources.

The College Board is a not-for-profit membership association whose mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the association is composed of more than 4,700 schools, colleges, universities, and other educational organizations. Each year, the College Board serves over three and a half million students and their parents, 23,000 high schools, and 3,500 colleges through major programs and services in college admissions, guidance, assessment, financial aid, enrollment, and teaching and learning. Among its best-known programs are the SAT, the PSAT/NMSQT®, and the Advanced Placement Program®(AP).

Mary Ellen Carlise shares some creative ways to teach elementary math using items you can find around your home. The focus of this article is mathematics education through second grade.

This scholarship contest is sponsored by Beautiful Feet Books and Hewitt Homeschooling Resources. After reading The Daisy Chain by Charlotte M. Yonge, write a persuasive essay examining Yonge's position on ambition and duty as it would relate to educational and career choices for today's homeschooler. The deadline for this scholarship competition is April 30, 2006.

This mom of 12 children shares her challenges and blessings at this blog. She shares about adoption, attachment, Sensory Processing Disorder, homeschooling, marriage, life with a large family, and more.

On September 11, 2001, the passengers and crew of Flight 93 courageously gave their lives thwarting a planned attack on our Nation's Capital. Flight 93 National Memorial is a permanent memorial to the heroes on that plane. The Memorial is located outside of Shanksville.

Preschool math worksheets help your young learner develop essential early math skills. From number recognition to counting to addition, preschoolers learn a lot about numbers in one year. Our collection of preschool math worksheets is designed for kids who want to build skills that will prepare them for kindergarten and beyond. These preschool math worksheets help present new number topics to kids in a way that's fun and easy to understand. Help foster a culture of learning by doing these preschool math worksheets with your child.

Field trips don’t have to be elaborate or cost of ton of money to be both fun and educational. Some of the best “field trips” are a nature walk and park lunch with friends. Especially when your children are young, keep them simple. Nature walks, zoos, and local places like the bakery, pizzeria, greenhouse, post office, police station, fire station, coffee shop, you name it you can tour it!