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| Support Groups in Pennsylvania |
Homeschoolers have created networks of support to provide a way to make friends, get ideas and information, and to offer positive socialization opportunties to their children. You can join in! There are many groups to choose from, many with specific affiliations, like Christian groups or unschoolers' groups. Some are eclectic, inclusive, and open to anyone. Whatever your interest, you are sure to find other like-minded parents. And if you don't find what you are looking for, we've put together tips for starting your own group.
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| Local & State Groups |
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Support groups offer a way for those interested in homeschooling or new to home education to get information and support. They also offer opportunities for social activities, group learning, and networking. Find a support group near you in Pennsylvania.
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| National Groups |
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Tap into the national homeschool movement by connecting with these national homeschool groups and support organizations.
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| Email Groups & Lists |
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Connecting via email can be a life-line for anyone who is looking for support, guidance, information, and friendship. Many support groups rely on email lists to facilitate communication and to pass along information and ideas. Browse through these group to find some that might meet your needs.
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| Forums & Message Boards |
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Message boards and forums are like the public squares of homeschooling. Come and find ongoing discussion covering every aspect of homeschooling imaginable.
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| Social Networking |
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Connect with other homeschooling using social networking tools. You can share tips and ideas, get support, collaborate on lesson plans, upload photos, and much more.
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| Co-Ops |
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A co-op offers a way to share teaching duties with others who are excited and knowledgeable about a subject. It also offers an opportunity for your children to learn in a group and to make friends. Browse through this list of co-ops in Pennsylvania.
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| Cover/Umbrella Schools |
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An umbrella or cover school provides an alternative way for parents to fulfill governmental educational guidelines and requirements. Most offer a variety of services, which can include curricula, social activities, field trips, standardized testing, portfolio reviews, evaluations, and graduation materials, including diplomas. While umbrella schools do tend to the needs of homeschoolers, they are considered a type of private school in most states.
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| Resource Centers |
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Homeschool resource centers offer classes, materials, field trips, and other activities for parents and children alike. They are great ways to get new information, engage in group activities, and network with other homeschoolers.
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| Public School Programs |
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Public schools are increasing offering programs to appeal to homeschooling families, from classes to educational materials to computer and distance learning. In most cases, students enrolled in these programs are considered public school students rather than homeschoolers. Learn more about these programs and decide if these are right for your family.
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| Support Group Management: Starting & Running a Support Group |
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Learn how to start and manage a homeschool support group, including how to stay organized, how to handle conflict, and ideas for your support group.
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Organizing a Book Club |
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Book clubs all of a sudden have become hot stuff--which makes perfect sense, since the joys of reading a great (or even not-so-great) book is the opportunity to hash it over with interested friends afterwards. Book clubs vary widely in character and activity, depending on the goals, ages, and reading choices of the participants. If the range of available choices doesn't suit you (mother/daughter clubs, for example, don't do much for our three-boy household), the obvious solution is to start one of your own.
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Starting a Homeschool Cooperative |
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Marsha Ransom |
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Many homeschoolers have found that involvement with a homeschool cooperative enhances their homeschooling experience. Some children thrive with the small group experience, so enrolling them in some group activities and classes will nurture that need. Keeping classes and activities small enables families to reap the benefits of the classroom setting with none of the drawbacks. Volunteers can serve as helpers and aides, keeping the ratio of student to adult low, as recommended by educational research. This article discusses some tips for starting a homeschool cooperative.
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Classically Eclectic |
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This loop was created for homeschoolers interested in presenting school materials, real books, and/or purchased curriculum in a manner consistent with Classical Education philosophy. Specifically, Classical Education refers to educational models (such as the Trivium) described by Laura Berquist, the Bluedorns, Dorothy Sayers, Doug Wilson, Jessie Wise, Susan Wise Bauer, and others, in which material is presented to children according to their stage of development (i.e., Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric stages). The purpose of this loop is practical in nature: to share resource suggestions, reviews, schedules, ideas, and encouragement, in order to help one another provide Classical Education within the homeschool environment. |
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Basically Beechick |
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Ruth Beechick Style Homeschooling is an Eclectic approach which focuses on natural learning through Real Books and Real Life. Basically Beechick is a Christian homeschool support group to discuss the methods and ideas of Dr. Ruth Beechick. Other authors whose ideas mesh well with Beechick's are discussed as well. These authors include (but are not limited to) Susan C. Anthony, Rebecca Rupp, Jean Soyke, E.D. Hirsch, Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer, Harvey and Laurie Bluedorn, Laura Berquist, Robin Scarlata, Jane Claire Lambert, Valerie Bendt, Clay and Sally Clarkson, Cindy Rushton, Mary Hood, Marilyn Howshall, and Charlotte Mason.
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