As a homeschooler, the world is your classroom. Field trips are a great way to make a lesson come to life. People in the community are available to enrich your learning. Planned events can become part of your curriculum—you just need to know where to look.
Identifying Community Educational Resources
How do you identify community educational resources? Keep your eyes open when you’re out and about. Ask other homeschool moms for suggestions (either in person at a local support group or online in an email group). Consider what you want to learn about. Local businesses and educational centers may offer resources and even lesson plans on their websites! Look around you—educational opportunities are everywhere.
Where to look first
The first place to look for community educational resources is the library. Tax dollars pay for the free programming that is available to all area residents—often whether or not you reside in the library’s district. Librarians work hard planning programs to draw patrons in who will utilize the many services the library has to offer, so make use of them.
Library story time is a great educational resource for homeschoolers with young children who want to offer the kids a different read aloud voice and selection of stories. Often a craft, song or activity is included, making it a special time for the children. As the children grow older, take note of the different events the library offers, which may possibly include science experiments, book clubs, craft groups, game clubs and movie nights.
The library offers many free services that may be useful when searching for community educational resources. The Macy’s Adventure Museum Pass is a program available to Illinois library patrons. It provides you a chance to “check out” a pass to participating museums and gain admission for a discounted rate (or even free!). Your librarian should be able to tell you if there is similar program in your area.
How do you find out what is planned? Most libraries publish a quarterly newsletter to inform patrons of the programs available for that time of year and how to participate (whether it’s a drop-in or if registration is required). Library websites might offer an interactive calendar of events or listing of upcoming programs too. You can call the library too! Don’t feel limited by what your local library offers—it’s okay to visit neighboring libraries too. Just check their policies before you go too far. It may be worth it to drive some distance if the program is something your child would enjoy, such as a cartooning workshop given by a professional cartoonist or a chess club facilitated by someone who knows more about the game than you do.
While the library itself is an educational resource in your community, it can also direct you to other educational resources. Look for free publications with listings of events in the area. For example, in the Chicago area, libraries offer issues of Chicago Parent and Oaklee’s Guide, two magazines which are free for the taking and provide listings of happenings in the area for a given time period (CP is monthly and OG is quarterly). Look for an area in the lobby for other publications, event flyers, and possibly even a bulletin board with postings of events in the community.
Where else should I look?
Another educational resource in the community is service agencies, including the fire department, the police department, post office, the hospital and the forest preserve district. There is much to be learned from each of these agencies, from facility tours to lessons on their area of expertise. For example, contact the forest preserve to schedule a group class on a topic of interest, then split the cost with the other families. Some co-ops do this to provide science and nature lessons. Forest preserves also provide a great place for free gym classes!
The park district can be a helpful community educational resource too. Classes are offered in many different fields, which can enrich your homeschool learning. If you’ve never considered the park district, you should know that there are classes for sports, fine arts, hobbies and more available for kids of all ages. There is no reason your child has to “miss out” on some of the extra-curricular activities that he or she might be able to participate in at a public school, such as being in a play or on the soccer team. Some park districts may even offer homeschool gym classes. The courses are cheaper for residents of the district, since the tax dollars support the park district. Residents also may be eligible for a scholarship from the park district to help cover costs.
Businesses in the community are another great resource for education. Bakeries, grocery stores and farms in the area can offer real-life information, as well as field trip opportunities. Other local businesses, such as a gymnastics facility or children’s museum, may offer special homeschool classes on their schedule. Call to find out!
Another great place to look for community educational resources is on the “deal of the day” websites, such as Groupon, Mamasource, and SaveMore. These sites can expose you to local educational opportunities of which you may have previously been unaware. Deals can be a day pass to a museum, tickets to a live show, or lunch at an exotic restaurant. You just might discover a new favorite destination without spending a lot of money!
What’s the Cost?
Resources can be free or they may have a cost. This is something to keep in mind when planning your homeschool budget. Does the benefit of the learning experience/resource outweigh the costs? Can you do it a different way for free or cheaper? These are all things you may want to consider when searching for community educational resources.
Home Educators Resource Directory (HERD) is owned, managed, and maintained by parents passionate about giving their children the best education. The Directory’s mission is to provide resources, support, and information helpful to the diverse community of educators around the globe. Along with offering a rich store of varied resources, the Directory maintains a catalog of local and global support groups and calendars highlighting local events.
The HERD monthly newsletter keeps educators apprised of current homeschool events and supplies informational articles for both the new and experienced. We invite you to stay informed with your own newsletter subscription, explore our many resources by visiting the Directory http://www.homeeddirectory.com/ and check out all the information to be found on our blog.
Permission to reproduce this article granted only with the entire article, bio and all links included.
Identifying Community Educational Resources
How do you identify community educational resources? Keep your eyes open when you’re out and about. Ask other homeschool moms for suggestions (either in person at a local support group or online in an email group). Consider what you want to learn about. Local businesses and educational centers may offer resources and even lesson plans on their websites! Look around you—educational opportunities are everywhere.
Where to look first
The first place to look for community educational resources is the library. Tax dollars pay for the free programming that is available to all area residents—often whether or not you reside in the library’s district. Librarians work hard planning programs to draw patrons in who will utilize the many services the library has to offer, so make use of them.
Library story time is a great educational resource for homeschoolers with young children who want to offer the kids a different read aloud voice and selection of stories. Often a craft, song or activity is included, making it a special time for the children. As the children grow older, take note of the different events the library offers, which may possibly include science experiments, book clubs, craft groups, game clubs and movie nights.
The library offers many free services that may be useful when searching for community educational resources. The Macy’s Adventure Museum Pass is a program available to Illinois library patrons. It provides you a chance to “check out” a pass to participating museums and gain admission for a discounted rate (or even free!). Your librarian should be able to tell you if there is similar program in your area.
How do you find out what is planned? Most libraries publish a quarterly newsletter to inform patrons of the programs available for that time of year and how to participate (whether it’s a drop-in or if registration is required). Library websites might offer an interactive calendar of events or listing of upcoming programs too. You can call the library too! Don’t feel limited by what your local library offers—it’s okay to visit neighboring libraries too. Just check their policies before you go too far. It may be worth it to drive some distance if the program is something your child would enjoy, such as a cartooning workshop given by a professional cartoonist or a chess club facilitated by someone who knows more about the game than you do.
While the library itself is an educational resource in your community, it can also direct you to other educational resources. Look for free publications with listings of events in the area. For example, in the Chicago area, libraries offer issues of Chicago Parent and Oaklee’s Guide, two magazines which are free for the taking and provide listings of happenings in the area for a given time period (CP is monthly and OG is quarterly). Look for an area in the lobby for other publications, event flyers, and possibly even a bulletin board with postings of events in the community.
Where else should I look?
Another educational resource in the community is service agencies, including the fire department, the police department, post office, the hospital and the forest preserve district. There is much to be learned from each of these agencies, from facility tours to lessons on their area of expertise. For example, contact the forest preserve to schedule a group class on a topic of interest, then split the cost with the other families. Some co-ops do this to provide science and nature lessons. Forest preserves also provide a great place for free gym classes!
The park district can be a helpful community educational resource too. Classes are offered in many different fields, which can enrich your homeschool learning. If you’ve never considered the park district, you should know that there are classes for sports, fine arts, hobbies and more available for kids of all ages. There is no reason your child has to “miss out” on some of the extra-curricular activities that he or she might be able to participate in at a public school, such as being in a play or on the soccer team. Some park districts may even offer homeschool gym classes. The courses are cheaper for residents of the district, since the tax dollars support the park district. Residents also may be eligible for a scholarship from the park district to help cover costs.
Businesses in the community are another great resource for education. Bakeries, grocery stores and farms in the area can offer real-life information, as well as field trip opportunities. Other local businesses, such as a gymnastics facility or children’s museum, may offer special homeschool classes on their schedule. Call to find out!
Another great place to look for community educational resources is on the “deal of the day” websites, such as Groupon, Mamasource, and SaveMore. These sites can expose you to local educational opportunities of which you may have previously been unaware. Deals can be a day pass to a museum, tickets to a live show, or lunch at an exotic restaurant. You just might discover a new favorite destination without spending a lot of money!
What’s the Cost?
Resources can be free or they may have a cost. This is something to keep in mind when planning your homeschool budget. Does the benefit of the learning experience/resource outweigh the costs? Can you do it a different way for free or cheaper? These are all things you may want to consider when searching for community educational resources.
Home Educators Resource Directory (HERD) is owned, managed, and maintained by parents passionate about giving their children the best education. The Directory’s mission is to provide resources, support, and information helpful to the diverse community of educators around the globe. Along with offering a rich store of varied resources, the Directory maintains a catalog of local and global support groups and calendars highlighting local events.
The HERD monthly newsletter keeps educators apprised of current homeschool events and supplies informational articles for both the new and experienced. We invite you to stay informed with your own newsletter subscription, explore our many resources by visiting the Directory http://www.homeeddirectory.com/ and check out all the information to be found on our blog.
Permission to reproduce this article granted only with the entire article, bio and all links included.
