Research this website, the library, and the Internet for teaching ideas, lesson plans, textbooks, and resources based on your and your child's interests

Step 6 of the Ten Steps to Successful Homeschooling
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This website * The public library * The Internet
If you have any questions or recommendations, Ask Laurie.

On this website

The Public Library

The public library system in our area (New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library, and Queens Library) is one of the finest in the world, and part of what makes our city great. Any branch will loan you teaching materials for free, including books, audio books, tapes and CDs, videos and DVDs, and they will deliver them to your local branch.

If you're late returning items, you can simply renew the books you have borrowed by using your computer or with a phone call (but only up to midnight on the due date -- at 12:01 it's too late). Most books can be borrowed for up to three weeks, longer during the summer if you request it (since so many kids go on vacation they allow an extended borrowing period). Videos are a one-week rental, and include loads of PBS and National Geographic specials, plus great classic films and period movies. We've rented several versions of Hamlet, the miniseries I Claudius, the musical 1776, art history and travel videos to experience other parts of the world, just to name a few. Audio books include readings by great authors and actors (try Edgar Allen Poe's The Tell-tale Heart) and you can even borrow Beowulf excerpts read aloud in Old English. You can also find books in other languages. Don't underestimate this incredible free resource!

Many local libraries have free classes, homework help, storytelling, and more. See the NYPL List of Free Classes and Workshops.

• The NYPL has a great site, TumbleBookLibrary, with tons of kid's e-books that are displayed on your screen. Your child can either read them, or have them read aloud by the computer. Great graphics, fast loading, super fun. And see also Summer Reading 2008, another NYPL project.
• The NYPL has another great free website at HomeworkNYC.org where you can even chat live with an educator who will answer your questions. You need a library card number to participate in most of the resources, including some wonderful online search engine/databases. There is even a kids' level search engine called Searchasaurus where kids can do their own searches.
• The New York Public Library serves Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island.
  • CATNYP, the NYPL Research Libraries Online Catalog
  • NYPL's On-Lion for kids.
• The Brooklyn Public Library serves Brooklyn.
  • BPL Online Catalog
• The Queens Library serves Queens.
  • AquaBrowser, the Queens Library Online Catalog

The Internet

• Educational Resources
• Government Resources
• Recommended Internet Search Engines
• Books Online

Educational Resources

• Free and Affordable Distance Education.
Courses, tests, test prep, tutorials, and more.
• Public Broadcast ing Service (PBS), lots of resources for children and educators.
• Thirteen: Ed Online, full of lesson plans and materials related to many of Channel Thirteen's series and other offerings from PBS. Check out their calendar and set your VCR to tape educational videos broadcast all night long.

Government Resources

• New York State Education Department
• Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE). Hundreds of Federally supported teaching and learning resources.
• FirstGov for Kids. Links to Federal kids' sites along with some of the best kids' sites from other organizations all grouped by subject

Recommended Internet Search Engines

• Google
• Infoseek
• Yahoo

SearchEngineWatch has some tips to make your web searches more effective.

Books Online

• Classic Reader, free classic books online
• The Online Books page at UPenn
• Project Gutenberg, free electronic books (eBooks or eTexts)

This is Step 6 of the Ten Steps to Successful Homeschooling
1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10