Homeschooling Links

Iowa Homeschooling Groups and Legal Information

 

  • Iowa Department of Education Guidance/FAQ -  As with all DOE guidance, check to make sure it is up to date.

  • Iowa Department of Education Covid-19 Guidance and Information

  • Iowa Core - The Iowa Core standards describe what students should know and be able to do from kindergarten to12th grade in math, science, English language arts and social studies. The Iowa Core is a set of common expectations for school districts across the state. It is not a curriculum, so decisions on how to help students meet learning goals remain in the hands of local schools and teachers.

  • National Home School Association - NHSA provides comprehensive support, programs, activities and resources to the nationwide community of homeschoolers. Some homeschoolers choose NHSA over NSLDA because of secular reasons.

  • Home School Legal Defense Organization: Iowa Guidelines - HSLDA is a Christian organization but membership and services do not have a religious requirement. They are one of the largest clearinghouses for homeschooling information in the country.

  • Iowa Homeschool Groups - Homeschool World - The original site of Practical Homeschooling magazine and The Big Book of Home Learning / Mary Pride's Complete Guide to Homeschooling.

  • The Homeschool Mom - Find out how to homeschool, what the homeschool requirements are for Iowa residents, connect with local homeschoolers, find nearby classes and co-ops, discover field trip destinations, and much more.

  • Iowa Homeschool Groups and Co-Ops - Local and regional homeschool groups in Iowa along with other information at this site about Iowa homeschooling and homeschooling in general.

  • Homeschooling in Iowa - More state information and looks at "real life" and "practical" homeschooling.

  • Coalition for Responsible Home Education - The Coalition for Responsible Home Education empowers homeschooled children by educating the public and advocating for child-centered, evidence-based policy and practices for families and professionals.

  • Home EDucators Resource Directory -  List of homeschool networks in Iowa

  • National Home Education Research Institute - Many of the links are for Christian resources, but there in some interesting research information that may be of use for anyone.

  • Iowa Unschoolers - Facebook group for Iowa Unschoolers (which is different from homeschooling) to share information and connect.

 

Remote Learning Tips and Other Homeschooling Organizations

  • Special Education Homeschool

  • National Black Home Educators

  • Simple Homeschool

  • Secular Homeschool

  • Homeschool Road Map

  • Unschooling Mom2Mom - Lots of links and information about unschooling, which is different than homeschooling, letting the child lead in schooling.

  • Mind in the Making - Helps adults peer deeper to better understand how children learn, what they need to learn and how adults can take simple, effective steps to promote this learning.

  • ReadWorks - Find ideas for how parents and families can support reading comprehension at home.

  • Khan Academy - A non-profit with the mission to provide a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere.

  • Amazing Educational Resources - A crowd-source list of vendors offering free temporary subscriptions to their products.

  • Code Academy - Learn to code in a variety of programming languages. (Free)

  • Canticos Learning Hub - This is tied to the Canitcos books and app which aren't free but this page has a lot of a good resources including free videos in Spanish.

  • Read-Aloud Revival - Includes a podcast, homeschooling tips and book lists.

  • In All You Do - This site has a lot of units already created that adults can choose to purchase (along with books by the Breedloves) but also has other ideas about unit studies and doing homeschool as a family.

  • Publisher Online Resources - The Children's Book Council compiled this list of free online resources offered by publishers, and they update it frequently. It includes activities, discussion, teacher guides and more to share with children of all ages, educators, librarians, booksellers, parents and caregivers.

  • TEDEd - Build a lesson around any TEDEd animation, TEDTalk or YouTube video. There are questions, more resources to explore, amd the ability to create your own lessons around any of the videos, most of which were created using lessons/lectures from educators.

  • The Ultimate Guide to Virtual Museum Resources, E-Learning and Online Collections - From the Museum Computer Network, this is a list of museums, archives and libraries offering free virtual services including tours, exhibits, e-learning and youth-orientated activites and resources, and digital collections.

 

Iowa Resources for Remote Learning

  • State Library of Iowa's Online Resources - Every resident of Iowa is entitled to a library card from the State Library of Iowa. You can sign up here if you don't have one already. With the State Library card, patrons are able to access online databases such as Gale (magazine and journal articles), Credo Reference (research tool, includes Encyclopedia Brittanica), Opposing Viewpoints and Transparent Languages. Older students will benefit from Brainfuse which has homework and study help, as well as guidance for career pathways. Homework Help is available from Cresco Public Library and is for younger school age children.

  • Iowa Heritage Digital Collection - A fantastic collection of material with tons of historical digitized material, many specific to certain regions.

  • Iowa State Historical Society: Goldie at Home - This is a series of lessons and programs designed by the State Historical Society to take kids on virtual field trips and visits of notable Iowa historical sites to learn about Iowa's history and culture. Besides these 20 progams, which can become lessons, there are "mysteries" set up using primary sources, a virtual museum guide and guides for how to interpret history in a variety of ways.

  • Iowa Afterschool Alliance -  This is an organization dedicated to finding equitable, accessable afterschool and summer learning, enrichment and care options for children. They have a large number of resources for care and connections for out of school time.