These pages list a variety of curricula and other resources which can be used for helping your children to learn at home. In the UK there are no requirements for following any specific subjects, but some families choose either to use National Curriculum text books, or a pre-packaged curriculum. In some other countries there are legal expectations for parents teaching their own children; in these cases a set syllabus may be the easiest way to get started.

Building your own resources for home education

The widespread use of computers makes home education far easier than it was in previous decades. There are a vast array of resources on the Internet. More than one home educating family has gathered together some of the best, many of which are relevant to British school-type topics. For pre-school or primary age children, one of the most useful sites is MuddlePuddle - an ongoing project with links, ideas and resources. There are some more ideas for projects, and inspiration for getting over burnout at Homeschooling Ideas. 

If you want to think in terms of school-type subjects, at least initially, but are uncertain how to get started, or what books might be helpful at different stages, my subject pages will give a few suggestions which may suit your family. Choose from Maths, English, History, Science, Geography, or Church history.  For older children, you might like to see my collected links for art and craft, English, geography, history, maths, religious education or science.

One of our favourite sites, dedicated to education in home and school is the BBC Learning site. For a variety of information about schools and home education, look at: Educate online or the Homeschool Internet Yellow Pages.

We liked to use a variety of text books and other resources, such as CD-Roms, some of which tied in with the UK National Curriculum, some of which were for more general interest. We buy most of our books from Play.com or Amazon UK. Other home educators have found useful books, specially geared to education and related to the UK national curriculum, at CGP books or Skoolzone.  A new addition to the curriculum-related market is TPS Publishing, which has inexpensive lesson plans available, as well as some books developed for parents to use at home with children of all ages and abilities.  

We also looked out for anything educational at jumble sales, second hand bookshops and car boot sales. Even if a book seems too advanced for your child now, it may be useful one day. Questions can arise at any time and it is always a good idea to be prepared!

If you want a specific book second-hand, or one that's out of print, the Advanced book exchange is an excellent resource, listing second-hand bookshops in the UK and elsewhere. If you can't find what you want, they will accept queries and let you know when a certain book comes in stock. Some of the books can be ordered online, although the postage prices then tend to be exceedingly high; however many of the listed bookshops will accept email queries, and will weigh books to determine exact postage.

Packaged resources for home education

Ambleside Online
This excellent site provides a good compromise between building your own resources and using someone else's. Based on Charlotte Mason's ideas about education, and the need for good 'living' books, there are extensive recommended reading lists for each year and a 36-week schedule to follow, if you want to. It emphasises flexibility, and the importance of adapting to your own family's needs - and best of all, the entire curriculum is free. Many of the books recommended are available free as e-books, so the only cost is any books that you might want to buy.

Briteschool
This is a 'live British e-school' offering virtual classrooms with real teachers online for about six hours a week at primary level (in core subjects - literacy, numeracy and science) and up to eight IGCSE subjects for secondary age students. Not particularly cheap, but if you want to ensure your child covers the National Curriculum in key subjects and is well prepared for exams, this might be worth considering.

Educan
If you'd like some structure, and a complete year's curriculum organised for you, but do not need tutorial support or assessment, you might be interested in the packs on offer at Educan.   They are basically school-type text books, chosen by a home educating mother from the many available, offered by school years.

Primary Home Schooling
Curriculum packs for English, maths and science in the UK National Curriculum, for home educated children up to the age of 11 in the UK or abroad. Work can be sent to tutors for assessment a couple of times per term. Not particularly cheap, but if you want your children to learn what children in state schools are learning in these three core subjects, it could well be worth investigating.

InterHigh
A relatively new service, offering full tuition in several National Curriculum subjects for students aged 11-16, with the possibility of GCSE in the final year. 2-3 hours per day of 'virtual tuition' online.

NorthStar UK
A Christian organisation committed to secondary education via email and the Internet. One or more courses can be selected at either Key Stage 3 or GCSE level. Could be very useful for children wanting to study a subject which the parent does not understand! Full prospectus and details available on the web site.

For details of other UK organisations offering GCSE exams, and in some cases A-levels, see my GCSE page.

School of Tomorrow (ACE)
This is a popular Christian curriculum in the USA, now adapted somewhat for European usage. Rather than being in 'grades', each child is tested and then given workbooks at his or her ability level in each subject. Children select their own aims and take responsibility for their learning. Once the child reaches the level roughly equivalent to UK schools Year 8 in any subject, they can enrol for the 'International Certificate of Christian Education' programme which leads to diplomas equivalent to GCSEs and A-levels, acceptable by many universities in the UK.

Home Education and family services
A comprehensive set of American curriculum guides for Kindergarten through 12th Grade, satisfying the most rigid of State requirements. You can send for a free magazine from their web site.

Sonlight
For a freer approach based on literature, particularly useful if you are not living near a library. This is a Christian curriculum but could be used by anyone, and has a fair amount of flexibilty built in, as well as the option of supplying art and science supplies by mail. You can send off for their full catalogue from their web site. There is a discussion list for British families using the Sonlight curriculum. You can find this at the yahoogroups site listed as Sonlight-UK.

Other popular American Christian homeschool curricula can be found at:

A-Beka books
Alpha Omega publications
Konos Curriculum
Bob Jones Press

For more details about some of these packages, and to help you find your way around the bewildering array of available resources, see my article The curriculum minefield. If you're particularly interested in secondary or GCSE courses, see the GCSE page which lists various options for home educators. For an excellent site which has extensive selections of nearly-new and second-hand curriculum resources, see Educators' Exchange. I was able to order a French course from them at about two-thirds the price it would have been new. They offer air or surface mail for international deliveries, and online ordering; they also accept queries, and books for sale.