Support
Often the key to whether a family can successfully homeschool is the type of support they receive. Unfortunately, we don't always receive encouragement from our family or community. Connecting with other homeschoolers is the best way to make new friends, and to get information, ideas, and support. We've compiled support group resources and offer simple ways to connect with other homeschoolers through email groups, website forums, and in your community. You'll also find information on local and state events, cultural and educational institutions, field trip ideas, tutors, bookstores, and much, much more.
Support Groups
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.
Humor
We all could use a little chuckle every once in a while--especially on those days when things seem a bit bleak and challenging. Enjoy some humor from the home front.
Events
You'll find everything from homeschooling conventions to used book sales to camps for homeschoolers. Read about local and state events and submit your event for posting.
Local & State Resources
Homeschoolers learn as much outside the home as in it. Here you'll find listings of cultural and educational institutions, government resources, libraries, and bookstores. If you need a tutor, this is the best place for you to find one near you.
Publications
Want to learn more about homeschooling? Need a monthly or weekly boost of enthusiasm and ideas? You may be interested in a subscription of a homeschool publication. Whether you are looking for a hard copy magazine or an e-newsletter, we've got the best listed here.
What's Popular
Hawthorne Historical Museum and Cultural Center
The Hawthorne area has a wonderful museum that highlights and vanguards the history of the area, a true reflection of Florida's heritage. It is located at the southern end of SE 221 St. (historic Johnson St).
St. Petersburg College Library
The mission of the M. M. Bennett Library of St. Petersburg College in its support of the philosophy and objectives of the College is to provide comprehensive library and information services to meet the curricular, research, cultural and recreational needs of the college community.
Boynton Beach Library
208 S. Seacrest Blvd. Boynton Beach FL 33435 Phone: 561-742-6390 Located at 208 S. Seacrest Boulevard, just two blocks south of City Hall, the mission of the library is to select, organize, preserve and to make available, freely and easily, to all residents of the community, printed and other materials, within the limitations of space and budget, which will aid them in the pursuit of education, information, research, recreation, and in the creative use of leisure time; and further to provid...
Living Books
This is an open group sponsored and moderated by Lifetime Books and Gifts of Lake Wales, FL for members to discuss using living books and resources in homeschooling and other pertinent topics.
University of South Florida Libraries
The USF Library System consists of six libraries. The principal research library is the Tampa Library centrally located on the main campus. The St. Petersburg campus is home to the Poynter Library; the Sarasota campus is home to the Jane Bancroft Cook Library; and the Lakeland campus has recently found room to house their own library, which had previously been a joint use facility. The special libraries are the Shimberg Health Sciences Library, serving the needs of USF Health consisting of the C...
Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins Historic State Park
This site was once part of a thriving sugar plantation owned by David Levy Yulee. Yulee was a member of the Territorial Legislative Council, and served in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate after Florida statehood. The park contains the remnants of the once-thriving 5,100-acre sugar plantation: a forty-foot limestone masonry chimney, iron gears, and a cane press. The steam-driven mill operated from 1851 to 1864 and served as a supplier of sugar products for southern troops during ...
Pensacola Museum of Art
The mission of the Pensacola Museum of Art is to be a bridge to the visual arts for the diverse populations of Pensacola and the surrounding communities by providing an array of stimulating exhibitions within our historic building. The primary focus of the PMA Permanent Collection is to acquire and preserve works of art from the 20th and 21st century, with an emphasis on modern and contemporary art including painting, sculpture, and works on paper. The collection includes works by noted artists:...
Alliance of Bay County Homeschoolers (ABCH)
Alliance of Bay County Homeschoolers is an internet-based group created to forge an atmosphere of camaraderie among local homeschoolers. ABCH provides a forum for homeschoolers to connect with others, plan events and activities, and promote knowledge in its members.
Peter H. Armacost Library at Eckerd College
The Peter H. Armacost Library at Eckerd College provides support services to students of Eckerd College and the greater community.
John U. Lloyd Beach State Park
Perfect for a day at the beach or a family picnic, this park provides an abundance of recreational activities. Surf fishing, canoeing, swimming, nature study, boating, and picnicking will keep the whole family busy. For those interested in South Florida's underwater beauty, Lloyd Beach has one of the easiest and most interesting shore dives in the area. The park has two boat ramps with easy access to the ocean through the Port Everglades Inlet, which will please those who prefer to fish in open ...
Children's Museum of the Highlands
The Children's Museum of the Highlands purpose is to provide a safe area for children (ages 1 - 12) to learn and explore. Through exhibits and on going programs the museum hopes to provide ways for kids to enhance their curiosity, develop their imagination and learn about a variety of experiences. It is hoped that the children will see the museum as a fun place to play and leave the museum with the knowledge that learning can be fun. They will see that the opportunity to learn is everywhere an...
Haven Homeschoolers, Inc.
Haven Homeschoolers operates as a cooperative group of homeschooling parents and children. They are Christian-based, but not Christian-exclusive. Their purpose is to encourage family members in their homeschooling efforts by providing information, socialization, fellowship and support.
Osceola Center for the Arts
The Mission of The Osceola Center for the Arts is to promote, cultivate, foster interest and participation in the arts by providing affordable and accessible programs and facilities that encourage artistic expression in the diverse community they serve.
Peacock Springs State Park
This park has two major springs, a spring run, and six sinkholes-all in near pristine condition. One of the longest underwater cave systems in the continental United States, about 28,000 feet of underwater passages have been explored and surveyed by cave divers. Only divers who have proof of their scuba certification are allowed to explore the underwater caverns. Mature forest stands around the springs represent four major natural plant communities. A nature trail leads visitors on a path tracin...
Beaches Museum & History Center
Experience the world of Beaches pioneers for yourself at the Beaches Museum & History Center. Enjoy the interactive, informative, and intriguing look at the area's heritage through exhibits and firsthand accounts designed to bring the rich history of the Beaches communities to life. Our First Coast shores enjoy a deep and diverse heritage. Travel back to the past and get to know the people and events that shaped the area.
Resources
America's National Parks: The Spectacular Forces That Shaped Our Treasured Lands
From stunning mountain ranges to arid expanses of desert, America has been blessed with an incredibly diverse land -- and the vision to protect it for our and future generations to enjoy. These lands are ours to view, wander, learn from, and revel in. America's National Parks captures all that is great about all fifty-six parks in the national park system. It also gives interesting, easy-to-understand background on the geological and ecological forces that continue to make each national park so worthy of protection.

Nature lovers will be captivated by gorgeous photos of landforms, flora, and fauna. Families will appreciate the information that is sure to enhance vacations at the parks. And visitors to any of the country's national parks will forever treasure this book as a memento of past visits and an inspiration for future ones.

Unlike any other book published on national parks, America's National Parks is a must-have for anyone who relishes America's natural wonders and wants to learn more about the powerful forces that created them.

Educational Travel on a Shoestring : Frugal Family Fun and Learning Away from Home
Educational Travel on a Shoestring shows parents how they can help their children learn–and have a blast–while traveling. From researching destinations to sharing activities that both teach and entertain, this priceless guide offers practical information for parents who want to have more fun with their kids, build closer family ties, and enjoy richer educational experiences–all without spending a fortune.
The National Parks of America
For tourists, family campers, and serious lovers of the outdoors, here is a big, beautiful, color-illustrated book that describes more than 50 national parks, sites, and seashores that stretch from Cape Hatteras on the Atlantic coast to the Grand Canyon in Arizona, Yosemite in California, Haleakala in Hawaii, and Glacier Bay in Alaska. More than 400 breathtaking photographs capture the beauty and atmosphere of each site, and 54 color maps show each park's location and major features. Visitor information panels give important details on access points, accommodations, and recreational activities such as hiking, rafting, birdwatching, and fishing. Here is a wonderful volume that will inspire plans for trips and evoke marvelous memories of past experiences in America's great outdoors.
Great Lodges of the National Parks: The Companion Book to the PBS Television Series
Stand amid soaring Douglas fir in the great hall of Glacier Park Lodge or sit in the setting sun and gaze into the Grand Canyon at El Tovar. This beautiful gift book will transport you to the majestic lodges of our national parks to relive the glory of past vacations or plan adventures anew. This book and the PBS television series of the same title (to air in spring 2002) take armchair travelers into these architectural wonders and explore the surrounding natural beauty of our national parks. Lodges, wildlife, and stunning vistas are showcased in 175 full-color and black-and-white photographs, along with historical documents from the PBS series. In his introduction, Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, offers a call to preserve this national heritage, and a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book go toward the rehabilitation of these magnificent buildings.
America's National Parks for Dummies, Second Edition
What makes a trip to a national park so wonderful? For starters, America's national park system is more diverse than any park system in the world. You can stroll the seashore at Olympic National Park in Washington or Cape Cod National Seashore in Massachusetts, climb craggy mountains in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, or go underground into the world's largest cave system at Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. You can marvel at the largest canyon on Earth (Grand Canyon National Park), hike among the planet's largest collection or rock arches (Arches National Park), explore the lowest and hottest place in the Western Hemisphere (Death Valley National Park), or wander a realm of forests and misty mountains (Great Smoky Mountains National Park).

And these are just a few of your park options.

America's National Parks For Dummies gives you guidance to decide which park is for you, when to go, and what to see when you reach your destination. This guide will help you plan the best trip imaginable, whether you are

  • An inexperienced traveler looking for guidance in determining whether to take a trip to a national park and how to plan for it
  • An experienced traveler who has yet to explore the national park system and wants expert advice when you finally get a chance to enjoy one
  • Any traveler who doesn't like big, thick travel guides that list every single hotel, restaurant, or attraction, but instead looks for a book that focuses on the places that will provide the best or most unique park experience

America's National Parks For Dummies is user-friendly and organized in a logical fashion. Each park is broken down in a chapter that delves into the nitty-gritty of trip planning and highlights, including tips for

  • Planning your trip by touching on the diversity of the park system, explaining some of your vacation options, and telling you when parks are the most (and least) crowded
  • Ironing out the details by describing how you get to the parks and how to find your way around after you arrive
  • Exploring America's national parks by giving you the lowdown on 15 of the best parks, detailing things like each park's wild kingdom, the best spots for memorable photographs, and a few safety issues

The pages of this book resemble a great long-distance hike – you never know what's around the next bend in the trail. So throw on a backpack, take a swig of water, and get ready to explore the national parks!

National Geographic Guide to the National Parks of the United States, Fourth Edition

Now in its fourth edition, the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America is the ultimate birder’s field guide. Sturdy, portable, and easy-to-use, it features the most complete information available on every bird species known to North America. This revised edition features 250 completely updated range maps, new plumage and species classification information, specially commissioned full-color illustrations, and a superb new index that allows birders in the field to quickly identify a species.

The National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, Fourth Edition will continue to be a bestseller among the fastest-growing sector in the U.S. travel market—the nearly 25 million people who travel each year specifically to observe wild birds.

These Rare Lands
If a picture's worth 1,000 words, this book--with its hundreds of breathtaking photos of America's National Parks--is a well-stocked bookstore. Accompanied by the words of poet laureate Mark Strand, These Rare Lands is a perfect coffee-table book for anyone who has enjoyed the wonders of nature's wildest places. From a storm over Sequoia National Park in California to the otherworldly stalactites and stalagmites of New Mexico's Carlsbad Caverns and an Atlantic sunset in Maine's Acadia, this is a book that draws you back again and again. Photographer Stan Jorstad's obvious love of nature comes through in the thoughtful approach he takes to his life's work, contained in the pages of These Rare Lands.
America's Spectacular National Parks
The concept of the national park is an American contribution to world civilization, and it remains a defining characteristic of our country. From the rocky shore of Maine's Acadia to the barren crater and lush rain forest of Hawaii's Haleakala, America's national beauty is celebrated and preserved in its national parks. This book retells the history of each park, describes its most important features and wildlife, and reproduces its gorgeous scenery in full-color photographs that will enthrall armchair travelers and entice others to lace up their hiking boots and reach for their sporting gear. Organized by region of the country, it includes well-known parks like the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and Glacier as well as lesser-known destinations like Shenandoah, Biscayne, and Kenai Fjords.
Florida History from the Highways
Discover Florida, with its unique geography and exciting history--from ancient gold to modern real estate speculation--by journeying along its highways. Beginning with a chronology and succinct account of Florida's spectacular development, then an account of the rise of the major cities, Florida History from the Highways takes you throughout the state, pointing out the fascinating events that occurred at locations along the way. You'll travel through changing times and landscapes and emerge filled with new appreciation for what has made Florida the colorful place it is today. With an engaging style and a wealth of historical photographs, author Douglas Waitley invites you to explore this extraordinary state's rich past while enjoying its natural beauty.
Looking for Another State?
Featured Resources

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Sing, Spell, Read & Write
Sing, Spell, Read & Write is a phonics-based program that uses a 36-step program of carefully sequenced steps to teach reading, writing, and spelling. More product information can be found
Help for the Harried Homeschooler : A Practical Guide to Balancing Your Child's Education with the Rest of Your Life
Homeschooling moms and dads can be overwhelmed by the demands on their time. Between their children’s educational needs; their roles as spouse, parent, and more; and their own individual desires and goals, these mothers and fathers struggle to ...
Teach Me to Do It Myself: Montessori Activities for You and Your Child
Based on the key Montessori principle that children learn best through active experience, Teach Me to Do It Myself presents simple activities through which children explore and develop their skills. These skill areas include sensory perceptions, body...
Veritas Press
Veritas Press offers a history based classical curriculum for kindergarten through twelfth grades.
Florida History from the Highways
Discover Florida, with its unique geography and exciting history--from ancient gold to modern real estate speculation--by journeying along its highways. Beginning with a chronology and succinct account of Florida's spectacular development, then an ac...