The key to successful home education, homeschool veterans will tell you, is determining your educational philosophy and marrying it to your child's learning style. Then you can make an informed decision in choosing the right educational curriculum for the child. This is the formula for success.

In 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum, homeschool guru Cathy Duffy can help you accomplish these critical tasks. Cathy will give you her top choices from every subject area, approaching everything through a Christian worldview perspective. This book is a critical volume for the homeschooling community.

Author: Cathy Duffy
Paperback:  314 pages
Company: B&H Publishing Group  (2005-01)
ISBN: 0805431381
List Price: $21.99
Amazon Price: $13.43
Used Price: $13.56

Give your child a smart start with the revised and updated What Your Third Grader Needs to Know

What should your child learn in the third grade? How can you help him or her at home? This book answers these important questions and more, offering the specific shared knowledge that thousands of parents and teachers across the nation have agreed upon for American third graders. Featuring 16 pages of full-color illustrations, a bolder, easier-to-follow format, and a thoroughly updated curriculum, What Your Third Grader Needs to Know, Revised Edition is designed for parents and teachers to enjoy with children.

Hundreds of thousands of children have benefited from the Core Knowledge Series. This revised edition gives a new generation of third graders the advantage they need to make progress in school today, and to establish an approach to learning that will last a lifetime.

Discover:

• Favorite Poems, old and new, from the traditional Mother Goose rhyme "For Want of Nail" to Lewis Carroll's whimsical poem "The Crocodile"

• Literature from around the world, including Native American stories, African folktales, European fairy tales, classic myths from ancient Greece, stories from ancient Rome, and more

• Learning About Language--the basics of written English, including sentence structure, parts of speech, and a first look at writing a report or letter

• World and American History and Geography--journey down the great rivers of Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia, visit ancient Rome, and experience the earliest days of America with the Pilgrims and Native Americans

• Visual Arts--an introduction to masterworks by Rembrandt, Henri Matisse, Mary Cassatt, and others, with full-color reproductions and fun, do-it-yourself activities

• Music--the basics of appreciating, reading, and making music, plus great composers, instruments, and sing-along lyrics for songs such as "A Bicycle Built for Two" and "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands"

• Math--stimulating lessons ranging from counting money to solving division problems, numbers through 100,000, graphs, and the metric system

• Science--fascinating discussions on the natural world, the cycles of life, the human body and its systems, pollution, and the environment---with accompanying activities and stories about famous scientists such as Copernicus and Alexander Graham Bell.

Author: E.D. Jr Hirsch
Paperback:  366 pages
Company: Delta  (2002-05-28) (2002-05-28)
ISBN: 0385336268
List Price: $15.00
Amazon Price: $7.00
Used Price: $4.71

This read-aloud series is designed for parents to share with elementary-school children. Enjoy it together and introduce your child to the marvelous story of the world's civilizations.

Now more than ever, other cultures are affecting our everyday lives—and our children need to learn about the other countries of the world and their history.

Susan Wise Bauer has provided a captivating guide to the history of other lands. Written in an engaging, straightforward manner, The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child; Volume 3: Early Modern Times weaves world history into a story book format. Who was the Sun King? Why did the Luddites go around England smashing machines? And how did samurai become sumo wrestlers?

The Story of the World covers the sweep of human history from ancient times until the present. Africa, China, Europe, the Americas—find out what happened all around the world in long-ago times. Designed as a read-aloud project for parents and children to share together, The Story of the World includes each continent and major people group. Volume 3: Early Modern Times is the third of a four volume series and covers the major historical events in the years 1600 to 1850, as well as including maps, illustrations, and tales from each culture.

Author: Susan Wise Bauer
Paperback:  400 pages
Company: Peace Hill Press  (2004-04-12)
ISBN: 0971412995
List Price: $16.95
Amazon Price: $10.64
Used Price: $10.65

"Outstanding...should be on every home educator's reference bookshelf."—Homeschooling Today

This book will instruct you, step by step, on how to give your child an academically rigorous, comprehensive education from preschool through high school. Two veteran home educators outline the classical pattern of education—the trivium—which organizes learning around the maturing capacity of the child's mind: the elementary school "grammar stage," the middle school "logic stage," and the high school "rhetoric stage." Using the trivium as your model, you'll be able to instruct your child in all levels of reading, writing, history, geography, mathematics, science, foreign languages, rhetoric, logic, art, and music, regardless of your own aptitude in those subjects.

Newly revised and updated, The Well-Trained Mind includes detailed book lists with complete ordering information; up-to-date listings of resources, publications, and Internet links; and useful contacts.

Author: Susan Wise Bauer, Jessie Wise
Hardcover:  800 pages
Company: W. W. Norton & Company  (2004-04)
ISBN: 0393059278
List Price: $39.95
Amazon Price: $25.16
Used Price: $28.47

A timeless story about the joys of giving and the pleasures of friendship. Hardcover.

Author: Marcus Pfister
Hardcover:  32 pages
Company: North-South Books  (1992-09-01)
ISBN: 1558580093
List Price: $18.95
Amazon Price: $5.98
Used Price: $0.57

This comprehensive activity book and curriculum guide contains all you need to make history come alive for your child!

Don't just read about history—experience it! Color a picture of a Minoan bull-jumper, make a model of the Nile River, create Roman armor and Celtic jewelry and more. Designed to turn the accompanying book The Story of the World, Volume 1: Ancient Times into a complete history program, this Activity Book provides you with comprehension questions and answers, coloring pages, lists of additional readings in history and literature, and plenty of simple, hands-on activities—all designed for grades 1-4.

Author: Susan Wise Bauer
Paperback:  300 pages
Company: Peace Hill Press  (2006-11-16)
ISBN: 1933339055
List Price: $34.95
Amazon Price: $20.14
Used Price: $20.15

Finally, homeschoolers have a comprehensive guide to designing a homeschool curriculum, from one of the country's foremost homeschooling experts. , Rebecca Rupp presents a structured plan to ensure that your children will learn what they need to know when they need to know it, from preschool through high school. Based on the traditional pre-K through 12th-grade structure, Home Learning Year by Year features:

The integral subjects to be covered within each grade
Standards for knowledge that should be acquired by your child at each level
Recommended books to use as texts for every subject
Guidelines for the importance of each topic: which knowledge is essential and which is best for more expansive study based on your child's personal interests
Suggestions for how to sensitively approach less academic subjects, such as sex education and physical fitness

Author: Rebecca Rupp
Paperback:  432 pages
Company: Three Rivers Press  (2000-11-14)
ISBN: 0609805851
List Price: $14.95
Amazon Price: $8.43
Used Price: $7.48

What terrible secret was buried in Shi Huangdi's tomb? Did nomads like lizard stew? What happened to Anansi the Spider in the Village of the Plantains? And how did a six-year-old become the last emperor of Rome?

Told in a straightforward, engaging style that has become Susan Wise Bauer's trademark, The Story of the World series covers the sweep of human history from ancient times until the present. Africa, China, Europe, the Americas—find out what happened all around the world in long-ago times. This first revised volume begins with the earliest nomads and ends with the last Roman emperor. Newly revised and updated, The Story of the World, Volume 1 includes maps, a new timeline, more illustrations, and additional parental aids.

This read-aloud series is designed for parents to share with elementary-school children. Enjoy it together and introduce your child to the marvelous story of the world's civilizations.

Author: Susan Wise Bauer
Paperback:  350 pages
Company: Peace Hill Press  (2006-04-26)
ISBN: 1933339004
List Price: $16.95
Amazon Price: $10.14
Used Price: $10.28

Discover the marvelous stories of the world's modern nations with the newest volume of this read-aloud series.

Where was the Crystal Palace? Who was the Sick Man of Europe? And how did cow fat start a revolution?

Now more than ever, other countries and customs affect our everyday lives—and our children need to learn about the people who live all around the world. Susan Wise Bauer has provided a captivating guide to the history of modern nations all around the world. Written in an engaging, straightforward manner, the final volume of the popular Story of the World series weaves world history into a storybook format, covering major historical events in the years 1850-2000. From the Middle East and China to Africa and the Americas—find out what happened all around the world in the last century and a half. Designed as a read-aloud project for parents and children to share together, The Story of the World includes the stories of each continent and people group.

Author: S. Wise Bauer
Paperback:  503 pages
Company: Peace Hill Press  (2005-06)
ISBN: 0972860339
List Price: $16.95
Amazon Price: $9.55
Used Price: $10.51

This read-aloud series is designed for parents to share with elementary-school children. Enjoy it together and introduce your child to the marvelous story of the world's civilizations.

Now more than ever, other cultures are affecting our everyday lives—and our children need to learn about the other countries of the world and their history. Susan Wise Bauer has provided a captivating guide to the history of other lands. Written in an engaging, straightforward manner, this revised edition of The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child, Volume 2: The Middle Ages weaves world history into a story book format. Who discovered chocolate? What happened to the giant Fovor of the Mighty Blows? Why did the Ottoman Turks drag their war ships across dry land?

The Story of the World covers the sweep of human history from ancient times until the present. Africa, China, Europe, the Americas—find out what happened all around the world in long-ago times. Designed as a read-aloud project for parents and children to share together, The Story of the World includes each continent and major people group. Volume 2: The Middle Ages, is the second of a four-volume series and covers the major historical events in the years 400 to 1600 CE, as well as including maps, illustrations, and tales from each culture.

Author: Susan Wise Bauer
Paperback:  424 pages
Company: Peace Hill Press  (2007-04-16)
ISBN: 1933339098
List Price: $16.95
Amazon Price: $9.56
Used Price: $9.50

Mighty Math Number Heroes Math skills will increase and math confidence will soar! Product Description Third through sixth graders will have a blast with the Number Heroes while they strengthen math skills and build math confidence. Exciting activities teach multiplication and division, plane geometry, fractions, graphs and charts, probability and more. Fraction Man uses fireworks and fractions become very clear. Kids can make their own fraction fireworks or answer questions. Students start with basic fractions and move on to comparing fractions, finding equivalent fractions and converting decimals to fractions. This activity is amazing. MIGHT MATH CALCULATING CREW BUILD MATH CONFIDENCE FOR GRADES 3, 4, 5 & 6 Students learn about multiplication and division of whole numbers and decimals, number line concepts, 3D shapes and their properties, and money transactions. In four activities, students recover hidden treasures, deliver essential supplies to a distant planet, and examine 2D shapes and 3D solids. Learning Opportunities: Problem Solving; Inductive & Deductive Reasoning; Estimation & Rounding; 3D Geometry & Spatial Thinking Skills; 1- to 4-Digit Addition & Subtraction (with Carrying & Borrowing); 1- to 3-Digit Multiplication & Division (Concepts & Facts Through Long Division); Money Transactions (Computing Cost & Making Change); Whole Numbers, Fractions & Decimals on a Number Line (Ordering, +, -, x, ÷). Features: Estimate, round, add, subtract, and multiply numbers from hundredths to thousands, and work with whole numbers, fractions and decimals. Compute the total cost of the Superheroes' gear, then accept payment and make change so they can save the day! Work with 10 solids and their flattened nets and learn to think in 2 and 3 dimensions as you assist the ingenious Dr. Gee with her shape-shifting experiments! Master multiplication and division, from the basic facts to long division, as you help Nick distribute his cargo to Havarati

CD-ROM:  CD-ROM2 CD Set You Recieve:, Mighty Math Calculating Crew, Mighty Math Number Heroes
Company: Edmark 
List Price: 
Amazon Price: $5.99
Used Price: $5.95

EDMARK - MIGHTY MATH: ASTRO ALGEBRA Ages 12-14 Grades 7,8,9 Astro Algebra teaches the concepts and problem-solving skills necessary to learn basic algebra. Students learn how to graph functions, translate word problems into solvable equations, and represent algebraic expressions using the program's Virtual Manipulatives. Hundreds of problems in over 90 space missions provide students with a solid foundation for success in algebra and beyond. Special features include two learning modes, which allow for directed and independent learning and strong support of NCTM standards. Mighty Math Cosmic Geometry Ages 12-14 In Cosmic Geometry, students explore attributes of shapes and solids, constructions and transformations, 2D and 3D coordinates, and the relationships between length, perimeter, area, and volume. Winding their way through a 3D maze, assembling robots, creating tessellating patterns, and making movies of geometric constructions, students develop a strong foundation for geometry and its real-world applications. Special features include Virtual Manipulatives that help students make the connection between concrete and abstract concepts and Grow Slides, which automatically advance topics and problems

CD-ROM:  CD-ROM2 CD Set You Recieve:, Mighty Math Astro Algebra, Mighty Math Cosmic Geometry
Company: Edmark 
List Price: 
Amazon Price: $5.99

Goin Quackers - Everyone's favorite temperamental, unintelligible duck is back, and he's better than ever in this cool, platform-style adventure game. Donald must rescue his beloved Daisy, the intrepid girl reporter, from Merlock, the dastardly magician. Typical of platform games, certain tasks must be completed to prevent Daisy from meeting a tragic end: components of a warp pad must be gathered, the boss must be defeated, and a handful of weathervanes need to be installed before Daisy will be safe under Donald's wing. A Bug's Life - You and your child may have seen Flik and his fellow ants defeat the evil grasshoppers in Disney and Pixar's A Bug's Life. But those relentless arthropods still insist on making life as difficult as possible on Ant Island! Now it's up to your child to help Flik create acontraption to stave off another invasion. children must navigate throughout the world portrayed in the popular computer-generated movie so as to collect the six items necessary in developing Flik's device - a flower, a feather, a mushroom, a card, a thimble and a button. Stuart Little - How much fun can a mouse have in the Big City? See for yourself as Stuart Little, star of the classic children's story and a major motion picture,takes a nibble out of the Big Apple in five exciting big city game features multiple skill levels, amazing 3-D graphics, and avariety of "Stuart-sized" challenges. Typing - Designed for children as young as six, this keyboarding program features step-by-step tutorials that teach hand placement and key strokes. Children are encouraged to improve their speed and accuracy by playing five engaging games. In one game, for instance, kids type sentences to help Timon and Pumbaa negotiate a maze of tunnels to avoid hungry hyenas. In another game, they shoot bugs by typing the correct letters. Detailed records of progress are kept

CD-ROM:  CD-ROM4 CD Set You Recieve:, Disney a Bug's Life, Adventures in Typing Timon & Pumbaa, Stuart Little Big City Adventures, Disney Donald Duck Goin' Quackers
Company: Disney Interactive 
List Price: 
Amazon Price: $14.99

A broad range of topics is covered ranging from building a bird house or miniature rainforest to cooking with solar heat, cleaning an oil spill and making a rainbow. Although not treated in great depth, the experiments provide factual scientific information and are good introductory activities. An exploratory emphasis is used throughout. For example, Ozzie says: "Why don't you hang out and explore all my cool stuff while I water the garden." There are five settings in which to explore. They are a beach, vet's office, forest, garden, and Ozzie's bedroom. After Ozzie introduces each area, he disappears to attend to other ecological matters and the student can view experiments, games, coloring books and fun facts relevant to each area. There are standard games in each section such as the Silly Sorter, Hidden Pictures, Match-a-Pair, Coloring Books, and a Jigsaw Puzzle. Three difficulty levels are provided for each game and good audio explanations accompany each.

CD-ROM:  CD-ROM5 Environments to visit, each with an onscreen, fully-animated dialogue, encourage interactive play, 40 Science activities with step-by-step instructions develop deductive reasoning and thinking skills, Lots of games and puzzles build critical thinking and memorization with 3 skill levels to meet the needs of different ages, Recommended for Ages 3-8, Windows 3X, 95 / Mac LCII System 6.0.5 CD-Rom
Company: IVI Publishing 
List Price: $29.99
Amazon Price: 
Used Price: $9.99

Where World - The search is on! The infamous Carmen Sandiego is at it again and this time she's made off with a rare and valuable edition of the "Travels of Marco Polo," as well as many other stolen items. To recover these valuable treasures and catch this cunning (or clever) mastermind, the Chief needs the best detective in the agency - YOU! Together with two other top-notch detectives and a collection of the ultimate spy gadgets, you'll travel the globe uncovering clues and building a lifelong knowledge of geography, history, and world cultures. But be careful - in the end, you may come face-to-face with the elusive Carmen Sandiego herself! Ages 8-12 Where in USA - Carmen Sandiego is filching America's precious treasures. Since her latest escape she's recruited a whole new gang of villains. They must be stopped. No excuses. Acme is under severe pressure to halt Carmen's crime wave. Report to HG immediately to receive your Videophone and Dataminder. Don't let Carmen pull the wool over your eyes! Math Detective - Another rock solid Carmen title! This one is filled with five high tech math gadgets that let a child find the clues needed to nab criminals... one math problem at a time. The program contains plenty of content- 400 word problems, three levels, customized problem sets- plus an onscreen progress report and a glossary of math terms. Kids get lots of practice with multiplication, division, fractions, percents, pre-algebra and geometry. Best of all, there's enough suspense and danger built-in to keep the kids on the edges of their seats. Testers wanted to play this program all the way to the end. The CD would work well in either the home or classroom.

CD-ROM:  CD3 CD Set You Recieve:, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego, Where in the USA is Carmen Sandiego, Carmen Sandiego Math Detective
Company: Broderbund 
List Price: $49.99
Amazon Price: $8.94

Millie's Math House Kids, ages 3-7, develop a love of math when they play in Millie's Math House. Through 7 fun filled activities that feel like play children learn about numbers, counting, addition, subtraction, patterns, problem solving, size, geometric shapes and much more. Kids count critters, build mouse houses and create crazy-looking bugs while learning early math concepts. Kids learn to identify and compare shapes and sizes, create and complete patterns, learn numbers to 30 and practice addition and subtraction. Sammy Science House Explore the wonders of science with Sammy! Developed by early learning experts, Sammy's Science House builds important early science skills and encourages wonder and joy as children discover the world of science around. Five engaging activities help children practice sorting, sequencing, observing, predicting and constructing. They'll learn about plants, animals, minerals, fungi, seasons and weather, too! Bailey's Book House Develop a Love for Reading with Bailey! Seven activities help develop beginning literacy skills. Bailey and his friends inspire early readers to learn letters, words and word families, rhyming, prepositions, adjectives, and storytelling. Make your own greeting cards and storybooks too! A special highlighting technique encourages kids to follow words as they hear them read aloud. Great for home-schooling!

CD-ROM:  CD-ROM3 CD Set You Recieve:, Millie's Math House, Sammy's Science House, Bailey's Book House
Company: Edmark 
List Price: 
Amazon Price: $9.75

Candy Land Adventure - A child's first game comes to life! Travel down the Candy Land path and be the first to reach Candy Castle. Along the way you can meet all of your favorite characters and explore their candy sweet worlds. The Peppermint Forest, Queen Frostine, and all the characters and landsfrom your favorite children's game come to life in this colorful CD-ROM! The rewards are sweet when children use their early math and language skillsto rescue King Kandy and return the magic to Candy Land. Candy Land Adventurecould very well be the tastiest CD-ROM your drive ever gobbles up! Chutes and Ladders (PC Game) Hasbro Boardgame Slide into Learning and Climb into Fun! Children will love making their way to the winning square! They'll jump ahead on ladders and slide back down the chutes on three different game boards. Along the path, kids learn number recognition and counting! Simple but classic life lessons are presented in charming new ways, plus exciting mini-games on the new Zoo and Circus boards add to all the fun

CD-ROM:  CD-ROM2 CD Set You Recieve:, Candy Land Adventures, Chutes And Ladders
Company: Hasbro 
List Price: 
Amazon Price: $5.99

CD-ROM:  CDWorks on Windows XP using the Program Compatibility Mode., Originally Designed for Windows 95/98
Company: Maxis 
List Price: 
Amazon Price: 
Used Price: $0.99

This powerful educational software simulation recreates the events of the war from different perspectives. Experience the challenges and obstacles of boot camp. Lead the battle charge as you deal with the realities of having to capture battlefield targets or switch sides and try to defend those targets. Take overall control of the war from the general's point of view. Superior tactics, strategies and knowledge will lead you to victory. Battle to the bitter end! Battle for unconditional surrender! Single user license.

:  Education software: grades 5-12, ages 9 and up., Extensive electronic database covering key battles, personalities and events., Dramatic Quicktime movies; War illustrations by Mort Kunstle; Narrated text and battlefield zoom., Windows 3.1, Windows 95/98/ME., Not compatible with Windows XP, even in Windows 95 compatibility mode.
Company: Entrex 
List Price: $49.95
Amazon Price: $49.95
Used Price: $1.51

Make your own new creatures at this photorealistic virtual zoo! Switch Zoo Deluxe was selected by Parenting magazine as one of "The Best Computer Games" of 2005. The games were handpicked by Parenting editors then tested by moms and kids across the country! "Players assemble any mixture of animal they can imagine from the heads, bodies, legs, and tails of 140 vividly lifelike onscreen critters. Beyond its sidesplitting humor, this dazzling game of mix and match teaches children accurate info about animals and lets them make up names and bios for their surreal menagerie. Looking for a Grandparents Day gift? Print pictures of and stories about your kids' wildest creations." - Anne Reeks, 'The Best Computer Games," Parenting magazine. Switch Zoo Deluxe features diverse species and a fact-filled profile of every animal. The Randomizer switches all of an animal's features simultaneously, for a surprise that's like discovering a new species. Players can save their favorite new animals and stories in their own collection. Like a real zoo, Switch Zoo Deluxe is fascinating for visitors of all ages. The game is easy to play using a colorful user interface, so young players can make animals even if they can't read yet. Older children and adults can read the animal profiles to learn about the animals that make up their fantastic new creatures. Switch Zoo is used for science, art, and language arts projects in thousands of schools, worldwide.

Software:  CD-ROMNamed one of "The Best Computer Games" by Parenting magazine, Make thousands of amazing new animals from 142 source species, Play immediately using simple graphic interface; no instructions required, Name your favorite new creatures, write stories about them, and save them in your own collection, Learn interesting facts about all of the animals in Switch Zoo
Company: Tubehead 
List Price: 
Amazon Price: $23.99