Resources for Homeschool Families

With many families considering their options for school this year, homeschooling is a hot topic! Helen Plum Youth Librarian Cate has pulled together many of our resources that can help make diving into homeschooling easier.

Getting Started

Homeschooling: Tips for Getting Started

Interested in homeschooling but not sure where to start? This article from PBS offers you 4 tips on how to get started.

Homeschooling in Illinois

• States and counties have their own requirements for homeschooling. The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and DuPage Regional Office of Education (DuPage ROE) have put together their most frequently asked questions and resources here:

  • DuPage ROE Homeschooling Resources

  • ISBE Homeschooling FAQ

• Home School Legal Defense Association is a nonprofit advocacy organization that provides education and support to parents who want to homeschool their family. It also offers legal information on the constitutional rights of parents to direct their child’s education.

• National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI) conducts and collects research about homeschooling and publishes the research journal Home School Researcher.

• If you are considering an online option for your child’s homeschooling experience, compare reviews for online homeschool programs with ConsumerAffairs.

• If you are wondering what a typical course of study might look like for your child’s grade, World Book has curriculum guides for preschool to 12th grade. Each grade is broken down by subjects, such as mathematics, language arts and science.

Resources at Helen Plum Library

• Contact the library to find out what services we provide. We offer exam proctoring by appointment or scheduled programs for your homeschool group. Past programs we have presented include library tours, storytimes, LEGO® play and more!
• Browse our online catalog for many books and materials that are available to check out or download with your Helen Plum Library card.
  • Example of catalog search terms: Homeschooling, Home Schooling, Unschooling
  • Our Parent-Teacher collection offers many helpful resources on educating children and homeschooling, as do our current and back issues of Practical Homeschooling Magazine in the Youth Periodical collection.
  • The Learning Games collection has several educational games and resources to reinforce educational topics.
• There are many student databases that can enhance your homeschooling curriculum and are available to you for free with your library card.

Featured Databases

• Universal Class has hundreds of education classes facilitated by dedicated instructors. They have also put together a section dedicated to homeschooling.
• LearningExpress Library offers practice tests, lessons and study aids for elementary school, middle school and high school students.
• Scholastic Teachables gives you unlimited access to printable activities, skill sheets and other resources.

Readers' Choice Awards
The Illinois Young Readers' Choice Awards are titles selected by teachers and librarians each year. The Helen Plum Library offers may copies of each of these titles with voting for favorites in February.

• Monarch 2021 (Grades K-3)
• Bluestem 2021 (Grades 3-5)
• Caudill 2021(Grades 4-8)
• Lincoln 2021(High School)

Reading Programs
Helen Plum Library offers Reading Programs year-round for children ages birth to 8th grade. To learn more and register, visit our Reading Programs page.

Museum Passes
Your library card gives you free admission or special discounted rates to local museums and attractions. See what is available and how to get your passes here.