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Catholic home-study schools offer a wide range of services, from full-service programs to partial enrollment to simply providing assistance to those who are putting together their own eclectic program. Several also sell books, texts, lesson plans, and testing services to non-enrolled families.
- HOMESCHOOL CONNECTIONS
- AQUINAS LEARNING
- ANGELICUM ACADEMY
- CATHOLIC HERITAGE CURRICULA (CHC)
- KOLBE ACADEMY
- MATER AMABILIS
- MOTHER OF DIVINE GRACE SCHOOL
- OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY SCHOOL
- OUR LADY OF VICTORY SCHOOL
- QUEEN OF HEAVEN ACADEMY
- ST. THOMAS AQUINAS ACADEMY
- SETON HOME STUDY SCHOOL
Catholic Homeschool Planning and Record Keeping
Homeschool PublishersThese companies address the specific needs of home educators. Catholics searching for high-quality materials for their homeschools should check out the following companies, most of which are owned by Catholic homeschoolers.
- ALAN JEMISON MUSIC - Music self-instruction.
- BEHOLD PUBLICATIONS - For the Love of Literature; Why Should I Learn This?, American Catholic historical fiction; Little Flowers and Blue Knights Club materials.
- CASTLEMOYLE BOOKS - Spelling Power.
- CATHOLIC SCHOOLHOUSE - Classically based, memory work, hands-on science, art, co-op helps, and more.
- HILLSIDE EDUCATION - Literature Guides, classic reprints, Father Brown Reader for children, mater et magistra
- INSTITUTE FOR EXCELLENCE IN WRITING - Teaching Writing: Structure and Style.
- LITTLE SAINTS PRESCHOOL PROGRAM
- PHILOMENA PRESS
- SAINT ANNE'S HELPER - Lots of printables as well as Baltimore Catechism resources.
- STONE TABLET PRESS - Little Angel Readers.
- WOOLY LAMB PUBLISHING - History Links Unit Study/Integrated Learning.
- WRITE GUIDE - Individualized writing courses via email.
- YE HEDGE SCHOOL - Sentence diagramming and Catholic science books.
These are Catholic publishers popular with homeschoolers.
- ASCENSION PRESS - Catholic books and faith-formation programs, including the Great Adventure Bible study.
- BETHLEHEM BOOKS - Children’s books and historical fiction.
- CATHOLIC ANSWERS - Publishes This Rock magazine. Books include apologetics and chastity titles.
- CHRISTENDOM COLLEGE PRESS / ISI - Catholic books, including the booklet Home Schooling and the New Code of Canon Law.
- EMMAUS ROAD - Formed In Christ series series, Bible studies, apologetics, and more.
- PAULINE BOOKS AND MEDIA - Children’s books and religious curricula.
- IGNATIUS PRESS - Catholic books, and videos. Books include homeschooling titles and religious curricula.
- LEPANTO PRESS - Reprints of old favorites. Publishing arm of Our Lady of Victory School.
- LOYOLA PRESS - Henle Latin and Loyola Classics series.
- MIDWEST THEOLOGICAL FORUM - Publisher of the excellent Didache series (high school religion textbooks).
- NEUMANN PRESS - Beautifully bound Catholic reprints.
- OUR SUNDAY VISITOR - Catholic newspaper, magazines, books, and pamphlets.
- SCEPTER PUBLISHERS
- SOPHIA INSTITUTE PRESS - Spirituality, apologetics, scripture, prayer, saints, sacraments, and homeschooling.
- TAN BOOKS AND PUBLISHERS - Books and textbooks, both new and reprints.
Books written for Catholic homeschoolers. To purchase, click on the book title.
- Why Should I Learn This? A Guide for Homeschool Parents and Students (Behold Publications) by Erin Brown Conroy and Maureen Wittmann, eds.
- For the Love of Literature: Teaching Core Subjects with Literature (Behold Publications) by Maureen Wittmann
- The Catholic Homeschool Companion (Sophia Institute Press) by Maureen Wittmann and Rachel Mackson, eds.
- A Catholic Homeschool Treasury: Nurturing Children’s Love for Learning (Ignatius Press) by Rachel Mackson and Maureen Wittmann, eds.
- 5 Steps to Successful Home Schooling: How to Add Faith and Focus to Your Home Education Program (Philomena Press) by Pamela Patnode
- Bless Me, Father, for I Have Kids (Sophia Institute Press) by Susie Lloyd
- Catholic Education: Homeward Bound: A Useful Guide to Catholic Home Schooling (Ignatius Press) by Kimberly Hahn and Mary Hasson
- Catholic Home Schooling: A Handbook for Parents (TAN Books) by Mary Kay Clark
- Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum: A Guide to Catholic Home Education (Ignatius Press) by Laura M. Berquist
- Homeschooling with Gentleness: A Catholic Discovers Unschooling (Christendom College Press) by Suzie Andres
- A Mother’s Rule of Life: How to Bring Order to Your Home and Peace to Your Soul (Sophia Institute Press) by Holly Pierlot
- Please Don’t Drink the Holy Water (Sophia Institute Press) by Susie Lloyd
- Real Learning: Education in the Heart of the Home (By Way of the Family) by Elizabeth Foss
- Stories for the Homeschool Heart (Bezalel Books) by Patti Maguire Armstrong and Theresa Thomas
- Teaching in Your Tiara (Scabbed Knee Press) by Rebecca Frech
Making curriculum and product purchases from these companies will help to alleviate any worry about buying books that contain anti-Catholic biases as they all offer products that will aid you in teaching your children the beauty and fullness of Catholicism.
- BY WAY OF THE FAMILY- www.bywayofthefamily.com - Offers discounts for large orders. Offers Elizabeth Foss’s Real Learning.
- CATHOLIC HERITAGE CURRICULA (CHC)- www.chcweb.com - Offers new and unique Catholic curricula and enrichment materials.
- EMMANUEL BOOKS- www.emmanuelbooks.com - Carries most of the curricula recommended in Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum.
- OUR FATHER’S HOUSE- www.ourfathershouse.biz - Hands-on and Montessori products in addition to traditional Catholic homeschooling curricula.
- RCHISTORY- www.rchistory.com - Everything you need to implement Connecting with History into your homeschool and so much more.
- SETON EDUCATIONAL MEDIA- www.setonhome.org - Texts published for Seton Home Study School are available for individual purchase.
These companies offer popular homeschooling books and texts alongside their other merchandise.
- COUPLE TO COUPLE LEAGUE- www.ccli.org - Books on family life and homeschooling.
- HOLY HEROES - www.holyheroes.com - Books as well as free Advent Adventure, Lenten Adventure, and Summer Faith Adventure.
- ILLUMINATED INK- www.illuminatedink.com - Enrichment items for your homeschool: Catholic art, crafts, and games.
- LEAFLET MISSAL COMPANY- www.leafletmissal.org - Catholic gifts, books, sacramentals, art, and more.
- ST. JOSEPH COMMUNICATIONS- www.saintjoe.com - Catholic cassette tapes, many useful in teaching high school apologetics.
- STELLA MARIS BOOKS- www.stellamarisbooks.com - Homeschool books and texts in addition to general Catholic books, supplies, and music.
The Catholic Homeschool Journal
Sign up to receive the Journal via email each week.
Seton MagazineOnline newsletter. Daily articles and features of interest specifically for homeschool parents.
Catholic Mom Online
Online magazine. Daily articles for Catholic moms with some of special interest to homeschoolers.
Following is just a small sampling of Catholic homeschooling websites worth bookmarking. Follow their links, and you’ll find a treasury of Catholic homeschooling on the Internet.
FAVORITE RESOURCES FOR CATHOLIC HOMESCHOOLERS (Love 2 Learn)
Reviews and sample pages of popular homeschooling books and texts. History Index is especially great. Plus plenty of other useful information for Catholic homeschooling families. My favorite!
Catholics experiencing difficulty in finding fellowship with other homeschoolers locally can find support on message boards or join an email group (listserv).
THE HISTORY PLACE
Focus is on teaching and learning history in our Catholic homeschools.CATHSWAP
A place to buy and sell used Catholic homeschool curricula.
COLLEGE FOR CATHOLIC HOMESCHOOLERS
Active group that focuses on the topic of life after homeschooling, particularly college.
Here are just a few blogs to get you started finding inspiration online.
- HOMESCHOOL CONNECTIONS, CATHOLIC HOMESCHOOLING
- MAUREEN WITTMANN
- SNORING SCHOLAR
- CARROTS FOR MICHAELMAS
- CONVERSION DIARY
Resources for Homeschooling Children with Learning and Physical Disabilities
In addition to these resources, several of the Catholic home-study schools have dedicated personnel to assist parents of special-needs children.
I was able to locate most of the following books at my local public library. If your library doesn’t carry these titles, request that they purchase a selection. Most libraries have purchase request forms, at the front desk and online. If you want to buy them yourself, click on the book title.
Asperger Syndrome and Difficult Moments: Practical Solutions for Tantrums, Rage, and Meltdowns, by Brenda Smith Myles and Jack Southwick (Autism Asperger Pub. Co.).
Choosing and Using Curriculum for Your Special Needs Child, by Joyce Herzog (Greenleaf Press). Takes a very commonsense approach.
Creative Home Schooling for Gifted Children, by Lisa Rivero (Great Potential Press).
Dreamers, Discoverers & Dynamos: How to Help the Child Who Is Bright, Bored, and Having Problems in School, by Lucy Jo Palladino (Ballantine; formerly titled The Edison Trait). A must-read for parents of ADD and ADHD children.
Home Educating Our Autistic Spectrum Children: Paths Are Made by Walking, by Kitt Cowlishaw and Terri Dowty, eds. (Jessica Kingsley Pub.). A compendium of essays by parents who are homeschooling their children diagnosed with autism and Asperger Syndrome.
Homeschooling Children with Special Needs, by Sharon Hensley (Noble Pub.).
Homeschooling the Child with ADD (or Other Special Needs): Your Complete Guide to Successfully Homeschooling the Child with Learning Differences, by Lenore Hayes (Prima Pub.). A general guide to homeschooling children with learning disabilities. Concentrates heavily on the problems with public education in regard to special-needs children.
Homeschooling Your Gifted Child: Language Arts for the Middle School Years, by Lee Wherry Brainerd (Learning Express).
Learning in Spite of Labels, by Joyce Herzog (Greenleaf Press).
Peterson’s Colleges with Programs for Students with Learning Disabilities or Attention Deficit Disorders, by Charles Mangrum II, Ed.D. and Stephen Strichart, Ph.D. (Peterson’s). Peterson’s is famous for their college guides. This book lists two-year and four-year colleges that make accommodations for learning-disabled students.
Precious Treasure: The Story of Patrick, by Elizabeth Matthews (Emmaus Road Pub.). The personal story of a mother’s spiritual journey through her autistic son.
Aut — 2B — Home- www.weirdkids.com/autism/aut2bhome.htm
Email listserv that provides support for parents homeschooling autistic children. Website also provides visitors with medical information, book recommendations, and other online support.
Homeschooling Children Who Aut to Be Home-www.home.earthlink.net/~tammyglaser798/authome.html
This is the homepage of Tammy Glaser. Includes links to other homepages of parents who homeschool their autistic children, articles of interest, and more.
LD OnLine- www.ldonline.org
Includes legal advice, teaching tips, Q&A section, and a free monthly newsletter for parents with learning-disabled children.
Special Kids Moms- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SpecialKidsMoms/
Email discussion group to provide support to Catholic parents with special-needs children.
AUDIBLOX- www.audiblox2000.com - A program for learning-disabled children using a system of cognitive exercises, aimed at the development of foundational learning skills.
AUTISM ASPERGER PUBLISHING CO.- www.asperger.net - Publishes books and a newsletter on autism.
ED CON PUBLISHING GROUP- www.edconpublishing.com - Publishers of the high-readability texts: High Interest Classics.EDUCATORS PUBLISHING SERVICES (EPS)- www.epsbooks.com - Publishers of Explode the Code, my favorite series of phonics workbooks.
JEMICY SCHOOL COMMUNITY OUTREACH- www.jemicyschool.org - Offers assessments, workshops, training courses, and summer camps for dyslexic children.
THE LAB SCHOOL- www.labschool.org - Tutoring, evaluations, and consultation services.
LINDAMOOD-BELL LEARNING PROCESSES- www.lindamoodbell.com - Provides training sessions. Website offers information and definitions helpful in learning about dyslexia.
RECORDING FOR THE BLIND AND DYSLEXIC- www.rfbd.org - Producer of audio textbooks. Individual members have unlimited access to the audio library and reference librarian services.
SIGNING TIME – www.signingtime.com - American Sign Language (ASL) videos for babies, toddlers, and older children.
WILSON LANGUAGE COMPANY- www.wilsonlanguage.com - Publishes reading and spelling curricula, as well as providing online training. They also provide a list of trained tutors.
CHASK: CHRISTIAN HOMES AND SPECIAL KIDS- www.chask.org
Helps Christian parents adopt special-needs children. Website includes articles on raising children with fetal-alcohol syndrome, AIDS, blindness, ADD, spina bifida, Down’s syndrome, and more.
THE INTERNATIONAL DYSLEXIA ASSOCIATION (formerly The Orton Dyslexia Association)-www.interdys.org - Provides information on dyslexia, is a source of printed material, and will provide leads to resources and tutors in your local area.
MUMS: NATIONAL PARENT-TO-PARENT NETWORK (Mothers United for Moral Support, Inc.)-www.netnet.net/mums - A support and matching organization for families of children with rare disorders or special needs.
NATHHAN: NATIONAL CHALLENGED HOMESCHOOLERS ASSOCIATION NETWORK-www.nathhan.com - This Christian organization supplies information on local support and resources. Articles at the website address homeschooling children with ADD, autism, visual impairment, deafness, spina bifida, and so on. Articles also address the legal issues in homeschooling special-needs children. Members receive a regular newsletter, HSLDA discount, access to a lending library, family directory, and more.