Minnesota Association of Christian Home Educators (MACHE)
www.mache.org
MACHE is a statewide homeschooling support organization. Although MACHE is a Christian organization  they support and encourage all homeschoolers. 

Minnesota Homeschoolers’ Alliance (MHA)
http://www.homeschoolers.org/
MHA is a statewide homeschooling support organization. MHA is committed to fulfilling its mission without discrimination
based on race, religion, or educational philosophy.

Minnesota Council for the Gifted and Talented (MCGT)
www.mcgt.net 
Not specifically a homeschool organization, MCGT offers support to families with gifted and talented children. They have an active Homeschooling Chapter in the Twin Cities.

Maple River Education Coalition (MrEdCo)
http://www.edwatch.org/
MrEdCo is a political organization working to increase the quality of education in Minnesota and the United States. They also have a  strong commitment educational choice including homeschooling. 

Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)
Main website: http://education.state.mn.us/html/mde_home.htm 
School Choice page: http://education.state.mn.us/html/intro_school_choice.htm 
Homeschooling page: http://education.state.mn.us/html/intro_homeschool.htm 
Copy of the Minnesota Compulsory Education Statutes: http://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/stats/120A/22.html 
(MDE is the regulating body for education issues in the State of Minnesota.)

Back to Top

National Homeschooling Organizations

National Home Education Network (NHEN)
P.O. Box 41067
Long Beach, CA 90853
info@nhen.org or http://www.nhen.org

Homefires®-The Journal of Homeschooling
Homefires®-The Journal of Homeschooling offers resources and support for homeschooling families. You can find ideas for children of all ages as well as get advice from respected homeschooling experts.
http://www.homefires.com/index.html

Jewish Home Educators Network
2122 Houser
Holly, MI 48442
http://www.snj.com/jhen/

Catholic Homeschool Network of America
P.O. Box 6343
River Forest, IL 60305-6343
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/8579/chsna.html

Muslim Home School Network and Resource (MHSNR)
P.O. Box 803
Attleboro, MA 02703
http://home.ici.net/~taadah/Homeschool/muslim.html

Native American Home School Association
P. O. Box 979
Fries, Virginia 24330
http://expage.com/page/nahomeschool

Back to Top

Homeschooling Publications

Home Education Magazine (HEM)
http://www.home-ed-magazine.com/wlcm_HEM.html 

Homeschooling Today
http://www.homeschooltoday.com 

The Link
http://www.homeschoolnewslink.com/ 

ECHO Recommended Reading List

There are so many great books about homeschooling we could not possibly list them all here. This list represents books we have found to be particularly beneficial to new homeschoolers.

Family Matters: Why Homeschooling Makes Sense
David Guterson
ISBN: 0156300001

Learning All the Time
John Holt
ISBN: 0201550911

How to Write a Low-Cost/No-Cost Curriculum for Your Home-School Child
Borg Hendrickson
ISBN: 0945519214

Homeschooling: The Early Years
Linda Dobson
ISBN:  0761520287

Homeschooling Book of Answers: 88 Important Questions Answered by Homeschooling's Most Respected Voices
Linda Dobson
ISBN: 0-7615-1377-9

Homeschooling Handbook
Mary Griffith
ISBN: 0761501924

Big Book of Home Learning: Preschool and Elementary
Mary Pride
ISBN: 0891079165

The Well -Trained- Mind
Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer
ISBN: 0393047520

Complete Idiot's Guide to Homeschooling
Marsha Ransom, John Taylor Gatto
ISBN: 0028639898

A Charlotte Mason Education
Catherine Levison
ISBN: 1891400169

The Way They Learn
Cynthia Ulrich Tobias
ISBN: 1561794147 

Back to Top

Resources for Homeschooling Approaches

Traditional :Often referred to “School-at-Home”, this approach attempts to replicate the school model in the home setting. Textbooks are used and a schedule is followed.

• The Educated Child
  William Bennett
  ISBN: 0684833492

• What Your nth Grader Should Know
  E.D. Hirsh
  ISBN: varies

Back to Top

Classical : In the Classical Approach children are taught tools of learning collectively known as The Trivium. The Trivium has three parts: the Grammar stage, the Dialectic stage and the Rhetoric Stage, each part corresponding to a childhood developmental stage.

• The Well-Trained Mind
  Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer
  ISBN: 0393047520
  www.welltrainedmind.com

• Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum; A Guide to Catholic Home Education
  Laura M. Berquist
  ISBN: 1-88393704-3

Back to Top

Unit Studies : A unit study takes a topic or theme and delves into it deeply over a period of time, integrating language arts, science, social studies, math and fine arts as they apply. Instead of studying subjects as unrelated, all subjects are blended together and studied around a common theme or project.

• Five in a Row   
  Literature-based unit study for children ages 2-12.   
  http://www.fiveinarow.com/

• The Unit Study [Idea] Book
  Valerie Bendt
  ISBN: 1-880892-43-X

• How to Create your own Unit Study
  Valerie Bendt
  ISBN: 1880892421

Back to Top

Unschooling : Unschooling has many definitions. The main thread connecting these definitions is the idea that a less structured learning approach allows children to pursue their own interests and find personal meaning and purpose in learning.  Children are surrounded with a rich learning environment and adults who model a lifestyle of learning.

• The Unschooling Handbook: How to Use the Whole World As Your Child's Classroom
  Mary Griffith
  ISBN: 0761512764

• The Relaxed Home School
  Mary Hood
  ISBN: 0963974009 

• Unschooling.Com 
  An unschooling resource and information sharing site.
  www.unschooling.com 

• Family Unschoolers Network
  www.unschooling.org

• The Natural Child Project
  www.naturalchild.com

Back to Top

Charlotte Mason : Charlotte Mason was a turn of the century British educator. She believed in treating children as persons, involving them in real life situations and allowing them to read living books, well written books that bring events to life. This method includes a strong emphasis on nature.

• A Charlotte Mason Education
  Catherine Levison
  ISBN: 1891400169

• Charlotte Mason Companion: Personal Reflections of the Gentle Art of Learning
  Karen Andreola
  ISBN: 1889209023

• Charlotte Mason's Original Homeschooling Series-6 Vols.
  Charlotte Mason
  ISBN: 1889209007

Back to Top 

Waldorf : This method is based on the philosophies of an Austrian educator named Rudolf Steiner. He felt that concepts should not be taught to young children. Instead, emphasis should be on creative play, imagination, imitation, games, crafts and artistic activities.

• An Introduction to Waldorf Education
  Henry Barnes

• Kingdom of Childhood
  Rudolf Steiner

• Oak Meadow
  www.oakmeadow.com 

• Waldorf Without Walls
  www.waldorfwithoutwalls.com

Back to Top

Montessori : The Montessori method is based on the philosophies of Italian doctor/educator Maria Montessori. She believed that children should have freedom to develop their own physical, mental and spiritual growth. Self-motivation and self-education are stressed. Emphasis is placed on the proper use of tools and materials as opposed to fantasy and imaginative free play.

• Montessori at Home: a complete guide to teaching your preschooler at home using the Montessori method
  Heidi Anne Spietz
  ISBN: 0-929487-37-0

• Modern Montessori at Home: a creative teaching guide for parents of children six through nine years of age
  Heidi Anne Spietz
  ISBN: 0-929487-02-8

• Montessori Educational Products
  www.michaelolaf.com 

Back to Top

Eclectic : Most homeschoolers fall into this category. A blend of different approaches is used to create a homeschooling method that works best for your child and family. For example, one may use a traditional curriculum for math,  unit studies to cover history, language arts, art and science and take music classes. 

• Eclectic Homeschooling on the Web
  http://hometown.aol.com/clayvessel/index.htm 

• Eclectic Homeschool Online
  www.eho.org 

Back to Top

MN Homeschool Testing Resources

Testing : Homeschoolers in Minnesota have a choice in what standardized test to use for their children. The law requires that children take a standardized, norm-referenced achievement test the school years that children are 7-15. There are many resources for testing. Additional testing resources are welcome to add to this file. The following describes some testing resources available: