Thursday, August 6, 2020

Resources for homeschooling

As the South Dakota mid-summer heat swelters to an almost unbearable intensity, thoughts begin to drift towards fall and cooler temperatures. Like the rest of 2020, this fall may be an unusual one. Due to COVID-19, parents are currently deciding whether to send their children back to public school or provide alternate instruction at home. For first timers, the world of homeschooling can be confusing.

Family dining table with kids (varied ages) studying, coloring, with healthy snacks, laptop, tablet, waters, and books.

So, what can librarians do to help patrons with school age children? Easy! They can share resources that guide them through the homeschooling process. Librarians can suggest patrons visit the SD Department of Education (DOE) Homeschooling Page to learn what steps to take in order to homeschool:

https://doe.sd.gov/oatq/homeschooling.aspx

The South Dakota State Library remains dedicated to providing high quality resources for all South Dakota residents. Here are just a few of our online databases that will help supplement your patron's curriculum whether they attend public school OR receive instruction at home:

EBSCO Learning Express Library

Learning Express Library : For ages 9-90, Learning Express Library is for anyone wishing to build skills or take a standardized test.

Funk and Wagnells New Encyclopedia available via EBSCO host

Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia : A student encyclopedia that provides over 25,000 entries on a wide variety of topics.

Gale Miss Humblebees academy

Miss Humblebee's Acadamy : Interactive learning program for ages 2-6; in math, science, social studies, language and literacy, art, and music.

True Flix

TrueFlix : Dozens of social studies and science units. Primary sources, fiction, videos, audio clips, images, and related websites.

Visit the South Dakota State Library's Database Page to discover more on:

Student Research for Elementary School

Student Research for Middle School

Student Research for High School