Alternative Education Resources

This page is sponsored by "Best Family Adventures: San Luis Obispo County".
For a complete look at educational and fun adventures throughout San Luis Obispo County and beyond, pick up your copy at local bookstores, other partner stores or order online.

Please explore this list (or just let the kids peruse) to find online (and offline) activities that might work for you,

or scroll down for the original list of  alternative education program options serving the Central Coast of California.

ALL SORTS OF ONLINE RESOURCES: 
I figure since I've now gone off with the "I love the internet" tangent, I might as well SHARE some of the favorite sites I've found. Since we run our own private school, we use LOADS of online resources to help plan our activities. Here are just a handful of free sites available. (YES, there are lots of PAID services now, too. You might use your GoDuckGo search to find those.)

Race your friends with TypeRacer 
All sorts of random games (shhhh...you might learn something playing these) at FunBrain

Learn about animals at San Diego Zoo
Faff about on Mars
 Take a virtual tour of Yellowstone National Park
 
For loads of subjects, check out Khan Academy. Free to use, though donations sought annually.

For typing skills for the VERY young, there's nothing better online (perhaps even offline) than Dance Mat Typing Tutor/Game

VERY small children:
Tons of Counting Games
BBC - CBeebies - Razzledazzle - Once Upon a Tale - The School Run
PBS Kids - various games and videos

Welsh language site:
BBC Wales - Education - Welsh at home

Science:
National Nest Box Week
Biology Simulations
Switch Zoo Animal Games 
Cassini-Huygens Kids Space
Solar Vital Statistics
Farm Fun - tour various types of farms
NASA - Space Place fun for kids
How the Body Works
Vinegar Volcano Art Craft,Preschool Activities,Vinegar Volcano, Kids Funtime,Coloring,,by Manpreet
NIHS Education - My Health My World, Water and My World
NASA - Solar System exploration
Ask Dr. Universe
Weather Walks lesson plan
Narwhal Tusk Research 
Virtual Owl Pellet Dissection
The eSkeletons Project
Steve Spangler Science Experiments to do and make at home
What's That Bug?
Joey Green's Wacky Uses for stuff
UNBiology2 lessons in science
NASA's Radio JOVE Project: observe and analyze natural radio emissions of Jupiter, the Sun, and our galaxy.
Edheads - Activities
Stargazing Opportunities in SLO County
Project FeederWatch Home Page
Snow Crystal fun and art
Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)
SOHO-Publications
Maker Space videos: Make it Yourself
Planetpals environmental education through cartoon characters

Resource Catalogs:
Edmund Scientific
Bio Corporation - Alexandria, Minnesota - Specializing in Preserved Specimens & Dissection Equipment
Discount School Supply
A Beka Book Home Page
Excellence In Education Homeschooling Resource Center
Love to Learn Home School Resources, Curriculum, Books & Supplies: Homeschooling--You Can Do It!
FUN Books - Unschooling For a lifetime of learning fun!
Montessori Materials
Home Science Tools


HISTORY LINKS:
Unfortunately, these aren't in any sort of order at this point. Considered reordering them, but would rather spend the time getting them posted, at least. Garden duty calls (trench digging; conduit to measure, cut, glue and lay; trees to water...THEN wake up the kids)! :)

British Museum Exploration Professor Carr History for Kids!
Wishtoyo - Projects - Cultural - Chumash Language
FDI - Chumash
Jamestown - S'Klallam Tribe
ORIENTAL INSTITUTE VIRTUAL MUSEUM tour
Pilgrim-Thanksgiving Unit Study by Cindy Downes - Oklahoma Homeschool
The Missions Trail
American Presidents: Portrait Gallery
BBC - GCSE Bitesize - History | Modern World History
People, Cultures, and the Making of History
EMPIRE17.swf (application/x-shockwave-flash Object)
History told through maps
Shorpy | The 100-Year-Old Photo Blog
Colonial Williamsburg... Historic Trades
Human Evolution Archaeology
The Archaeology Channel - Welcome


MATH LINKS:
Here are some more...
These are math...or somehow math related...

Aplusmath GAMES
Math Brain on Funbrain... can you win all 25 games?
Math Forum: Math Resources by Subject
The United States Mint H.I.P. Pocket Change. It's History in Your Pocket!  
Chart Graphic Organizer Printouts - EnchantedLearning.com
That Quiz - Math Tests
NCTM : Illuminations LOADS of math games
Aplusmath.com : Worksheets
Aplusmath.com : Flashcards : Addition
Crayola® Coloring Free Coloring Pages
Count OnMath!
Math Worksheet Generator
Elementary Math Worksheets
Interactivate: What are Tessellations Discussion
foldschool - cardboard furniture

JUST FOR KID FUN:
These links are listed as "just for fun" in my bookmarks, but the include not only games and videos, but also art, music and other family-friendly, potentially academic links.

Kiddie Records Weekly
Fisher-Price Videos
Swedish video games
Hogafflahage singing horses
Interactive Orion Chart
Sign with Me - browse signs
Surf's Up - Miniclip game
Time Magazine - for kids
waste vital minutes with the PERPETUAL BUBBLEWRAP
Meet the Muppets
Spoonerism Fun (be sure to check out Rindercella!)
MAKE: Blog
Zoobooks games & jokes

Seasonal - holiday related
NORAD Tracks Santa Website
Make your own SNOWMAN
Highlights for Children - games, puzzles, activities & more


Art, Video, Pix to view
All about winter snow - Northeast Winter
Louvre Museum Tour
National Geographic: PHOTOS IN THE NEWS
World Heritage Sites
YouTube - Cat Head Theatre
TED Talks
National Museum of Wildlife Art
Create your own Jackson Pollock

 COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT LINKS:
These are some projects for the larger community. Check your local scout council or a variety of other local service organizations for more ideas.

Do Something
Make A Child Smile
Lessons for Hope
Little Dresses for Africa - sewing project
One Warm Coat 
Project Linus
Youth Squad - earn badges serving communityCraft Hope 


ARTS LINKS:
There's an endless supply of art on the web. LOADS of museums offer great stuff as do art schools, artists of varying descriptions and styles. Here are some of my bookmarked sites:

KinderArt - Art Lessons
Native American Indian Dance Ceremony Ceremonies
Classics for Kids | Musical Dictionary
84.04.06: A Dash of Folk, A Pinch of Fairy Recipes for Playmaking
Shape-Book Patterns
Candle in the Window - Mini-Books, Flaps, and Student Folder Websites
SpeechTX - How to...
All Sorts of DIY Projects, Craft Ideas and more
Performance Standards for Music: Grades PreK–12 - Prekindergarten
Earth as Art - satellite views
Microsoft Typography - Develop fonts
TED talks (yes, again)
The official web site of Jim Warren
Sistine Chapel

GEOGRAPHY LINKS:
Geography isn't everyone's favorite subject, but when you link other interests to it, the subject becomes incredibly interesting.

Here are some links I've listed under "geography" but could just as well be used in sociology, science, history, or language arts, among other subjects:

Great Wall of China
Maggie's Earth Adventures 
Welcome to USGS Learning Web
Postcards From America 50 State Travel Adventure


READING/LANGUAGE ARTS LINKS:
Of course, being an avid reader (and rabid writer) I'd have lots of links for this subject and related subjects. Maybe you'll find something of interest to you:

Seussville WordCentral.Com - Dictionary - Daily Buzzword - Word Games - Merriam-Webster
Goldilocks and the Three Bears | Free Audio Stories for Kids | Storynory
Learn to Read at Starfall - teaching comprehension and phonics
Project Gutenberg - free books in the public domain
Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Project
Literature Links - School Libraries (CA Dept of Education)
Recommended Literature (K-12) - Reading/Language Arts (CA Dept of Education)
Download Center: Starfall Short Vowel Phonics Puzzles
Alphabet Printable Worksheets, Coloring Pages and Flash Cards
Free printable custom books for girls
Lil' Fingers Storybooks: Read a storybook and play games with your toddler
Homeschool Radio Shows: www.homeschoolradioshows.com
Literature Guides
National Novel Writing Month - National Novel Writing Month
Myths, Legends, Fables & Folklore - Animals Myths & Legends
Tumblebooks
National Poetry Month
Poem-A-Day

Foreign Languages:
Spanish:
English - Spanish Dictionary Translation Games , Activities and Quiz
Free Spanish Language Games
Oddcast TTS Demo

French:
français interactif – liste de vocabulaire, chapitre préliminaire

Other
Oddcast Text To Speech visual and audio

MUSIC EDUCATION LINKS:
We're working on the basics of music theory and reading music. Here are some links we've found useful:

BBC - Musical Mysteries
Vic Firth Rudiments - drumming
Find the Note Ear Training Game

Alternative Education Sources on California's Central Coast and Beyond

Homeschooling Support Groups

Central Coast Homeschoolers - regular gatherings, local events, online forum.

 

Central Coast Homeschool Community -  fellowship, encouragement, field trips, outdoor activities, mama nights, annual conference held in SLO. Contact: baleyplascencia@yahoo.com

 

Selah Homeschool Resource Center (formerly Hearthstone) - based in Santa Maria. 

North County Homeschoolers - Paso Robles support group for older teens with monthly park days, Mom’s nights out and field trips. Serves the Paso Robles area. (805) 239-0445

State-wide Homeschooling Support Groups

California Homeschool Network - an inclusive, statewide homeschooling organization serving families across a diverse spectrum of homeschooling styles and philosophies; offering campouts, publication, advocacy and annual conference.

Christian Home Educators Association of California (CHEA) - A non-profit ministry established in 1982 to provide information, support, and training to the home education community, to advance the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, and to protect the God-given right of parents to direct the education and training of their children.

Local Charter School Programs

Almond Acres (K-6) San Miguel
Bellevue-Santa Fe (K-6) Avila Beach
California Virtual Academy (K-12) computer-based learning charter school

Family Partnership Charter School (K-12) Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo, Santa Maria, Orcutt, and Solvang
Manzanita (K-8) Vandenberg Air Force Base
Orcutt Academy (K-12) Orcutt
Olive Grove (K-12) Lompoc, Los Olivos, Santa Maria, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo

Trivium (K-10) Campuses in Arroyo Grande, Atascadero, Lompoc, Santa Maria, 

Unique Public School Programs

 Cuesta College High School Enrichment Program (7-12) Earn college credit while taking advanced or vocational classes that may also count for high school honors credit. Earn college and high school credit with one fell swoop. 

Hancock College "College Now!" High School Enrichment Program (11-12) Earn college and high school credit with one fell swoop 

Pacheco School  and Baywood School Bilingual Education  Program - Spanish/English dual immersion program.

Private Schools

             SLO COUNTY

Arroyo Grande

     Arroyo Grande Montessori (K) Montessori method
     Coastal Christian School (K-12)
     St. Patricks School (K-8) Catholic    

     Valley View Adventist Academy (K-10) Seventh-Day Adventist
Grover Beach
    Dandy Lion Montessori (PreK-K ages 2 1/2 to 6)
Los Osos

     Wishing Well Waldorf School - (K-6)

Paso Robles
    Classical Conversations  "Christian Classical Homeschool Community" 
     St. Rose Catholic School (K-8)
     Trinity Lutheran School (K-8)

San Luis Obispo
     Christ Classical School (K-6)
    Classical Conversations  "Christian Classical Homeschool Community" 

     Mission College Prep (high school grades 9-12) Catholic

     Montessori Children's School (K-6)
     Old Mission School (K-8) Catholic

     Outside Now Nature Academy (7-12) holistic learning 
     SLO Classical Academy (K-12) Classical education

Templeton
     Santa Lucia School
     Templeton Hills Seventh-Day Adventist School (K-8)

         SANTA BARBARA COUNTY
Carpinteria
     Cate School (9-12)
Goleta
     Coastline Christian Academy (K-9)
     Montessori Center School (K-7)
     Waldorf School of Santa Barbara (K-9)
Lompoc
     Children's Montessori School (K-8)
     La Purisima Concepcion School (K-9)
Los Olivos
     Dunn School (6-12)
     Midland School
     The Family School (Pre-K-5)
Santa Barbara
     Anacapa School (7-12)
     Bishop Garcia Diego High School (9-12)
     Garden Street Academy (K-12)
     Laguna Blanca School (K-12)
     Notre Dame of Santa Barbara
     Orca School (2-6)
     Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (K-8)

     Riviera Ridge School
     Santa Barbara Christian School (Providence) (K-8)
     Santa Barbara Middle School (6-9)
     St. Raphael's School (K-8)

Santa Maria
     Classical Conversations  "Christian Classical Homeschool Community" 
     St. Louis de Montfort (K-8)
     St. Mary of the Assumption (K-8)
     St. Joseph High School (9-12)
     Valley Christian Academy (K-12) Santa Ynez
    Santa Ynez Valley Christian Academy (K-8)