I just found a website that lists their top 100 reference tools for homeschoolers, ranging in categories from General Reference, Reading, Writing & Research, Math, Science, History & Government, Geography, and Search Engines for specific topics. This is a great list. One that I wish was available when I was being homeschooled. You can view the whole list of resources here.

Another excellent resource is College Confidential, a forum for high school college preparation.  They have one section specifically for homeschoolers that offers sound advice on many topics homeschoolers have questions about.

The love of reading is something that most homeschoolers possess. I am of the opinion that one of the greatest reasons public schools are doing so poorly (other than being government run) is because teachers have neglected to instill a love of reading to their students.

There is nothing like a good book! Doesn’t matter if it’s science fiction, an autobiography, do-it-yourself handbook, or the Bible, books change lives. Zig Ziglar says that “leaders are readers, and readers are leaders.”

Now I don’t know about you, but for a long time I was perfectly content to read as much as I could get my hands on, and yet do nothing with this acquired knowledge. I see this as a problem. Writing is the reciprocal of reading. You must have both to be fulfilled. One cannot stand alone. He who writes without reading is a fool, and he who reads without writing is wasting the knowledge gained.

So today, I want to encourage you to write as well as read. If you’re already an avid reader, start putting your thoughts on paper, or even better, on a blog. Share your wisdom with the world, we’ll all be better for it. If you’re already a writer but don’t like to read, start. It will definitely improve your writing ability and open your eyes to a whole new world!

I’d like to thank Jarkko Lane for the inspiration to write this post.