Jewish Homeschooling
Here you will find resources for Jewish parents who have chosen to educate their children at home, including support, information, and ideas for combining your faith and your children's education.
Homeschooling in the Jewish Home
Jewish Home-Schooling
This articles details many of the reasons Jewish families choose to educated their children at home, including being able to teach the Torah in the context of daily life, for religious reasons, and concerns over the academic and social quality of schools.
Fundamentals of Education
It must be clear at the outset that there are no sure-fire rules of education that apply to all children at all times. Reishis Chachmah quotes a Midrash that it is easier to raise a legion of olive trees in the Galilee, where the soil and climate are not conducive to growing olive trees, than to raise one child in the Land of Israel, even though Israel is conducive to proper education, since the atmosphere itself helps to imbue one with wisdom and holiness. Children are not objects to be fashioned at will, but rather human beings who have their own free will and can reject, if they so choose, even the best education. The most a parent can hope to achieve, as Chiddushei HaRim points out regarding all learning, is to put the words of Torah on the heart of the child so that when the heart opens up, the Torah found on it will sink into the receptive heart.
Beit HaChatulim
This website is offered by a Jewish vegetarian homeschooling family. You'll enjoy reading about their experiences and how they combine their faith and homeschooling.
Home Is Where The Lesson Plan Is
With liberalized state laws across the country, a growing number of Jewish families, including many in urban centers like New York City, have turned in the last decade to homeschooling, a movement usually associated with rural, fundamentalist Christians. No official statistics on the number of Jewish homeschoolers are available, but the figure is surely in the “thousands,” including a many religiously observant families--young Lubavitch couples serving as emissaries in isolated areas were homeschool pioneers--and a rising percentage of non-Orthodox households.
Education is Life
Our entire value system stems from our experiences. The influences of a classroom or a book are minor compared to the plethora of impressions that bombard us constantly. Every teacher knows that by the time a child can sit at a school desk, that child has already received a majority of his education. The child has already developed the attitudes, drives, tendencies and emotions that will shape almost everything else he will do the rest of his life. That education did not come from a book; it came from experiential interaction. All the teacher can do at this point is offer some direction and a suggestion here and there. In fact, teachers take a back seat to the true teachers of life: parents. When a human being is most receptive to influences, then those influences have their greatest impact. A child is an open book which has engraved onto it's impressionable pages the most basic messages - transmitted by the parent.
Kosher Homeschool
Kosherhomeschool.org is devoted to providing information and networking to Jewish homeschooling families worldwide. At kosherhomeschool.org, they hope to address the special needs of Jewish homeschoolers as they strive to provide a superior education in Judaic Studies (l'mudei kodesh) as well as Secular studies (l'mudei chol).
Home Schooling: Instilling Jewish Family values
Looking for an alternative to overcrowded classrooms, dwindling per-student funding, metal detectors and mediocre curricula--not to mention social pressures, conflicting values and prohibitive private school costs--a growing number of parents are opting out of the American education system. They're taking the biblical imperative more literally than ever and educating their children at home. Once the bastion of fundamentalist Christians, home schooling is attracting a growing number of Jews.
Benefits of Homeschooling
This article addresses some of the reasons why homeschooling is good for a Jewish family in the 21st century.
Chinuch At Home
Chinuch At Home offers Jewish educational resources for paents, teachers and homeschoolers.
The Difference Between Jewish Education (Chinuch) and Education That is Jewish
This article written by a Torah psychologist reflects how much Jewish parents need to know in order to differentiate between a Jewish education and an education that is Jewish.
Support for Jewish Homeschoolers
Chevra
Chevra was formed in September 1998 as an online support community for Jewish homeschoolers of all varieties. It tends to be a very chatty place where they discuss Jewish observance, homeschooling, family life, outside interests, and (the favorite topic) why the laundry never seems to get done. If you are looking for a group that discusses only homeschooling and Judaic resources, you may very well be disappointed in Chevra's free-wheeling discussions of everything under the sun, but there is lots of great information here.
Jewish Sonlight Users
For Jews (or those becoming Jewish) who are using Sonlight (or any other literature based method) and adding in Jewish resources. This group welcomes all Jewish people of faith, (Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, etc.) This group is open for discussion of anything relating to Jewish homeschooling, raising nice Jewish children, adapting Sonlight to a Jewish perspective, etc.
Sonlight Users' Messianic Forum
This group is for Sonlight curriculum-users who are actively homeschooling/ home-educating from a Jewish or Messianic perspective, and those who are interested in learning more about Messianic Judaism, and how it relates to parenting and specifically to home-educating their children.
Jewish & Torah Observers Sonlight
This is an international forum for Jewish and Torah-observing homeschoolers/home educators using Sonlight curriculum, or other literature-based curricula or methods. For support, encouragement and discussion about Sonlight curriculum, literature selections and with specific reference to Jewish education, calendar and life-cycle, etc.
Jewish Home Educator's Network (JHEN) Newsletter
JHEN connects you to Jewish homeschoolers throughout the country and world-wide. It is a quarterly newsletter filled with thought-provoking articles, letters from readers that provide open dialogue on a wide range of interesting topics, mouth-watering recipes, creative holiday and craft ideas, stimulating book reviews, a Jewish calendar chock-full of information and original ideas, help columns with practical how-to advice on homeschooling. It is the only place you'll find the columns "Homeschool Hannah" and "Aunt Rachel's Bookshelf".
Jewish Homeschoolers
The focus of this list will be to provide homeschooling support and resources to Jewish homeschoolers of all levels of observance. Topics include curriculum choices, teaching tips, and holiday observances.
Jewish Waldorf
This group offers a discussion of issues facing Jews who choose Waldorf education, the potentials and difficulties of combining Waldorf with Judaism, ideas for celebrating holidays and festivals, information on traditional crafts, etc. All levels of Jewish observance are welcome, as are all levels of experience with Waldorf education, Anthroposophy, Steiner, etc. Homeschoolers, Waldorf schoolers, Jewish Day schoolers, public schoolers, and all others are invited to join the discussion.
Kosher Homeschool
Kosherhomeschool.org is devoted to providing information and networking to Jewish homeschooling families worldwide. At kosherhomeschool.org, they hope to address the special needs of Jewish homeschoolers as they strive to provide a superior education in Judaic Studies (l'mudei kodesh) as well as Secular studies (l'mudei chol).
Jewish Homeschool Curriculum and Resources
JewishMusic.com
Tara Publications offers JewishMusic.com, with a wide selction of recorded Jewish music, along with videos and sheet music. It was founded in Cedarhurst, LI in 1971 by Velvel Pasternak, a noted musicologist, The goal of the company was the publication, preservation and dissemination of the heritage of Jewish music.
Chinuch.org
Chinuch.org is designed to enable Torah educators to share quality educational ideas and materials. Access to the best resources and inspiration from hundreds of mechanchim and mechanchos worldwide enhances the quality of chinuch everywhere.
Torah Tots
Torah Tots products combine the zaniness of their Mitzvah characters with educational fun. You'll find cassettes, audio CDs, videos, and interactive CDs.
KTAV Publishing House
For over 75 years KTAV Publishing House has been a trusted name in quality Judaica, offering a large variety of Jewish educational and scholarly books, gifts, and resources.
Hachai Publishing
Hachai Publishing is dedicated to producing high quality children's literature with Jewish themes. Their books promote universal values such as sharing, kindness and charity, and teach Jewish history and tradition. They feature the work of exciting new authors and artists to create books that you and your child can enjoy over and over again.
Israel Book Shop
At the Israel Book Shop, you'll find educational games, resources, and toys, along with Jewish books and gifts.
Jewish Education and Entertainment
This site offers word games, geography and trivia quizzes, Jewish clipart, and more.
TES Educational Jewish Software
TES is the world's largest developer and distributor of Judaic, Hebrew and Bible educational software. To date TES has developed over 120 educational titles.
Zig Zag World
Zig Zag World features Hebrew games and activities.
Akhlah: The Jewish Children's Learning Network
Akhlah, the Jewish children's learning network, is an important resource created to provide Jewish children and their families access to the prayers, stories and rituals that have bound Jews together around the world and through the ages. Akhlah is specifically designed for the youngest and least knowledgeable among us, while maintaining scrupulous attention to the details of the subject matter.
Featured Resources
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National Geographic Guide to the National Parks of the United States, Fourth Edition
Now in its fourth edition, the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America is the ultimate birders field guide. Sturdy, portable, and easy-to-use, it features the most complete information available on every bird species known to North America. This revised edition features 250 completely updated range maps, new plumage and species classification information, specially commissioned full-color illustrations, and a superb new index that allows birders in the field to quickl...
Idea Book For Cuisenaire Rods At The Intermediate Level
Grades 2-5. Idea Book designed for use with Cuisenaire Rods.
Montessori International
Montessori International is the magazine for all parents and teachers. Montessori International magazine is a high quality colour education magazine with a Montessori focus and a truly child-centred approach. The magazine is for Montessori parents, nursery owners, teachers, and students with an interest in Montessori education.
Great Lodges of the National Parks: The Companion Book to the PBS Television Series
Stand amid soaring Douglas fir in the great hall of Glacier Park Lodge or sit in the setting sun and gaze into the Grand Canyon at El Tovar. This beautiful gift book will transport you to the majestic lodges of our national parks to relive the glory of past vacations or plan adventures anew. This book and the PBS television series of the same title (to air in spring 2002) take armchair travelers into these architectural wonders and explore the surrounding natural beauty of our national parks. Lo...
The Unprocessed Child: Living Without School
This book shows how school is not necessary for a child to gain learning, socialization, or motivation. It offers a look at radical unschooling, a way of educating children without coercion, curriculum, or control. This look at a child who grows from childhood to adulthood with the experience of self-direction is a celebration of the success of unschooling. Covers topics such as parenting, self-discipline and self-motivation, socialization, and more.