Choosing teaching materials can be an overwhelming decision because there are so many excellent products available and each one claims to be superior to all others. Many veteran home schoolers suggest that you stick to a 'prepackaged" traditional curriculum for the first year or so. Others encourage new home schoolers to consider correspondence schools. Here are some suggestions concerning choosing curricula.

Henry Flagler's railroad to Key West turned the remote island of Bahia Honda Key into a tropical destination. Today, the island is home to one of Florida's southernmost state parks, known for beautiful beaches, magnificent sunsets, and excellent snorkeling. Visitors can picnic on the beach and take a swim, or simply relax and enjoy the balmy sea breezes that caress the shores year-round. Anglers can fish from shore or bring a boat and launch at the boat ramp. The park's concession rents kayaks and snorkeling gear and offers boat trips to the reef for snorkeling excursions. Bahia Honda is an excellent place to see wading birds and shorebirds. The nature center can introduce nature lovers to the island's unique plants and animals.

As the number of Internet courses increases over the next few years, here are some questions you can ask when considering a Web-based course.

Gainesville’s premier nature park, Morningside Nature Center, is one of the last remaining examples of fire-dependent longleaf pine woodlands in the area. More than seven miles of trails wind through sandhill, flatwoods, cypress domes, and areas where native vegetation is being restored. Morningside boasts a spectacular wildflower display and opportunity to see a diverse array of wildlife.

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.

This estate began in the 1830s as a cotton and corn plantation that ultimately encompassed 2,400 acres. The plantation's agricultural emphasis declined after the Civil War and by the 1880s the remaining 160 acres, home and garden served as an elegant private residence. In 1911, Goodwood's ownership changed and the house and garden underwent major renovation, securing a place among the fine homes of the Country Estate era. The estate's style and elegance was further enhanced by Goodwood's owners in the late 1920s. Restoration efforts focus on this turn-of-the-century Country Estate era, ever mindful of Goodwood's rich 19th-century history.

Practice your math facts with these worksheets. You will find ready-made worksheets or you can customize your own.

This beautiful family of 19 children shares their journey with this blog.

The depths of this spring contain the remains of the Civil War-era steamboat Madison, scuttled in the spring run in 1863 to keep it from being captured. This 70-foot deep, first magnitude spring offers opportunities for swimming, snorkeling, and scuba diving. Bring the family for an old fashioned swimming hole party!