Homeschool Resources

Deciding to homeschool? You are awesome! While we’ve decided that isn’t the right choice for our family, I do know many families for whom it’s a fantastic fit. Arlington (and, okay, fine, the whole Metroplex) has a lot of amazing resources for homeschooling families. If this is your family, start here…

1.    The Travis Academy of Fine Arts (TAFA) (800 W. Berry St., Fort Worth) offers classes Monday through Friday in subjects such as Spanish, drama and ballet. Some classes are already full, but there are still openings for children for Fall. For more info: tafa.org

2.    Rhythms of Grace is another great co op in the area (based in Arlington- yay!) that offers classes and meetups of all sorts. They have a private Facebook group you can join to get to know other members as well as a Website with loads of great info. For more info: roghomeschool.com

3.    In the Mansfield area, there is M.A.T.C.H. (Mansfield Area Texas Chritian Homeschoolers) who do lots of meetups and playgroups for homeschoolers. You must create an account on Big Tent before you can request membership to their FB page. For more info: www.bigtent.com

4.    The SciTech Co Op is based in Midlothian area and currently meets in DeSoto. This co op meets every Friday and offers lots of academic support. For more info: https://sites.google.com/site/scitechcoop/about-us

5.    The Arlington Public Libraries offer many free classes throughout the school year for homeschool kids. For more info: morelibrary.org (select homeschool from the drop down menu)

Looking for other organizations that support homeschooling?

1.    The Dallas Zoo does a homeschool day in the Spring. The 2017 date has not been released. However, group tours can be arranged whenever!

2.    The Fort Worth Zoo Homeschool Day is October 6, 2016. Tickets can be purchased on the zoo’s Website. This zoo also offers classes for homeschool students two Tuesdays per month. Topic varies by age. Lastly, homeschoolers 12-17 are able to volunteer to assist with zoo preschool. For more info: fortworthzoo.org/homeschool

3.     In the past, both Urban Air Mansfield and Flight Deck Arlington offered special homeschool jump time, but that info is not yet available for the current school year on their Websites.

4.     ASI Gymnastics does a weekly homeschool class at each of their locations. Students ages 5 and up can attend a class and learn about physical activity and gymnastics. For more info: www.asigymnastics.com/classes/homeschool-5

5.    Six Flags Over Texas offers a homeschool day in the Spring. The 2017 day has not yet been released. For more info: https://www.sixflags.com/overtexas/special-events/home-school-day

6.    The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History has year-round offerings for homeschool groups. For more info: http://www.fwmuseum.org/homeschool

7.    Legoland and Sea Life Aquarium at Grapevine Mills Mall also both offer homeschool days/weeks. The info for the upcoming school year has not yet been released, but watch their Websites for more information!

8.    The Perot Museum in Dallas offers homeschool classes on Mondays in October and November. For more info: http://www.perotmuseum.org/events-and-programs/school-programs/homeschool/index.html

9.  River Legacy Living Science Center offers science classes for homeschool students the second Wednesday of the month. Classes are broken down by age. For more info: http://www.riverlegacy.org/component/content/article.html?id=163

Get your child involved in community-wide reading initiatives!

1.    Pizza Hut still does the Book It! Program where students can record their reading and redeem for prizes. They offer the program to homeschoolers, as well. For more info: http://www.bookitprogram.com/homeschool/default.asp

2.    Braum’s offers the Book Buddy program. This isn’t just limited to homeschool students, but any student in grades 1-6. Students can earn free ice cream for meeting their reading goals! For more info: http://www.braums.com/book-buddy/

3.    Six Flags also offers the Read to Succeed program, where students can earn a free park ticket for completing required reading hours. For more info: www.sixflags.com

The 2017 Texas Homeschool Convention will be February 25-27, 2017, in Fort Worth. Attendees can listen to speakers of their choosing and gather loads of information on a variety of homeschool topics. Convention will be held at the Fort Worth Convention Center. For more info: https://www.greathomeschoolconventions.com/locations/fort-worth-tx/

Looking for discounts on supplies you may need to teach your children? Books, crafts supplies, the like? Did you know that stores such as JoAnn Fabrics, Half Price Books and Barnes and Noble will grant you the educator’s discount they offer to teachers? See their Websites for more information!