Mommamia Posted May 12, 2010 Share Posted May 12, 2010 I noticed that there were several homeschoolers living in NJ on this board.....we are new to NJ. I was wondering if there was anything that we should be aware of, such as.... good book stores co-ops or homeschool groups great places to visit(museums, science centers etc) sport or special class opportunities ?? I'll take any info you want to share :bigear: TIA!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karenciavo Posted May 12, 2010 Share Posted May 12, 2010 what county do you live in/near. Or as we are known for saying, "What exit?" :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted May 12, 2010 Share Posted May 12, 2010 Depends on what part of NJ you are in. Things can be very different in Northern NJ from Southern NJ. I'm in the Northern part of the state. I belong to a variety of homeschool yahoo groups that run field trips, park dates as well as answer a variety of questions. Most of them are specific to the Northern part of the state but these are general NJ yahoo groups: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NJLoop/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NJ_Homeschoolers/ Museums depend on the ages of your kids: Liberty Science Center in Jersey City is great for kids starting at 7-8 years old; Adventure Aquarium in Camden is great for all ages. Depending on where you are, New York City and all its museums are an easy day trip on the train. There are a variety of historical sites and village recreations around the state: Batsto is by Egg Harbor Township (South); Craftsmans Farms, Jockey Hollow, Washington's Headquarters are near Morristown (North). New Jersey is a great place to homeschool - no notification, reporting, testing, portfolio or attendance requirements. If you are in Northern NJ and want more specific information, feel free to send me a PM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommamia Posted May 12, 2010 Author Share Posted May 12, 2010 Thank you! We are in Morris County. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted May 12, 2010 Share Posted May 12, 2010 I'm also in Morris County. HI Neighbor! :D If your kids are young or you want a quick day trip - Morris Museum is great. It's not a huge place but they have some great exhibits plus traveling exhibits. They have a lending service where you can borrow various artifacts, books, etc pertaining to some of their exhibits. Liberty Science Center shouldn't be too far away for you if your kids are the right age to appreciate it (my 4 year old would probably like it some but my 2 year old would be a nightmare there). They recently had homeschool days there. The historic spots I mentioned before in Morristown are in Morris County. We also have a ton of nature preserves which are wonderful for hiking. Pyramid Mountain offers homeschool classes and hikes for a variety of ages. We were supposed to do a hike with a discussion of Migration today but the weather spoiled that. There's not a lot of information on the website about the specific classes offered so you need to call and get on their email list or stop by the visitors center. (There's a post on my blog from April about the hike we took there on Nests, plus one from a recent trip to Crystal Caves with the Sky Homeschoolers). There's also the Learning Resource Centers. I go to the one in Morris Plains - they have a ton of books, videos, curriculum kits, manipulatives etc. that you can borrow ($2 per year fee) plus access to die-cut and laminating machines. They have the entire selection of DK books. (Love that place). Some other local yahoo groups (yes, one is NE and the other NW but here in Morris County, we're in the middle ;)): http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NE-NJ-Homeschooling/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SkyHomeschoolers/ There's a gymnastics place in Boonton that offers classes just for homeschoolers. Most of the sports at the elementary level are run by the towns (not the schools) so are open to any residents. The NJ Transit Midtown Direct train is the easiest way to get into NYC for a day trip. My kids enjoy the train ride itself as an adventure. There's a used bookstore in Morristown but it has mostly REALLY OLD books. There's an Educational Warehouse in Wayne on Route 23 (about 20 minutes from me) that has an extensive amount of resources, and a smaller teacher store (can't remember the name right now) in the middle of Denville. For most regular books, I just go to Barnes and Nobles or Borders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommamia Posted May 12, 2010 Author Share Posted May 12, 2010 Thank you so much Dorothy! Maybe we will cross paths and meet one of these days. I have twin almost 8yr old ds. I'm going to sign up for the yahoo groups. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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