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Public Domain Resources for Homeschoolers

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There are tons of resources that are wonderful for homeschoolers (and classroom teachers!) in the public domain. This page is full of books that are free. Many of them are treasure troves from the yester-years, that are still relevant and wonderful today as they were many years ago.

I just recently got a Kindle, that is why I started looking for all of these wonderful books. The Kindle allows me to carry these books with me as we homeschool on the go. Please note, that you do not have to have a Kindle or an e-Reader to use these books! Many of them can be printed or read in pdf form and some of them can be read on the computer in html form. An e-Reader may make it handier, but please do not feel like you can not use this resource if you do not have one!

Please bookmark this page! I plan to update it regularly as I find more resources. I have just only begun to look. Please feel free to share this page with your friends if they could benefit from free homeschool resources.

Nature Studies

Free nature study resources from the public domain.
Handbook Of Nature Study : Anna Botsford Comstock
The Handbook of Nature Study is considered by homeschoolers to be one of the best nature resources out there.
The Burgess bird book for children : Burgess, Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo), 1874-1965
A great book for learning about birds.
Nature stories to read aloud : Burgess, Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo), 1874-1965
A collection of nature stories.
The Burgess animal book for children : Burgess, Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo), 1874-1965
Introduces the habits and characteristics of many of the North American mammals through a fictitious story.
Our native birds; how to protect them and attract them to our homes : Lange, D. (Dietrich), 1863-1940
A good handbook about birds.

McGuffey Readers

McGuffey's Eclectic Primer, Revised Edition : McGuffey, William Holmes, 1800-1873
Book from Project Gutenberg: McGuffey's Eclectic Primer, Revised Edition
McGuffey's first eclectic reader : McGuffey, William Holmes, 1800-1873
McGuffey's 1st Eclectic reader.
McGuffey's Second Eclectic Reader : McGuffey, William Holmes, 1800-1873
Book from Project Gutenberg: McGuffey's Second Eclectic Reader
McGuffey's Third Eclectic Reader : McGuffey, William Holmes, 1800-1873 : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive
Book from Project Gutenberg: McGuffey's Third Eclectic Reader
McGuffey's Fourth Eclectic Reader : McGuffey, William Holmes, 1800-1873
Book from Project Gutenberg: McGuffey's Fourth Eclectic Reader
McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader : McGuffey, William Holmes, 1800-1873
Book from Project Gutenberg: McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader
McGuffey's Sixth Eclectic Reader : McGuffey, William Holmes, 1800-1873 : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive
Book from Project Gutenberg: McGuffey's Sixth Eclectic Reader
McGuffey's Eclectic Spelling Book : McGuffey, W. H.
Book from Project Gutenberg: McGuffey's Eclectic Spelling Book

Grammar and Spelling

Sheldon's Primary Language Lessons : Sheldon and Company
Book digitized by Google from the library of Harvard University and uploaded to the Internet Archive by user tpb.
Lessons in Language for Primary Grades
Lessons in for Primary Grades.
Talking with the Pencil: Primary Lessons in Language
Talking with the Pencil.
With Pencil and Pen: Language Lessons for Primary Schools
With Pencil and Pen: Language Lessons for Primary Schools The BookReader requires JavaScript to be enabled.
English Spoken and Written: Primer. Lessons in Language for Primary Grades : Henry Pendexter Emerson : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive
Book digitized by Google from the library of Harvard University and uploaded to the Internet Archive by user tpb.
How to write, or, Secondary lessons in the English language : illustrated with over 150 engravings
How to write, or, Secondary lessons in the English language : illustrated with over 150 engravings
English grammar exercises : Mason, C. P. (Charles Peter), 1820-1900
Reprinted from Mason's Shorter English Grammar (Public School Edition).

Classics

Little men : Alcott, Louisa May, 1832-1888
The book of Little Men.
The war of the worlds : Wells, H. G. (Herbert George), 1866-1946 : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive
War of the Worlds
Treasure Island : Stevenson, Robert Louis, 1850-1894 : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive
After his mother finds a treasure map among the possessions of a deceased guest at her inn, Jim Hawkins manages to outwit crafty and cruel pirates to learn the...
Call of the wild : London, Jack, 1876-1916 : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive
Call of the Wild
Sense and Sensibility : Jane Austen
Book digitized by Google and uploaded to the Internet Archive by user tpb.
Emma: A Novel. In Three Volumes : Jane Austen : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive
Book digitized by Google from the library of Oxford University and uploaded to the Internet Archive by user tpb.
Pride and Prejudice : Jane Austen : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive
Pride and Prejudice
Heidi by Johanna Spyri
The Project Gutenberg ebook catalog.
Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter
The Project Gutenberg ebook catalog.
Dorothy and the wizard in Oz : Baum, L. Frank (Lyman Frank), 1856-1919
The story of Dorothy and the wizard in an underground world, and how with some help from friends they manage to reach the Land of Oz

Shakespeare

Tales from Shakespeare by Charles Lamb and Mary Lamb
The Project Gutenberg ebook catalog.
Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare by E. Nesbit
The Project Gutenberg ebook catalog.
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare
The Project Gutenberg ebook catalog.

G A Henty Books

G A Henty books were mostly historical novels written for boys and young men in the late 1800's. These books are a great way for someone who loves adventure books to learn about history.
With Lee in Virginia : A story of the American Civil War : Henty, G. A. (George Alfred),
First edition. cf. Dartt, R. L. G. A. Henty, a bibliography, p. 161
Bonnie Prince Charlie : a tale of Fontenoy and Culloden : Henty, G. A. (George Alfred),
Bonnie Prince Charles
Beric the Briton : a story of the Roman invasion : Henty, G. A. (George Alfred),
Book digitized by Google from the library of University of Michigan and uploaded to the Internet Archive by user tpb.
The Brahmins' treasure; or, Colonel Thorndyke's secret : Henty, G. A. (George Alfred),
by G A Henty
The boy knight; a tale of the crusade : Henty, G. A. (George Alfred),
A tale of the crusades.
By England's aid : or, The freeing of the Netherlands (1589-1604) : Henty, G. A. (George Alfred)
The freeing of the Netherlands.
By pike and dyke : a tale of the rise of the Dutch republic : Henty, G. A. (George Alfred)
By Pike and Dyke
By right of conquest : or, with Cortez in Mexico : Henty, G. A. (George Alfred),
By Right of Conquest
The cat of Bubastes : a tale of ancient Egypt : Henty, G. A. (George Alfred),
Book digitized by Google and uploaded to the Internet Archive by user tpb.
Captain Bayley's heir; a tale of the gold fields of California : Henty, G. A. (George Alfred),
The gold fields of California
The dragon and the raven; or, The days of King Alfred. With illus. by C.J. Staniland : Henty, G. A. (George Alfred)
The Dragon and the Raven
For the temple; a tale of the fall of Jerusalem : Henty, G. A. (George Alfred)
A tale of the fall of Jerusalem
Friends though divided : a tale of the Civil War : Henty, G. A. (George Alfred)
Civil War
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
The Project Gutenberg ebook catalog.
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
The Project Gutenberg ebook catalog.
Jo's Boys by Louisa May Alcott
The Project Gutenberg ebook catalog.

G A Henty Books for Kindle

If you have a Kindle and really love GA Henty books, you may want to consider this deal. For only $2.99 you can get 70 of the G A Henty books in one file with a clickable table of contents. This will save you a lot of time individually downloading each book. I felt it was well worth the bit of money spent saving on time.
Could not locate item B0038M34LE. Please try again.Sorry, there are no results available from Amazon.

Geography

First Lessons in Geography by James Monteith - Project Gutenberg
The Project Gutenberg ebook catalog.
Highroads of Geography by Anonymous - Project Gutenberg
The Project Gutenberg ebook catalog.
Home Geography for Primary Grades by C. C. Long - Project Gutenberg
The Project Gutenberg ebook catalog.
Peeps at Many Lands: Egypt by R. Talbot Kelly - Project Gutenberg
The Project Gutenberg ebook catalog.
Spanish Life in Town and Country by L. Higgin and Eugène E. Street - Project Gutenberg
The Project Gutenberg ebook catalog.

Twins Tales by Lucy Fitch Perkins

These books are to help younger children learn about other cultures.
The Swiss Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins
The Project Gutenberg ebook catalog.
The Japanese Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins
The Project Gutenberg ebook catalog.
The Belgian Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins
The Project Gutenberg ebook catalog.
The Dutch Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins
The Project Gutenberg ebook catalog.
The French Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins
The Project Gutenberg ebook catalog.
The Eskimo Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins
The Project Gutenberg ebook catalog.
The Spartan Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins
The Project Gutenberg ebook catalog.
The Scotch Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins
The Project Gutenberg ebook catalog.
The Puritan Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins
The Project Gutenberg ebook catalog.
The Mexican Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins
The Project Gutenberg ebook catalog.
The Italian Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins
The Project Gutenberg ebook catalog.

Free Textbooks for the Kindle

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The Kindle

Kindle Keyboard 3G, Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 6

Kindle Keyboard 3G, Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 6" E Ink Display

Amazon Price: $189.00 (as of 06/04/2012)Buy Now

Pros:
Most people's reviews found the Kindle easier to read and caused less eye strain than the other models. It is very affordable. There are many free books through Amazon and in the public domain. Many of the large public domain sites provide their books in the Kindle format.

Cons:
It has it's own format. It does not use the e-pub format. Many libraries do not loan Kindle books.

The Kindle

If you are interested in the Kindle, here is some more information about it.
powered by Amazon

The Nook

I do not own a Nook, but it does seem to be a very nice e-Reader.
Barnes and Noble NOOK eBook Reader (WiFi only) [ Black & White ]

Barnes and Noble NOOK eBook Reader (WiFi only) [ Black & White ]

Amazon Price: $100.00 (as of 06/04/2012)Buy Now

Pros:
It uses the e-Pub format and many libraries loan out in the e-pub format.

Cons:
According to my research, most people that I read considered the Kindle to be slightly easier to read, a bit less eye strain and a bit faster.

Kindle or Nook?

I think both the Kindle and the Nook are incredible devices. This is a place to rave about what you like about them.

Which do you have?

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The Kindle

Donnette says:

I don't have either nor am I familiar with either :( But I HAVE heard about Kindly, not Nook

eclecticeducation says:

I absolutely love my Kindle! I chose it because many people claimed there was less eye strain and it was faster than the Nook. Plus, I like the fact that it was a bit lighter and the battery lasted really long on it. I do not regret my purchase. I carry it around with me in my purse and if I am stuck somewhere (like a doctor's office) I have multiple books with me. I keep some children's books on there too, so if my little guy get bored we can read together.

The Nook

Candice says:

Nook, can be used more, more options, especially with library.

Debbie says:

I received the nook color for Christmas and absolutely love it! I am technically challenged but I am slowly learning how to load books on it, other than the ones from Barnes and Noble. :)

 

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Please Leave a Comment!

Thanks for reading!

  • wolftyrs Mar 10, 2012 @ 4:18 pm | delete
    What a great list of resources. Just ordered my Kindle. Bookmarking this.
  • Donnette Jul 1, 2011 @ 4:00 am | delete
    this is a brilliant page, thank you. I use Gutenberg a lot for research and PD pictures for my books.
  • GonnaFly Jan 22, 2011 @ 11:35 pm | delete
    Wow! What a great resource! We have used many such free resources over our 11 years of homeschooling.
  • JoyfulPamela Jan 19, 2011 @ 7:33 pm | delete
    I love my Kindle and all the awesome free public domain books that are available! Thanks for sharing these! =D
  • April Jan 12, 2011 @ 9:22 am | delete
    There is a free Kindle app for computers, which makes these much easier to read instead of online. http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=kcp_pc_mkt_lnd?docId=1000426311

    Great job!
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P.S. What is The Homeschool Club?

THE HOMESCHOOL CLUB is real parents and kids sharing their best resources for great homeschooling. Each day we celebrate learning by opening doors to a world of creativity, knowledge and discovery. In the car, at the kitchen sink, and down by the frog pond - the whole world is our classroom and we explore it with creative projects, games, and activities. This club is a place to share, organize, and discuss how and what we learn in the world. Make a free page to tell your own homeschooling story and share your favorite resources. We can't wait to hear from you!

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eclecticeducation

Christian homeschool mother, freelance writer, Zazzle Designer, Giant Squid 250, Rocket Mom and a Squid Angel. I enjoy scrapbooking, reading, nature and... more »

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