FL State Homeschool Organization
Florida Homeschool Association (FLHSA)
FLHSA was founded to help modern homeschool families. They are a secular inclusive community that encourages all families to work together in supporting common goals.
Florida Parent Educators Association (FPEA)
FPEA serves homeschooling families in Florida by supporting the legal right to homeschool, local school board education and interaction, support group networking, a state convention, local conferences and events, and informative communication.
FL Homeschool Law
Parents in Florida have six responsibilities: submit a notice of intent, maintain a portfolio, make portfolio available, submit an annual evaluation, preserve your records, and submit a notice of termination if you no longer wish to homeschool. More information can be found at the Florida Department of Education, Home School Legal Defense Association, Florida Homeschool Association, Florida Parent Educators Assoication.
FL Homeschool Events
Florida Homeschool Association Convention
Florida Parent Educators Association Convention
FL Homeschool Field Trip Destinations
Anna Maria Island Historical Society
Originally built as an icehouse, the building was then used as an automotive garage, a sea turtle hatchery, a public administration building, and in 1992, the Historical Society museum with free admission.
The exhibits tell the story of the first settlers on the Island and the legacy they left behind. It also covers the Island’s fishing and baseball history. It includes archives of records and newspapers for research into families and businesses. They have 3 different walking tours you can download on their site.
Some of the most picturesque areas along North Florida’s Gulf Coast are found within the park, which supports over 12,000 upland acres. Located on Alligator Point where Ochlockonee Bay meets Apalachee Bay, Bald Point State Park offers coastal marshes, pine flatwoods, and oak thickets foster a diversity of biological communities that make the park a popular destination for birding and wildlife viewing.
Each fall, bald eagles and other migrating raptors along with monarch butterflies are commonly seen heading south for the winter. Bald Point has two Apalachee Bay beaches for swimming, sunbathing, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, and windsurfing. Facilities include a fishing dock and picnic pavilions.
The Depot Museum and Historical Society of Avon Park
The Historical Society of Avon Park and the Depot Museum strives to educate and inform the community on the significance of early Avon Park as it relates to the land, pioneers and early families, and structures of historical interest.
Along with its iconic Florida Keys scenery, sandy beaches, gin-clear waters, and magnificent sunsets, the park is known for balmy sea breezes that caress the shores year-round. Pay Online, Single-Use Day Pass
Henry Flagler’s bold effort to build a railroad to Key West in the early 1900s turned the remote island of Bahia Honda Key into a tropical destination.
Along with its iconic Florida scenery — palm-lined beaches, gin-clear waters, and magnificent sunsets—the park is known for balmy sea breezes that caress the shores year-round. The park is an excellent place to observe wading birds and shorebirds and introduces nature lovers to the island’s plants and animals.
Bok Tower Gardens offers some of Florida’s most remarkable experiences. The Gardens offer unparalleled opportunities for artistic, cultural, personal, and spiritual enrichment. At Bok Tower Gardens there is something to discover for visitors of all ages. You can customize a group tour. There is the historical museum, Visitor Center, Cafe and Gift Shop, nature trails, daily concerts from the 205-foot Singing Tower carillon, and acres of landscaped gardens for you to enjoy.
The also have a nice online library archive.
Cayo Costa State Park protects the Charlotte Harbor Estuary and provides visitors with a majestic piece of untouched Florida. An unspoiled Gulf Coast island evokes images of wind-shaped trees, dunes, beaches, and freedom to explore; this especially rings true for Cayo Costa Island.
Accessible only by boat or kayak, this former fishing ground of the Calusa Indians features 9 miles of undeveloped shoreline for swimming, snorkeling, shelling, fishing, and bird-watching. Shorebirds are numerous, and one might spot manatees, porpoises, and sea turtles offshore.
Beautiful Don Pedro Island State Park is part of an extensive chain of barrier islands extending along Florida’s Gulf Coast, located between Knight Island and Little Gasparilla Island, and is accessible only by private boat. Boaters can tie up at the dock on the mangrove-lined bay side of the island.
The island’s 1-mile white sandy beach is a paradise for sunbathing, swimming, snorkeling and shelling. Visitors also can enjoy a picnic under the large pavilion or explore the hiking trails. The land base of the park on the Cape Haze Peninsula is popular among hikers and nature lovers. The 100-acre land base also offers a kayak launch, fishing dock, nature trails, and a picnic shelter.
As Florida’s “Official Aviation Museum and Education Center,” the Florida Air Museum features a dynamic display of unique designs, classics, ultra-lights, antiques, and warbirds. More than a collection of airplanes; it stands as a tribute to the history and joy of flight. Exhibits educate about pioneers like Howard Hughes, early air racers, Floridians, and others who have influenced the world of aviation.
The Museum also offers a variety of year-round educational experiences for all ages including camps, tours, workshops, and speaker presentations. The Museum showcases aviation history through exhibits, restoration and preservation, education and outreach, and sharing a passion for flight with visitors of all ages. They also host storytimes and a variety of other special events.
A young physician named John Gorrie moved to Apalachicola in the early 1830s when it was a prominent port of trade, commerce, and shipping in Florida. By 1841, concern for his yellow fever patients motivated Gorrie to invent a method for cooling their sickrooms. He became a pioneer in the field of air conditioning and refrigeration by inventing a mechanical device that produced ice. In 1851, Dr. Gorrie received the first U.S. patent for mechanical refrigeration.
Today, a replica of his ice-making machine and other artifacts are on display at the museum.
Lower Wekiva River Preserve State Park
With emerald springs feeding the Wekiwa River and lush tropical hammocks, this unique park just minutes from downtown Orlando is perfect for observing abundant wildlife or cooling off on a summer day. Miles of trails beg to be explored on foot, bike or horseback, and canoes and kayaks are available on-site.
Wekiwa Springs has a special place in the hearts of those lucky folks who have grown up nearby, spending weekends exploring the spring vent and paddling canoes past the purple blooms of pickerelweed. The azure waters of Wekiwa Springs have made it Orange County’s longest-running tourist attraction. From the dense, almost tropical hammocks near where the springs feed into the Wekiva River to the scenic sandhill uplands, the park offers ample opportunities to see many kinds of animals.
Orman House Historic State Park
Built in 1838 by Thomas Orman, this antebellum home overlooking the Apalachicola River was used for both business and social gatherings.
Orman was a cotton merchant and businessman in Apalachicola from 1834 to the 1880s. He helped the tiny town become one of the Gulf Coast’s most important cotton exporting ports by the mid-19th century.
The house features details of both Federal and Greek revival styles with wooden mantelpieces, molded plaster cornices and wide heart-pine floorboards.
Visit the adjoining Chapman Botanical Gardens, which honors Dr. Alvan Chapman, a distinguished 19th-century botanist. Enjoy the butterfly garden, other botanical features, walkways, and open spaces. Be sure to visit the Three Soldiers Detail, a bronze replica of the Vietnam Memorial statue in Washington, D.C.
Annual special events include the Apalachicola Historic Tour of Homes in May and Historic Christmas in November.
The Polk County Historical Association is located in the Old Polk County Courthouse in Bartow, Florida. The History Center houses the Historical Museum (admission is free) and the Polk County Historical and Genealogical Library, one of the largest genealogical collections in the Southeast United States.
The museum has served Polk County through special events and educational programs. Its collection includes natural and cultural objects related to Polk and the greater Central Florida area that represent history from pre-Columbian to present-day eras. Objects vary from fossils to hand-made personal objects such as clothing and art, as well as tools and equipment designed for agriculture, military, communications, household, and science use.
Explore their free online resources.
San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park
Outstanding birding opportunities, the area’s best off-road biking, stunning scenery, and a rich historic past are a few of the preserve’s highlights. The primary town of the Potano-Timucua was the location of the mission built in 1606.
The limestone outcrops and extreme changes in elevation provide ideal conditions for many species of hardwood trees, including several champion trees. Bobcats, white-tailed deer, gray foxes, turkeys, and many species of songbirds inhabit the 18 natural communities found in the preserve.
The park offers outdoor adventure to hikers, off-road bicyclists, horseback riders, and nature lovers. To ensure solitude and quiet for a true wilderness experience, the southern two-thirds of the park are designated for hiking only.
With emerald springs feeding the Wekiwa River and lush tropical hammocks, this unique park just minutes from downtown Orlando is perfect for observing abundant wildlife or cooling off on a summer day. Miles of trails beg to be explored on foot, bike or horseback, and canoes and kayaks are available on-site. It’s easy to see why visitors have been flocking to beautiful Wekiwa Springs since the mid-19th century.
Wekiwa Springs has a special place in the hearts of those lucky folks who have grown up nearby, spending weekends exploring the spring vent and paddling canoes past the purple blooms of pickerelweed. The azure waters of Wekiwa Springs have made it Orange County’s longest-running tourist attraction. From the dense, almost tropical hammocks near where the springs feed into the Wekiva River to the scenic sandhill uplands, the park offers ample opportunities to see many kinds of animals.
Is homeschooling for you?
The community of homeschool families is diverse. One study reports that 41% of homeschool students are Hispanic, Black, Asian, or other non-White/non-Hispanic groups (2). Homeschoolers come from all faiths – Christians, Jews, Muslims, agnostics, atheists. Teaching parents have a range of formal education, from high school diplomas to graduate degrees, and cover the array of household incomes.
How do you homeschool?
While laws regulating home education vary from state to state, homeschooling IS legal in all 50 states. Many states offer more than one option. One of the first steps in your family’s homeschool journey is to become familiar with the laws in your state. Then the fun begins!
Click on your state below for resources on homeschool regulations, state homeschool organizations, homeschool conventions in your area (here’s why these are amazing for new and experienced homeschool parents), as well as other homeschool perks in your state.
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Disclaimer: Please note that the information on this page is provided for your convenience as a research tool and resource as to where to find the information you need to homeschool in your state. The team at 3 Moms Blog are not attorneys. This content has not been reviewed by an attorney. It is not legal advice.
Brian D. Ray. (2017) A systematic review of the empirical research on selected aspects of homeschooling as a school choice, Journal of School Choice, 11:4, 604-621, accessed April 7, 2023 at https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15582159.2017.1395638
US Department of Education. (2019) Homeschooling in the United States: Results from the 2012 and 2016 Parent and Family Involvement Survey (PFINHES: 2012 and 2016). Accessed 4/7/2023 at https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2020/2020001.pdf