Reference Materials Teaching science at home requires the availability of several quality reference materials. Other useful reference sources include magazines such as Discover, Scientific American, Science Weekly , and Popular Science . Many television programs also investigate scientific concepts and often suggest or provide activities for viewers to do at home. Often, they also demonstrate many phenomena that are not easily studied at home or school. For families with access to cableTV, the Learning Channel and the Discovery Channel are also good supplements to science study.
Program guides are available for much of the daytime programming on public television stations.
These guides present an entire school year's program calendar and often provide dates and times for block feeds of entire science series. Several instructional programs have instructor information available, including discussion items, questions, activities, supplemental readings, and evaluation materials. The local library, of course, is one of the best places for homeschoolers to find reference materials. Public libraries provide a wealth of science reference information, and many libraries supply free access to the Internet. The library is a valuable source of activities and materials which can complement the homeschooling curriculum.