Shenandoah National Park lies astride a beautiful section of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which form the eastern rampart of the Appalachian Mountains between Pennsylvania and Georgia. The Shenandoah River flows through the valley to the west, with Massanutten Mountain, 40 miles long, standing between the river's north and south forks. The rolling Piedmont country lies to the east of the park. Skyline Drive, a 105-mile road that winds along the crest of the mountains through the length of the park, ...

People have made the pilgrimage to the birthplace of George Washington since 1815. Visitors from all over the world have come to see where the first President of the United States was born. Today this 550-acre park memorializes George Washington and the place of his birth. The park includes: Visitor Center; the brick foundation of the house where he was born; the Washington family cemetery where George’s father, grandfather, and great-grandfather are buried; the historical area with the Memorial...

Wolf Trap National Park in Vienna for the Performing Arts began as a gift to the American people from Catherine Filene Shouse. Encroaching roads and suburbs inspired Mrs. Shouse to preserve this former farm as a park. In 1966 Congress accepted Mrs. Shouse's gift and authorized Wolf Trap Farm Park (its original name) as the first national park for the performing arts. Through a fruitful partnership between the National Park Service and the Wolf Trap Foundation, Wolf Trap National Park for the Per...

The Virginia Department of Education has compiled statistics on students who are home educated in the state. Choose the report entitled, "Home Instruction."

Sample of an option (i) NOI that has been accepted by Prince William County Public Schools.

We've seen the various ways in which the state determines "achievement" and "progress" in a child's education both in the public school setting and the homeschooling requirements. Those options seem to be only snapshot glimpses into a child, without providing a full and true representation of any given child's scope of knowledge and learning. Tests are especially flawed in this area, yet provide one of the easiest and cheapest means of fulfilling the state requirement for "showing progress" in h...

HOPE is a non-profit Christian organization committed to equipping and encouraging parents of all faiths to better serve their homeschools and families. HOPE is active in most of Northern Virginia, including Prince William County, Fairfax County, and Fauquier County.

RHEN is an unstructured network of homeschooling families in the Roanoke area. They offer homeschooling information and opportunities to network with other homeschooling families.

Five trails are currently recognized as segments of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail: - the 70-mile Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail between Ohiopyle and Seward, Penn., managed by Laurel Ridge State Park, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources; - the 150-mile Great Allegheny Passage between Cumberland, Md., and Ohiopyle and between Pittsburgh, Penn., and Ohiopyle, managed by an alliance of organizations and agencies; - the 184.5-mile C & O Canal Towpath betwee...

Yorktown Battlefield is the site of the final, major battle of the American Revolutionary War and symbolic end of Colonial English America.

This is the official website for the Virginia Department of Education.

Jamestown National Historical is a part of Historic Jamestowne, site of the First Permanent English Colony in North America. The National Historic Site consists of 22.5 acres on the western end of Jamestown Island, which includes the original site of the 1607 fort and statehouse site of the late 17th century. Visit Historic Jamestowne and step back into history by walking the same grounds as John Smith and Pocahontas. Visit the Memorial Church, which sits on the very site of the 1617 church. Wal...

This homeschool sports league in Virginia offers volleyball, basketball, and baseball for homeschooled students.

Colonial National Historical Park (NHP) administers two of the most historically significant sites in English North America. Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in North America in 1607, is administered jointly with the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, and Yorktown Battlefield, the final major battle of the American Revolutionary War in 1781. These two sites represent the beginning and end of English colonial America. Situated on the Virginia Peninsula, the...

These are some pros and cons of meeting Virginia's August 1 requirement with standardized testing or a portfolio evaluation, the two most common methods. In considering the choices, keep in mind that the home instruction statute does not specify credentials for a test administrator or other evaluator and this is resigned to "the judgement of the division superintendent." Those new to homeschooling are apprehensive about this issue; those new to homeschooling in Virginia are also apprehensive abo...