Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in Philadelphia, PA

As my daughter is not even yet three, I haven't done all that much thinking about kindergarten. Well, that's not true; I've thought a great deal about our educational philosophy, what we want out of an education for our daughter, and what our plan is.

It might not be all that popular, but we are actually planning, at this point, to do homeschooling with some outside support. I don't want to get too into the details about why we've chosen homeschooling for our daughter; it's way too easy to make it sound like we are indicting or judging those of you that do not choose that path for your kids. I do not feel that way at all; many children benefit from a more traditional approach to education, and there are many great schools in the Philadelphia area, both public and private. In fact, we've decided to be very carefully on the watch with our daughter, and if it becomes clear that she needs the structure of traditional school, we'll enroll her right away. After all, flexibility is critical in parenting (right?).

I did think I would share, however, some of the amazing resources available here in the Philadelphia area for those of you that are considering homeschooling/unschooling.

1. Open Connections. This small school is located in Newtown Square, PA, and offers programs ranging from half-day to full day for kids 4-18. They practice an unschooling/homeschooling philosophy, and are located on several acres of land so kids can spend a lot of time outside.

2. Talking Stick. Another wonderful community self-directed learning program, located in the Manayunk area of Philadelphia, for 4-8 year olds.

3. Jr. Explorers Club. This group meets for monthly group field trips to locations throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and even New York.

4. Holistic Moms Network. The Philadelphia branch has a monthly meeting in West Philly that offers great support and information.

5. PA Homeschoolers. This site is full of great information. Here is a similar site in Delaware, and this is a site for southern New Jersey.

If you know of other great resources, please share them here!