It can be difficult for friends to understand the changes and challenges a homeschooling family faces. This mom shares her reasons for homeschooling and why her relationship with them is different now.

Matt James, physician and author of "Homeschooling Odyssey," along with his wife Barb have been homeschooling for 25 years. Four of their children have gone to Stanford, one of their children dances in the School of American Ballet in New York, and their youngest is looking forward to his own exciting opportunities. Oftentimes we think that Homeschooling has to take 4-6 hours a day in order to be effective. Yet the James family has been able to send their children to one of the most prestigious universities in the country by homeschooling one hour a day.

As their ranks increase, homeschoolers are tapping public schools for curriculum, part-time classes, extracurricular services, and online learning.

This homeschooling journey is shared by a mom who is homeschooling her only child.

A short list of some of the ways unschoolers learn through living.

This is the official website for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

Kids between the ages of 10 and 14 can submit essays reflecting on the splendor of nature. Winners receive cash prizes and will have their essays published in a book.

Each private church school or school of religious charter shall make, and maintain annual attendance and disease immunization records for each pupil enrolled and regularly attending classes. Attendance by a child at any school to which this Part relates and which complies with this Part shall satisfy the requirements of compulsory school attendance so long as the school operates on a regular schedule, excluding reasonable holidays and vacations, during at least nine calendar months of the year. Each school shall be subject to reasonable fire, health and safety inspections by State, county and municipal authorities as required by law. The Division of Nonpublic Education, Department of Administration, shall ensure that materials are provided to these schools so that they can provide parents and guardians with information about meningococcal meningitis and influenza and their vaccines at the beginning of every school year. This information may be provided electronically or on the Division's Web page. This information shall include the causes, symptoms, and how meningococcal meningitis and influenza are spread and the places where parents and guardians may obtain additional information and vaccinations for their children.

The mission of ArtChallenge is to motivate individuals to take action, have a positive art experience, and to develop the "can do" spirit, which soon becomes a way of life, benefiting mental health and human achievement. Entrants come up with a stained glass design on paper.

MathForLife is an email group that offers a forum to share math questions and math resources. It is an open group for those people who would like to learn to love math and use math well. It is especially for parents who want to home-school or after-school their children in math.