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Friday, October 19, 2018

Free Homeschooling Resources



All you need to homeschool is a library card...and maybe an Internet connection. Homeschooling can be as expensive as your want it to be, but also can be as cheap as you need it to be.  We are one income household, and free homeschool resources have saved us thousands of dollars each year.  They make the cost of our Internet connection well worth it.

There are so many amazing free resources online for the homeschoolers of today!


SAFETY NOTES: 
  • Passwords on EVERYTHING. Our computer, along with all Internet-capable devices, is password protected, and can only be used while me or my husband is in the house AND have given permission. Use a strong password your kids would never guess. 
  • Safe Search  Filters. Make sure all your search engines are changed to safe search filter, especially your phone.This is good protection for your own heart, as well as your children. You can find these by going into Google Settings. 
  • Use Parental Controls!!!  Pretty much all computers are enabled with some type of FREE parental control. We have the cheapest $50 Kindle Fires for our kids, which have WONDERFUL parent controls in Kindle Free Time. Side note: DO NOT buy the Kid's Kindle!!!  Buy a regular Kindle Fire and use the FREE parental controls in Kindle Free Time (no need to subscribe to anything even thought Kindle wants you too)
  • The only 100% reliable Parental Control is Parental Presence.  You are not more tech savvy than your children.  There is pure evil in this world.  No one is above temptation, even your good kids. 


FREE HOMESCHOOL RESOURCES
Organized by Subject

READING
  • Story Online- Free Stories read to your child. Reading aloud to children has been shown to improve reading, writing and communication skills, logical thinking and concentration, and general academic aptitude, as well as inspire a lifelong love of reading. 
  • Squiggle Park- Very Fun Learning Games designed to help children gain reading comprehension and skills.

SOCIAL STUDIES
  • History for Kids- Very Fun Learning Games designed to help children gain reading comprehension and skills.

MATH
  • Khan AcademyMath, Science, Computer Programming, Arts & Humanities, Economics, and TEST PREP
  • Xtra Math-  Free Web Programs for students, parents, and teachers, really great rseources that we have personally enjoyed as supplementary to our Math U See curriculum 

SCIENCE
  • Club SciKidz Every day on their blog, Club SciKidz will post a different simple science experiment for kids and parents to do at home. The first, for example, uses the scientific method to determine what household ingredient works the best to clean a dirty penny.
  • Mark Rober- Science YouTube Channel. Geared towards middle school and high school with free physics lessons.  Mark recorded several Junior and Senior High Live videos while we were in Shelter at Home Quarantine Spring of 2020 and they are very educational, but really fun! 

FULL CURRICULUM 
  • Scholastic Learn at Home-With the new Scholastic Learn at Home, every day Scholastic's website will offer a new mini-lesson that includes a story, a video, and an activity. The lessons are grouped into four age groups: pre-k and kindergarten, Grades 1 and 2, Grades 3 to 5, and Grades 6+.
  • Khan Academy- Math, Science, Computer Programming, Arts & Humanities, Economics, and TEST PREP

EXERCISE

COMPUTER & CODING SKILLS
  • Typing.com- Typing skills, drills, and games.  This a GREAT site for any age or grade who wants to learn to type, or improve their skills.
  • Free Online Coding with Scratch- With a little research, we found Scratch is perfect and easy way to begin coding with elementary aged children.
  • Free Online Coding with Hour of Code-  Hour of Code works for all ages, pre-readers to Grades 9+!  It has a plethora of teacher resources, plenty of tutorials, and activities for every interest.
  • Code Academy- This site is free, but will also require a separate email for each child. This is for older children, late junior high or senior high.
  • Tinker Cad-Tinkercad is a free, easy-to-use web app that equips the next generation of designers and engineers with the foundational skills for innovation: 3D design, electronics, and coding!
     

FINE ARTS
  • Hoffman Academy Free piano lessons- even if you don't plan on your child becoming a great pianist, the music lessons in this are wonderful!  We did end up buying the least expensive keyboard we could find, and it has been well worth the investment!
  • BBC Music online resources- Great videos and online courses for a variety of musical skills, include a step by step guide in learning to sing.
  • Art Hub for Kids on You Tube- This is great channel made by a family of artists, the videos are very kid friendly! Please always use parental discretion when allowing your children on YOU TUBE.  
SPANISH/FOREIGN LANGUAGE 

DUOLINGO- Great online language curriculum, lots of different languages to choose. We are using it for Spanish.  There are ton of pros. My main con is lack of physical writing, but it isn't bad enough con to pay something else right now.

EDUCATIONAL GAMES 
  • ABCya.com- PreK to 5th grade.  Note that my kids play all different grades and ages, because we use a mastery approach for Math, so some of the grade assignment don't always match up to their skills level.  Don't let this get in your way.  Have your kids start in the youngest grades to gain confidence, them move onto other grades as they master.  


PRINTABLES & WORKSHEETS
  • Teachers Pay Teachers- Not ALL free, but a great resource nonetheless.  You can buy entire book studies and plethora of other of materials, all while supporting really great teachers. 

MY FATHERS WORLD RESOURCES
  • MFW Facebook Groups-   I can not say enough about how helpful these groups are! There is a main group, then other offshoots for each specific year. Join and use the  FILES SECTIONS, and save hours of time in prep!!!!
  • Mamma Jenn-  This MFW Homeschooling mom of twins is a kindred spirit!  She has a ton of FREE printable  for every year in MFW.
  • Leading Them To The Rock- I share how I organize my day with workboxes, and several free curriculum lists, which can be found on my My Father's Tab of this site.


PLEASE COMMENT IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER 
FREE HOMESCHOOL RESOURCES TO SHARE! 


2 comments:

  1. Choosing a right homeschooling program can be a tedious process. With online homeschooling, you will agree with me that it is the right one for your kids. Your children can retain more information and better understand the subjects because the program does not rush them into learning. Online homeschool makes learning fun and enjoyable. This way your children can be motivated to learn more.

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