Years ago, when we began homeschooling, I was SCARED to death. However, I still jumped in this whole process and haven’t turned back! Along the path I have found some favorites (as far as books, YouTube Channels, Websites, Apps, & curriculums) that we will forever cherish, turn to, or always keep on hand. You may find that throughout the years, you will accumulate your own special library with your family too!
Before Kindergarten or in the younger years, focus primarily on ‘skills to develop’ and dive into learning about whatever they’re interested in vs. filling them with HUGE amounts of knowledge in math, science, geography, language, etc… TRUST ME. YOU’LL BE LEARNING ABOUT THAT IN NO TIME! 😉
Enjoy learning about your child(ren) and with them. Have fun with math manipulatives, games, counting toys, identifying numbers, playing outside, visiting the zoo or farm, go on field trips, ask lots of questions for your child to think about, read Dr. Seuss books, make crafts, cook in the kitchen, let them help with laundry and other household chores which are age appropriate, create fun stuff for the holidays (EASY STUFF!), memorize fun poems, read about things they love and care about, and visually or audibly record them telling you about the things they have learned about! This is fun!
So here are some ideas for your family! Most of this, is for grades such as 4th – 6th, then 6th-9th, and 9th-12th. 🙂
GETTING STARTED :
Here are some great all-in-One (Boxed) Curriculums:
Sonlight, My Father’s World, Memoria Press, Masterbooks, Five-in-a-Row, and Heart of Dakota
WE USE Classical Conversations.
It is the core & guide for our learning.
SolaGratia Mom, Homeschool with Winnie, and Half-a-Hundred Acre Wood are excellent websites to use along with CC, but you really don’t need a lot of extra stuff, unless you want to accumulate your own library like we have!
CURRICULUMS WE ADMIRE:
Bible
Leading Little Ones to God, The Jesus Storybook Bible, Firmly Planted, Grapevine Studies, Buck Denver’s What’s in the Bible DVD Series, The Action Bible & Audiobook, The Big Picture Interactive Storybook, The Gospel Project 🙂
Reading
Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, The Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Teaching Your Child to Read, All About Reading, & the Explode the Code Workbooks
Reading Eggs Website
Reader Books- Bob Books, McRuffy Readers
Writing
Handwriting Without Tears (If your child is just starting to write)
As they get older– Writing Strands, Institute for Excellence in Writing- Teaching Writing, Structure, & Style, Jensen’s Format Writing, Classical Composition Series, Writing with the Best: Modeling Writing After Great Works of World Literature- Vol. 1 & 2 , Jensen’s Punctuation, Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide, The Power in Your Hands: Writing Nonfiction in High School-Sec. Ed., Teaching the Classics DVDs and Workbook
English Grammar
Shurley English, Fix it Grammar, Jensen’s Grammar, Easy Grammar, Analytical Grammar, Our Mother Tongue, Diagramming Sentences Workbook
www.1aiway.com for diagramming any sentence
YouTube: Khan Academy 🙂
Youtube: Schoolhouse Rock Songs
Grammaropolis Website
Vocabulary
Rockin’ Root Words Workbooks
Jensen’s Vocabulary
Math
Abeka & Saxon Mathematics
Books– Life of Fred Series
YouTube: Khan Academy & Math Antics
IXL Learning
Math Practice Online (Website)
Math Games (Website)
Matific (Website)
Number Nut (Website)
History
A Child’s History of the World, Story of the World, Pages of History books 1 & 2, America’s Story, Everything You Need to Know about World History book, Kingfisher’s Encyclopedia of World History book, Usborne’s Book of History, Beautiful Feet History, Mystery of History, History Odyssey, History Timeline Cards from Classical Conversations, Profiles from History, Amazon’s Timeline of History- Chart, History Year by Year- book, History Pockets, The Everything Kids Presidents Book, Childhood of Famous Americans– Book Series, Nest DVDs, All American History, Adventures in America
Documentaries from YouTube or Netflix
Biographies from Ducksters & YWHAM
Homeschool in the Woods Lapbooks
Mr. Donn (Website)
Hulu: Adventures with Pipo (Ancient History & Middle Ages..)
Liberty Kids DVD Series from Amazon (U.S. History)
Geography
Pin it! Game/Maps & Blobbing
Geography Trivium Tables from Classical Conversations, Window on the World book, Galloping Around the Globe, recipe & art books for geography, Ann Voskamp’s a Child’s Geography, Geography-Based Writing Lessons: Incorporating Beautiful Feet books- Geography Through Literature, The Everything Kids Geography book, The Everything You Need to Know about Geography book, Map Trek for World & USA
(We also learn the flags & cultures of many different areas)
Homeschool in the Woods- Maps
GeoMatters- Lapbooks
Sheppard’s Software
Geography4Kids
App: Stack the States
Science
Christian Kids Explore books, Elemental Science, R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey, The Everything You Need to Know about Science book, Dr. J. Wile Science Series, Apologia Science, Real Science 4 Kids, Science Starters by Tom DeRosa & Carolyn Reeves, DVD Series of Awesome Science with Noah Justice, God’s Design Series, Astronomy, Physics, Chemistry, & Biology 4 Kids by Rader, God’s Big Book of Earth and Sky
YouTube: Bill Nye the Science Guy, The Magic School Bus, The Dr. Binocs Show, Make Me Genius, Raindrop Water Adventure Toons
Magazine subscription to Kid’s Discover🙂
Brain Pop– App.
Usborne Science books
Science Spot
Science Games
Science & Math
Science Lapbooks
Art & Drawing
Youtube: Art Hub for Kids
Artistic Pursuits Series
Draw N’ Write Now Series
Missionary Studies
YWHAM – Christian Heroes
Spanish
Rosetta-Stone Spanish Software
Duolingo App.
Babbel
Latin
Why Latin?
Dinolingo Website & Song School Latin Workbooks & CD
Piano
Mahalo (YouTube)
Piano Chops
Character, Sibling Peace, & Integrity Learning
Lamplighter books
My Brother’s Keeper book
Adventures from the Book of Virtues Series – YouTube
We Choose Virtues Poster
Working Hard
Accountable Kids Idea
Money & Finances
Money Matters for Kids
Becoming Money Wise- book
MoneyBright Kids DVDs
Unit Studies
Valerie Bendt Website
Homeschool in the Woods
Lapbooks
A Journey Through Learning
Teachers Pay Teachers
Wisdom & Righteousness
Nature Studies
Magazine Subscription- Birds & Blooms
Audobon’s Guidebook
Fun with Nature– book
Typing
Typing Instructor Software