This Isn’t Your Mother’s Homeschool

We started homeschooling in 1991, more than two decades ago. In an age of such rapid technological advancement, homeschooling looks much different than it did back then. In fact, it might look much different than it did just last year!

In my family, we have second-generation homeschoolers.  When I started homeschooling I hadn’t even begun to think about grandchildren and now some of them are school age already.

How new homeschoolers are choosing to teach their children looks so much different today. Now they have iPads, laptops, earbuds, and other things to assist their learning in ways we never even imagined. And with all those devices and all the incredible resources available over the internet, the possibilities are endless. My elementary aged grandchildren are already quite capable of using an iPad with ease.

I am trying to keep up with the changing times the best I can but sometimes I feel like I’m being left behind. Not to worry, my students are already smarter than me and they keep moving right along with no trouble whatsoever.

This year we are doing more online learning than ever before and the best part is most of it is free or at very little cost.

Here are some of the things we will be using this fall.

Khan Academy – A library of over 4300 videos covering topics in science, humanities, and even finance.

Mango Languages –  Choose from dozens of foreign languages to learn. You can try it free and then pay for a subscription if you like it. However, our local library buys a subscription that is made available to us for free through the library’s website. Check with your library.

Eyewitness to History – This site contains documented eyewitness accounts of actual historical events from ancient times through the 20th Century. It’s a fascinating way to learn history from the people who lived it.

Vocabulary Spelling City – This site contains all the spelling and vocabulary curriculum you could possibly need. It has everything from traditional lists, to specialized subject terms to the ability to customize your own program. Much of the site is available for free but for a reasonable yearly subscription, you get more resources and the ability to easily keep track of your student’s progress.

Write Source – I’ve used the books in this program to teach writing for years. Now they have resources and writing prompts available online for all grade levels.

And there is one more site that I couldn’t leave out.

Book Adventure -Although my boys are too old for this now (it’s for K-8), they loved being able to read books, take quizzes and earn points toward prizes. It’s like having a summer reading program all year long. A great way to encourage reading!

There are many more wonderful resources available online. I will be posting more of them as I run across them. Do you have a website that you would recommend? Please leave a comment and share it with us!