I am an affiliate for some links of products I have used in the past and researched thoroughly.
It’s overwhelming to wade through the internet when you need something fresh and, even better, free. Every month I’ll bring you new ideas and links to help you in your homeschool with themes for the holiday or national observances! Every Sunday, I include fresh finds and a FREEBIE in the newsletter. Before you go scrolling, you can just jump to just the good stuff you want this week:
I’ve broken it down by “grade” (but you homeschool so you aren’t limited by grades!) and occasion. I added in math, reading and science for each as well as a few surprises.
Homeschool Ideas for PreK – First
Homeschool Ideas for Elementary
Homeschool Ideas for Middle & High School
Deals Right Now
- We just started using Great Books Homeschool and absolutely love it! It’s clear, easy to use and truly affordable. It covers everything! We get many of our books from the library or Amazon. The curriculum is broken down by day and subject, love it. My twins like it because it’s not overwhelming. My early riser can get started because it’s easy to follow independently. My reluctant reader feels the workload is manageable and the choice for books and subjects interesting (read: worth his attention!). You can get 30% off here. Yay!
- Each week on Wednesday, Literary Adventures for Kids will have a FLASH SALE on one or more courses. You can grab that course for up to 50% off! Just use code WINNINGWEDNESDAY. Then get an extra 15% off with code CAFE15! What?! Yah, it’s pretty good. Visual Latin– This curriculum is a fantastic way to get your child started on Latin. The course is entertaining and easy, thanks to the gifted teacher, Dwane. You can save up to 35% on this course from through TOMORROW.
- Creative Writing Courses – If you’re looking for a high-school-level creative writing course, look no further. Compass Classroom’s Creative Writing courses are available at a discount of up to 30%.
- WordUp – A fun and engaging vocabulary program that your upper elementary and middle school kids will love! You can get it at a discount of 35% during the sale. A personal favorite!
- History – Compass Classroom offers four years of history courses, each one at a 30% discount. Choose from American History, Modernity, Antiquity, or Christendom. One high school student said, “I love it! It doesn’t describe History as just dates and events. It gives context as to why events took place, and the people behind them.”
- I had forgotten about all the deals we can get as homeschool parents. The Homeschool Mom has a huge list of ways to save as a homeschool family. From Target to Tutor.com, this is a great list to go over and save money.
- This Facebook page offers free homeschool deals almost daily. It’s wide-ranging, and I’ve dipped into a good dozen to make sure it was worth sharing. We have really enjoyed the weather and science downloadable study units. There are many free holiday fun things to download and print, too!
- Teacher Vision has free history and social studies units, worksheets and lesson plans broken down by subject and grade. We’ve just started to wade through this mighty resource but so far it’s been helpful for our fave subjects, mythology and history.
Kid’s Almanac
Click on the photo to download the page and answers and ways to use this worksheet in your homeschool all month long. For poetry, we found a few good resources but have been going down the Latin rabbit hole for poetry and really liked this one about the origination of Carpe Diem.
Poetry Help
Learn more about this month’s poet in the Homeschool Cafe Almanac at Poetry Foundation.
History Help
I put in historical facts tied to that month. Here are resources to help you 1) find the answers and 2) study more about the topic:
PBS History Detectives
History.com
National Archives
Phases of the Moon
Studying the phases of the moon can be a thrilling way to connect with the natural rhythm of the Earth and understand the moon’s affect on the natural world.
NEW! Generation Genius – The Moon & Its Phases
What is UTC time zone?
Common Sense Education Moon Phases Lesson Plan
Moon Phases and Eclipses
Moon Phases Vocabulary & Lesson Plan
Here are this week’s free curriculum resources and I move last week’s over to the FREE homeschool curriculum post. Also the latest free quizzes or where to get a free placement test or assessment resources I have found. This week;’s new resources are:
FundaFunda Online ClassesThis Month’s Recipe
These no-bake cocoa bombs are easy to make in any color combo you like! Leave off the ears if you aren’t into Disney or top with holiday cookies or sprinkles.
Check out the recipes, such as Rainbow Cheesecake Bars, where you can use the colors of the season!
New to Homeschool?
New to homeschooling? We’ve turned to Abigail over at The Woven Homeschool for advice on curriculum and she has great ideas to help you start, plan and feel confident in your homeschool.
Homeschool Ideas for PreK-1st
I was looking for a good climate lesson and stumbled across Better Lesson and oh my gosh I couldn’t wait to share. This has science, math, and ELA lesson plans with worksheets you can download. I’m using it to supplement our lessons on geography and I’m looking at a decimal plan for the twins (I don’t know why this is really tripping them up!). The lesson plans are pretty detailed and meant for a classroom, but there is so much there to pick and choose what to use in your homeschool.
Homeschool Preschool has a packed preschool activity calendar to celebrate all of May’s special days with FREE books, printables, and hands-on fun!
Cut the interruptions, stress, and time when your kids can easily and quickly whip up 8 different snacks themselves. Even preschoolers or kids with special needs can pitch in with visual recipes in the Kids-Make-It Snack Pack from Stand Up, Reach Out.
Big Homeschool Ideas for Elementary
Funda Funda has an online puzzle to solve with its Mystery of the Amber Room. Created in the 18th century in Prussia, the Amber Room was a magnificent room of amber panels that were eventually gifted to Russia, and then disappeared during World War II. You can work together as a family or give the kids something to do in the afternoons as they solve this mystery, learn about the history and exercise those critical thinking skills.
If you are teaching to common core or intend your child to go back to school at some point, the Core Knowledge series is perfect. They have complete courses with a teacher guide that is easy to follow.
- Language Arts
- History
- Geography
- Music
- Visual Arts
Looking for a study unit for a 5-week 45-minute class for science? It’s all spelled out with materials lists for each class and we can split the cost. Perfect for a co-op!
If your kids are interested in learning the basics of graphic design, my friend Sara over at Techie Homeschool Mom has just the thing to get them started. It’s straightforward and quickly gets them into all the fun things there are to do on Canva. My daughter made the shark coloring pages for shark week as part of the freebies that week and worksheets for her nephew that is (was) going into pre-k! Love that.
Graphic Design with Canva, is a self-paced course that will teach them useful graphic design skills in just 6 weeks. While completing the lessons, your kids will:
- use web tools to complete fun design projects
- practice giving feedback and constructive criticism within the course
- learn about the history of and careers in graphic design
… and more!
(One of my faves and I’m leaving here for a few friends who were asking about this.) Are you studying about famous artists? Learn all about Leonardo Da Vinci in this printable flip book from Simple Living. Creative Learning. Easy to print and use today!
Make the most of Middle and High School
YES! These are some of our favorite things. They are affordable courses with a lot of assistance, both for you and your kiddos at Literary Adventures for Kids. Get 15% off with discount code CAFE15! That makes courses at around $8 to start!
EXTRA CREDIT! Get “The Call of the Wild” FREE!
Get started on scholarship season with an essay for Techie Homeschool Mom! Every bit helps when you are planning on going to college. To enter, simply submit a 500-750 word essay explaining how the technology that you have used for homeschooling has prepared you for your future. Sara has some great suggestions in the post and all the details to collect some cool cash for college.
Homeschool on the Range has a Best of the Best Online Learning Options list that is broken down by subject. This is so helpful when you are feeling overwhelmed!
