There are those who know they are going to homeschool even before they have children. Then there are those who are thrown into it very unexpectedly. I'm of the latter group. My girls were enrolled and ready to enter kindergarten at our local elementary school,
but I just couldn't do it. I went to Plan B: Homeschooling.
Homeschooling can be very expensive with all the curriculum that is available, but it doesn't have to be. I firmly believe that all you really need to begin homeschooling is
- a positive attitude
- a love for learning
- resourcefulness
- a library card
When you are first starting out,
don't panic and don't spend tons of money on curriculum. Instead, you and your kiddos take full advantage of the empty zoo, park, aquarium, science center and library in your area because everyone else is in school. Spend some time diving into what's interesting to you and your kiddos. Finally, check out these free resources, or low-cost resources, to get your homeschool started without busting the bank.
Math
My girls were seriously into Prodigy. They would ask me to play it! Students have to battle wizards and in order to cast a spell, they had to answer math questions. Parents can also schedule certain math activities for the student to practice such as telling time or multiple-digit addition. There are other students using the game and can interact with your kiddos, but you can control that in the settings.
Kahn has math practice for students kindergarten through high school. They also have other subjects for older students including science & engineering, computing, and economics.
Language Arts
I have seen this title at my local library. If your library doesn't have it, put in a request for them to purchase it.
The Good and the Beautiful offers Christian-based language arts curriculum, levels 1-5, for free in the form of printable PDF files. Each level includes phonics, reading, spelling, grammar, writing, and literature. It even ties in art, art appreciation and geography. For some of the levels, there are readers that go along with the curriculum available in the form of PDF files for a small price. For other levels, the books can be borrowed from your library or bought second hand.
Science & History
Library & YouTube
The best part about history is it's already written down for you! If your kiddos are K to 3rd grade, I would recommend starting with American history. There is a lot more available at the library for this age for this period of history. Then jump back in time to ancient history and move forward. Get yourself a world encyclopedia from your library as a spine and take one time period at a time.
You could also jump around history depending on interest. Ancient Greece, WWI, Egyptians, or kings and queens of the UK, whatever floats your boat.
The same can be done for science. There are loads of books on different subjects to choose from at the library including books dedicated to experiments. You could also watch and follow along with an experiment on YouTube. We did that for slime once with our co-op.
Art
Art with Nana is always a good time. She takes your student step-by-step through an art piece using her favorite medium chalk pastels. Many times her projects center around a
holiday,
season or another occasion such as the
Perseid meteor shower, or
Star Trek
YouTube
For our first grade year, I didn't buy a curriculum for art at all. I gathered a bunch of kids art videos online from youtube and
made my own playlist. Check out channels like
Art for Kids Hub,
Paper Magic, MrPStudios, and
ArtLessonPlanVideos. Also, your students can travel with Mati and Dada to learn about specific artists at
Art with Mati & Dada
I don't have any personal experience with KinderArt...yet. The site has a ton of art projects with detailed instructions and organized by grade. The projects do increase with difficulty, simple materials are used, and the
art history projects introduce your students to the Masters.
All Subjects & Electives
Outschool offers live online classes with a teacher who has a passion for the subject they're teaching for a small fee. Some classes are one-and-done, others are over a period of several weeks. Over the years, my girls have used Outschool for science, art, geography, and language arts. In our experience, the classes have been engaging, fun, and informative. They've been a great supplement to our curriculum and a great jumping off point to dive down some rabbit holes.
Full Curriculum
In my opinion, Easy Peasy is a great option if you are looking for a free curriculum for your kiddos. You can choose to do the full online curriculum or you can choose to do a single subject. Each day is organized and easy to follow with links for each activity given. You will need to do some planning ahead of time such as pre-printing worksheets or gathering materials for science activities. If you prefer a printed curriculum, you can order them through the
EPStore. There are several support pages for Easy Peasy including their
Main Support Group,
Special Needs Support Group, and
High School Support Group
Ambleside follows the Charlotte Mason philosophy which is literature-based. At AO you will find a detailed schedule and booklist for Kindergarten to grade 12. You will have to find your own math and, if you choose to, foreign language curriculums. While the schedule is all planned out for you, the books are not included. Some of the books can be found online and are linked to on AO. Other books can be either found at your library or bought second hand.
Worksheets, Handouts & Lapbooks
I have found many printables for free on Teachers Pay Teachers for math, science, and history. There are also printables available that can support your kiddos learning for very little investment.
Homeschool share is another site I've frequented for free printables, especially lapbooking and notebooking pages.
Check out what events your local library or youth center is hosting. Classes can range from storytime to art, ballet, and karate. Get in touch with local homeschool groups or co-ops to find support and other resources you may not know of yet. Be resourceful!
Transitioning to homeschool does not need to happen all in one shot, you do not need to have it all figured out. Focus on the child in front of you and go from there.
You've got this!!
