50+ Ways to Learn and Play With Social Studies

Looking for some hands-on ways for kids to work on history, geography, government and more? There are so many great ways to work on these skills with kids besides boring lesson plans and textbooks. Here are 50+ great ways for kids to learn social studies from fun, games and real life: Volunteer at a historic […]

50+ Real Life Ways to Learn Math

Looking for some hands-on ways for kids to work on multiplication, fractions, ratios, algebra and more? There are so many great ways to work on these skills with kids besides worksheets and textbooks. Here are 50+ great ways for kids to learn math from games and real life: (Note: This was supposed to be 50, […]

10 Fun Free Ways to Play with Geography

Looking for some fun ways to sneak in some geography this week? Here are all kinds of ways to help kids (and you!) learn about countries, maps and regions. Note: Affiliate links to Amazon are provided when helpful. Purchases from our links earn us a small commission to help keep the lights on here. I […]

50 Fun Ways for Kids to Get Great at Spelling

All five of our homeschooled kids are now great spellers, but they weren’t always great. They learned in different ways that suited them, but in the end they all ended up becoming excellent spellers — without worksheets, drills or a curriculum. How? It was easier than I thought it would be, once they learned in […]

Learn French Free with The French Tutorial

Have you heard of The French Tutorial? It offers a full French course absolutely free online. The website, which has been around since 1999, says: The French Tutorial is a web-based step by step lesson covering basics, pronunciation, but also grammar, vocabulary and everyday French. It offers audio and video support for better oral comprehension, […]

Fabulous Free American Sign Language Curriculum, Classes & More

Is your child interested in learning American Sign Language? There are some really wonderful free resources for kids of all ages to learn ASL. The American Sign Language University offers wonderful free online ASL classes.  They provide four levels of classes for free, with each course building on the last and comprising of 15 in-depth […]

Kids Can Learn Native Languages FREE with 7000 Languages

Here’s a wonderful free resource for adults or kids to learn indigenous languages. 7000 Languages is a nonprofit website and app that teaches native languages such as Dakota, Cree, Balinese and Ojibwe, absolutely free. 7000 Languages explains: We create free online language-learning courses in partnership with Indigenous, minority, and refugee communities so they can keep […]

Artsology Uses Games to Teach Kids About Famous Art

Have your kids played on Artsology yet? This free site uses a wide range of games and activities to teach kids about famous art and music, from Georgia O’Keefe flower puzzles to Salvado Dali hangman to virtual graffiti tagging and jazz musician name scrambles. This is a site we visited with our older kids years […]

Kids Can Win Scholarships Through the Science without Borders Annual Art Contest

Here’s a way for kids to be creative, spread awareness to protect our oceans and coral reefs, and possibly earn scholarship money through their art right now. The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation’s Science without Borders® Challenge is an annual art contest open to kids 11-19 years old, with scholarships of up to $500 […]

Review: Study with Me Gives Bullet Journaling Inspiration for Homeschoolers

A newly released #studygram inspired book offers great inspiration for students to use bullet journals for studying, and can also be used by homeschool parents for bujo ideas for kids. Study with Me: Effective Bullet Journaling Techniques, Habits, and Hacks To Be Successful, Productive, and Organized was released this month and I was lucky enough […]

Free Online Ojibwe Language Class

Here’s a fantastic free resource for foreign language learning. The University of Wisconsin Au Claire allows anyone to view their live or archived Ojibwe (Chippewa) language classes absolutely free. The University says: Welcome to our Online Ojibwe Language Program, where anyone can watch our live or archived classes for free. Archived classes can be found […]

Kids Can Learn History, Mythology and More With FREE Superhero Course with Late Stan Lee

Kids Can Learn History, Mythology and More With FREE Superhero Course with Late Stan Lee

Here’s a fantastic opportunity for kids who like superheroes like Spider-Man, Iron Man and the Avengers that will help them learn history, mythology and more.  Before his death, comic book legend Stan Lee contributed to a class on superheroes that’s now available for free on edX. The SmithsonianX course, titled “The Rise of Superheroes and […]

Fantastic college scholarships that are open to homeschoolers

10 Fantastic College Scholarships That Are Open to Homeschoolers

Is your homeschooled teen college-bound and looking for financial help in paying for college? Scholarships are a great way to pay for college without going into debt and many grants and scholarships are very homeschool-friendly. Here are 10 great college grants and scholarships that are homeschool friendly, with a little information on each. Federal Pell […]

IHA offers free U.S. History textbook online

IHA Offers FREE U.S. History Textbook Online

Here’s a great resource for high school or advanced middle school level American history. USHistory.org offers its entire U.S. history textbook free online. The 60-unit textbook covers our nation’s history “From Pre-Columbian to the New Millennium,” with chapters beginning with Native American Society on the Eve of British Colonization and ending with Toward a New […]

Free 9th Grade Animal Biology Curriculum Fat Dogs and Coughing Horses

Free 9th Grade Animal Biology Curriculum

Here’s a great freebie, courtesy of Purdue University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.  They offer their 9th grade curriculum, “Fat Dogs and Coughing Horses,” absolutely free online. They say: The 9th grade biology curriculum is already full and teachers often feel pressured by trying to cover everything during the course of the school year. With that […]

Shakespeare Fortune Teller!

Shakespeare Fortune Teller! (and lots more Shakespeare fun)

Here’s a way to have a little fun with the kids and work in some Shakespeare. Shakespeare online has a Shakespeare Fortune Teller that lets you pick from 7 questions to see which Shakespeare quote will tell your fates. The questions are… Will I be prosperous? Will I get married? Will he change after marriage? […]

Free Innate Immune System Poster!

Here’s a fantastic science freebie! The innate immune system is your first line of defense against many pathogens. BioLegend is offering their newest poster on Innate Immune Signaling, which covers TLR, NOD, Lectin signaling pathways, and more. You can learn more about innate signaling with their webpage and request this FREE poster and many others […]

Free physics comic books and coloring books

Looking for some great resources to help teach physics? The American Physics Society offers a wealth of great resources for kids of all ages — free. The APS’s PhysicsCentral provides physics-related comic books to read online, along with coloring books, activity guides, podcasts and vodcasts, physics games, book suggestions and more. The comic books, which […]

Sensory Integration tricks to help kids focus -- from pre-K through high school

Sensory Integration tricks to help kids focus — from pre-K through high school

It can be very hard for some children to sit still and pay attention, even into the teen years. While it’s a common misunderstanding that this is always a sign of an issue like ADHD or that the child is not trying hard enough, there are actually many reasons kids can have trouble concentrating. Among […]

Cold weather science: Make a cloud on the ground!

Cold weather science: Make a cloud on the ground!

Here’s one of those science experiments you can only do when it’s very, very cold — vaporize hot water! We first got this experiment from Mad Science of Minnesota , who posted it to their Facebook page in 2011. A fun thing to do in extreme cold is to throw hot water into the air. […]

Sing physics and chemistry carols with the kids! (Updated with more songs)

Sing physics and chemistry carols with the kids! (Updated with more songs)

Here’s a great way to combine some seasonal fun with science. Learn some physics and chemistry carols! From “The 12 Days of Newton” to “O Come All Ye Gases” to “I’m Dreaming of a White Precipitate,” there’s all sorts of science fun at these sites. I first shared these in 2011 and one of the […]

SDSU offers excellent free K-8 biology curriculum

SDSU offers excellent free K-8 biology curriculum

Here’s another great free science curriculum that homeschoolers can take advantage of. San Diego State University has developed a full curriculum of biology lessons for prospective or practicing teachers, complete with experiments, discussion questions, teacher guides, and more. Note as of 7-17-14: The links to this curriculum are currently not working at the SDSU site. […]

Free algebra games, lesson plans and curricula for all ages

Free algebra games, lesson plans and curricula for all ages

Looking for some resources to help teach algebra? There are some really phenomenal ones online, absolutely free. Here are some of the best. (Note that some sites offer multiple types of resources, but are listed in the section of their greatest strengths. For instance, CK-12 is listed under free textbooks but it also provides free […]

ACS offers free high school energy curriculum

ACS offers free high school energy curriculum

Here’s another helpful science resource that’s free online. The American Chemical Society offers a free high school level curriculum on energy that contains lesson plans, handouts, experiments, video links and more. The curriculum can be viewed online or downloaded as a 152 page PDF file. ACS says: Energy Foundations for High School Chemistry is a […]

Lizard Point offers fabulous geography tools for teachers (FREE)

Lizard Point offers fabulous geography tools for teachers (FREE)

Here’s a wonderful site to help kids learn all kinds of world geography, absolutely free. Lizard Point Quizzes offers interactive geography games that teach everything from countries in Africa to Canadian provinces to geophysical regions of the United States. In addition, they also provide features like merit stamps and give teachers the ability to track […]

National Academies Press offers free evolution books online

National Academies Press offers free evolution books online

Here’s a wonderful resource to help teach evolution. The National Academies Press offers all of its evolution-themed science publications free online. One of the most helpful books is the NAP’s 88-page Science, Evolution, and Creationism, which was written by a team of experts from the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Sciences and Institute […]