Homeschooling Resources You Need to Know About!

Did you know? Having the right homeschooling resources can make your life EASIER! 

When I returned to working outside the home and set about juggling homeschooling and working, I oddly thought in my “homeschool”, nothing would need to change.

I was wrong.

At first, everything seemed to be working great… and then it started to fall apart.

Disclosure: I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Figuring Out There Is No Perfect Curriculum

After night after night of tears and frustration, I came to the realization that something had to give. That “something” ended up being my all-time favorite curriculum.

While hunting for the “perfect” homeschooling resources, I learned that no perfect curriculum suits every child and every homeschool.

Instead, I needed to find curricula that would fit our new schedule and suit my children’s needs. I needed to find quality resources they could do on their own, or that would take little to no preparation on my part.

I am not exaggerating when I say online curriculum literally saved our homeschool along with my sanity!

Homeschooling Resources For Your Homeschool

Below is a list of resources that are suited for the working homeschool mom lifestyle.

The requirements were that the homeschool resource would take little to no prep and/or be easy to obtain.

Some of the homeschool resources listed below are online, and some are not. Many are free!

Most I have used personally or have been highly recommended by other working homeschooling moms. Always remember it is your child, your family, and your homeschool.

Homeschooling is not a one size fits all. Use what you can and disregard what doesn’t fit!

Disclaimer: I’ve done my best to choose programs I think my readers would enjoy, but I haven’t personally used every single program listed below. Please preview to determine what’s appropriate for you and your family.

If you know of any I have missed, please let me know, and I will be happy to update this list. Are you excited?? Let’s get started!

P-12 Online Programs:

Online K-12 complete programs, meaning they you wouldn’t need to use anything else. That said most homeschoolers pick and choose from the curriculum offered and supplement as needed.

• Easy Peasy Homeschool -This program is free. This program saved my homeschool. (High School Programs)
• Schoolhouseteachers.com -This program is a monthly subscription. Read my personal review: Schoolhouseteachers.com  
• Khan Academy-This program is free. Most people think of math, however, Khan Academy covers arts, computer, science and more. Totally worth checking out.
• Time4Learning-This program is a monthly subscription as well. It can also be used as an after school program, summer school program or skills-building program.
• CK-12 this is a program I always forget about but truly is a great resource! They have so much available and all for free.
• BrainPOP– 7 subjects! Great to supplement what you are learning.
• IXL– P-12 great for  Math and English, Free
• HippoCampus  -5, 700 videos in 13 subject areas-Great for children that learn visually.

If you are looking for super fantastic online resources only be sure to read: Online Courses for Homeschoolers: K-12

Homeschooling Resources:

These homeschooling resources are stores and companies that offer a wide variety of offline or digital resources.

• Not Consumed Homeschooling Curriculum

Homeschool Worksheets & Notebooking Pages

• Notebooking Pages– Notebooking pages are one of my absolute favorite resources for homeschooling, I use them as worksheets, but by all means, use them your way.
• Turtle Diary: This site has free worksheets for up to grade 6th. Use grades as a guide, perfect for kids who love worksheets!
• Homeschool Share: Lapbooks and unit studies

Math Resources:

• Teaching Textbooks – In CD format and Textbook /workbook. Many parents swear by this math program, worth checking out.
• Illuminations – K-12 this site offers more than 600 online resources (lessons, activities, and games) for free.
• Math Drills Printable worksheets with answers for free.
• Math Fact Cafe K-5th grade, games, worksheets, and more for free.
• Patrick JMT Math being taught through video is great for children who are visual-based learners. (middle school-high school) Free
• Mathletics-online & app math program
• Xtra Math Help kids learn the basics of math
• CTC Math – The only math program that works for my daughter. Read our review and get a coupon to save 60% off here.
• Thinkster Math– At home tutoring program. Try it for 7 days for free! 
• Mr D Math – highly recommended by several working moms.

Language Arts:

• Literary Adventures For Kids – Full online language arts programs for all ages. (see more below)
• Spelling City Grade K-5 Free  Parents can save lists and more.
• Lexia Reading Core5 students of all abilities in grades pre-K–5 online or download
• Teach Your Monster to Read – This looks so cute!
• Free Rice  Grammar and Vocabulary practice for K-12, a really cool idea behind this company.
• Spelling Workout  Workbook series that breaks down each spelling list into easy, doable chunks. No prep is needed!
•  The Complete Writer: Writing With Skill Level 2 – We used level 1 last year, and C loved this book!! You will need an instructor’s textbook and a student workbook. 
• Analytical Grammar Set – Again we chose the student and teacher to eliminate guesswork.  I chose to invest in the Analytical Grammar: Reinforcement & Review Worksheets & Answer Keys so I can use it for 3 years (also found on Amazon if you are shopping there.

Literary Adventures For Kids:

 Poetry and a Movie: A Poetry Study for High School

This course has all the elements you need for a full-year language arts course for high school!

UPDATE: Read our full review here!  OR click here and use the discount code WHSM for 20% off!

American Literature Series: In each one, your child will go on rabbit trails of discovery into history, culture, and more. You will find ways to learn by experiencing parts of the book through hands-on activities.

American Literature Series:

• The Scarlet Letter Online Book Club
• To Kill A Mockingbird Online Book Club for Teens
• Fahrenheit 451 Online Book Club for Teens
• The Great Gatsby Online Book Club for Teens
• The Outsiders Online Book Club for Teens
• Up From Slavery Online Book Club for Teens
• Of Mice and Men Online Book Club for Teens
• A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court Online Book Club for Teens
• Little Women Online Book Club for Teens
• Slaughterhouse-Five Online Book Club for Teens

Check out all of their programs designed for busy working moms and use the discount code WHSM for 20% off!

Science Homeschool Resources:

• STEAM KIDS-Adding fun to our homeschool. Read our review here and how it changed our homeschool.  
• Backyard Science For All Ages: This is a digital downloadable book. Love it. We used it for our Backyard Bird Unit study.
• Magic School Bus – kits, books and science fun
• Little Passports Science Expeditions – science kits for older kids aged 9+
• Mystery Science

Discover more of our favorite science learning fun with our kits, books and resources here.

History:

• The story of the World vol. 4 – We’ve used this for YEARS! and love it. Zero prep for the “lesson.”   We have purchased the textbook, I only bought one activity book this year for the activities, recipes, and coloring pages; you can photocopy what you need.
• The Kingfisher History Encyclopedia My son loves that he can see what else is going on; the photos are amazing!

• Canadian Time Capsule: Canadian Time Capsule is a digital subscription box that focuses on history. Each month, you will get access to a new Time Capsule, a moment in Canadian history filled with resources, activities, printables, and more.  The goal of each capsule is to immerse yourself into that single moment and take a look around. Its intention is to get you and your children excited and interested and learn that Canadian history isn’t boring. My daughter used this program and she LOVED it.

• Canadian History Unit Study Resources here: A Beginners Guide To Canadian History: Notebooking Pages, Books and More!
• Horrible History Books – many loved this series, but be aware the humor is not for everyone. See if you can get your hands on a copy in your local library before buying.
• History timelines, famous people or areas using Notebooking Pages.
• Beautiful Feet History Books
• Letters From Afar – Letters From Afar are for travel lovers of all ages to learn about the world in a fun, old-fashioned way. Snail mail delivered right to your mailbox.

Typing:

• Dance Matt Typing
• Typing Web 
• Typing Club
• Typesy – this is our favorite non-kiddie program. The kids love it. Read our review here.

Foreign Language:

• French: SchoolhouseTeachers-French.
• Duolingo for the daily practice of many languages. Computer or app.
• Tiny Cards it is made by Duolingo! I love using it along with Duolingo.
• Breaking the Barrier
• Storytelling Spanish Language App: FabuLingua
• Spanish Educational Solutions

Homeschool Art Programs:

• Art School: Drawing 101 For Older Kids And Teens. (Read our review here) 

•  Artist and the Elements online course. I’ll start her off with the freebie course Shape and Form. All you need is a pencil and paper. Students will learn basic pencil skills to take a flat shape and make it appear three-dimensional. These simple skills are easily applied to future artwork and have a big impact!
• How To Draw Books for Kids
• Art Lessons From Easy Peasy – choose your child’s interest or grade level, free.
• Young + Wild & Friedman Playdough kits for younger children.

Homeschool Health & Cooking:

• Kids Cook Real Food. Not only does this program teach basic cooking skills but it encourages them to think about what is IN their food. You can read our full review here.
• How to Read Nutrition Labels for Kids: This is a 2 part video + Worksheet activity that teaches our kids how to read nutrition labels in the video so they can make informed, healthy decisions.
• Living the Good Life by David Patchell-Evans: this book came with the membership and includes his personal story, the basics of fitness, and balanced health.
• Choose My Plate: Helps you learn more about building healthy food and physical activity habits will help teens now and as they enter adulthood.

Subscription Boxes:

These are like a membership, but these get delivered straight to your door. Most will contain everything you need to for each activity or will require a few common household items:

• Groovy Box Lab-With Groovy Lab in a Box, you will receive boxes full of everything you need to learn about and do hands-on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) experiments for ages 8+. Each box includes the supplies you need along with a lab notebook for your child. A reader told me she liked this box more as it seemed to have a reason for doing the experiment, leading you toward a goal.

• Little Passports- Amazing teach your children about the world. Did you know they have subscriptions for older children too? These kits come with a 16-page comic book, you get to solve a mystery each month, hands-on experiments, access to online videos, and more.

Spangler Science – Amazing hands-on science delivered to your door every month!!! Ignite your child’s spark of science and creativity with a Spangler Science Club subscription. You can get many different programs and an online store in which you buy kits, learning toys, and more. You can see what is inside the box we got here: Unboxing My First Steve Spangler Club Box

So there you have it. The list of homeschooling resources I wish I had.

Saving Money Homeschooling Resources:

As a working mom who is also homeschooling, it is vital that we budget our money. Here are a few homeschooling resources pages to help you make the most of your dollar and still provide your child with a quality education.

• Free and Frugal Homeschool Resources
• My Favorite “Go-To” Homeschooling Resources
• Simple Ways to Save Money on Homeschool Curriculum

Great resources from around the web that are terrific for the working homeschool mom! Did I leave your favorite out, let me know below.

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