Tips for homeschooling- a helpful list of homeschool resources

Tips for homeschooling- a helpful list of homeschool resources

Tips for homeschooling- a helpful list of homeschool resources

We just graduated our first homeschooled student! It was an amazing day when she walked across the platform and we realized…we did it.

That said, I really wanted to share a list of resources that have helped us over the years. When we began the choices were fewer, and today the market overflows! But, there is nothing like the recommendation of a friend.

I hope these can encourage you as they have me. I have included links to help your search, but am not affiliated with any of the following companies. Here is our version of The Ultimate List of Homeschooling Books and Resouces…

Best Homeschooling Books for Parents

Educating the Whole Hearted Child by Clay and Sally Clarkson- How I wish I had this from the start

A Charlotte Mason Education by Catherine Levison

You Can Teach Your Child Successfully by Ruth Beechick

How To Create Your Own Unit Study by Valerie Bendt

One Hundred and One Devotions For Homeschool Moms by Jackie Wellwood

The Unschooling Handbook: How To Use the Whole World As Your Child’s Classroom by Mary Griffith

Christian Unschooling by Teri Brown- Whether  you agree with the philosophy, you’ll benefit by the encouragement of choices

Any books by Linda Dobson

Lies Homeschooling Moms Believe by Todd Wilson

The Imperfect Homeschooler’s Guide to Homeschooling by Barbara Frank

How To Get Your Child Off the Refrigerator and Onto Learning by Carol Barnier- This book was so helpful with distractable children

Is homeschooling Legal?

We highly recommend membership in HSLDA, Home School Legal Defense Association – Their resources are priceless and they’ll help you navigate laws in your area.

Help With Homeschool Planning

Every year I spend countless hours planning for the upcoming school year. It is a lot. Of. Work. Partly due to making things harder than they have to be.

1. Debra Bell’s Ultimate Planner series. We have used other calendars, unsuccessfully, but this one is different. The focus is teaching the parent how to implement self-teaching methods to the student. It walks you through steps in a way that I haven’t seen in other products through the years.

This product is worth every penny. For high school planning, this resource is valuable! If you are starting out with High School, it is worthwhile to check out books specifically devoted to that age group. Debra Bell has the most exhaustive one I have seen.

2. The Checklist by Cindy Downes. Buy it. It is spendy, and fantastic. It will help you organize learning as it happens, it is phenomenal, truly.

Great homeschool catalogs

Timberdoodle

The Rainbow Resource (btw, this is HUGE. It took me a few years to really dig in. I sure regret that delay, prices are rock bottom and they review everything!)

Sonlight 

Cathy Duffy Reviews, not a catalog but a reputable resource for product/curriculum reviews for YEARS

A few favorite homeschool curriculums

Life of Fred for math of all ages, Primary Math for younger kids, Teaching Textbooks for all grades (especially great if math is not the parent’s strong area)

Times Tables the Fun Way  for help with struggling learners

Bob books for beginning readers

Five in a row

Easy Grammar and Daily Grams 

A Reason For Handwriting, Handwriting Without Tears (and why it matters)

The Prairie Primer unit study (loved)

Tapestry of Grace unit studies (very popular)

A World of Adventure unit study (unit studies are easy to combine different child’s grades at once)

Hands-on History, activity and lapbooks and excellent for hands-on learners. We especially enjoyed adding on Music and Art supplements through lapbooks. A wonderful investment of learning time

Beautiful Feet, history that isn’t boring

Apologia Science, especially for advanced high school science like Anatomy and Physiology

Considering God’s Creation for the younger ones, and Apologia Exploring Creation science books for all ages (including advanced high school), and lapbooks based on The Magic School Bus books

Galloping the Globe for young geography

Movies as Literature for older kids

Uncle Eric series on economics and government

Supplemental fun videos- Schoolhouse Rock, The Magic School bus, Liberty’s Kids

It is fun to create literature units based on interests, such as The Hobbit

TOPS learning systems for science kits that work

Check out local universities for homeschool programs, and find out if your area has co-ops if you’d like to have additional supplementation!

Travel The Road Dvds for really interesting stories with two young missionaries, a camera and a quest for adventure

Visual Latin I was unconvinced that Latin would be necessary for my kids to learn, until I saw a sample of Dwane Thomas’ teaching (it made me laugh!)

Homeschool Magazines

The Old Schoolhouse -TThe first resource I ever found is still going strong

Homeschool Enrichment This was the first place I was ever published! It is a great resource with a wide variety of topics

Homeschooling Today

When I started there was no such THING as blogs, ha! Today, there are countless homeschooling websites and blogs from parents just like you, sharing what works for them…and what doesn’t. Search for any topic, and you’ll likely find encouragement and inspiration.

Comparison has no useful place in homeschooling

Homeschooling is hard work and one of the most rewarding investments of time imaginable. Don’t give up, when you start to see the fruit of your labor? It will amaze you!

When the season ends? It is okay to feel a bit lost, or sad. Start now to prepare a new dream for the next season, when your spring comes again.

And please remember, not all kids like all subjects. Not all years are stellar learning, life happens. Not all programs are good fits for your family.

It doesn’t matter a bit of “everyone else” loves something your kids cry over with frustration! It’s ok, truly.

Shoot, my kids still laugh that they learned about some subjects over and over as we restarted. And, it took almost 3 years for one child to learn times tables.

Imperfection is just part of the journey, and embracing it makes the times enjoyable. Fighting it makes everyone miserable.

You’ve got this mama, I believe in you♥.

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P.S. If you are just thinking about how to start homeschooling, read this post

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