A GUIDE TO SCHOOLING AT HOME

Lori Herring is the mother of 4 boys whom she and her husband home schooled for 28 years. She is a retired RN who is now the Director of Teen Eagles in Alabama. She has compiled a wealth of sound, readily available resources for parents to use with their children while this opportunity presents itself

Eagle Forum was started in 1975 when Mrs. Phyllis Schlafly realized that American families were in danger. The danger is different in these unique times, but Eagle Forum’s commitment to supporting families remains its most important pillar.

Many families who never dreamed of entering the world of homeschooling have found themselves at home with their children, in charge of their education for at least a few weeks. This, my friends, is a blessed time, even if it’s difficult to see right now.

Now, take a deep breath…let it out slowly….and look at your children with fresh eyes…. The Lord has given you these particular children because YOU and your SPOUSE were picked to teach and raise His children. You are equipped to do this. Relax…ask your Father for direction and He will hear you.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not to thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy path.” Proverbs 3:5-6

IMHO, the best way to start the day is to take a few minutes to thank the Lord for your blessings and ask Him for guidance for today. He is faithful. He will be your guide.  Then teach your children to do the same.

I have compiled a list of free or low-cost resources available online that anyone can use from home.  It is by no means a comprehensive list. In fact there is so much available it can be overwhelming.

The best way to homeschool is the way that works for your family, for each particular child.  What works great for one family, may not work for yours. Don’t be afraid to change if it’s not working

Kindergarten

For kindergarten, I recommend not using a particular curriculum. You are wanting to ignite the fire for learning. Children are born inquisitive and curious.  We just need to provide that fire with fuel and fun and it will burn brightly.  Most of all, READ, READ, READ!

Read out loud to your kids. Let them sit in your lap and follow the words with their finger.  If they are wiggly, let them play on the floor with blocks, or legos and read out loud to them. They are listening even if they aren’t still.  Every so often, stop and ask them to guess what’s next.  Ask them to tell you what just happened. The attention span of 5-year-olds is very short so don’t be upset if they can’t sit for several books in a row.

• Free Homeschool Deals
• Homeschool Share
• Homeschool Creations
• Confessions of a Homeschooler (printables)
• Preschool, Tot, and Kindergarten Printable Packs
• Read-Aloud Revival
• Starfall Education
• The Activity Mom
• Little House Kindergarten
• Free Kindergarten Curriculum
• 13 Tips and Tricks for Occupying the Littles
• Kindergarten math
• Free Kindergarten Math Worksheets
• Alphabet Coloring Book
• Open Culture – Archive of 6,000 Historical Children’s Books, All Digitized and Free to Read Online

Elementary School

• Arcade + Academics = Fun Learning
• Calculation Nation
• Free Rice
• Sumdog – Personalized math & spelling practice that students love.
• Alphabet Coloring Book
• Arcade + Academics = Fun Learning
• Book Adventure
• Handwriting Worksheets
• Free Rice
• Homeschool Creations
• FREE Printables and Learning Activities
• 3 Dinosaurs
• Homeschool Share – lapbooks galore
• Free Printables
• Free, printable notebooking pages for homeschool
• Pre-K-8 Curriculum/
• Learn
• Knowledge Adventure
• Science Kids

General Sites( free or very low price)

• South Alabama Homeschooling – This site is run by a friend of mine. No matter where you live, you would enjoy Erin’s virtual fieldtrips, especially during this strange day of quarantines. It does cost $8/family but I assure you it will be money well spent!
• Free download: The Complete Chronicles of Narnia Audiobooks
• TED-Ed – Teaching or learning from home?
• Explore NASA
• Create stories, games, and animations
• How to Smile – Science and math activities
• All-in-One Homeschool – Complete, All Free Curriculum
• Old Fashion Education
• Ambleside Online
• cK-12 – School Closure Resources for Remote Learning
• Smithsonian Channel
• Scishow – YouTube
• It’s Okay to be Smart – YouTube
• Free Audio Books for Kids/
• Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool
• Donna Young This was one of my favorite sites. Many lesson plans for all grades and curricula, organized, printable and much more
• Quizlet
• Science Kids
• Homeschool Giveaways and Freebies – very relevant to today’s situation

Middle School

• Hippo Campus
• Brave Writer – the online writing and language arts program for families.
• Classics for Kids
• The Frugal Homeschooling Mom – Free Resources for Homeschool Grades 6-8
• Project Gutenberg/ free ebooks
• Free Homeschool Deals
• Math.com
• Gateway to the Classics
• U READ THRU History
• Homeschooling Hearts and Minds
• Spelling Classroom
• U.S. History
• Just Free Books

High School

• cK12 – hand-picked lessons in math and science.
• Free Homeschool Deals
• Project Gutenberg – free ebooks
• Math.com
• Gateway to the Classics
• Homeschooling Hearts and Minds
• Stossel in the Classroom – 2020 Edition – FREE 115-minute DVD
• Stossel in the Classroom – Both Sides of the Issue series to help teachers present balanced lessons on the topics that John Stossel addresses.
• Saxon Homeschool
• National Library of Virtual Manipulatives
• 20 Great American Short Stories
• Just Free Books
• Wallbuilders
• Wallbuilders Library
• The United States Constitution/
• Studio Code – Learn Computer Science
• U.S. History
• Periodic Videos
• Teach Engineering – K-12 STEM Curriculum

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