Social distancing and voluntary isolation are not only in vogue, right now they are mandatory. For those of us who homeschool, it’s pretty much life as usual. Our children have their books, supplies, and assignments on hand.
However, for parents on whom the burden of continuing their children’s education has suddenly been thrust, this is definitely outside of their comfort zone.
Earlier this week I wrote a post on 30 ways you can spend time with your children without leaving the house. This article will focus on helping parents find quality, on-line sources of education that will help keep their students on-track, challenged, and moving forward academically.
Help from a seasoned homeschool Mom
I’ve homeschooled for two decades. That’s right! About 20 years of my life have been spent educating my own children. I looked through list after list of free, on-line resources, selecting the best of the bunch. I have used most of these myself in the past.
I’ve divided the list into those that offer you a complete curriculum and those that are more enrichment or supplementary help.
For each list, I’ve included a link to the website and a snapshot of what they offer.
Most importantly, these resources are free – all the time – not just for the Covid-19 outbreak.
Begin at your library
Although libraries may be closed across the nation, you should always begin your quest for education at your library website. You can access many otherwise premium websites just by entering your library user card information.
At my library website, there are 26 different portals on their research page alone. Although a few are accessible only while at the library, most are also available at home.
By following a few clear, easy prompts, in about five minutes you can:
- Check out digital versions of books
- Access premium portals for conducting research
- Access newspaper articles from across the nation
- Get homework help
- Practice for ACT/SAT Tests
- Conduct ancestor research
- Find information on jobs
- Read product reviews on Consumer Reports
Complete Curriculum
| Website | Grade Level | Comments |
| Ambleside Online | K-12 | Uses Public Domain material, Well organized, Charlotte Mason based learning. |
| DiscoveryK12 | K-12 | 7 Subjects: Reading/Literature, Language Arts, Math, History/Social Studies, Science, Visual/Performing Arts and Physical Education. Includes videos, slides, worksheets, and resources for each lesson. Always free with optional upgrade to track grades, attendance reports, and more. |
| Little House Kindergarten | K | “Pay what you can” (even if that’s $0). Covers every subject. Used by over 3000 educational centers and families in 130 countries. Created by a former classroom teacher. |
| Old Fashioned Education | K-12 | Christian based, Uses public domain material, a little “old fashioned”, but great if you are looking for conservative, character-based education. |
| CK-12 | K-College | Especially helpful for Grades 5+, Divided into math, science, English, and social studies. Lots of upper level math options. Offered in several languages. |
| Easy Peasy All-in-one Homeschool | Pre-k – High school | Well organized, all resources are on-line, Daily lesson plans, Easy to “hop on” for a few weeks and then “hop off” when your public school resumes classes. |
Subject Enrichment/Learning
| Website | Grade Level | Comments |
| 123Homeschool4me | K-12 | Over 100,000 Supplemental worksheets in a variety of subject areas. |
| Core Knowledge | Pre-k – 8 | I have used this site and enjoyed the lesson plans. Covers a multitude of subject areas, adaptable to your child and situation, arranged topically. Grades K-8. |
| Curriculum Pathways | K-12 | Perfect for keeping your kids busy and learning! Covers most subject areas. Downloadable APPS. *This site is set to expire in August 2020. |
| Hippo Campus | 5-12 | 7000 Videos in 13 subject areas, covering: Math, Social science, Natural Science, and Humanities. |
| Khan Academy | Pre-k – high school | Notorious for their high quality, well-produced content (which has always been free). Covers: Math, Reading, Science and Engineering, Computing, Arts and Humanities, Economics and Finance, Test Prep. For your younger students check out the free Khan Academy App, * Note! During the COVID-19 school closures, they are offering free daily schedules for ages 4-18. Look for the bright blue banner at the top of the page. |
| MathAcademy | K-College | Covers 1000 math and science concepts in 27 subjects, K-college. If your student is stuck on a problem, they can either enter a math term or an actual problem, press a button, and instantly a step-by-step explanation appears. |
| PBSLearningMedia | K-12 | PBS was one of my children’s first learning experiences. Instructors, parents, and students can use their searchable database to find lesson plans and interactive games in every subject area. |
| PurdueOwl | 5-12 | I recommend this site for all high school students. Proctored by Purdue University, you can trust their high quality, correct information on writing. |
| Quizlet | 3-12 | I adore Quizlet and my boys use it all the time. No matter what your child is studying, there is probably a set of flash cards or study notes posted on Quizlet. Covers most subject areas. |
| Readworks | K-12 | Reading Comprehension, always free, interactive, searchable, used by nearly 100,000 schools! |
| ReadWriteThink | K-12 | I have personally used this site and loved it. Lots of lesson plans with downloadable student worksheets and forms. Easily searchable. Reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. |
| Starfall | K-3 | I used Starfall to help teach my boys to read. Although portions of it are no longer free, there is enough free content to make it worth a mention. Reading, English, Spelling |
| TEDEd | 3-adult | TED Talks are famous the world over, but few know that their website offers you the convenience of searching by topic, great animations, supplemental material, and quizzes. Covers most subject areas. |
| YouTube | K-college | YouTube is the top searchable database, second only to Google. You may need to parental oversight, but it’s a great way to find great videos covering every subject area. |
I truly hope you have found this helpful.
