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As I’ve mentioned in my previous post, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with all of the different homeschooling resources and curricula out there. The key is to figure out your homeschool philosophy and teaching style as well as your children’s learning styles to help narrow things down. We’re what people would call secular eclectic homeschoolers, where we use a variety of methods and nonreligious resources when available, but I personally don’t fret when I can’t find a secular curriculum I like or when religion is mentioned in texts.
To help minimize your frustration, here’s an edit of my favorites (both secular and nonsecular) that we actually use.
Language Arts
- Brave Writer – I really fell in love with this method of teaching writing. So often kids dread the process because they have to write something they do not care about. With this program, children are able to express themselves and become competent writers and communicators.
- Morning Time/Morning Basket – Similar to Circle Time that’s usually done in elementary schools. This is where we get a bulk of our read alouds, poetry, art, history, science, and gameschooling completed before we break apart to do independent work. What we do varies with the season and what we accomplish varies with the toddler’s mood.
- Poetry Teatime – My kids love doing poetry teatime. It’s the highlight of their week and they love inviting friends over to join in on the fun.
- Handwriting Without Tears – My son’s penmanship has improved tremendously once we started this program. Next month he’ll be ready for cursive writing, which he is looking forward to.
- Word Ladders (affiliate) – I remember learning about word ladders when I was earning my teaching credential and thought they were brilliant. We just started using this method after a stint with a more traditional spelling and vocabulary program.
- Linguistic Development through Poetry Memorization – Another fun way to develop language skills.
- My Little Poppies Gameschooling Language Arts – We love games! It’s a good way to take a break from academics while still working the brain.
- The Public Library – There’s no point in buying ALL of the books, unless of course, you live on an estate with your own personal library then by all means spend your money. But seriously, homeschooling can get expensive. Do your pocketbook a favor and borrow a book.
Math
- Beast Academy – My eldest son is advanced in mathematics and was feeling bored with the various curricula we have tried out. This program incorporates comic book style characters to help teach problem solving skills. There is both an online component and guidebooks, which can be used in unison or separately. We started the program online, but recently switched to the workbook since that’s his preference.
- Gameschooling Math – What’s not to love about playing games!
- Mr. DeMaio – My kids adore this YouTuber and his puppets. He’s an elementary school teacher that makes funny educational videos about math, science, and history.
Science
- Real Science Odyssey – We started this program at the beginning of the year and enjoy it. Before this, I would research and create lessons myself, but this program has eased my stress level.
- MEL Chemistry – These chemistry kits rock! I usually don’t like kits because of all of the things the kids make with them and then I have to figure out where to store ALL OF THE THINGS. Less clutter means a clearer and less stressed mind, especially for myself.
- Nature Journaling – Simple and easy to do, and incorporates both art and science.
- WOW in the World – My kids love this podcast to pieces. They listen to it every night after our read aloud and their read alone time. We have a membership and receive weekly lesson plans and experiments that go with each podcast episode.
- Brave Wilderness – This YouTube channel is great if you’re studying about the animal kingdom. The kids watch these during lunch, along with Mr. DeMaio.
Social Studies
- Letters From Afar – Like, WOW! These letters are so stunning and the kids love getting them in the mail. I first discovered this small company on Instagram a few years ago and they have grown in popularity over the years.
- Story of the World – This came highly recommended to us and what we’re currently using, but I’m thinking of switching to the one below next year.
- History Odyssey/Quest – These study guides utilize Story of the World, but it’s main spine is The Usborne Encyclopedia of the World (affiliate).
- Gameschooling History
- Gameschooling Geography
Art & Music
- Masterpiece Society – We have a studio membership which gives us access to all of the art lessons for little kids, big kids, and adults.
- You Are an Artist – We’ve taken individual classes and done some of the free classes on their YouTube channel and love it. The kids really enjoy using chalk pastels, and I’m considering adding the clubhouse membership to our rotation. If you check out my instagram stories, you’ll see A LOT of pictures of my kids’ art.
- SQUILT – We’ve purchased their Monthly Listening Calendar and the Music Era Bundle and enjoyed both.
- Art for Kids Hub – My kids love this YouTube channel and often utilize these videos when they want to learn how to draw something specific.
Another resource I recommend is Cathy Duffy Reviews to get an idea of the breadth of homeschool curricula available and perhaps find something that’s not listed above and that better fits your beliefs and needs.
I hope this list helps! Mind you, we don’t utilize all of these resources and curricula everyday. That would stress all of us out, and mental health is important to our family. Instead we use these resources throughout the year depending on the season and what we’re studying.
What are your favorite homeschooling resources?
