Homeschooling: Resources

55 years ago
8 minutes

This page is intended to be a resource to those who find themselves suddenly homeschooling, or who think that homeschooling might be easier than “fighting” both their children and the school districts curriculum. I know everyone is stressed right now, so I thought I would share what I have learned. I hope it makes things easier for you. I have used, and liked, everything on this page. If you have any questions please ask. 

 The problem with homeschooling…

How to lesson plan:

  1. Get a spiral notebook and write the days lessons, check list style. Put the date at the top.
  2. Set a schedule but realize that kids need more sleep then they think.
  3. I usually run 8am – 11am, and then 1pm-3 or so. (I only start so early for them as ‘Quarantime’ starts at 8am pacific.)
  4. All work must be done before they can leave their desk for the day, but don’t micromanage. They can set the order and when they do what.
  5. Each night grab some hot cocoa or tea and check the work. Circle what needs to be fixed. How to grade your childs work
  6. Write out the checklist for the next day. If something was an utter train wreck, put it back on the schedule for a total redo. Don’t overload.
  7. At the start of each days work in any subject, the child fixes yesterdays mistakes. Then the child does that days assignments.
  8. Lather, rinse, repeat.
  9. Find teachable moments (cooking, cleaning, sewing, building, yard work etc.)
  10. Encourage reading !! 1 hour per day before bed is great as it helps them transition to bedtime and keeps the screens at bay during a crucial time.
  11. Important: Cancel or lighten loads for stress, snow, sunshine, or just because you are not in the mood to deal with it that day. Maybe swap out the whole day to let them watch bears fish on a webcam and then paint a picture of it.

General

Articles with information

Art

Typing

Music

Religious

Handy Apps

PE

Technology

 A note about technology…

Desks

Ran to Walmart and got this table for $25.00 (TV tray) and a storage cube that holds plenty of stuff and a wiggly kid. 

Math

Science

Language Arts 

Writing

  • Daily Journal (edit yesterday’s work – do today’s work)
  • Building Writing Skills
  • Copywork
  • Advanced Writing Resources
  • Write a book – ‘Tales from Orange Kitty Land’ (insert whatever fav. stuffed friends name/game etc.)
  • Daily writing – 1/2 to 1 page. If writing prompts are an issue, get index cards and a box, or slips of paper and a hat. Write a prompt on each one and the kids blind draw them each day.

Grammar

Spelling, Vocabulary, Phonics

Reading Comprehension

Social Studies / History

  • Story of the World Books
  • The Human Odyssey Volume 1: Prehistory Through the Middle Ages ISBN: 1931728534
  • The Human Odyssey Volume 2: Our Modern World, 1400 to 1914 ISBN: 1931728569
  • Past Pandemics – Info from the CDC. Combine this with a “Quarantine Journal”, have child write one page each day. (edit yesterday’s, do today’s.)

Great Book Series

“It will not be so in the mended wood!”

Free coloring pages

 The Green Ember books are really wonderful for kids, and oddly timely. 

Green Ember playlist.

Other

 Other Resources…

Example lesson plan for 6th grade:

Quarantime!

8:00am to 10am – Spend two hours of Math, Science & art!

Mathematics

  1. Fix yesterdays assignment.
  2. Do 1 -2 pages of math. (about 30 problems is good)

Language Arts

  1. General Language Arts – (fix yesterday’s & do today’s)
    1. Reading Detective (reading comprehension & accountability)
    2. Building Writing Skills (Composition & idea development) 
    3. Spelling 
    4. Tales from <insert fav stuffed animals name/fav game> (writing, plot development, editing)
  2. McGuffey Reader (book 3) – Scheduled Assignment
    1. M – Read, Answer Questions. (comprehension, broader theme, handwriting)
    2. T – Make any fixes to questions, Look up in dictionary & copy them exactly.
    3. W – Fix any dictionary entries. Write words 10 times each.
    4. R – Study words. 
    5. F – Spelling Test
  3. English Sound & Style  – Learn English Grammar App. (British Council)

FUN!

  1. Lunch Safari @ Noon.
  2. Virtual Field Trips (watch and write about).
  3. Outside time / online PE.
  4. Practice an instrument, learn a new instrument.
  5. Press leaves, Bark rubs, Collect Bugs, Sew masks for hospitals, Make a pillow case, Cook, etc.

Science 

  1. Science lesson & activity (Mystery Science) (and/or)
  2. Mark Twain Interactive Science Notebook.

Social Studies (Make your mark!)

  1. Learn from the past. Read the article given. (similar experiences from the past.)
    1. Document the Experience – “Quarantine Journal” (fix yesterdays / Do today’s) – Full page every other line. (See CDC link above.)

Reading

  • Read one hour before bed.

Watch bears fish in Alaska!

Make Hula Hoops:

If you have access to a hardware store.

Supplies for Making your Hoop (mandatory)

  • 1 inch 100 psi Tubing
  • Corresponding connectors
  • Electrical Tape (many colors!)
  • Duct tape
  • Stove top or heating device
  • Pot that can hold 5-6 inches of water
  • PVC pipe cutters

Steps

  1. Get a roll of 1”, 100psi irrigation tubing. One roll makes about 10 hoops. (Cut off the last two feet on the end that is straight. Don’t use the ends of the tubing though cause it is straightened. Cut hoops just before you put the hoop together or the tubing will straighten out and be unusable for hoops.
  2. Unroll enough tubing so you have a circle with the top at chest level for your individual girl and cut.
  3. Hold one end of the tubing, about four inches, in boiling water for thirty seconds to one minute until you can easily slide in a connector.
  4. Dip the other end of the tubing into the water and slide over the other end of the connector.
  5. Wrap connection part with duct tape to hold in place, then decorate entire hoop with electrical tape!
  6. Hoop!!

Sample Lesson Plan for Third Grade

Monday Through Thursday:

  • 1 Saxon Math lesson (Child reads aloud – correct reading as needed) 90% accuracy required.
  • 1 handwriting page (handwriting w/o tears), 1 copy book lesson (circle problems and send back), 1 page of writing (circle and send back as needed.) According to level.
  • Grammar etc:
    • M=Daily Gram 1p
    • T= Explode Code 1p
    • W=Mad Lib & Lif of Fred 1 chapter
    • TH= Daily Gram
    • F=Explode Code 1p & Picture Find.
  • 5 vocab. cards – review to child’s satisfaction (test on friday) – Correlated to assigned book.
  • Read assigned book for 30 min (or one chapter). Robinson Book List.
  • Recitations (Aloud) (how many seconds in a minute, minutes in an hour, hours in a day, days in a year, name days of the week and how many, name the months and how many, rhyme for remember how many days are in each month. colors of the rainbow mnemonic, Planets in solar system mnemonic, skip count (m 5/3, t 2/3, w 10/7, th 9/4, f 11/8))
  • Read aloud a short passage. Reading can be anything they want (chapter books etc.).
  • Read quietly for 1-2 hour(s). (boxcar children, Green Ember, Little House on the Prairie, Redwall Series, Tin Tin, etc.)
  • Instrument Practice (~45 min)
  • Outside play!
  • At bedtime read for one hour to the child whenever possible.