Watch Know Learn ***

Watch know learn is a sight that has organized some educational videos. This sight is useful if you have a specific topic you are looking for and want to find a video that goes along with that specific topic.

Additionally, it allows you create a free account to save and load videos you find for your classroom. Also, users rate the videos which help you save time rather than watching a video that is less than desirable.

However, one drawback is it redirects you. So if the site you are being redirected to has commercials you will see them. If you are like me and have a trusty ad blocker, so we don’t get any unexpected suprises, you will run into problems as some videos won’t allow you to watch them, till you watch said advertisement.

Check it out here.

Enjoy!

MrNussbaum.com ***

This site has tons of resources. It was created by a teacher and claims to have lesson resources and games from Pre-K through 6th Grade, in Math, Language Arts, History, Geography, and Science. I first came across this site when looking for History and Geography resources.

He has created some original games which are nice. However, some of the games have the same repeated concept that can lose the interest of the kiddos quickly. Also, some of the games do not have the directions written out very clearly which can be frustrating for the first time user.

However, there are tons of games which always is a nice change for kiddos as opposed to worksheets and such. Plus it is free.  You can check it out here.

Enjoy!

Free All-in-one Online Homeschool

Homeschools can look like various things to different families. Additionally, the requirements can vary by country, state, etc.  I am not going to rate these sites I am sharing with you below, partly, because I haven’t tried all of them and partly because just because it isn’t our style doesn’t mean it won’t be a great option for some.

However, I remember when I first started to homeschool I would have loved to see a collected list of all the different sites that are an ‘all-in-one’ kind of online homeschool option. Plus the fact that they are free is worth sharing!

Moby Max

This site offers curriculum for K-8. It claims to cover every subject and helps find gaps in students’ education. There are games and rewards to motivate and encourage learning. One feature with this is as a homeschooler parents need to sign up for a teacher account. Here is a video that gives a short tutorial to give you an idea. This site is fully online and also can be used on an iPad.

Easy Peasy

This site is very basic and claims to cover grades PreK (Getting Ready) -Highschool. This site is not fully online at times you will need to either print or copy things on paper, and other materials. There are some options to purchase preprinted stuff you can find here. (aff link) However, it’s not necessary. They also refer you to their sister site for Highschool; All-In-One Highschool. Here is a video of how Easy Peasy works.

Discovery K12

This site is more rigid in design because it is pre-done and does not allow for much change in their curriculum layout. Also, they have a start date so starting later would mean your student is behind.  It covers grades PreK-Highschool. While this site is 100% free for students it does offer “upgrades” in the teacher accounts. You can view a sample account for a seventh-grade student here.

A few other options:

• CK-12 (here is a YouTube video to give you an idea about this site)
• Ambleside Online
• Old Fashioned Education
• Free Homeschool Curriculum

 

Did I miss one that you have tried or heard about? Please share it below.

Enjoy!

Math Videos YouTube Channel ***

So like I mentioned I love math yesterday. Often I find those that love math or rather love teaching math often come up with the most creative way to make math fun! I hit the jackpot when I found this YouTube channel.

I think the channel belongs to two or three teachers. I think they teach 3rd grade although their videos cover tons of topics.

My Favorite video and the first one I discovered was their cheer about fractions. Take a look

So cute I just love it.

Another neat one is their Math fact video

 

I haven’t seen all their videos but I haven’t seen one yet that I didn’t like. I think you can tell that these teachers are really passionate about teaching math and other subjects. Best part it is free!

Enjoy!

Multiplication.com ****

I love math and I love teaching textbooks but sometimes, especially, in those years where the kiddos are learning the math facts, I wanted a more fun way besides flashcards and math drills, to help them memorize them. That is when I came across multiplication.com. At first look, it doesn’t seem that spectacular. However, after digging around this site is a gem when it comes to all math facts and fun.

They have all kinds of games not only multiplication, but also addition, subtraction, and division games. They are very basic but the kiddos enjoy the computer time and practicing facts in a more fun way!

But that is not all they have they also have resources that are Free to print and use and some online stuff too! Some of the things they have are:

• Flashcards
• Worksheets
• Printable Tests and Quizzes
• Online Tests and Quizzes
• Mini Books
• Animated Videos

I rated this **** because it is awesome but a bit basic and eventually the coolness wears off or at least it did for my kiddos.

Enjoy!

 

Homeschool Share *****

I love, love, love lapbooks! If you have never heard of them you have been missing out till now! Lapbooks are basically unit studies that you put in a file folder. There are all kinds of pockets and things that go in the lapbook.

Additionally, there us usually a good amount of cutting and pasting; the worst part for my son. But I usually help him with that because the point of the lapbook is not the cutting and pasting, it’s the fun and learning!

There is one site that I think is superior, when it comes to lapbooks for two reasons: The quality of the lapbooks are great even though they are free and they have a huge selection.

Check it out here. Notice they are in alphabetical order and they have pages and pages of them. There are some on different units like the cooking one in the picture above. ( If you want a link to that specific one you can find it here.) They also have one on countries and different geographical places. Additionally, they have some on books. There really are tons.

Don’t find one you are looking for? No problem make your own lapbook. They have tons of templates! These ones you can type on. Plus there are more that you can write on here.

They also have an area broken down by grade and after you click on the grade level they organize them in groups like literature based, games, Lapbooks, and more; if the opportunity is a possibility, they organize it. You can check out that section here.  These people speak my love language…organization!

If I may add my two cents in suggestions:

• Cut them out ahead of time and organize them for the kiddos, especially the first one. Sometimes all the cutting takes away from the fun of it.
• Spend the money and get manila folders.This is a great price right now at $8.89. I buy them in bulk and stock up when they are on sale. Manila File Folder (aff link)
• Also, cardstock is easier to work with and will last better in the long run. This is a great price on cardstock (aff link) as well for $9.75. It is comparable to Walmarts cardstock they have typically on their shelves. Don’t go cheap and get the thinner cardstock; in my opinion, you might as well use paper.
• Make sure to read ahead. If you’re like me and try to go last minute with things, your kiddos may be disappointed if they have to wait till you go to the store or library. 🙂

Enjoy!

For those who already do lapbooks…What are some of your favorite lapbook sites?

DLTK’s Growing Together ***

This is another site I used when my kiddos were little. I think it is closely related if not from the same creators of the KidZone site, I shared yesterday. They actually have a lot of worksheets linked to each other but some different.

This is the same simple format. You can check them out here.

The reason I am sharing this with you is I love their Tracer Pages. They also have a cute template for writing checks here. Oh, they also have an okay selection of mini printable books here.

It’s worth checking out and seeing what other things you may find useful. You can’t beat free:)

Enjoy!

 

Kidzone ***

When my kids were little I found a great site with free printables for Pre-K. If I was rating this site on only the PreK-K stuff I would give it a solid **** but I am rating the overall site.

So the site has free printable worksheets; which is always a plus! They claim to cover worksheets for Pre-K to 5th grade.

You can check out their whole site here.

But if you want to skip to the good stuff, my favorite is the  Itsy Bitsy Books. They are a bit tricky to put together the first time but after you figure that part out they are awesome! My son loved them when he was little. The are simple enough kiddos can memorize them and learn the letter sounds at the same time.

We were also a fan of the pre-printing pages.

One thing you will notice is the pages are very simple so if you have one that is distracted by all the other things on the page these are perfect. However, my kiddos found them to be a bit boring. The have a range of subjects including Math, Science, Language Arts, History, and more. Personally, we only used them for Pre-K through K stuff in the Language arts section because I thought the other sections were too simplified.

However, check them out and let me know what you think.

Enjoy!

Art- NGA Site ****

 

I love Art! My girls love Art! My son would tell you he doesn’t love art but he enjoys it once he gets going. I don’t mind the mess butI know some do. This is by far the best of both worlds; creative, crafty art and mess-free!

This is by far one of the coolest sights when looking for free art projects and resources. It has interactive things but you need adobe flash (it’s free).

It can actually be a bit tricky or at least it was for me and I consider myself NOT technology challenged, to get things up and running but once you got it your good.  Also, there are a lot of cool things on here one can get lost for quite some time…unless you cannot find it. Additionally, if you find something cool go ahead and print it out or just save it to your desktop because I have found things and lost them. All the above is the reason for the loss of a star in my rating.

If you want you can dive in and check it out here. However, if you want to wait a couple moments longer I will show you my favorite sections I have discovered thus far.

So this is the part the kiddos love especially the creative crafty ones. The Kid Zone

They have the option to borrow their materials. I personally have not done this yet because I keep getting lost on their site and then forgetting to look into this. More info about borrowing can be found here.

Here is where you can search their catalog. My favorites are hidden in the PDFs. Out of all the PDFs, I really enjoy the family guides, there used to be a long list of them but I cannot find them anymore so I am guessing they clear them out. Finally, here are some examples of planned lessons that they have for Art/History.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

Post it Notes

So the other day I decide to do something out of the normal for my husband. The idea came from this book; Listen, Love, Repeat: Other-Centered Living in a Self-Centered World. (aff link)

Which has been one book I cannot get enough of currently; it is soo good! Tons of ideas which I may share with you from time to time.

Anyway, as homemakers, one of our biggest jobs or at least mine, is to make the hubby happy. I am blessed with an easy-going man; I don’t often make him feel special enough, in my opinion.

So I decided to implement one of the ideas I read in that book. The idea was to put post-it notes all around the house for him to find in the morning. I’ll admit most of my notes were not crazy inspiring; truth be told most of them said I love you. But I figured since this wasn’t my norm they would be special to him.

I carefully and thoughtfully placed post-it notes where he would travel to in his morning routine and see them as he was getting ready and leaving for work.

Sometimes, it’s the simple things that can help relationships stay strong. So go grab ya a bunch of post-its and start writing them and then one day bomb your house and your spouse with post-its. There on sale right now here (aff link) or you can check out your fav store to stock up!

What do you do that is simple to show your loved one you love them?