NEW!! I have added something new to my blog under Homeschool Favorite Link Catagorys it will be easy for me to update on my blog then on here.
History Links:
Math Links:
Grammar Links:
Unit STudies Links: http://frugalcountrymom.blogspot.com/2008/01/frugal-unit-studies.html
Curriculum When buying curriculum for the year find out which one you want first by asking other homeschoolers, checking out a book fairs, looking online or ordering a catalog from the vendor. Once you find the ones you want look around at the used book swap sites online and the used book fairs that homeschool groups usually have each year.
Check out my San Antonio Home schoolers page above for ideas on the yearly Curriculum fairs for my area or at least get some ideas.
If you would like a "Card Pack" from "The Home School Connection" they will send you it via snail mail to your home address for free. In it you will find tons of homeschool related products. "Click Here" to fill out the form. To look at vedors on line go to their website at
http://www.nrm-inc.com/homeschool/homeschool.htm
If you buy it new plan to use it for your other younger kids someday that would make a good investment or plan to sell it to get some of your money back. When buying from auctions make sure you know the orginal price before you start bidding, this way you wont over pay for used books. Start early looking for these to get ahead of the Aug/Sept school rush.
Tips:
Buy it used from friends, book swaps, flea markets, thrift stores, library book sales
Have a book swap day with your homeschool group
Share with another mom that has the same age children as yourself
Form a coop or at least just a class and pitch in and buy the book/subject
Do you have connections with a public school teacher. Each year they get sample books to go over to see if they want to buy it for their class. If they don't then ask them for it.
Try finding your stuff on ebay: Just keep in mind how much it orginally cost so you wont get into a bidding war with another mom-have a set amount you will spend on it, bid at the last few min of the sale to grab it, keep in mind the cost of shipping, If you dont win ebay will email you other items similar to the one you lost, or look at the persons other items listed he/she might have the same item again up for bid at another day!
Yahoo
groups used book- Join these to help you find used
books
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/homeschoolingonashoestring_usedbooks/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HOMESCHL-USED-BOOKS/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/UsedHomeSchoolBooks/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HomeschoolBookSource/
Main websites for book exchanges and used books
Veggie group Love it! –Look under swap- http://www.vegsource.com/homeschool/
Home School Classifieds- http://homeschoolclassifieds.com/
The Swap-small fee to insert - http://theswap.com/
Homeschool Bid -Just like Ebay- http://www.homeschoolbid.com/
This little Piggy stas home online auction https://www.thislittlepiggystayshome.com/
If your in the San Antonio area try
San Antonio online garage http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sanantonioonlinegaragesale/
San Antonio free cycle http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sanantoniofreecycle/
San Antonio freely given http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SAHFG/
San Antonio Educational Book Swap http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SAEducationalBookSwap
If your looking for something specific in a subject like history, math, English you can try my Haven Homeschool group link pages where I will be adding on through time. You don’t have to join the group to access the links
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/havenhomeschoolgroup/links
Create your own curriculum that can be down with help from the library and other resources on line check out my unit studies and printable pages.
Lesson Plans -Teacher resource pages-If you need help creating lesson plans here are some great sites
listed below that teachers use:
Teachers Planet-I put this on top of the list because not only does it have lesson plans, worksheets, unit studies, resources, clipart, but also it has a calendar that goes by each month for a themes to go by. If you’re stuck on ideas this is the place to go! It’s free!!!
Teachers Net- http://www.teachers.net/ Tons of lesson plans here
The Educators reference desk –Free lesson plans here
http://www.eduref.org/
Lesson plan page- Tons of lesson plans here http://www.lessonplanspage.com
Daily Lesson plans- Need ideas for lesson plan ideas for subjects this is great site http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/archive.html
Teachers Vision – Annoying popups but a great place for free lesson plan ideas
http://www.teachervision.fen.com
Lesson plan page- From Indian university has tons of links to other resources by category. http://reading.indiana.edu/www/lessons/index.shtml
Small fee sites-has some
freebies
Education planet-Has small year fee-If you don’t find it on the freebies this is here to consider http://www.educationplanet.com/
Ed Helper-Yearly subscription site by age group-Very organized- http://www.edhelper.com/
ABC Teach a lot of stuff free but they do have membership too-
http://abcteach.com/directory/basics/abc_activities/
Library of Congress has great Lesson plans on each subject
http://memory.loc.gov/learn/lessons/index.html
Printables–Worksheets- Great for supplement school work on a subject -
Tips: I find out
these work great with the "Trace erase
boards" they
are a bit costly but will save you tons of money on paper on the
long run. It comes with certain subject papers already but you can always
put your own stuff in it to save money with printables to use over and
over again.
School express- http://www.schoolexpress.com/
Donna youngs site- Tons of free printables-Can also order her CD to have for your own- http://www.donnayoung.org/
TLS Books- Tons of free printables http://www.tlsbooks.com/gradelevel.htm
The Learning Page-Free membership http://www.learningpage.com/
School house tech-Learning software but they do have lots of free printables
http://www.schoolhousetech.com/products/freeworksheets/index.htm
ABC teach-Although this is a paid yearly site they still have tons of free printables so I had to list this one- http://abcteach.com/
Mini charts- These are cute to Laminate and put in a traceboard to work on or take with you on long trips. Put on index cards front and back for yourself or classroom projects with a coop.
http://members.aol.com/A123836526/ActivityCard/archive.html
Kids rewards Coupon printables-Thought I would include this one for coupon rewards for your kids- http://youthonline.ca/coupons/ or http://www.familyfirst.net/parenting/coupons.asp
Yahoo Groups:
No charge printables Yahoo group is a group of moms that give out links to printable free sites. With over 500 members that is a whole lot of moms looking for you.
Unit Studies – Unit studies are the study of one Theme for example an “Apple” then combing subjects to it like field trips-taking a trip to an orchard, math how many apples can a tree make, history of an apple, write a book report on your field trip. It combines all subjects of the basic R's and makes it fun.
I had a list
of unit studies links on here but to keep better update of it I put them
on my blog instead.
http://frugalcountrymom.blogspot.com/2008/01/frugal-unit-studies.html
*My own Unit studies: I do a lot of unit studies with movies and other free material
Check out my movie site for ideas how to create your own.
Right now I have available, black beauty, and Sea Bisquit
4-H if you thought 4-h was only about animals its so much more! They have great projects you can do on all kinds of subjects. A lot of online material or order really cheaply material to help you along. Do unit studies with it especially if you decide to be the project leader for your kids only or invite others as well. http://texas4-h.tamu.edu/project/projectlist.htm
Outdoor unit studies: If you love the outdoors the National Forest site has tons of programs for your kids to do. The best resourse you can get is type in google or yahoo "State Forest, yourstate" most sites have stuff for kids in your area. Our own here in Texas has a printable journal to print out with trails to do Texas Parks and Wildlife
If you want ideas to start your own you can go to Bens' Guide-He has subject links to all Government agency websites geared towards kids with printables, coloring pages, quizzes etc..
Donna Young site is the best out there for these- http://forms.donnayoung.org/planners/index.htm
The HomeSchool mom
http://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/gettingorganized/planner.php#wa
Educate at home
http://www.educateathome.com/organize.html
- There is a place called www.smart-estore.com/child that offers free software, they just need the cost of shipping, and they don’t send the box or instructions. I am going to check it out
- Why do you need the full version? I usually download from Kidsdomain.com let my daughter play with the freebie software or half version of it. When she gets bored of it I get rid of it and download something else. They are constantly updating and have tons. They also have MAC user downloads too.
- Swap it. Unless you plan to let your little ones use it later swap it with other Homeschoolers. Don’t want to give it up then just set it up like a borrowing system. Set up rules where if it breaks they have to pay half of it etc..or replace it with another one.
- Half.com I have got tons of kids used software from this place and if its too much or they dont have it I place it on my wish list when it comes available they will email me to let me know. I can also sell my stuff here too.
- Looking for kids review site on software? Superkids Review / Kids Click
- There are tons of software
review places and they will try to get them to buy from them but I
suggest looking at what its about and try half.com/Ebay/Yahoo auctions
first to see if you can get them cheaper used them buying them new. Amazons
Childrens Software
or
Most everyone wants
their kids to be active and social in activities, some are so
expensive though. Here are some ideas.
- Swap with another
parent who has a talent. Say you know how to teach basic karate and she
is great at sewing.
- More then one kid?
Ask for a second discount.
- Get home school
friends to join to make it a better price
- Ask at the YMCA or
other non-profitable places that might offer classes.
- Join places that
cost very little but offer so much like, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Your
church youth groups, 4-H. They can keep your kids busy all year
long.
- Sports; try the town
you live in about sports youth activities. I live near three small towns
and one of them is constantly having all year long for smaller kids,
soccer, basketball, football, volleyball and basketball. Don’t have one?
Start one only takes a few kids!
- Start a club of your own. Your kid might not be the only one with the same hobbies! Examples could be a Card trading club like Pokemon or maybe they collect buttons or like to make and fly kites.
- Start your own park day its free! Or join a Homeschool group and go to theirs.
Field Trip Ideas & Ideas:
Where: If you dont have a clue where to go near you for field trips try your local Tourist office & they will send you tons of free stuff on where to go along with some coupons. Most towns will have a Chamber of Commerce office that will give you info too. Most of them you can order on the Internet, just type in the information to find them. Ever heard of a homeschooler saying everything we do is a field trip, we are not kidding. A trip to the grocery store, can help with math, weight, history. Be creative~
Book: A great book to use is called "The A to Z Guide to Home School Field Trips Edited by Gregg Harris-I got my copy used from Half.com. Maybe your library will have a copy or can order it from another library?
Tips:
1. Prepare yourself for the trip with information so the kids could look for while doing the field trip. You could even do a scavenger hunt to find things.
2. Make it a picnic, bring your own lunch if you can, dont forget the water, and suntan lotion & hat if its outdoors.
3. Invite other homeschool familys sometimes you might get a discount for a group rate, and its just a lot more fun with more kids.
4. Fill your field trips with lots of pictures for your scrapbook/yearbook.
5. Do a basic worksheet with questions to answer afterwards.
6. Make sure to add some Vocabulary words to learn.
7. Let your kids do a short report on what they liked and didnt like about the trip.
8. Check out books similar to the field trip.
Sea World: If your lucky enough to have a SeaWorld near you. Here is the site with booklets to download. They offer homeschool days too.
http://www.seaworld.org/just-for-teachers/guides/index.htm
Nasa Space Center: You can skip the intro if you want-Has great lesson plans by age group check out the "Educators page" They offer Home School days too each year.
http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/rtf_flash/index_noaccess.html
Washington DC guide for Teachers and Parents: This guide gives teachers ideas on how to use the site in the classroom and parents ideas on topics to discuss with their children as they navigate through the site.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/kids/guide/
Online Dictionary’s, enclopedia, and Thesaurus there are tons of them out there for your viewing. I like Yahooligans for years now because its for kids only and they have been around a long time. Create a Internet Book mark these for your kids
Yahooligans Dictionary http://yahooligans.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/
Yahooligan Enclopedia http://yahooligans.yahoo.com/reference/encyclopedia/
Yaholligan Thesaurus http://yahooligans.yahoo.com/reference/thesaurus/
Conversion calculator http://yahooligans.yahoo.com/reference/weights_and_measures/
Got a question on anything ask Earl yahooligan http://yahooligans.yahoo.com/content/ask_earl/
Take a Virtual field trip with the hundreds of Video cams out there, even go to a museum that you have never been to before.
Yahoo groups sites that specializes in these:
Home School Review recommend sites from Homeschoolers around the world. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/0-homeschoolreviews/
Car Schooling Ideas in the car to do with your kids.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Carschooling/
Click Schooling brings to you new sites each week
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ClickSchooling
Virtual Field trip with a listing each week/day
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/VirtualFieldTrips
Download music for your favorite instrument or song lyrics
Kids domain music printables Horrible popups but its a great site
http://www.kidsdomain.com/brain/music/print.html
Play online games for all kinds of subjects
There are just to many to list it depends on the theme. So google or yahoo it
"kids educational online games"
Keep up with World events with your kids each day
Yahooligan News http://yahooligans.yahoo.com/content/news/
Scholastic News http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/
Scie Central News http://www.sciencentral.com/
Kids News room http://www.kidsnewsroom.org/newsissues/091401/index.asp
Take some cheap and sometimes even free classes on line
I just dont think people realize how much the library can help you save on money for teaching and just how much resources they have besides just regular books to check out you can check out and use....
1. Interlibrary loan books/audio/videos and other material from other librarys.
2. Audio material of music, language, novels etc
3. DVDS and movies, documentarys, classics etc.
4. Biography books
5. Copy machines/Computers (some with classes)
6. Story times
7. Newspapers/Magazines
8. Maps and Atlases
9. Special Collection and Archives
10. Statistics and Data
11. Government & Local Information
12. Some librarys have study areas and type writers
13. Internet access
14. Reading programs
15. Reading clubs or start your own
16. Book sales
17. Genalogy sections on some to check out family backgrounds
18. Reference section
The Dewey Decimal System
000-099: General
works (encyclopedias and similar works)
100-199: Philosophy and
Psychology
200-299: Religion
300-399: Social Sciences
400-499:
Languages (including dictionaries)
500-599: Natural science
600-699:
Applied science
700-799: Arts
800-899: Literature
900-999:
History, Geography and Biography .
A favorite of mine I hope they never take down with quizzes and a online guide for kids on teaching them the dewey system http://www.columbia.k12.mo.us/dre/dewey/index.html
Teaching your kids the Dewey Decimal System this is a great page with many websites with lesson plans & quizzes http://www.unit5.org/links/dewey.htm
Listing of scavenger hunts for online hunts http://www.shambles.net/pages/staff/hunts/
Childrens Reading lists-
Education worlds Reading list sites
http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr244.shtml
American Library Association book sites for reading
http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/alscresources/summerreading/recsummerreading/recommendedreading.htm
List of libraries online http://www.libraryspot.com/libraries/
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