Homeschool Resources

Here are my favorite resources to use for homeschooling. Hopefully you can find something helpful to use.

Unit Studies - Free Online
Chocolate Unit Study
Easy Fun School
Karen Roe
The Homeschool Mom
ABC Teach
Names of Christ Unit Study
Homeschool Share - A wonderful collection of free unit studies, lapbooks, etc. for all age groups. The lessons include all the printables you need too!
Homemaker's Course - Free Downloadable lessons on the basics of cooking, cleaning, and sewing. Great for boys and girls!
Personal Finance Course - With beginning, intermediate, and advanced lessons everyone can learn something new on taking care of and handling your money.


Literature
Reading Your Way Through History - a list of books according to the era of history they are about. Greatly enhances your history study!
Literature To Supplement History - Another guide of books listed according to history dates.
30 Days of Poetry - 30 Lesson plans that cover all types of poetry. Can be taught as one lesson a day or teach a lesson a week to last the whole school year.


History/Geography
Home School in the Woods - wonderful timeline figures and history study packs.
Beautiful Feet Books - History through literature study guides
Sonlight - this is a full curriculum built around history. It is literature based!
U.S. Capitols Quiz - This site is so much fun!! It not only tests states and capitols but also map skills in varying degrees of difficulty.
The Charters of Freedom - Download high resolution photos of the Declaration of Independence, US Constitution, and Bill of Rights. Learn about the founding fathers and more.

Art
DK Clip Art - Great photos to use in projects
Ann Kullberg - colored pencils kits
Canon 3D Papercraft - WARNING!! You will run out of ink and paper these crafts are that much fun!

Free Printables
ABC Teach
Enchanted Learning
Learning Pages - requires membership but it is free!
Jan Brett - go along with her books

Catalogs
Latter-day Family Resources
Timberdoodle
Mindware

Writing Activities for Preschoolers

Rice writing: pour a layer of rice into a square cake pan and have the child write the letter in the rice with their finger. Kids love this because of the sensory effect. Sometimes it can get messy though if an over rambunctious child jiggles their pan too hard to resettle the rice before writing another letter. These can be sent home with children if you buy the foil pans and keep them in a ziploc bag.

If you have a group of kids it's fun to have them lay down on the floor and make letters with their bodies. One child is the stick of the P while another rounds their back to be the top. Taking pictures of them from above and then printing them out into an alphabet book that they would then be able to trace with their fingers would be a great keepsake.

Most kids can't resist writing on a chalkboard. I make small ones similar to the ones found here: Handwriting Without Tears Slate Boards and attach an eraser and chalk to them with string. The smiley face in the corner helps them know where to start for most of the letters.

Draw with water and big paintbrushes on the cement.

Fill a Ziploc baggie with colored gel or shampoo. Get as much air out as possible and seal bag well (with tape). Lay it flat on the table and let the children write their letters or numbers in the gel.