As we wrap up the school year, I know many have their minds on what to do to keep them busy all summer.
This summer, the summer of the Pandemic 2020, is especially interesting. Many familiar saw their school situation change. Homeschoolers had their schedules changed and interrupted with work schedule changes, parents home, parents working from home, co-ops cancelled, more online meetings and classes, and fieldtrips and classes changed or cancelled. Extracurricular activities came to a screaming halt.
And then there are the traditional students. Suddenly those that never chose to homeschool found themselves schooling at home. We all know that homeschooling and schooling at home are definitely not the same. But the traditional schooled student and their families found themselves in a never-before experienced situation as well. Schooling at home, though great in theory and the best that could be done under the circumstances, is not something the students would ever want, must less the parents, the teachers did their best to give the students valuable lessons. However, the school year was shortened and many parents found themselves feeling that their kids weren’t getting the education and challenge they needed.
ENTER HOMESCHOOLING RESOURCES….
The resources that we, as homeschoolers, have been using for some time suddenly became a valuable resource for many parents trying to enrich their children’s educations at home.
I found myself, as a veteran homeschooler, being approached regularly for referrals to resources and thoughts on how to keep the kids, not only getting through the rest of the school year, but how to keep them learning this summer since the school year was a little lacking for some toward the end.
So, in the spirit of putting all these resources that I love and recommend in one place to help my fellow homeschoolers but also those looking for some resources to help with their family’s new-found situation, HERE ARE SOME OF THE MY MOST RECOMMENDED RESOURCES FOR HOMESCHOOLERS!!!!
SCHOOLHOUSE TEACHERS .COM
SchoolhouseTeachers.com is an AWESOME deal for the price. You get whatever courses you may be looking for for the WHOLE FAMILY FOR ONE PRICE. And, most appealing to me when we started — MUSIC LESSONS ARE INCLUDED!
Some of our favorite courses are the Science, the Daily Writing Prompts, Art, and music lessons (guitar and singing). There is literally something for every age, including mom. Check them out and see what kind of specials for signing up they have. They almost always do and they are an EXCELLENT RESOURCE!!!
READING EGGS
Reading Eggs is an online and app program we have used with all 3 of the kids. With everything for ages 2-13, this program is comprehensive and awesome!
The kids have all used Reading Eggs to improve reading skills. Additionally, their MathSeeds program is great and easy to use. The kids have all enjoyed the program and we have seen progress on all fronts when using it. The Reading Eggs basic works on pre-reading through reading and then there is a next level calls Reading Eggspress that is more around Reading Comprehension and advanced reading skills. The membership allows for multiple users so my 6 year old and 10 year old both use it and benefit from the family membership. We have been really happy with it and the app is great. They can both be on their separate users at the same time and its great for on-the-go learning or independent learning. Though I do work on phonics with my younger one regularly.
The Math program, Mathseeds, is pre-math like counting skills and shapes and goes through approximately 5th grade math so it’s a very comprehensive program as well.
Check it out yourself and see if it works for you, you can usually get a 14 day trial and it is definitely a great way to have some learning continue at the pace of your child. All the programs have placement tests which helps you figure out where the child should begin in the program.
MEMORIA PRESS
I’ve been asked many times what I might recommend for a student to work on handwriting or sentence development or writing over the summer and, hands-down, my favorite recommendation is curriculum from Memoria Press. Thought the books are for a semester or year, you can find some great stuff to work on over the summer
If you want a more intensive reading and writing focus you could use Simply Classical sentences from Memoria Press. It’s basic sentence writing and incorporates copywork, sentence rules such as capitalization and punctuation, noun/verb introduction, and basic composition. The workbook is consumable and, along with your favorite Story Bible, is everything you need for the lessons. The lessons focus on Bible stories from Genesis through the New Testament.
A new/beginning reader may want to work on First Start Reading books from Memoria Press. These are awesome and short lessons and you can start anywhere in the program.
PAGE A DAY MATH
We recently discovered Page a Day Math and have really loved it! We are using it for learning Addition Facts for my little one and really driving home those Multiplication Facts for my 10 year.
They also have fun Page A Day options for printing and cursive handwriting practice. If you are seriously looking for something QUICK AND EASY for the summer, this is DEFINITELY one you should look into. I really am liking these. They are repetitive to drive home the math facts, easy for the independent learner, colorful, and quick lessons. Visit the website and check it out. There are many options that are fun and great for summer learning.
WORKBOOKS
There are always workbooks that can be great asset to keep kids busy learning all summer. You can assign a page a day and move on. I’m not huge on busy work but some kids really like the workbook options and some do not. If you are looking for some good workbooks options, check these out!
Reading Eggs Workbooks — use alone or with the online program. Available preschool through 5th grade for reading and math.
BrainQuest Workbooks — these workbooks are comprehensive and a great way to keep them learning in all subjects all summer long. There is even a Summer Learning version.
Handwriting Practice — a page a day handwriting practice from Channie’s Page a Day can be a great way to practice handwriting over the summer months.
Math Flashcards — flashcards are a great way to practice and drill math facts over the summer and can actually be kinda fun.
Lastly, I would recommend these fun reading books for the subjects that your kids want to work on or learn more about. You can just read out loud or have the kids read a little each day. We love them all and read them together.
Story of the World – Volumes 1 through 4 — these are a family favorite and we read them as read alouds before bed. We all learn so much and it’s a great history education in story format.
Everything You Need to Know to Ace.…. series is awesome. They have Science, Coding, American History, Math, English and several others. Check them out.
Well, there you go — a BUNCH OF SUMMER CURRICULUM RESOURCES for your homeschooling or school at home experience. I hope you find these helpful. Please let me know if you have questions and comment below on your favorites.
Just so you know, this post includes affiliate links. What does that mean? Well, it means, if you use my link, I might get a little something to help keep my blog going. Thanks in advance!
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