ListPlanIt

Whether you are homeschooling your child(ren) or just looking for some supplemental websites for afternoon or weekend learning, I have come across some amazing resources in my preparation for homeschooling. I found a book from the library called Homeschool Your Child for Free: More Than 1,400 Smart, Effective, and Practical Resources for Educating Your Family at Home and I was astounded at the number of websites out there.  I taught school about 10 years ago when we didn’t use the computer much in the classroom.  Now, even though I have children, I could never have guessed what was available to my children for fun and learning on the computer.

Language Arts

• ReadWriteThink.org – I love this website!  There are many resources and lesson plans for learning in any grade level.  One thing that has been exciting for us is that my children were given iPod shuffles for Christmas (early gift).  We’ve just discovered podcasts for kids and this website has some really interesting podcasts.
• StorylineOnline.net – This website is produced by the Screen Actors Guild.  The beauty of it is in its simplicity.  A book is read by an actor and the captions are shown below.  My children could view this website for hours and not get bored.
• SpellingCity.com – We will be gleaning words for our spelling and vocabulary lesson from many different sources, but Spelling City is going to be a fun way to really see the words and see how they are used.

Math

• CoolMath4Kids.com – The bright colors against the black of this website is sure to interest your child.  It has a good selection of math activities/games to help your child master math.
• MathCats.com – This math website has some pretty fun features, including the chalkboard question on the homepage.
• IXL.com – This beautiful website does have a membership level with amazing numbers of problems for up to grade 8.  It seems, however, that you can access many of the practice problems without a membership.  Either way, this website seems like a great value for so much math learning.

Social Studies/Humanities

• MrDowling.com – This website is well-organized and good for learning general facts about general areas of the world.
• KidsPast.com – A website devoted to kids and history.
• MrDonn.org – Quite a selection of periods in history to choose and learn about.

Science/Health

• Geography4Kids.com – Useful website for children who are upper elementary school-aged and older.
• PasoPartners.com – Geared toward teaching K through 3rd grade, this website is designed to increase understanding of science and mathematics.
• BAM! Body and Mind – What kids wouldn’t want to read a website designed as a comic book with super heroes?  this website is broken down by subjects relating to health and wellness.

General Learning

• LessonPathways.com – This free online curriculum has tons of activities and games for teaching your child.  It is a terrific resource or complete curriculum!

Have you come across any websites that you and your children love for learning at home?