Homeschooling for Free Archives

DIY Notebooking Pages

May 31, 2012Tracy4 Comments

I recently ran across a website that has youtube videos walking you through the process of making your own notebooking pages. What a find!

And best yet, she didn’t use an expensive design program to do it. She used Power Point. And I used my free Open Office equivalent to Power Point. A free program to make free notebooking pages that match exactly what we are studying!

Discovering this was really, truly a God-send. You see, NotebookingPages.com has just announced her new program to design your own notebooking pages, but to use the program you have to get a membership. It’s on sale this month for around $50 (typically about $75), which is still more than I have to spend. And I must admit that I was struggling a little with covetousness. But as I cast my care upon God, He led me to this very awesome tutorial.

Truly an answer to my prayers, and perhaps an answer to yours as well. Have fun!

(I’ll be sharing some pictures in future posts, as I get the hang of this.)

Homeschooling with Google (and online resource list)

May 28, 2012Tracy

Back when my mom first began homeschooling me, the choices for curriculum were much different. You either bought the same materials used in the schools (public or private), or you made your own from what you could find at the library and at garage sales.

Today, there is the internet—and oh, how that has changed the homeschool scenery! High speed information just a click away. With all of the resources of the internet, it really is doable to homeschool for free or nearly free if you choose to. However, what you save in cash you spend in time. Pioneering through the wilderness of cyber space is no easy task. You’ve got to know what you’re looking for and where to look. So, here are a few tips that will have you well on your way to constructing your own Google curriculum.

Know What You Need

You’ll never find what you need if you have no idea what that is. Google is close to miraculous, but the computer does not read your mind.

What I have found helpful is a unit study planner. Even if you are not necessarily taking the “unit study” approach, these planners are helpful for defining objectives and listing resources as you find them. You will need to know what you hope to study and some basic objectives. Brainstorm what you’d like to find: information, worksheets, maps, notebooking pages, library books, lesson plans, etc. Then, begin brainstorming some search phrases.

Know Where to Look

It may help, when you first begin to search, to go to particular websites rather that search the entire internet. Knowing specifically where to look can save you a lot of time, particularly if someone else has already done the searching for you. Search YouTube or Vimoe or even Netflix for videos and documentaries. Pinterest is another great place for searching other people’s collections.

If you are in need of research information on a particular topic, begin with reputable sources. Not everything you find on the internet is reliable information, even if it comes from Wikipedia. The best information comes from either government websites, university websites, or “name brand” websites like National Geographic, PBS.org, etc. In fact, many of these websites may have lesson plans to download and use on particular topics—another tremendous time-saver.

When you do get around to using a search engine, a good search phrase is the key. For instance, when I’m searching for graphics, “free clip art” brings up images that are royalty-free but still require a charge to download them. Instead, “public domain clip art” has been a much better search term. Though there are tips for creating a good search phrase, most often a good search just requires several tries. To help with this, brainstorm different ways of phrasing what you are looking for, at least until you get the hang of crafting the perfect phrase.

Know Where the Freebies Are

Sometimes, it just helps to be in the right place at the right time. Attend Facebook and Twitter parties for free giveaways; visit the sites that find the freebies for you (FreeHomeschoolDeals.com); sign up for notification emails for the products or subjects that you are interested in; join forums where other moms share about their latest finds.

This strategy is especially effective if you plan way ahead. For instance, I know that next summer I want to study plants and gardening with the kids. As I run across those free resources, I snatch them up and file them away for next spring/summer’s study. I’m not spending hours at a time searching; I’m just keeping my eyes open.

Homeschooling does not have to break the bank. Before you decide you can’t afford to educate your children at home, spend a little time on the web. I think you’ll be surprised at how far your budget can go.

To get you started on your search, I’ve compiled a list of some free homeschool resources. Feel free to add your own favorites in the comments section. Happy searching!

Summer Insect Desk Tags

May 4, 2012Tracy

I love to have desk tags for the kids, not only as a fun school decoration but also as a learning tool. The kids have both learned to write their names by tracing on their laminated desk tags. I also have them place their pencils on their desk tag when they are not using them.
Since insects will be a key part of our nature study this summer, I decided to have insects as the theme for our new desk tags. And when I couldn’t find what I wanted, I attempted to make one using public domain clip art off the internet. I’m really pleased with my first attempt!
Take a look or download it for your use.

Desk Tag Tutorial

Want to make your own? It really was not hard at all. I used an Open Office text document and created a table of three rows x one column. Then, I adjusted the size of each row. Next, I added a dashed line in the center of the second row. I did need to be sure that my borders for the table were selected and set at 1 point.

That’s it! Just add your stock photos or google for public domain clip art to find exactly what you want. It turned out to be much faster than searching the internet for pre-made desk tags. Have fun!

Exploring Cursive

May 3, 2012Tracy2 Comments

My son has suddenly shown an interest in cursive writing. I find him continually swirling and doodling on the backs of pages. He wants me to read what he’s “written,” and since I cannot, I’m thinking it’s about time to introduce him to the real thing.

We tackled cursive in K4, as A Beka recommends. Whether it was because he was a little young (not quite four) or just less coordinated, cursive was a great contributor to our first early failure that year. I finally gave up and taught him manuscript, assuming we’d get to cursive “one day.” In the back of my mind, I’ve been secretly hoping that “one day” would come soon enough that I could still use my K4 materials. Thankfully, I think that day has arrived.

I’ve anticipated adding cursive as one of our summer subjects on the days we don’t do art, but then I ran across this blog post that suggested laminating writing guides to teach handwriting. I did this to some extent with manuscript, but for some reason it slipped my mind as I was planning for this summer. I’m so glad for the reminder!

So, over the weekend I laminated my chart of cursive letters, got out a dry erase marker, and dropped it into one of our workbox pockets. And over the weekend, my son discovered his chart. He was so excited that he couldn’t even wait until Monday and begged to do his chart as a “quiet time” activity. Saturday afternoon, my son sat beside me on the couch while I—you guessed it—fed the baby, and he carefully traced each letter on his chart. Once he finished it, he erased his letters and took his chart to the front porch, sat beside Dad, and traced them all again.

The chart has stayed in his workbox pocket, and he has voluntarily pulled it out nearly every day. Such an improvement on our first attempt! I am really glad that I held off until cursive writing became this much fun.

And for those of you who don’t have unused K4 materials stashed on your shelves or maybe feel you need a little more practice, I found this awesome resource of cursive writing worksheets. Pair this with Donna Young’s cursive handwriting animations, and you’ve got a complete curriculum for free!

DIY Worksheets

February 9, 2012Tracy

Sometimes this time of year finds us scrambling for just a little extra, more material for our fast-paced learners or supplemental material for those who might be struggling. Before you purchase an extra workbook, here’s a list of websites that allow you to create your own worksheets for a variety of subjects.

This first one is strictly for generating math worksheets, but covers a wide-range of topics from kindergarten to 8th grade. It even has a generator to create cuisenaire rod worksheets, which I will probably be using quite a bit this summer.

Then, of course, there’s my old favorite for handwriting worksheets. I used this website almost exclusively last year for K4, after A Beka cursive just did not work out for us.

But, I’ve saved the best for last. This last one allows you to make your own worksheets for a variety of subjects. WorksheetWorks website has a generator for creating math, language, geography, logic and other worksheets with really great quality.

As always, be sure to add your own favorites in the comments section.

Create your own DIY Handwriting Pages

May 3, 2011Tracy

I originally had purchased the A Beka K4 cursive material from my son, only to have him really struggle through the first several lessons and begin writing manuscript letters on his own. Rather than continuing to fight through cursive and frustrate both of us, I began teaching manuscript to him, except I didn’t want to spend more money on another handwriting book. So instead, I’ve been creating my own DIY handwriting pages using an online tool that works as a handwriting page creator.

I use Letter of the Week wipesheets to introduce and teach the new letters. Then, we transition to a wipe board about midweek, and finish with our own handwriting pages by the end of the week (blends on Thursday, one-vowel words on Friday).

An extra bonus, by creating our own DIY handwriting pages, we actually get to make our handwriting practice practical! I’ve made handwriting sheets of the Bible verses my son is working on, printing it off on decorative paper. I’ve even printed off notes to people, let the children trace the letters, cut out the handwritten lines, and pasted them to home-made cards. The possibilities are endless! And yes, I do allow my kids to use special pens and markers to make their handwriting pages “pretty.”