Jump to content

Menu

Free Homeschool Curriculum & Resources


Recommended Posts

Four pages! Whoo hoo!

I've been on the lookout for freebies to add to this thread. Most of the resources are for middle school and high school

 

The Amazing Handwriting Worksheet Generator- Create worksheets with three fonts: print, cursive and d'nealian. Not curriculum but a great resource for handwriting practice and copywork.

 

Harmony Arts a Home- I found separate free resources. Great resource for a high school fine arts credit!

Grade 9- Music Appreciation

Grade 10- Music Appreciation

Grade 11- Music Appreciation

Grade 12- Music Appreciation

Grade 12- Art Appreciation

 

Agriculture in the classroom- California Ag in the Classroom and Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom

because it's important for kids to know where their food comes from, right? Plus it counts as science.

 

Science News for Students- great for those science geek kids.

 

Hippo Campus- similar to Khan Academy but not as extensive.

 

Actuarial Foundation- Math and personal financing for grades 4-12. The personal finance is definitely for high school and adults.

 

Money Talks- University of California developed this for high school and college students. Discusses personal finance, business sense, entrepreneurship and more.

 

ETA: Vocabulary Word Study for ACT and SAT prep. Very visual

Edited by Ruthie in MS
  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I admit, I've been feeling just a scooch whiny about needing to use free resources for almost everything.  I mean, it's one thing to say that, in theory, it could be done. It's another thing entirely to actually do it.  

 

Anyway, I looked through the World History section and, while there's plenty of decent stuff there, nothing excited me.  So, I did some more digging online and found this BBC podcast: A History of the World in 100 Objects which, I believe, will be a pretty amazing fit for my older daughter.   

 

So, even if you don't need free resources, but have older kids who struggle to read lengthy texts (like my DD), or hate history, or need something a bit lighter because the rest of their studies are so heavy... here you go.  It's not a complete course, but a clever, engaging jumping off point.  

 

And if I hadn't  needed to attempt free for the upcoming year, I would have probably not come across it.  So, everything is working together just as it needs to.

 

Kismet.  :cool: 

Edited by shinyhappypeople
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorting through more Annenberg stuff:

 

Against All Odds: Inside Statistics -- video series

Algebra In Simplest Terms -- video series

Art of the Western World -- video series

Economics U$A -- video series

Invitation to World Literature -- video series

Destinos: An Introduction to Spanish and Nuevos Destinos -- video series

French in Action -- video series 

 

Edited by shinyhappypeople
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorting through more Annenberg stuff:

 

Against All Odds: Inside Statistics -- video series

Algebra In Simplest Terms -- video series

Art of the Western World -- video series

Economics U$A -- video series

Invitation to World Literature -- video series

Destinos: An Introduction to Spanish and Nuevos Destinos -- video series

French in Action -- video series 

 

The "Destinos" link appears to be the same as for the Invitation to World Lit.  The link should be:  http://www.learner.org/resources/series75.html

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I admit, I've been feeling just a scooch whiny about needing to use free resources for almost everything.  I mean, it's one thing to say that, in theory, it could be done. It's another thing entirely to actually do it.  

 

 

Yup!

 

Theory and doing it are not the same thing at ALL.

 

When there is no money for books, other stuff is breaking down, too. It is like the domino effect. and once one thing goes down, the pace of other stuff going down just accelerates exponentially. Before you know it, you are standing in a mess that looks like a bomb went off. 

 

Oddles and oodles of "Free" stuff isn't free anymore, without the proper tools to view it and print it. You don't have time or focus to muck around. What was fun in the past is a burden now.

 

Sometimes, when you have a little money, or feel safe to charge something, look for bottlenecks that prevent you from accessing "free" stuff. One of my biggest recent charges was to remove a major bottle neck. Maybe I was "Irresponsible" but maybe I wasn't. My stress level dropped instantly. My head got clearer. I had access to lots more.

 

I still have some smaller bottlenecks, I'm choosing to leave in place for now. I'm working around them the best I can. It is a juggle. Too many balls are in the air. One unexpected issue, and all the balls fall on the floor at once. Today. Sigh! Balls are hitting the floor. I'm realizing some stuff is going to ripple out. Why? Because the rain started earlier than I expected. That is all it took to make a big mess that I am watching build, and can only laugh. I'm hitting all those smaller bottlenecks, one right after the other. I might have to pick one to throw some money at, or end out spending more money in the long run.

 

Trying to do too much for "free" all at once, sometimes can make a spectacular mess that takes more money to get out of than buying some stuff would have.

 

It rained earlier than I expected. That is it. :lol: and now. :lol: It is funny, because I don't have kids. My life can just tumble around me, and people give me a pass they won't and probably can't give moms. If I just say "Oops!" and laugh, people will often laugh along with me.

 

It rained. That is it. and now. :lol: 

 

I need to get off the computer and start dealing with my mess. 

 

Shiny :grouphug:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yup!

 

Theory and doing it are not the same thing at ALL.

 

...

 

It rained. That is it. and now. :lol:

 

I need to get off the computer and start dealing with my mess. 

 

Shiny :grouphug:

:grouphug:   <hands Hunter an umbrella>  I'm sorry you're going through a messy time, but it sure is nice to hear your voice again :) 

 

I think that the challenge for me is that I can't necessarily have everything I *want* so I need to want what I can have.  I'm blessed with a lot, and we are nowhere near destitute.  We're just putting money that *would* be used for curriculum towards something that is far more urgent.  The urgent situation is stressful, but we'll be okay.  This too shall pass.

 

I've become mildly obsessed with understanding Charlotte Mason's approach because it's something I've always liked, and it should be possible to do it fairly well using mostly just our library.  It's something I can have that I actually want, because it's basically about the method, a pencil, a notebook, and a lot of really good books. 

 

Hunter and everyone.....  you know all those awesome threads we've done over the years about homeschooling under adverse circumstances, or on a tiny budget, or Hunter's challenge threads... will you help me compile them?  I'll compile them in one post and then try to link to that post in the big thread.  

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd forgotten about ERIC... there's an enormous amount of material for teachers.  It will be interesting to wade through it when I have a bit more time.

 

Teach a Child To Read with Children's Books --  "This guide shows parents how to combine story reading, phonics, and writing to help their children develop into skilled and motivated readers. "   You can download the full text as a pdf 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Went to add a couple new links and got this error: "content too long."   :( I deleted my "why I'm doing this" prologue and was able to add the links.  Now I need to condense, edit, and generally streamline the rest of the list.

 

ETA: What a cool problem to have.  There are simply too many free resources to list in one post.   :thumbup1:

Edited by shinyhappypeople
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

S.E.A. Lab Science Experiments and Activities. -- "A series of science experiments and activities designed for secondary school students taking biology, chemistry, physics, physical science or marine science courses"

Marine Conservation & Science --  high school curriculum by U Miami Shark Research

Marine Science Lesson Plans (K-12)

Edited by shinyhappypeople
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Shortcut to Manuscript: The Direct Path to Fluent Manuscript Handwriting -- which I happened to come across in another thread, because clearly Hunter's been holding out ;) 

 

In other news: I'm eventually going to be culling links and pasting them into a new "Additional Resources" post which will be linked to from the original post.  So... yeah.  That'll be a thing at some point.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Went to add a couple new links and got this error: "content too long." :( I deleted my "why I'm doing this" prologue and was able to add the links. Now I need to condense, edit, and generally streamline the rest of the list.

 

ETA: What a cool problem to have. There are simply too many free resources to list in one post. :thumbup1:

Sometimes lack of room forces us to choose the best of the best, and makes it easier for us to only have the best at front and center.

 

One of the hardest issues with free is choosing which free to use. Write down your primary goals. I think when you started the thread, you were thinking a lot about free not being free.

 

Ezrabean says when culling, to never start with what you think you want to keep. She says peel away from the outside one layer at a time. Start culling those things that are the hardest for low income families to use, such as lots of pages to print or uses lots of data.

 

If the post includes too many links, then it is too long for an overwhelmed low-income mom to follow up on. Choose for that overwhelmed mom, what you think she should check out first. Remember, she might be on a library computer for just one hour, or eating up data on a cell phone, and have a hungry tired child wailing on the floor at her feet.

 

I didn't post that manuscript pdf? That is weird. I always post that link. Hmmm.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know if tapatalk is malfunctioning, but I'm seeing all sorts of stuff repeated.

 

There are two writing links smashed together. A CM link and Ben Franklin link that look like one combined CM Ben Franklin article on writing. :lol:

 

I just looked. At least on the first few pages, the only Blumenfeld and Don Potter links are to the math. That is odd for me. :D Maybe I was feeling like a broken record and afraid of being annoying.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sometimes lack of room forces us to choose the best of the best, and makes it easier for us to only have the best at front and center.

 

One of the hardest issues with free is choosing which free to use. Write down your primary goals. I think when you started the thread, you were thinking a lot about free not being free.

 

Ezrabean says when culling, to never start with what you think you want to keep. She says peel away from the outside one layer at a time. Start culling those things that are the hardest for low income families to use, such as lots of pages to print or uses lots of data.

 

If the post includes too many links, then it is too long for an overwhelmed low-income mom to follow up on. Choose for that overwhelmed mom, what you think she should check out first. Remember, she might be on a library computer for just one hour, or eating up data on a cell phone, and have a hungry tired child wailing on the floor at her feet.

 

I didn't post that manuscript pdf? That is weird. I always post that link. Hmmm.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Over the next few days I hope to update the original post.  

 

In the meantime, I think we should sort through the resources and create a sort of "box curriculum" that meets the needs of moms like the ones you describe, divided by general grade levels (maybe pre-K/K, lower-el, upper-el, etc.)  

 

If she's already overwhelmed, it might be nice to have good math, phonics, etc. resources that don't require too much data or printing, etc. vetted by an experienced homeschool mom and ready to go.  What do you think?  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Cleaning house!  I'm trimming down the big list to make it more manageable.  ALL the removed links will be in this post.  If a link you submitted is relegated to this post, please don't take it personally.  It's not.  MOST of the links here are ones that I added on my own.  If I were being totally unbiased I'd trim down the art sections even further and just remove my pet section (Film Appreciation), but I just can't bear to do it.  We need art, especially in hard times.  The arts are part of what makes us uniquely human.  

 

Complete Programs:

Ambleside Online K-12 Ă¢â‚¬â€œ This is a Charlotte Mason inspired program that uses mostly vintage, public domain books.  Books not available for free can normally be found via the library or substituted with another title.  You'll need to find something for math and foreign language.  (Removing because there can be a lot of non-public domain books to buy to make this work.  I still have a soft spot for AO, though.)

 

Art Instruction:

Sketchbook Skool - drawing instruction videos on YouTube

The Virtual Instructor - Free Middle and High School Lesson Plans 

 

Art Appreciation:

Google Arts & Culture 

 

Film Appreciation:

Schmoop Film Appreciation 

 AFI's Top 100 Films - like a Great Books list, but for movies. 

 

Music Appreciation:

Schmoop Music Appreciation 

 

Phonics / Learn to Read:

How to Teach Your Child to ReadÂ Ă¢â‚¬â€œ includes links to some phonics worksheets.

 

Literature / Myths & Legends

Better Lesson: Master Teacher Lessons, English/Language Arts

H.A. Guerber: Myths of Greece and Rome by H.A. Guerber, The Book of the Epic: The World's Great Epics Told in Story, Legends of the Middle Ages, Narrated with Special References to Literature and Art, Legends of the Rhine

 

Foreign Language:

Destinos: An Introduction to Spanish and Nuevos Destinos -- video series

French in Action -- video series 

 

US History:

Historical Movies for Kids (with Reviews!) for ages 6-12

The Story of the Thirteen Colonies by H.A. Guerber  

Core Knowledge History & Geography 

CK-12 American History

Core Knowledge History & Geography 

 - video series, plus free study guide and teacher materials.  Not all of the videos are available for free on YouTube anymore.

 

World History:

World History by Mr. Dowling - downloadable lessons and assignments (pdf).  Site also has extras like related YouTube videos.

H.A. Guerber: The Story of the Chosen People, The Story of the Greeks, The Story of the Romans, The Story of Modern France (1715 to 1910)

A History of the World in 100 Objects -- BBC podcast series

Ambleside Online's Geography 1-6 schedule

 

Psychology:

Psychology 101 - online textbook from All Psych

Discovering Psychology -- video series

 

Math:

Math in English -- free, printable math exercise workbooks.

Ellen McHenry Math Games and Activities

Actuarial Foundation - lesson plans, discussion materials, posters, online activities, and competitions for grades 4-12

 

Math Electives:

Money Smart for Young People -- created by the FDIC.  Four levels: Pre-K to 2, 3rd to 5th, 6th to 8th, 9th to 12th. 

Money Talks -- financial literacy course for high school from the University of California

Accounting - from Classes without Books

 

Science:

HooplaKidszLab - wide variety of fun, hands on science demonstrations. 

National Geographic EducationÂ Ă¢â‚¬â€œÂ Science encyclopedia, lesson plans, activity ideas, interactive map maker and so much more.   Also, check out: National Geographic Kids Homework Help

 

Biology:

ASU - Ask a Biologist - Experiments, articles, detailed coloring pages, bird finder, how to's (e.g. how to build an ant farm), biology podcast, and a lot more. 

Biology Coloring Worksheets - for middle/high school students.  Lesson and questions, with instructions for coloring the image.  Available as .doc files.

Cognitive Neuroscience - Video-based, part of MIT's High School Studies Program.

 

Electronics, Engineering, and Physics:

Electronics Class - from FearofPhysics.com

National Park Service Ă¢â‚¬â€œ Teacher Resources (K-12) 

FearofPhysics.com - free online physics course.  

MIT Physics - many courses available

 

OTHER USEFUL STUFF

Let's Book It - Instructions to make mini-books, foldable graphic organizers and power point presentations.

Rosegate Harbor -- Robinson Curriculum with a dash of LDS 

Homeschool Commons

Newspapers in Education -- there's a lot of useful stuff here.  I'm not sure how to categorize it, but it's well worth the time to browse through these resources.

DIY.org -- "Awesome Skills for Awesome Kids"  I love this site 

8 Awesome Websites to Take Free College Courses Online

Teachers Pay Teachers Freebies

Homeschool Share -- lapbooks, notebooking pages, and unit studies by and for homeschoolers.

Pinterest

 

 

 

 
Edited by shinyhappypeople
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Wonderful list!   Progressive Phonics has added a handwriting program as well, so you could add them under handwriting too.

 

Marion Bradley has an American History, World History, and World Cultures curriculum that is pretty interesting (doesn't really try to cover framework, but goes deep into certain aspects as a way of exploring worldview/critical thinking about societies and such).  It's meant for classroom use but could be altered for homeschool.  http://www.marionbrady.com/

 

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Years ago, in the first edition of  In Their Own Way: Discovering and Encouraging Your Child's Multiple Intelligences by Thomas Armstrong, he recommended a social studies curriculum that is long out of print: (Hu)mans: A Course of Study.  I even wrote Dr. Armstrong to ask where to obtain this curriculum! Anyway, it is now available for free on the web at http://www.macosonline.org/

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Long shot - posting here in hopes someone can point me towards what I need!

 

Looking for two things. Both need to be free as my budget is shot for the year. 

 

1. A short intensive unit study on the metric system. Ideally something about a 3rd/4th/5th grade level. NOT Khan academy please as it doesn't work well for us. 

 

2. A history of Australia / New Zealand that could be worked to cover an entire year. Middle school level. All the history I'm finding is either world or US or British. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

 Seriously?  That's funny!

 

Which one is it?  I'm only seeing one with the label "Flipped Math" but it's entirely possible I'm losing my mind....

 

I guess it is on this thread, but not on the "list" (I forgot this has evolved to include an actual list). Post: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/638531-free-homeschool-curriculum-resources/?p=7630774

 

I watched the geometry videos over the summer to prep for teaching Geometry this fall. I mostly like it. Lots of pop culture references, depending of if that's your cuppa. Not as rigorous as Derek Owens, but given the cost, I think it the classes are complete courses and very useful for a lot of families. It could use some more probability in the non CC version, but that could be supplemented, if needed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Wells Fargo Financial Literacy Curriculum

 

As part of its commitment to financial literacy Wells Fargo has developed Hands on Banking® , a comprehensive modular curriculum targeting students that range in age from grade 4 through senior citizens. The program has been designed and developed by professional educators and is suitable for either classroom use or self-study. Lessons are aligned with State Education Standards for grades 4 through 12. It is available in both English and Spanish and can be found online at www.handsonbanking.org or www.elfuturoentusmanos.org

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wells Fargo Financial Literacy Curriculum

 

As part of its commitment to financial literacy Wells Fargo has developed Hands on Banking® , a comprehensive modular curriculum targeting students that range in age from grade 4 through senior citizens. The program has been designed and developed by professional educators and is suitable for either classroom use or self-study. Lessons are aligned with State Education Standards for grades 4 through 12. It is available in both English and Spanish and can be found online at www.handsonbanking.org or www.elfuturoentusmanos.org

 

Hunter!  Thanks for sharing this. 

 

 I've missed your voice :) 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...

Arithmetic we need

 

Arithmetic from primer through grade 6. Grades 7 and 8 appear to be consumer math, with grade 8 teacher's book currently available for borrowing. . These materials are from Canada dated around 1950 or so, in full color. Users may need to adjust currency from Canadian dollar depending on their location.  

 

For most grades, there is a  student's textbook, teacher's guide with answer key and teaching notes for each page, and an additional workbook with practice questions. There is a well written scope and sequence in the beginning of each teacher's guide for those who need to submit this information for review or those who may wish it for their own records.

 

These books were converted to digital format in 2017, so hopefully the grade 7 and 8 materials will become available soon as well.

 

Grade K - 1 combined into one volume

 

Teacher's guide

Textbook

 

 

Grade 2

 

Teacher's guide

Textbook 

 

 

Grade 3

 

Teacher's guide

Textbook

Workbook

 

Grade 4

 

Teacher's guide

Textbook

Workbook

 

 

Grade 5

 

Teacher's guide

Textbook

Workbook

 
 

Grade 6

 

Teacher's guide

Textbook

Workbook

 

 

Grade 7

 

Teacher's guide - not currently available

Textbook - not currently available

Workbook - not currently available

 

Grade 8

 

Teacher's guide - 14 day borrow window

Textbook - not currently available

Workbook - not currently available

 

 

Jolly Numbers (Daily Life - Arithmetics) - by the authors of Arithmetic We Need - "living arithmetics"

 

There is a primer, volume one, and volume 2 of stories featuring numbers as well as teaching notes, and workbooks. 

 

Primer

 

Workbook

 

Book One

 

Storybook

Workbook

Teacher's guide - not currently available

 

Book Two

 

Storybook

Workbook 

Teacher's guide

 

 

 

 
Edited by RosemaryAndThyme
  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

Arithmetic we need

 

Arithmetic from primer through grade 6. Grades 7 and 8 appear to be consumer math, with grade 8 teacher's book currently available for borrowing. . These materials are from Canada dated around 1950 or so, in full color. Users may need to adjust currency from Canadian dollar depending on their location.

 

For most grades, there is a student's textbook, teacher's guide with answer key and teaching notes for each page, and an additional workbook with practice questions. There is a well written scope and sequence in the beginning of each teacher's guide for those who need to submit this information for review or those who may wish it for their own records.

 

These books were converted to digital format in 2017, so hopefully the grade 7 and 8 materials will become available soon as well.

 

 

Oh, I just looked at the textbook for grade 4 and it looks delightful. I like that it has little diagnostic tests that tell you what needs more study; the word problems that are about things kids might care about (scout camps or movie tickets or model airplamnes); the make your own questions from information given; the right or wrong; the pick out the answer that can't be correct and a bunch more.

 

(Right or wrong.... They have problems like... (making my own) "A new bicycle tire is good for about 2000 miles. Bob bought 2 tires to replace the ones on his bike. He should be able to ride it for 4000 miles." ) I love that it has them thinking!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Ă—
Ă—
  • Create New...