Not Another Homeschool Blog

So, I made this video about the state of education in Detroit in an effort to urge parents to take their kids out of school and homeschool them. As a result, people are engaging me in conversation over the topic, and it seems that certain celebrities and leaders are looking into forming alternative schools... and I asked, why not do something different?  Why not try a homeschool model... traditional schooling hasn't worked, why do more of the same thing? I got an answer I wasn't expecting.  Parent's are struggling with illiteracy issues.  How can they teach their children?  I am floored. My answer... online, with technology.  This conversation continues, seriously.  I am considering traveling to Detroit.  Let me find the right people to meet up with.  I am there. Meanwhile, I am listing some free literacy online programs.  Parents and kids can sit side by side and learn to read if necessary. Can't read to your kids?  Let...

I did math this evening.... for fun. I am brushing up my math skills to eventually get the nerve to go take college Algebra and maybe do some college-ing myself.  I figure working the old noggin will put of senility.  I was much sharper when we were homeschooling.  Why not homeschool myself? In the meantime, I started at arithmetic.  The photo shows how much I have done in two sittings.  An hour a month ago and two hours today. If I remember to keep at it, I should be through all the high school maths, or at least through Algebra in a month. I think this is a Free math program that parents should consider for their homeschooled kids. I've always loved this site, even back when it was just very quietly  spoken videos.  I loved it when it had a weird way of tracking progress, but now they've really got it together. While my kids hated videos, they would stop and use them if they got stuck, so this math program now offers the best of two worl...

I was watching a commercial this morning on ABC Mouse reading program and I heard the mention that the parent had tons of learning apps.  The word APPSCHOOLING  popped into my brain. Eureka! I thought, I just came up with a new homeschooling term. NOPE. I googled it and it already exists. Here are some links for you to enjoy. The Wired Homeschool Ben and Me appschooling (on pinterest) If I had another kid to homeschool, I would definitely take advantage of this way of homeschooling!  I would probably mount an iPad to the wall and load it up with educational apps and let the kid "play all day".  I think this would work great up until about 4th grade when kids start needing more structured instruction (in my opinion).

Unfortunately, one of the sites I have relied on heavily (Hippocampus) to provide my kids with free, high quality education is has lost it's contract with NROC  but I have found a couple new sites for you to try.  Keep in mind that most of my picks are for high school students, as that is hardest to find, and that you need to check these out thoroughly. My kids no longer try out these sites as they are in college, so I rely on reviews, poking around, and a couple hours of trial access. 10.   MIT Open Courseware  is a great way to challenge advanced students who aren't quite ready for the college classroom environment.  Most specifically, I recommend the Audio  Video Lecture based courses  as they are easier to follow. 9.   Spanish Hour has helped a couple of young people I know with this very important foreign language. You can start with the basic free membership, and then move to Premium membership for the extra tools later. It helps to prep...

This program is usually $39.95 a school year, but this summer it is free. " At TenMarks, we believe in student achievement. When students work on TenMarks, they have access to hints and video lessons on EVERY problem, so if they can't recall something, or didn't quite get the topic when it was covered in class, they can quickly review the content, and move forward. Immediate support improves motivation and builds confidence, and our data shows that it does wonders for student outcomes." I suggest you try it.  It seems like a perfect balance between two of my favorites, Khan Academy and ALEKS.com.

One of my favorite all-time free homeschooling websites is changing.   Hippocampus.org has been my go-to site for homeschooling high school students for more than 5 years, and as of June 24, 2014 NROC, who supplies the best courses to the site will discontinue their service.  So click on a video today, and this is what you will see for about 30 seconds until the video appears. IMPORTANT NOTICE! As of June 24, 2014 this content from the  University of California will no longer be available through this link. Click  here  for more information. Please visit  HippoCampus.org  to find additional resources that are freely available for your use.  In addition University of California will be charging consumers to use this service.  Instead they will be charging for each course, for example Algebra II is $19.00 and is is moderated by a teacher, (read-no longer able to be moderated by individual homeschool parents). Don't worry too much. ...

This website  http://www.wolframalpha.com will help you. Type the equation into the site's search engine and it will work out the problem for you! very useful.

I am not actively homeschooling my own children this year because both of them will be in  ♫♪ COLLEGE ♫♪    However, I still spend a lot of time researching, talking about, and planning out curriculum with other parents.  My top 10 list still includes many of my old favorites from previous years, but my opinions have also changed about others.  With that said, here is my top 10 list for homeschool resources for 2013-14.  As it is very easy to find online resources for elementary students, most of my picks  are for high school students.  (All but number 1 is free) 10.  Let's face it.  Grammar is boring, boring, boring, so my pick for this subject spices it up a bit. Grammar Bytes! presents grammar in bite-size pieces with an urban flair that will attract teens to pay attention long enough to learn the concept.  You will find handouts, videos, and exercises to test knowledge. 9. Learning languages outside of a classroom or imme...

Free Video Lectures http://www.learnerstv.com This site eliminates the need to search the entire internet for videos. It sit has compiled video lessons from all over the internet. You will find: every subject imaginable LearnersTV offers free learning resources for students on various subject categories. Following is the current list of subjects available as on Monday, August 22, 2011. We will be adding more subjects in future. Subject Categories Biology  |  Physics  |  Chemistry  |  Maths-Statistics  |  Computer-Science  |  Medical-Science  |  Dentistry  | Engineering  |  Accounting  |  Management   McGraw Hill Biology Mc Graw Hill Biology  has an website that can be used in conjunction with the textbook (7 edition).  You will  find an outline of each chapter, tests, labs, and other activities.  This can be used as an outline for teaching biology, ...

American History for Middle School and High School The Simple Homeschool Presents Raising Refounders "shovel ready history for the masses".  This online program  teachers all about the founding fathers of our country and has a full years American History Curriculum.  Government Curriculum, free with shipping  This is  Choosing Our President and history curriculum  is sponsored by Mike Huckabee.  It claims to teach history without bias. Learn Our History’s latest DVD, Election Day: Choosing Our President, is a great way to get your kids excited about the upcoming presidential election.  Your kids will join a group of time traveling history students who go back in time to meet past presidents and understand how the United States election process came to be.  History and more for Kids Kidipede , is a site that middle school homeschoolers will enjoy. It allows you to research to your hearts content form many subj...

Master Math Master Math  teaches middle school math from grade six through Algebra 1.  It is a full, stand alone curriculum great for homeschooling, but I have found that it is also a great supplement for whatever curriculum you may already be using. It it's core it is a free program but the creator of these math videos and accompanying program also does online tutoring should you need it and you can purchase more practice problems as well. CK12 free open source algebra Whether you are homeschooling, or if your kids just need help with Algebra, check out this  open source algebra book.    If that is not Awesome enough Khan Academy has recorded instructional videos to coordinate with this book.  Yay!  Here is the first page of the  Khan Academy playlis t.   This set of videos is currently at the very bottom of the Khan Academy playlist page. Virtual Math Lab from West Texas A&M College Algebra by West Texas A&M has full online...

Free Video Lectures for Middle School, Highschool, AP and College Level FreeVideoLectures.com  has compiled college lectures from numerous colleges on different subjects There is almost too much to list, but I'll give it a shot: Math: Arithmetic,  Singapore Math, Pre-Algebra, Algebra, Geometry, Trignonometry, Calculus, college math, linear algebra, university calculus, and more Science: high school and college biology, Anatomy, physics, public health, and more Literature lectures such as Holocaust in Film and Literature, Nobel Prize Winners, The American Novel since 1945 Social Studies subjects such as Political Science, African American studies, Economic Geography Free Video Lectures  at  http://www.learnerstv.com This site eliminates the need to search the entire internet for videos. It sit has compiled video lessons from all over the internet. You will find: every subject imaginable LearnersTV offers free learning resources for students on v...

ACT Website has review materials If you are preparing to take the ACT,  the ACT website  has practice questions and writing prompts: Review these practice questions to help familiarize yourself with the ACT® test. For each question, click on your answer to see if you are correct. Five sets of questions are available for English and Mathematics; four sets are available for Reading; and seven are available for Science. To prepare for the Writing Test portion of the ACT Plus Writing, see a sample writing prompt and responses. The website also allows you to schedule exams, view your ACT scores, and to change your registration if necessary. Why take the ACT? ACT scores are accepted at all 4 year universities in the United States. The questions are curriculum based, not aptitude or IQ based, meaning students should not be at a disadvantage.  ACT Test Prep-Science on YouTube Super Magnet Man on YouTube has a set of 8 videos that will help you to prep...

It's summer! If you want to keep homeschooling, but are getting some resistance, create a summer themed unit study. Ideas might include summer activities like hiking, swimming, and amusement parks. Making summer goodies like fruit salad (and learning all about the benefits of summer produce). Making ice-cream (That's chemistry centric) And lots of reading.. my favorite summer activity.  To go along with your summer unit study, include the words introduced in this info graphic: Dictionary.com Summer Words For the Summer Learning Lull infographic

Prongo.com  has lots of free games for children aged 3-12. You will find hungry cateplillar, 2 player math games, checkers, mazes and more.  Message from prongo.com: "Making games is fun and challenging but making games where kids learn is rewarding. We at prongo.com are working on bringing the best educational games around. That's why we use the latest software and hardware. We provide educational games where kids can interact and learn. We work hard on providing a challenging game environment, because learning should be fun and when kids learn they succeed." About Play Kids Games.com "Play Kids Games.com is a site designed by parents of young kids. It is our intention is to provide a web site that parents and kids can use to learn basic skills while having fun. It is our goal to provide a safe place to learn computer skils, math skills, reading skills and problem solving skills in a context that is fun to use. " The site features math, alphabet,...

Whenever my aunties told me to get something done lickety-split, they meant to get it done fast.  Still, it's a funny sounding word that will get today's preschooler to wrinkle up their faces trying to figure out what you want them to lick. This info graphic includes this word and more that will be fun to teach your preschooler. 12 words your pre-schooler will find hilarious and learn from infographic Enjoy!