š Homeschooling and Worldschooling Curriculum: Free Online and Offline Resources for Families
Introduction
According to studies, the number of children being homeschooled in the United States has surpassed 4 million. One might wonder why a country that dedicates a large part of its national budget to education has so many families choosing homeschooling.
Some of the most common reasons in Western countries are:
to adopt pedagogical or worldview perspectives different from those offered in schools.
to provide a safer learning environment compared to schools where incidents of bullying, racism, terrorism, drug and alcohol abuse, etc., have occurred.
as an alternative during times of isolation, such as during the COVID-19 lockdown.
to improve relationships between parents, children, and siblings.
to accommodate careers in sports and arts that require rehearsals and practices, etc.
flexibility for families of missionaries, digital nomads, military personnel, diplomats, etc.
academic acceleration according to the specific abilities of the children.
to better respond to specific educational needs that children may have.
What do students learn and how do they learn when doing homeschooling or worldschooling?
These are some of the most common styles or models that families adopt:
In some countries where homeschooling is more common - and therefore there are more services available - children can be enrolled in a homeschooling program, either online or in person. This means that some subjects are learned alongside other children who are also educated at home. In these "homeschooling centers or co-ops," the teachers are often parents who take turns as tutors or professional instructors hired for certain subjects/projects.
But for those of us not participating in programs or online classes, one of the challenging aspects of homeschooling is deciding which educational curriculum, which books, guides, or online resources to use, and how to organize ourselves as parent-educators.
Thank God we have found very good resources and ideas for educational curricula, and we would like to share them with other families who are looking for information in this area.
These resources can also be useful for families seeking help and options in specific subjects for their children attending traditional schools, or for tutors looking for new educational tools.
š» Offline resources: Books, worksheets and more
š Books
Official textbooks from MƩxico (EspaƱol)
š Worksheets and resources: Web pages that offer support resources such as printable guides, etc. Initially free but also offer subscriptions.
āļø Board games or similar: Where to buy? supermarkets, bookstores, board games are educational and effective resources for internalizing data and skills that would otherwise be boring and repetitive.
Chess - maths, logic, and strategy, etc.
Risk and Ticket to Ride - excellent board games for learning geography and strategy.
Catan - resource management, trade, etc.
Charades - vocabulary, acting, etc.
Pictionary - vocabulary, drawing
š» Online resources
š» Learning platforms, online "school":
Our favorite discovery, a completely free platform that can be used from a computer or tablet. The videos and exercises are excellent at explaining and putting math into practice. The exercises are very relevant to real life. Price: 100% Free platform with no ads.
(Do not confuse with Khan Academy Kids - a platform for younger children, recommended for up to approximately 8 years old). Khan Academy is designed for children in 2nd grade and above. This platform features videos and exercises for all subjects.
IXL: A platform with a large number of relevant contents and quizzes organized by skills, subjects, and grade levels. 100% free platform, with a paid option available as well.
Pearson English 2 months free trial and subscription available.
š„ Educational videos and channels
Peekaboo Kids to complement classes, I search YouTube for the topic, for example the water cycle, and the channel that usually has the most complete and clear videos is Binocs Show by Peekaboo Kids.
š® Gamification and Interactive Learning (trivia, games, online whiteboards, etc.):
š» Class Preparation, Presentations, and Content:
Diffit AI-powered educational content generation. You can align the content you choose with American curriculum standards, and it even includes reading books. For example, we are reading āWild Robotā as our main book this semester, and this tool has saved me a huge amount of time preparing comprehension questions and presentations. Free trial platform, then subscription options.
Google Notebook Similar to Diffit. You can provide content and the AI turns it into presentations, audio, infographics, quizzes, and more.
Genially Interactive and engaging presentations.
Some websites with content for preparing Spanish classes:
Some websites with content for preparing English classes:
š±Learning support Apps
Good and Beautiful Typing Typing program (learning to use a computer keyboard in English). Price: 10-day free trial, then 5 USD per month.
Good and Beautiful - Simply Spelling Interactive program to improve English spelling. 100% free and ad-free.
Duolingo & Duolingo ABC
App for learning languages, plus math, chess, and music theory.
Flowkey App for learning piano and music theory. Free initial trial.
Procreate y Procreate Dreams Digital illustration and an introduction to animation.
Audible Audiobooks, Amazon store.
Kindle Digital books, Amazon store.
Classdojo Point system to encourage good behavior, participation, and more.
We hope these resources are helpful as you plan your homeschooling, worldschooling, or simply provide extra learning opportunities for your children.
Weāll keep adding options as we discover more, so if you have a suggestion, share it in the comments! š
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