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Our 2020 Homeschool Curriculum for Multiple Kids

August 13, 2020 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Well, the year 2020 has brought more than its share of surprises.

We were homeschoolers for ten years (not counting a five-month break) and last year I finally decided to let my kids attend public school.

After seven months, they were home again – suddenly. And now we’re back to homeschooling again too (like many of you).

If you’re unsure what to do with your kids, how to arrange their days, or what resources to use, I hope that reading our 2020 homeschool curriculum plan will help.

These are resources especially for the grades we’re teaching this year: third grade, sixth grade, and seventh grade. But you can use this as a framework for building your own plan too.

Just starting out with homeschooling? Check out my Get It Done Guide to First Time Homeschooling too!

See the 2020 homeschool curriculum choices we made for our family this year!

A No Stress 2020 Homeschool Curriculum Plan for Multiple Kids

Images c/o: AndrewLozovyi & IgorVetushko / depositphotos

(This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

Fair warning: This looks like a lot of work. But it’s not.

As you read, you’ll see that I reuse multiple resources for each child and several of these resources are free or inexpensive.

I do believe, though, in investing in the subjects that matter the most for our family’s goals. In our experience, that always turns out to be worthwhile.

By the way, if you’re unsure what to teach and when, I cannot recommend the book Home Learning Year by Year enough.

It breaks down each grade level subject and lists specific concepts to cover, with curriculum recommendations.

Our 2020 3rd Grade Homeschool Curriculum

Math – We’re using Teaching Textbooks this year for all three of our children. (Look for an in-depth review of TT later this year!)

Since our third grader is also using the BrainQuest Third Grade Comprehensive Workbook, we’ll be supplementing the math exercises in that along with TT.

ELA – For ELA, we’re just using the BrainQuest workbook along with What Your Third Grader Needs to Know. Easy peasy.

Science – We’ll be covering the science sections in both of the above books, but I want to add a bit more this year.

So we’re working with two Usborne resources: Science with Magnets and the First Encyclopedia of the Human Body.

Also – my third grader loves STEM, so I picked up the free STEM at Home resource from Carly and Adam. Done.

Social Studies – Social Studies is a bit harder to recommend, because we’re using the Usborne Time Traveler book.

(Note: I’m not an Usborne consultant. We received almost all of our Usborne books when we used BookShark curriculum last year.)

I looked around on Amazon and the Time Traveler book is super expensive these days. So if you’re looking for a more affordable resource, try the Usborne First Encyclopedia of History instead.

Our 2020 6th Grade Homeschool Curriculum

Math – For my middle schoolers, we’re also using Teaching Textbooks. But I’m adding another resource for each child.

My sixth grader will also be working with Everything You Need to Ace Math in One Big Fat Notebook. I love this book so much.

It’s filled with easy explanations, colorful drawings, simple exercises, and an answer key. Perfection.

ELA – Our eleven-year-old is a math and science fan, but he doesn’t love reading and writing. So he needs a little more support in that area.

We decided to use the 6th Grade Common Core ELA Practice Book from ArgoPrep.

Here’s why I like ArgoPrep: Their books come with free video explanations of each exercise. If you visit the website, you can choose your math or ELA book and then watch the instructors explain each exercise.

No more grading!

Science – While my third grader loves STEM, my sixth grader is a STEM super fan. All he’s ever wanted to do is build and design things.

I attended a STEM educator conference over the summer and one of the presenters recommended Instructables for Teachers. It’s incredible and free, especially if you are not STEM-inclined (like me).

It’s separated by grade level and the full instructions and supplies for each project are clearly listed. You can easily scan to see which projects you can complete with your kids before getting started.

Social Studies – Our social studies program is going to be based around the book Hungry Planet: What the World Eats.

Now that we’re living in unusual circumstances in our country, I wanted to help my son learn about the food insecurity people in other regions face everyday.

We’ll also be learning about the culture of each country and some of its history as we go along.

Our 2020 7th Grade Homeschool Curriculum

Math – Teaching Textbooks again, plus Everything You Need to Ace Math in One Big Fat Notebook.

My seventh grader loves to draw, so we’re also using The Cartoon Guide to Algebra. It’s a really fun book and does a great job at illustrating some of the algebraic concepts that seem abstract.

ELA – For the basics, ArgoPrep again with the 7th Grade Common Core ELA Daily Practice Book.

By seventh grade, I also start to get serious about organization and writing with my kids. (High school is only two years away!)

So he’ll be taking two live classes with Open Tent Academy this year: one on Study Skills and one for IEW Middle School Writing.

Science – Our science for seventh grade is going to be based almost entirely around the free CrashCourse YouTube channel and the free program Ted-ED Earth School.

At this age, I start to let my kids have some say in their interests and my seventh grader is not interested in hands-on experiments. So videos it is!

Social studies – Our seventh grader will also be working with Hungry Planet, along with our sixth grader. Two for one!

What about Our Homeschool Electives?

We’re only working with one elective this year: how to play piano.

We got a keyboard from a friend and I bought the Alfred All-In-One Piano Course. Since our kids are a bit older, I decided to go with the adult version. But if I had younger children, the Basic Piano Course would be a better fit.

Whew! It looks like a lot on the page, but it’s really simple and streamlined.

Want to see some of our school year in action? Follow me on Instagram! We’re starting our school year on August 24.

View this post on Instagram

Lesson planning has come a very long way. . . Now that we’re homeschooling again, this digital lesson planner from @pocketfulofprimary is truly saving my life. . Four weeks to go! . . #lookwelearn #homeschoolmom #homeschoollife #homeschoolplanning #teacherspayteachers

A post shared by Look! We’re Learning! (@lookwelearn) on Jul 27, 2020 at 6:53am PDT

Need more help to plan your homeschool year?

Banish overwhelm and start learning with this easy guide to first time homeschooling!

If you feel overwhelmed by planning your homeschool year, take a look at these easy tips to streamline your homeschool schedule!

Welcome the new homeschool year with these 25 fun first day of homeschool ideas! Choose a few of these back to homeschool ideas to try with your family!

Should You Assign Homeschool Homework to Your Child?

February 21, 2019 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

The very thought of homeschool homework might seem like a contradiction.

One of the biggest pros to homeschooling (at least for my kids) is that they thought they were getting out of having homework every day. And it’s easy to see why.

One of the biggest cons to public school is the sheer amount of homework that many kids have to complete before they return to class. I personally know families whose children spend hours on homework each night.

When my children went to public school a few years ago, I was shocked at the amount of homework assigned to them in elementary school. It’s changed quite a lot since my years in those grades.

Did you know, though, that some seasoned homeschool parents often decide it’s appropriate (and smart) to assign homeschool homework? It’s true!

In fact, I’ve been known to assign homework to my kids too.

The good news is that, as a homeschool parent, you get to make your choice based on what you know about your child and what you feel is best for them.

And, of course, you can always adjust as you go along when something’s not working. This is something I’ve also been known to do.

Want to read more about what it’s like to send your homeschooled child to public school? Take a look at our Great Homeschool Public School Experiment series!

Why Some Parents Assign Homeschool Homework

Images c/o: belchonock & TarasMalyarevich / depositphotos

When kids are in public school and have homework assignments to complete, they are responsible for finding out what is required, checking the due date, requesting help when needed, and turning it in on time.

Depending on the homeschooling approach you use, you might find that your kids struggle with these kinds of skills when they’re taught at home. Mine certainly did.

I’d assign something for them to do on their own, especially as they got older, and I was immediately inundated with complaints.

“Wait, what am I supposed to be doing?”

“I don’t understand the instructions!”

And, my personal favorite, “I thought I did it already!” (Really, kid?)

So I started using homeschool homework as a way to teach my children to work independently. I’d assign it and walk away. It was up to the kids to navigate any problems that came up, just as they would in a mainstream school setting.

I was always available when they needed guidance, not reteaching. And I’d provide them with reference materials and safe websites to use for research or review.

Initially, I felt guilty. Maybe I wasn’t being “there” enough for my kids or I was just “dropping” them after holding their hands for so long. But I was being unfairly harsh on myself.

If they were in a “regular” school and they had homework to do, there would be no teacher hiding away in their backpack to remind them to do it, or how to do it, or when to do it.

Whether they make the right choice by completing the work would be up to them. Whether they paid attention in class in order to know how to do the work would also be on their shoulders.

We all have to learn that, in life, each day is filled with choices, one after the other. And our decisions always have an effect, whether good or bad. This was just one way of helping my kids learn that lesson.

Should You Give Your Child Homeschool Homework?

Is it possible your homeschool kids may need a little homeschool homework to help them learn responsibility? Only you know the answer to that question. And, if you decide to implement it, the way you use it is up to you.

Some moms give the assignment, the due date and make it clear that the child is on their own. Others ask kids to choose a subject to study on their own and write discussion points and questions for the next school day.

Homework is up to the teacher!

If you’re feeling unsure about what to do, remember:

Homeschooling is a difficult endeavor, and the balance you strike each day as both a parent and an educator can be tricky. Still, whatever choice you make will be the right one for your children.

What about you? Do you assign homework? Why or why not? If you do, what’s your method? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

Don’t miss these other homeschooling articles!

And get more help for your homeschooling journey on my Help for Homeschoolers Pinterest board!

How to Afford Homeschooling eBook Download

25 Veteran Tips for Happy Homeschooling

October 22, 2018 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

How many of you out there are either homeschooling or thinking of homeschooling? How many of you are homeschooling happily?

Making the decision to homeschool is a tough one, but one that usually brings a lot of excitement. As your homeschooling journey continues, though, you’ll start to face some challenges that can make learning at home feel…not awesome. In fact, it can get downright miserable if you’re not careful.

Which is why I wanted to share some veteran tips for happy homeschooling. After all, we’re teaching our kids at home because we want them to have the best education possible. If they’re unhappy while they learn, that’s not the best education, is it?

These suggestions cover some of the common challenges you’ll face as a homeschooler, but there are also tips and tricks for keeping your homeschool organized, feeding your hungry learners during the day, and teaching multiple kids at once (like we do).

Need some more homeschooling how-tos? Check out our list of homeschool planning tips to get your school year started right!

25 Veteran Tips for Happy Homeschooling

Image c/o: habovka / depositphotos

1. 10 of the Best Tips for Homeschooling Kids with ADHD – Look! We’re Learning!

2. How to Start Strong Each Homeschool Week – Table Life Blog

3. How to Stop and Smell the Roses – Rock Your Homeschool

4. When You Fear Your Homeschooled Teen is Behind – Annie and Everything

5. 9 Ways to Help Boys With Too Much Energy – Homeschool Your Boys

6. How to Start a Homeschool Routine with Young Children – Hodgepodge

7. Fun Math Books for Middle Schoolers – Look! We’re Learning!

8. 10 Tips for Starting to Homeschool – Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers

9. Our Top Ten Lunches for Homeschool – iHomeschool Network

10. Tips for Changing Your Homeschool Curriculum – Triumphant Learning

11. 100 Ways to Have a Fun Homeschool Day – Rock Your Homeschool

12. How to Get Homeschooled Kids to Want to Learn – Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus

13. 3 Essential Keys to Homeschooling Multiple Ages – Preschoolers and Peace

14. Practical Ways to Deal with Homeschool Burnout – iHomeschool Network

15. How to Keep Your Happy Through Winter – Nourishing My Scholar

16. Homeschooling Gifts You Don’t Want to Take for Granted – Look! We’re Learning!

17. The Best Way to End a Homeschool Day – Table Life Blog

18. The Power of Play: Using Game in Your Homeschool – My Little Poppies

19. 36 Ways to Organize Your Homeschool – Annie and Everything

20. How to Use Morning Time for a Happier Homeschool – Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers

21. Easy Ways to Homeschool On the Go – Rock Your Homeschool

22. 100 Educational Shows to Stream on Netflix – Homeschool Hideout

23. What to Do When Gifted Kids Struggle – Raising Lifelong Learners

24. 3 Ways to Instantly Gain More Time in Your Homeschool Day – Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus

25. 5 Ways to Make Geography Fun – Look! We’re Learning!

Want even more tips for happy homeschooling? Liven up your learning with these ideas!

And follow my Help for Homeschoolers board on Pinterest for even more helpful suggestions!

25 Fun Ways to Celebrate the First Day of Homeschool

July 23, 2018 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Back-to-school is an exciting time of year, especially when you homeschool! With new ideas and a fresh start, there is a lot to celebrate. Homeschool parents usually ooze excitement and you want your kids to get excited about the beginning of the homeschool year also.

Here are 25 fun first day of homeschool ideas to celebrate NOT back-to-school with your kids this homeschool year!

If you decide to try one of these first day of homeschool ideas, let me know which one your kids loved the most! I think we’re going to try numbers 2, 3, 11, and 19. 🙂

Need some ideas for planning your new homeschool year? Don’t miss our list of 10 new school year resolutions for homeschoolers!

Image c/o: andrekaphoto / depositphotos

25 Fun First Day of Homeschool of Ideas

1. Decorate your homeschool room with your kids.

This is a great activity for right before your homeschool starts or for the very first day. Grab some fun decorations and get started! Not only will decorating be exciting, but it is also a great way for your kids to have a vested interest in their homeschool.

2. Create a vision board for the year.

Setting goals for your homeschool is so important! Start your homeschool year off right by creating a large vision board with your kids. Discuss everyone’s goals for the homeschool year and write them on the vision board. Decorate it and hang it somewhere you can look at it throughout year. It will be fun to see all of the progress that your kids have made.

3. Go out to eat a special breakfast on the first day of homeschool.

This is such a fabulous way to celebrate back-to-school! Skip the formal school morning and head to a cafe or restaurant to ring in the new school year.

4. Eat dinner at a fancy restaurant on the first day of homeschool.

Shake things up a little bit and take your kids to a fancy dinner. You can talk about your day and what they look forward to for the rest of the year.

5. Have a dress-up dinner at home for your kids.

Have your kids wear their fanciest clothes and treat them to a fancy dinner at home. Use a table cloth, fancy dishes, candles and music to imitate a nice restaurant. You play the part of the chef and waiter and go all out!

6. Have a picnic lunch at a local park.

Pack your food and drinks and head out! If you don’t have a park nearby, the backyard can be just as fun. Bring a picnic blanket and enjoy your time together discussing the new year!

7. Have a family movie night to celebrate the first week.

After a great week of homeschooling, why not sit back and relax with your family? You’ve earned it! Let the kids pick the movie and spend some time together on the couch. Watch one of our favorites “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” and then try this Charlie and the Chocolate Factory unit study!

8. Gameschool for the first day (or week!).

Who says games don’t count for schooling? They absolutely do! Get back into the swing of things with a game schooling day or week. From board games to card games, your kids will build bonds and have fun!

9. Take funny first day pictures.

You can set up a “photo booth” with an awesome backdrop, or just make silly faces! The key is to get some great pictures that capture your child’s personality! Hang them up in your homeschool room to set the vibe for your homeschool year.

10. Surprise your kids with a photo book with pictures from the past year.

Kids love to see how much they’ve grown! This one takes some advance planning, but your kids will love this sentimental celebration! There are several online options for printable photo books.

11. Enjoy a day (or several!) at a local attraction (children’s museum, water park, etc.) when public school has started back.

Beat the crowds at your local hotspots by spending a day playing when public schools are back in session. After the summer rush, this is a nice way to take advantage of a huge homeschool perk!

12. Create a time capsule.

Use a shoebox (or a similar sized container) and create a time capsule that you won’t look at until the end of the school year. Items could include: first day of school picture, an interview with your child and goals he or she has. Put the box away (in a place you’ll remember!) and make a note of where it is and when to open it.

13. Start a scrapbook and add to it weekly.

What a great way to capture memories! If you can’t keep up with a scrapbook page per week, consider doing it monthly. At the end of the year, you will have captured so many precious moments!

See more fun first day of homeschool ideas on page 2!

Pages: 1 2

Printable Spanish Flashcards: Spanish Parts of the Body Flashcards

April 9, 2018 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Hi everyone! I’m back with another set of printable Spanish flashcards! This time, we’re learning about los partes del cuerpo (the parts of the body). If you’re covering the human body with your kids this year, this is a perfect set for introducing some simple Spanish vocabulary!

Check out our brand new Spanish parts of the body flashcards below!

By the way, if you love these, don’t miss our Spanish verb flashcards and our Spanish zoo animal flashcards!

Spanish Parts of the Body Flashcards

To use these flashcards, you’ll need the following: (Affiliate links are listed in this post. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

Printer (with ink)
Printer paper
Scissors
Laminator (if you want to reuse the flashcards later)

Learning the parts of the body is a major skill for young students in general. Why not add a little foreign language learning to the mix at the same time?

Our Spanish Parts of the Body Flashcards pack includes cards for eight different body parts, including:

Eye
Foot
Hands
Leg
Face
Ear
Nose
and Mouth

There is a set of cards with the Spanish vocabulary words, a set of cards with the English vocabulary words, and a set with only pictures for review.

Plus, we’ve included a Spanish pronunciation guide to help you and your kids learn how to say the Spanish phrases properly. Each Spanish card includes the appropriate masculine or feminine noun form as well.

Scroll down to get your copy of our Spanish Parts of the Body flashcards!

Learning Spanish with your kids? Grab some of our other printable Spanish resources!

If you want more tips for teaching Spanish to your kids, follow my Foreign Language for Homeschoolers board on Pinterest!

To get your copy of our Spanish Parts of the Body Flashcards, click the image or the link below to visit our Store!

>>> Spanish Parts of the Body Flashcards <<<

I Want to Homeschool, But I’m Not a Teacher!

October 9, 2017 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

In talking to some of my mom friends, I’ve heard so many reasons why people think they can’t homeschool. Some of the ones I’ve heard the most include:

I want to homeschool, but I’m too busy!

I want to homeschool, but I’m too scared!

I want to homeschool, but I’m too broke!

I want to homeschool, but I have to work!

And I want to homeschool, but I’m not a teacher!

It’s that last one I want to talk about in this post.

Since I was homeschooled as a child, I already knew that parents didn’t need to be professional teachers in order to homeschool their kids. So it was surprising to me to find out how many parents felt unqualified to homeschool, due to not having a background in the education field.

The short answer to this question is: No, you do not have to be a professional teacher in order to homeschool. Here’s why.

Images c/o: TarasMalyarevich / depositphotos; belchonock / depositphotos; and Stock Unlimited

I Want to Homeschool, But I’m Not a Teacher!

Why would a parent think that they have to be a teacher in order to homeschool their kids? Simple. They’re basing their idea of homeschooling on their experience in public school.

Public school educators do need an extensive amount of training before they can teach a class. They need to learn various teaching strategies for large groups of kids. They need to have an understanding of state objectives and how to meet those standards on each lesson plan. They need to know how to administer classroom discipline for children with varying behavioral issues.

And they need to receive continuing education regularly so that they can keep up with changing state testing requirements and curriculum changes.

As a homeschooler, you truly have to think about two of those things: how to teach according to your child’s learning style and how to meet your state education requirements. That’s it.

You already know how to administer appropriate discipline to your children. You do it everyday.

And you don’t have to keep up with educational curriculum changes. You get to make that decision all on your own.

It’s likely that you already know how your children learn as well. You know which ones of your kids need to learn by seeing, which ones need to learn by listening, and which ones need to learn by doing. All you have to do is adapt your teaching style to fit them – something you already do everyday.

Do you read to your kids? Congratulations! You’re a reading teacher!

Have you taught your children to clean? Then you’re already a home ec teacher!

Have you taught your child to ride a bike? You are totally a P.E. teacher.

How many times have you helped your kids learn to count? Yep, that makes you a math teacher too.

If you’ve ever thought “I want to homeschool, but I’m not a teacher”, take heart. You absolutely do not need to be a professional educator to teach your own children.

You simply need to care about their education and be willing to do what it takes to help them learn. As a loving parent, I suspect that you might even be overqualified.

Have you felt that you were unqualified to homeschool because you’re not a teacher? What helped you to start your homeschooling journey anyway? Share your experiences in the comments!

Don’t miss these other homeschooling posts!

Ready to start homeschooling? Follow my Homeschool Planning board on Pinterest for plenty of ideas!

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How to Create a Flexible Homeschool Schedule

August 29, 2017 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

I’ve been known to overschedule my homeschool lesson plans just a tad.

Okay, maybe more than a tad. More like a WHOLE LOT.

Like so many homeschooling parents, I start the planning season with a huge amount of enthusiasm and excitement. We’ll study all the great civilizations of history! We’ll read every classic children’s book ever written! We’ll visit every museum in the United States!

Naturally, I’m running on fumes by October. By January, our homeschool year is practically dead in the water.

I was diligent about homeschool scheduling, but I was totally unreasonable in my method. When a child would need extra time to master a concept or to finish an assignment, everything I’d planned for that week or month would get pushed back. Eventually, we’d be so far behind we’d never catch up.

Last year, though, I learned a new way of lesson planning that was far more suited to our busy family life. Here are the three tips I’ve used to learn how to create a flexible homeschool schedule!

Disclosure: I was compensated for my time to write this post. All opinions are my own and I was not required to write a positively-slanted article.

Image c/o: Dragonimages / depositphotos

How to Create a Flexible Homeschool Schedule

Plan according to resources, not weeks of the year.

How many times have you scheduled a week’s worth of lessons for a specific week of the year? For example, you might choose the third week of September to learn about fall or the second week of April to study the Titanic. These themed schedule ideas are great for getting kids excited about events.

But if you overdo the exact scheduling, you can wear yourself out. You’ll find yourself saying things like:

“We NEED to finish this entire math unit by Friday!”

Or “If we don’t get this read-aloud done today, we’ll have to double up on Monday!”

There’s nothing like a time crunch to get kids to hate school.

Instead of obsessing over finishing lessons by a certain date, plan your lessons around your resources. If your Language Arts textbook has 20 units, then you can aim to complete half a unit a week if you want to finish the whole thing.

That’s a much more flexible way of structuring your lessons. You’ll have room to pause and stay on a topic a little longer or even suspend lessons for a week so you can go on vacation!

Set individual objectives for each child.

Another tip that helped me be more flexible in my lesson planning was to evaluate each child’s progress from the previous year and set individualized goals accordingly. My third-grader, for instance, is not a fan of reading for fun. He has ADHD, so his attention span is so short that it’s hard for him to exercise the patience it takes to read aloud.

This year, his reading objectives are totally different from those of his fourth-grade brother. He’ll be working with short story collections on topics that interest him. That way, we can work through stories that he’s interested in reading and practice lengthening out his attention span as we go.

And it doesn’t matter if it takes us all year to complete one book. As long as he says he enjoys reading, I’m calling it a success.

Shift difficult concepts into future terms or even future school years.

My seventh-grader really has a hard time enjoying her math lessons, so when she and I looked at the list of objectives for the upcoming year, we both nearly had a panic attack.

Instead, we’ve decided to focus on strengthening the skills she struggled with last year. She’s already familiar with them, so it won’t take as long. Plus, she can focus on other math concepts as she builds. Since math is a comprehensive subject, kids will eventually learn it all. It’s perfectly alright to hold off for a while until our kids are ready to tackle new topics. That’s one of the beauties of homeschooling!

The Flexible School Schedule Digital App

So if you like to use homeschool planners, how can you find one that accommodates your flexible homeschool schedule? That’s what Flexible School Schedule is for!

This digital app is designed to be completely customizable to your family’s homeschool plans, no matter when your year begins, when it ends, or how long it takes!

With Flexible School Schedule, you can collect and organize all of your homeschool resources – digital, print, and even video – right in the app! No more sorting through your homeschool closet and coming across a resource you meant to use this year and forgot about. (I have totally done that, by the way.)

Keep an eye on how your individual students are doing this year with the student progress tracker. You can view their progress according to subject, topic, or a specific objective you’d like him or her to master.

Need a quick check on how your school year is progressing? View each child’s progress at a glance by the term and the year!

This app is truly designed for families that need a flexible homeschool schedule (like mine). It’s in development now, so be sure to visit the Flexible School Schedule Kickstarter campaign and make a donation to help make this project a reality!

For more ideas to plan your homeschool year, try these tips!

And don’t forget to follow my Homeschool Planning Pinterest board for more suggestions!

Life of Fred Math Books for Homeschool

August 7, 2017 by Selena Robinson 222 Comments

When we start a new homeschool year, I’m always interested to see how my kids respond to the math curriculum I choose. Since we’re teaching kids with ADHD, I try to use various kinds of curriculum to see what works best for their attention spans and their difficulties with concentration.

So when I first discovered Life of Fred, I was thrilled. My oldest daughter, who has ADD, is a voracious reader. But she is NOT a fan of math.

Which is just fine because Life of Fred is NOT a set of math textbooks. If it was, she would have lost interest long ago. But she has loved these books and the concepts she’s learned as a result and that’s why we’ve kept them in rotation during the school year, even as she’s moved on to higher grades.

Read on to find out about the Life of Fred math books available for homeschool students. Plus, enter to win five Life of Fred math books yourself!

Life of Fred Math Books for Homeschool

This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.

Life of Fred is a series of storybooks about Fred, an unusual five-year-old. In fact, he’s the youngest professor ever in the history of Kittens University.

The stories tell us about what happens during Fred’s day-to-day life. In the first book, Fred wakes up in the morning and gets out of his sleeping bag (located in his office at Kittens University) and reads the clock to tell what time it is.

As the books go on, Fred’s days become more complex as he goes jogging, studies constellations, learns to read music, and even tries to assemble a bicycle he orders through the mail. All the while, mathematical concepts are introduced and practiced without kids really even noticing. (They’re far too interested in what happens to Fred.)

The books are separated by grade level, beginning with the Life of Fred Elementary Series, which includes the following four books:

Life of Fred Apples

Life of Fred Butterflies

Life of Fred Cats

Life of Fred Dogs

These are described as elementary level books, because they focus on the basic operations of arithmetic: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. They also introduce number theory, rounding, skip counting, shapes, and more.

For middle school-aged children, Life of Fred math books for homeschool include:

Life of Fred Decimals and Percents

Life of Fred Fractions

There’s also an Life of Fred Intermediate Series (for middle school) that includes the following books:

Life of Fred Kidneys

Life of Fred Liver

Life of Fred Mineshaft

In the Intermediate Series, the books take a big leap forward and tackle more advanced math topics, such as geometry, finding averages, and even the Pythagorean Theorem. Like the Elementary Series, though, these books introduce the topics so gently kids won’t have a chance to feel overwhelmed.

Each chapter is only about six pages long (perfect for short attention spans!) and there are a few questions for kids to practice some of the concepts they learned in the chapter. There are also answer keys for each practice section. Plus, the books are written at grade-appropriate levels, so kids can read them on their own. It’s reading and mathematics all in one!

Want to see more ways to make math fun in your homeschool? Check out these ideas!

And don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter to get educational printables, freebies, and tips in your email inbox!

Now for the REALLY big news! We’re giving away five Life of Fred math books! Read to the bottom for your chance to enter!

28 homeschool bloggers have joined together to provide one massive back-to-homeschool basket giveaway! Take a peek around these 28 sites and enter to win as many baskets as you like. Each blogger is conducting her own giveaway, so you never know…you may end up winning more than one!

(1) Our Favorite Literature by Geek Families

(2) Ocean Learning Gift Basket by See Jamie Blog

(3) Getting Back to Homeschool Bundle Giveaway by Renée at Great Peace

(4) Back to High School Giveaway Basket by BJ’s Homeschool

(5) Hands-On Learning Basket by Homeschool Hideout

(6) Box of Preschool Busy Bags by Happy Brown House

(7) Middle School Homeschool Curriculum Giveaway by Starts At Eight

(8) Life of Fred Math Books Gift Basket by Look! We’re Learning!

(9) Medieval England Unit Study Basket by Table Life Blog

(10) Favorite Homeschool Things With a Texas Twist by Classic Housewife

(11) Bible Study for Kids giveaway by Adventures in Mommydom

(12) Back to Homeschool Morning Time Gift Basket by Everyday Graces

(13) Mom’s Quiet Time Gift Basket Giveaway by Embracing Destiny

(14) Five Days of Fine Motor Fun by This Outnumbered Mama

(15) Plan to Play Basket by Hide The Chocolate

(16) Middle and High School Living Book Lover’s Delight! by Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus

(17) American History & Government Back to School Pack by Blog, She Wrote

(18) Create Your Family Mission Statement by Not So Formulaic

(19) The Home Education Road Map Scholarship Homeschool Giveaway by Grace, Grow & Edify

(20) Homeschooling Through the Seasons Basket by Amy’s Wandering

(21) Elephant and Piggie Favorite Book Characters Giveaway by Line upon Line Learning

(22) Back to Homeschool Giveaway 2017 by That Bald Chick

(23) Back to School Shopping Spree by Sallie Borrink

(24) Travel the Globe with a World Geography Gift Basket by Eva Varga

(25) Getting Started with Home Education by My Little Robins

(26) Back to Homeschool Online Music Course Giveaway by I Choose Joy!

(27) Growing Science Resource Basket by The Learning Hypothesis

(28) by Family Style Schooling

I’m excited to announce that we’re giving away FIVE!!! Life of Fred books to one of our readers! The winner will receive:

Life of Fred Apples
Life of Fred Butterflies
Life of Fred Decimals and Percents
Life of Fred Fractions
and Life of Fred Kidneys!

So if you have elementary or middle-school students this year, this is the giveaway for you! Just use the Giveaway Tools widget below to enter!

Entry -Form

Affordable Homeschool Standardized Testing for Families

January 17, 2017 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Standardized testing is a somewhat controversial subject among homeschoolers. Some families perform testing regularly to assess their children’s performance each year. Others decide not to use standardized testing at all, opting for other ways to check their children’s understanding.

Our state requires us to assess our children with a standardized test occasionally. And, while I’m not a big fan of testing in general, I do want to know where my kids need the most help so I can adjust my homeschooling methods to assist them.

Which is why I was excited to try MAP testing from Affordable Homeschool Testing Services LLC! Read on to see how we used the company’s MAP test to administer a standardized test to our kids with almost no prep at all!

Disclosure: I received this product in exchange for this post and I was compensated for my time. All opinions are my own and I was not required to write a positive review.

The Challenges of Homeschool Standardized Testing

We’ve been homeschooling for eight years, so we’re not new to offering standardized testing to our kids. But over the years, we’ve found that giving a test at home can pose quite a few challenges.

Deciding on a test format: This can be daunting. There are so many tests to choose from! From the CAT to the ITBS to the PASS, there are several standardized tests available and trying to find the best one to assess your children can be confusing. Some tests are not even available for parents to proctor and must be completed at an assessment site, which can be inconvenient.
Scheduling a test for more than one child: Think back to taking a standardized test in school. Remember having to sit in a quiet room for at least an hour so you could concentrate? How do you offer that kind of environment when you need to test more than one child?
What adjustments to make for active kids: Since some of our children have ADHD, I was concerned about making a few adjustments to the testing schedule to help them stay focused during the assessment.
How to help the kids after the test is over: Once you get the testing results, how can you go about helping the kids to master the concepts they struggled with? A final score alone is not enough to help us know what to teach going forward.

How to Take MAP Homeschool Standardized Testing Online

With Affordable Homeschool Testing Services LLC, though, we found that all of our concerns were met. The Measures of Academic Progress test (MAP) is a thorough assessment of exactly which concepts kids grasp and which ones they need additional help mastering and that’s the test we administered.

The test assesses three subjects: reading, math, and language arts over the years of three days. On the first day, the kids were tested in reading, then math on the second day, and ELA on the third.

I set my two oldest kids up at the school room table (also known as the dining room table) with separate computers they could use. Each child has to work at his or her own computer, because the test is administered entirely online.

The test is designed to be challenging, so kids will only get about half of the questions right. Fortunately, they don’t know if they’re getting any right or wrong. The test just moves continuously. No error messages or warning sounds, which can be discouraging.

I did make sure that the kids had a couple of pencils and some scratch paper nearby, especially for the math portion. Other than that, all we had to do was log into the testing site and wait for the test proctor to call us to set us up. Since we scheduled our testing days and times in advance, we were ready to go.

With the reading portion, the kids really needed to slow down and concentrate, which is something they struggle with because of their short attention spans. For example, the reading test often featured a passage for them to read and then answer a few questions. On the next page, they might see the same passage again – this time with different questions. So they couldn’t just run through and assume they knew the answers.

Another option I appreciated was that the kids could go back and review their answers before finally submitting the test. That gave them a lot of flexibility to reassess their answers, just in case they had completed the test in a hurry.

Since the test was untimed, we could take breaks as needed. I didn’t allow them to decide when they wanted a break. Otherwise, they’d have been asking for a break every 10 minutes. But we did take them every 30 minutes or so.

The actual length of the test varies according to each child’s performance on the assessment. If it seems that your child has grasped a specific concept, the test may shorten by a few questions. If it seems that a concept is challenging, it may add a few more. My daughter, who was taking a 6th grade assessment in all subjects, had about 50 questions per subject.

We finished taking the test on Wednesday morning. By Friday afternoon, I had an extremely detailed report (around 60 pages) that showed me the grade level each child was performing at in each subject. The report also included a list of the specific subject objectives that were mastered and those that needed reinforcement.

But, what I really loved was the math objectives list. Not only did it explain which math concepts my kids needed assistance with, it included links to those specific objectives on Khan Academy so I could view the videos with the kids. That was a goldmine of information. Sometimes the way educational standards are written can be confusing, but seeing the specific objective in action gave me a great starting point.

Have you administered a standardized test to your kids? Do you have questions about using the MAP test with your family? Ask away in the comments!

Now is a great time to try out MAP testing from Affordable Homeschool Testing Services LLC, because through July 5, 2017, you can save $5 on the assessment with the coupon code MAPTest17!

To learn more about Affordable Homeschool Testing Services LLC and the different homeschool testing options available, visit the company’s website to schedule a MAP testing appointment or follow them on Facebook!

Don’t miss these other homeschooling posts!

Plus, get more tips for teaching kids at home on our Homeschooling Pinterest board!

How to Save Big on Homeschool Field Trips with FieldTripZoom!

December 15, 2016 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

I’m a homeschooling mom, which means I love, love, love taking my kids on homeschool field trips. There’s just one little teeny tiny problem: It’s expensive!

I’ve found lots of really great frugal field trip places in Atlanta that we’ve visited often, but other than those, it can be tough to afford really educational outings, especially as my kids get older and learn about more complex topics.

So I was excited to learn about FieldTripZoom – a virtual field trip service that offers streaming homeschool field trips you can watch from your home! Talk about a homeschooler’s dream come true!

Read on to see how we’re using FieldTripZoom to make field trips affordable for our family! Plus, learn how to score a 10 percent discount on an annual membership for you and your kids!

Disclosure: I received this product in exchange for this post and I was compensated for my time. All opinions are my own and I was not required to post a positive review. (Affiliate links are provided here for convenience. For more, see our Disclosure Policy.)

Why Homeschool Field Trips Can Be So Expensive for Families

I’ve only attended a handful of live homeschool field trips since our last child was born and there’s a good reason for it: MONEY. As I browse available programs in our area, most of the sessions that look really educational are based on a ticket price per child.

That might work if I only had one or two children, but four? Take a modest field trip price of $10 per child, multiply it by four, and now we’re looking at $40 just to get in if there’s no charge for parents.

Unfortunately for us, most of these field trips are held at locations on the side of Atlanta that is exactly opposite where we live. Which means I have to factor in an additional tank of gas and pack a lunch. By the time all is said and done, I’m looking at $80 – for a one to two hour field trip. That’s a bit steep on our budget.

Needless to say, I’ve passed up a lot of homeschool field trips over the years.

How FieldTripZoom Makes Homeschool Field Trips Affordable

How does FieldTripZoom help me save on homeschool field trips?

With FieldTripZoom, I don’t have to shell out a separate ticket price per child and I don’t have to fill up on gas again that week just to drive across the city to an awesome program. I can just sign on to my FieldTripZoom account, join the virtual field trip, and watch with everyone!

For example, these are my four relaxing in the living room and watching a field trip about nutrition. My boys each have toys (which would probably be a no-go in a real-life program) and my preschooler is listening in too!

As the presenter asked questions, the kids got to get up and answer them via chat. They were actually arguing over who could answer each one! When we’ve attended field trips in the past, they’ve been a little hesitant to participate, but at home they were ready and willing!

This was a really great session, because the presenter talked about the importance of nutrition and how it is distorted by the food advertising industry.

This is where I had Tigger sit up and take notes. As a middle schooler, we’ve been really working with her to learn how to think critically about what she sees and hears. This information really reinforced that.

And when we got to the section about exercise, I nearly jumped for joy. (I’ve been trying to coax her into a more active lifestyle for months.)

On FieldTripZoom, you can see the entire program schedule for the academic year and decide which ones you and your kids would like to attend. They’re conveniently listed by grade level, so it’s easy to spot which topics are a good fit for your kids’ age ranges. But be ready to sit down and scroll a while: There are over 300 annual programs to choose from!

The Nutrition program was geared toward several grade levels. But I also wanted to choose a few programs just for Tigger, who’s in sixth grade this year, so I signed up for a few programs for grades 6 and up only.

This one on the Civil War – presented by the University of Virginia – was absolutely excellent. It was a truly informative presentation about how the Civil War got started and why the Confederacy lost.

Talking about American history can be a little dry, especially for active kids like my middle schooler.

But look at her face! She had so much fun participating in the discussion and learning more about this topic! And we never even had to leave the house.

Benefits of Virtual Field Trips for Homeschoolers

As we’ve attended these sessions, I’ve come to value some other benefits of virtual field trips for homeschooling families of all kinds, not just big families on a budget like us.

This virtual field trip was a trip to Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington. We got to follow the host as he walked us through the market, introduced us to local vendors, and talked about the history of the place.

If I had tried to tour a place like this in person, I would have spent most of my time corralling my youngest, telling my oldest to pay attention, and trying to keep my boys from touching things.

Since we were attending virtually with FieldTripZoom, though, I didn’t have to worry about any of that! The kids just laid on the floor and watched. We talked about what we saw and heard and it was as no-stress as can be.

Now, hang on, because I’m about to really blow your mind. 🙂

We’ve even attended one of our homeschool field trips in the van. I had signed up for a FieldTripZoom virtual field trip hosted from the Alaska Sea Life Center, a place we’ll probably never visit in person, and I didn’t want the kids to miss it.

So I downloaded the Zoom app, signed on with my unique session link, and the kids watched as I drove!

It doesn’t get much better than that! And with the traffic we deal with in Atlanta, I will definitely make use of sessions when we’re “road-schooling”.

So the big question is: How much does FieldTripZoom cost? And I’m actually going to tell you the answer: $49.95 a year. That’s it.

For that price, you get access to as many of the virtual field trips as you want for as many kids as you want on as many dates as you want. It’s an incredible deal for homeschooling families, particularly those that have multiple kids.

And now – through December 31, 2016, save TEN PERCENT on an annual FieldTripZoom membership with this promo code: 01336. Here’s a handy image you can refer to when ordering.

Do you have questions about FieldTripZoom that I haven’t answered here? Still not sure if it’s a good fit for you? Let me know and I’ll do my best to fill you in based on our experiences! In fact, we have another field trip scheduled for this Friday, so I’ll have even more to share afterward. 🙂

To learn more about FieldTripZoom and all the programs that will be available for virtual homeschool field trips this year, follow the company on social media!