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We are heading into our 14th year of homeschooling in a few weeks. I could fill a room with all of the resources that have cycled through this house during that time.
A few have captured a permanent place on the shelf, however. They are ones that either make our homeschool day easier or more enjoyable.
Do you own any of these?
If I could only own one book on homeschooling, it would be Educating the Wholehearted Child. It speaks right to my heart and helps me lay out a vision for our family.
I’ve always used free homeschool planners, but last year this planner caught my eye so I ordered it. A Simple Plan makes it so easy to keep track of lessons for 5 kids!
Pattern blocks and free pattern block templates can keep a preschooler busy for a very long time. I slide the sheets into page protectors and put them in a binder.
Netflix Streaming is a fairly steady part of our homeschool. The kids are usually allowed to watch a “school show” during lunch break.
A few of our favorite series:
- Scholastic Storybook Treasures
- Fetch with Ruff Ruffman
- Dear America
- Leap Frog
- Magic School Bus
- Stan Lee’s Superhuman
- Brain Games
My oldest has shed many a tear over math in her youth. She is a very bright girl who had no trouble working the problems, but she always wanted to know WHY. I never cared about the why when I was in school – I just wanted a good grade so I did what I was told.
Teaching Textbooks looked so appealing, but I didn’t want to spend the money. I finally broke down and ordered Pre-Algebra, and the light went on for her! I nearly fell over the day she told me she didn’t hate math anymore. We now use it for the whole family starting in fourth grade.
I gave up my library loft and massive entertainment center when we downsized to move across the country a couple of years ago. My lovely turquoise Ikea utility cart takes up very little floor space but holds quite a bit.
The top shelf holds mail and coupons. We stand up all the picture library books on the middle shelf. The bottom shelf is for my planner, clipboard, and binders containing weekly work. Once I figure out a solution for the mail, I might use the top bin to house cute jars of school & craft supplies.
I don’t know about you, but I always have a homeschool wish list of things I would love to have but aren’t necessary for our home. At the beginning of each school year, I choose one thing off of the list to purchase as a back-to-school surprise for my kids. These Schylling Hand Bells were from that list and were a HUGE hit!
The Pilot FriXion pens get a double heart from me. The ink disappears from the friction of the little rubber tip. I coordinate the colors with my monthly creative planner (free!). It’s the little things that make me happy!
They are also a good way to transition kids from writing in pencil to a pen without them stressing out over mistakes.
A yellow legal pad is one of the rare items that I have used since year one. I brainstorm ideas, list curriculum choices, and generally have a running brain-dump to-do list. My favorite is the hole punched pad.
The boring everyday pages get torn out and thrown away, but I keep all the planning ones. It is fun to look back over the years and see how our life & homeschool has change.
Since the title of this post is a FEW of my favorite things, I will stop there. Be sure to check out the rest of the iHomeschool Network’s favorites.
I would love to know a few of YOUR favorite homeschool things. Please leave a comment!
