Homeschool Software

How much of a child’s education should be done with online homeschooling? Obviously the amount of time spent teaching kids online has grown drastically in the last 20 years. I’m curious how much of your time is spent on the computer vs. more traditional methods?

photo credit: benchun

There are no hard and fast rules as to which homeschool workbooks you should be using.  There are numerous places online to buy workbooks.  You may even want to check eBay or Craig’s List to see if you can pick up a deal on used workbooks.

photo credit: Wesley Fryer

• More on *homeschooling* sick children – *Homeschool* – Families.com

March 21, 2009
- This is a great article on homeschooling sick children.

• Pond’rings » Why We *Homeschool*

March 21, 2009
- A couple’s story about how and why they’ve decided to homeschool their kids…and all the benefits that come with it.

• 5 Essential Ingredients to Homeschooling Success

March 21, 2009
- I love how she breaks this down into 5 easy steps.

• Homeschool Software & an iPod – What’s the link?

March 20, 2009
- It’s amazing how far technology has come. Who would’ve thought even 20 years ago, that children could learn from a device held in the palm of their hands?

• Add foreign language study to your *homeschool* curriculum

March 20, 2009
- This is fantastic. Kids are sponges…they pick up new languages so quickly.

There are so many great options available for home school math programs.  Here’s a look at some of the most popular ones.

Saxon Math is one of the most widely used programs.  It is an incremental step-by-step approach, and is highly repetitive.

Harold Jacobs programs add humour and make math interesting.  A great highschool math alternative to Saxon.

Singapore Math offers a more challenging program which develops thinking skills.  The expectations and topics covered are on a higher level in comparison to the US curricula.

Math-U-See is a manipulative based K-12 curriculum.  This programs comes with teaching videos and specializes in letting children see the concepts first.

photo credit: d3 Dan

Modern Curriculum Press is an affordable and simple K-6 math program.  It includes problem solving lessons to introduce strategies for solving real-life problems.

Key Curriculum Press features inexpensive “Key to” workbooks which concentrate mostly on the middle-school level.

Miquon Math books encourage creative thinking and are designed for grades 1-3.  They have activities that encourage observation, investigation, exploration, and discovery of patterns in math.

ShillerMath is geared towards kids in Kindergarten to 5th grade.  There are 2 math kits with activities, manipulatives, guidebooks, and songs.  This program is based on the Montessori philosophy and covers visual, tactile, auditory, and kinesthetic concepts.

Have you just made the decision to start homeschooling your kids?  While it may seem overwhelming at first, it’s actually a really simple process.  So simple in fact, you can have your homeschool up and running in 48 hours or less.

The way to get it all going that quickly is with the ABC’s of homeschooling.  This is a fantastic program that was written by Todd and Terri Johnson who know from experience what it takes to be successful at homeschooling.  They’ve been teaching their kids at home for the last 11 years, and now they’re teaching a limited number of parents how to homeschool with their online course.

There’s a wide range of homeschool supplies needed, but we’re here to simplify that for you.  Before purchasing a particular item, have a look around your house.  You may find you’ve already got things you can use rather than purchasing new products.  Head to the kitchen or the garage…your measuring cups and spoons and toolbox are great items to start teaching math fundamentals.

photo credit: evelynishere

Also, before you buy, make sure to have a good look through your current curriculum…no sense buying 4th grade items if your child is in 2nd grade as new materials are coming out all the time.