How to homeschool my child for free

Free Homeschool Programs for K-12 · The Typical Mom

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Looking for free homeschool programs you can take advantage of from Kindergarten to Middle School and High School? Here’s a state by state list so you can find free or a program that will pay YOU to homeschool your children.

If you’re looking for some free homeschool programs to choose from, we know of a bunch. From a homeschooling family who’s done this for two years we will share the pros and cons of each choice.

Homeschool K 12

• You can begin reading our article on how to start homeschooling. It feels like a whale at the beginning but I break it down for you.
• We chose to homeschool middle school last year for a number of reasons. I was apprehensive about online learning at first, but it was the best decision for our family, and may be for yours as well.

There are SO many benefits, including the ability to travel whenever you want to! We will share a bunch of homeschooling resources like field trips for homeschoolers, how to get started and pros and cons with you below.

You should start with reading up on homeschooling rules by state, and what would be expected of you. The requirements and latitude is VERY different state by state.

Some will pay YOU, others just offer free programs and others charge a fee.

There are tons of online homeschool programs that are inexpensive and teach all the subjects for you. This is a great way to go if you’re new to teaching at home and apprehensive to start. This is how we started.

What are the best online homeschool programs?

We’re going to share them with you now. Most popular is K12 which covers all grades and core subjects. I have heard great things about this program but requires quite a bit of parent involvement.

It’s a virtual public school for students in grades K-12 taught by state-certified teachers.

• Tech Trep is what we are using this year. It’s offered in 5 states and offers funds (1,700/ea. in Idaho) to families to pay for curriculum.
• Khan Academy is very popular free resource, especially for Math.
• Easy Peasy All in one Homeschool starts at Preschool.
• CK12 covers all subjects and common core requirements from home.
• Study.com online resource covers all 4 major subjects for grades 3-12. Benefits are you can stay with the same program in Elementary, to Middle School and through High School which is great.

GemPrep is a lottery based program. If you’re interested I would apply as soon as possible. If you aren’t chosen then you’ll need to choose a second choice.

We used Time4Learning last year thru Harmony and my girls loved it. Incorporating fun animated videos for every subject it’s great for auditory learners.

Free Homeschool Programs

Here are some other educational websites you can try and see which clicks well with all of you.

• Newsela is heavily video based.
• Connections Academy – We tried this one in Idaho. It’s heavily reading based but does offer online live classes for each subject if you’re interested in that option.
• Ambleside Online and Mater Mabilis are Catholic based and focuses on the Charlotte Mason method.
• HippoCampus provides free educational and learning videos for all Middle and High School subjects and could be a supplement to homeschooling programs.
• Curriculum Pathways goes all the way up to 12th grade and is offered in several states.

Online Homeschool

• Under The Home offers lessons for Kindergarten thru Fifth grade. Looks like a good supplement to any sort of homeschool curriculum you may be putting together.

Old Fashioned Education is religious based but seems to provide what you’d need. With a full curriculum provided for you it might be right for your family (always check with your state to see if program would qualify).

There are very low cost online schools like Power Homeschool that starts at just $10/mo. per student…so basically free. Focusing on history, geography, language arts and social studies.

Homeschooling Programs Free

For things like art and music you can sign up for lots of extracurriculars using OutSchool (get a $20 credit here). They offer online classes throughout the school year.

How can I homeschool myself for free online?

First check with your state’s requirements. Then find a free homeschool program that either uses books, or all subjects taught online.

Is it possible to homeschool for free?

Many states like Idaho not only offer many programs where you can homeschool free, but you are given funds. Some offer up to $1,700 per year per child to buy curriculum and p.e. items.

How many hours a day do you homeschool?

It does vary from family to family. Typically you can expect an hour to two hours a day for elementary years, 2-3 hours a day for middle school and 3-4 hours a day for High School.

How to Start Homeschooling

Time needed: 1 day.

Where do I start with Homeschooling

1. Check state’s requirements

   Each state is very different. Many are very lenient and allow you to choose any curriculum you want vs. others who only allow you to choose from a few programs and provide no funding to you.

2. Choose a homeschool program

   Decide whether you want to teach your children using textbooks, or you’d rather choose an online program. If you’re new you might want to do the latter so it’s less intimidating.

3. Enroll your child

   Enrolling your child in a homeschool program is easy. You just provide info such as immunization records, birth certificate, and proof of residency.

4. Notify your previous school

   You must notify the public school your child previously attended that they will not be returning. They can only be enrolled at one place, they will receive tax funds.

5. Purchase curriculum

   If you are using an online program for all 4 subjects you will likely NOT need to purchase anything. Teaching from textbooks will require you buy them yourself.

   There are religious and non religious options out there, and a lot of them!

Benefits of Homeschooling

I was really leery at first. I knew in my gut though this was something we needed to try because my middle daughter was having a really difficult time in middle school.

We began with 1 program and it wasn’t for us. It was easy to switch to a new one that had more auditory elements to it was great. The pros of homeschooling for us are:

• You can focus on what’s really important – In public school there are only so many hours in the day. There is always time dealing with behavior issues which takes away from instruction.
  • When you are given state standards for the year and cut out all the fluff it is amazing how quickly you can get things done with lots of time for questions along the way.
• Kids have more time for sports – If you have children in competitive sports this will give them/you the flexibility with their schedule they need.
• More one on one instruction – Whether it’s from you or you hire a tutor, they can get more instruction in areas they’re struggling with.
• You can travel year round – Means having a bunch of freedom and avoiding the expensive and busy times of the year. These trips are MUCH better to teach Geography than out of a book too!

Free Online Homeschool

Cons of homeschooling is really focused on one aspect. I think it is no mystery that the term immediately makes people ask “how do they make friends?”

This style of learning will be different than public school where they’d see others their age every day. In middle and high school, time with their friends is greatly reduced and is closer to 30 min. a day at lunch.

This is where extracurricular activities, church, sports and co-ops come into play. There are quite a few programs that offer field trips with kids in their program, some are divided into grade levels so they can meet others.

In addition to the list above that offers a program to students in all or several states, here are a few that are state specific.

Homeschooling in Arkansas

Arkansas Virtual Academy is a part of K12 for this state.

Homeschool in California

Here are California homeschooling laws

• California charter schools
• CalPac is a tuition free program
• This California Virtual Academy covers 40 counties and is free of charge, a Charter school rigorous program
• Insight Schools of California is another option

Homeschooling in Oregon

Oregon Virtual Academy is once again associated with K12 online but focuses on the standards and requirements of this state.

If you’re in a different state I would go to K12.com and search to see if they have a division for the area you live in.

With all of these we like to share our list of FREE Educational Websites too! Many are super fun but have an element of learning right along with it.

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Free and Affordable Homeschool Curriculum

It’s that time again when the school year is getting cranked up, and those homeschool families who tentatively follow local school calendars are making their plans and schedules. One major difference for homeschool families vs public school families is the upfront cost of having to purchase a curriculum for your children. Most families are on a strict budget, and the cost of a year’s worth of books and supplies, especially if there are multiple children in different grades, can be an extremely hard financial pill to swallow.

While there are online private schools and some curriculum with giant price tags, that isn’t the only option. Did you know some homeschool curricula are free? Though these may require a bit more effort on your part, there are certainly ways to be able to have the freedom of homeschooling in a way that works for your family without breaking the bank.

Free Homeschool Curriculum

One thing in favor of public schools for many families is that there is no cost. In some states/districts, even meals at school are free. For those who struggle financially, the cost of homeschooling may make it seem like an impossibility. Never fear! We are here to help! We desire to help any family who wants to homeschool be able to do so. If curriculum cost is what’s standing in the way, here are some solid, free homeschool curriculum options.

• Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool: This is a complete K-12, online, totally free curriculum in the Charlotte Mason style.
• Ambleside Online: This is another completely online option in the Charlotte Mason style.
• Khan Academy: They are a nonprofit that works to provide top-notch education to any and every student. This is also a great supplement if you choose a different curriculum.
• Create your own unit study: This simple, amazing option integrates subjects and allows your children to focus on their interests.
• The Good and the Beautiful: Their books are available for free as a pdf download, or for purchase as a hard copy.
• At Home Middle School: This site pulls from different online resources to create lesson plans in core subjects for middle school students.
• K12: While this is an online public school and not a method of homeschooling that provides the freedom most of us are searching for, as it is free, it definitely deserves to be included in this list.

Affordable Homeschool Curriculum

If none of the free options seem like they’d be a good fit for your family, there are programs and curricula out there for a small cost. Many companies do their best to keep prices low so families can provide their children with quality education without going into debt to do so. Here are some of the best affordable homeschool curriculum options.

• Time4Learning: This is a comprehensive, online, PreK-12 curriculum for a very reasonable monthly fee.
• Compass Classroom: This company provides video classes for grades 4-12 for a low monthly (or yearly) fee.
• Alpha Omega Publications (LIFEPAC): LIFEPACs are workbook-based learning for grades K-12 with prices varying by grade/subjects.
• A.C.E. School of Tomorrow: A.C.E uses PACEs, or individual workbooks, that are customizable. Prices will vary due to how you choose to build your school year.
• Used Homeschool Books: If you find a curriculum you’d like to try before investing in a new set, this website offers used homeschool curriculum items at lower prices.

Free Homeschool Curriculum by Subject

Perhaps you have the majority of your curriculum already and are only looking for a certain subject. If that is the case, here are some pages with many free curriculum options in some core subjects.

• Homeschool for Free: Math
• Homeschool for Free: Science
• Homeschool for Free: History/Social Studies

How to Homeschool by Subject

Do you feel more confident teaching your child at certain ages and in certain subjects? Most of us have a niche where we feel most comfortable, but unfortunately, we can’t keep our children in our comfort zone. If you’re feeling a little insecure in certain areas or just need some added encouragement or helpful tips, check out our “How to” series for some friendly advice from homeschool parents who have been where you are and made it through…just like you will.

• How to Homeschool Your Preschooler
• How to Teach Homeschool Language Arts
• How to Teach Homeschool Science
• How to Teach Homeschool Social Studies
• How to Teach Math for Homeschoolers
• How to Teach Homeschool Bible
• How to Homeschool High School Foreign Language
• How to Homeschool High School Health and P.E.
• How to Homeschool Using the Unit Study Method

Fresh number

RG-News

Rodina

thematic applications

Union

Society

03/17/17/2020 21:50

for lessons at home

Ksenia Kolesnikova

The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Education and Science recommended transferring schoolchildren and students to distance learning. How to keep up with the program and learn something new during the quarantine period? "RG" has collected interesting and useful digital services - with free access and high-quality educational content.

Photoxpress

Uchi.ru is an online educational platform. Schoolchildren study all the main subjects in an interactive form, learn to program, prepare for the VPR and the OGE, and participate in olympiads.

For schools and teachers, for students during classes with a teacher, access is free. During the quarantine period, the platform launched new free services for distance learning.

Foxford is an online school with departments in all subjects. The school has opened free access to all basic online courses in the school curriculum from 3rd to 11th grade. It is enough for the teacher to register on the platform and add the accounts of their students there. The student himself can also come in and start studying for free.

GeekBrains - educational portal from Mail. ru Group: helps to start a career in IT and Digital. Opens free access to courses in four areas: programming, design, management and marketing. You can activate access until March 31: to do this, you need to register on the portal, fill out the form at the link, indicate the selected courses and leave the registration email address.

"Open Education" is an educational platform offering online courses in basic disciplines that are studied at Russian universities.

Yandex.Textbook is a free online service for teachers. Contains more than 45 thousand tasks in mathematics and Russian for grades 1-5.

Coursera is an international online education platform. Here are collected courses from leading universities, including Stanford, Princeton, Imperial College London and others. Due to the spread of the coronavirus, Coursera is offering free access to courses for universities around the world through the Coursera for Campus platform. Universities provide their students with the opportunity to take more than 3,800 courses remotely.

Distance learning - an example of the theory of relativity. Photo: EPA

Art

The Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation has recommended limiting or canceling all events with a large influx of visitors to minimize the risk of the spread of coronavirus. This temporary measure will affect all subordinate institutions. The corresponding order was signed by the Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova.

Without waiting for official orders, the capital's Garage Museum of Contemporary Art and Yekaterinburg's Yeltsin Center were closed to visitors last week. March 17 announced the closure of the State Museum of Fine Arts. A.S. Pushkin.

The main museum of the northern capital - the Hermitage - is still open, but has temporarily suspended visits to the Old Village Restoration and Storage Center, canceled all mass events and stepped up the already thorough cleaning, including disinfection of entrance areas, passages and stairs. However, the Hermitage has not yet abandoned the planned exhibitions. "At the moment, we plan that all of our exhibitions will open according to the previously approved schedule, however, the solemn opening ceremonies of these exhibitions with the invitation of guests will not be held," the museum's press service said.

The Russian Museum and the St. Isaac's Cathedral State Museum-Monument continue their work in St. Petersburg.

Meanwhile, reports of museum closures are starting to come in from all over the country. The Sergei Yesenin Museum in Konstantinov temporarily suspended its work, the Ryazan region closes its museums and theaters. The House of Poetry of Andrei Dementyev followed the order of the Governor of the Tver Region and postponed indefinitely the final of the IV All-Russian Competition for Young Poets "Green Leaf" and the concert of the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Russian Army named after A.V. Alexandrova.

Strict restrictions by local authorities on the number of people who can be in one room are fundamentally changing the plans of cinemas and theaters across the country. The Bolshoi Theater announced the cancellation of performances until April 10. The organizers of the Golden Mask theater award were also forced to act, which canceled all shows and began to return money for tickets.

The pandemic is forcing many today to go online. Pushkin Museum im. A.S. Pushkin Museum is moving the Pushkinsky.Youth conference "Point of Bifurcation" and the action "I'll Show You the Museum" to an online format, and the museum intends to broadcast all upcoming lectures on social networks. More than 400,000 exhibits, 56 collections and 18 exhibitions are available in the Hermitage's online collection.

prepared Natalya Lebedeva

Russian newspaper - Week - federal issue: 58 (8112)

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Educational Institutions

How to organize home schooling

How to train the RESIG

Home or family education is one of the forms of education established by law in the Russian Federation, in which the student receives knowledge in the family and is attached to the school only for the duration of the assessment.

Homeschooling should not be confused with homeschooling, a way of organizing the learning process for children who cannot attend school for health reasons.

How to start homeschooling

To start teaching your child at home instead of school, you need:

1. Notify the education authorities in the community. You can apply to transfer to homeschooling in person, by mail, or online.
2. Drop out of school. Bring an application to the school about the transition to a family form of education and pick up the child's documents: a personal file, certificates of education and certification. They will be needed to attach to another school for passing intermediate certifications.
3. Select a school for assessments. She must have a license for educational activities and state accreditation, and the charter necessarily fixes the possibility of enrolling external students. For your convenience, it would be better to choose a school with the possibility of remote certification. It is also recommended to conclude an attestation agreement with the school that regulates the dates, form and procedure for passing attestations in each subject.
   

For a detailed guide to transitioning to family education with samples of required documents, see here

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How to organize homeschooling

After all the formalities are settled, the most important thing remains: to decide how to organize the learning process at home. There are several models of organizing family education, each with its own advantages and disadvantages, which can be combined with each other:

• Parent-teacher. Teaching a child on your own, you are free to choose any program and teaching method, besides, you do not have to pay for the work of specialists. However, teaching a child at home requires a lot of time from parents, competence in all school subjects and developed pedagogical skills.
• Tutoring services. Qualified teachers in individual lessons are able to give the child a quality education. The downside is that the services of good tutors are not cheap.
• Online school. Distance learning allows you to solve a whole range of problems. Studying in an online school, the child receives systematic school knowledge in all school subjects with minimal participation of parents. In addition, you can study on the Web at any time and from anywhere in the world - you only need access to the Internet. Education in online schools is paid, but it is cheaper than hiring tutors for each subject.
  

Whichever way you choose to teach your child at home, try to adhere to the following guidelines.

Advice 1. Keep the interest of the child

Home education assumes the responsibility of parents for the knowledge of children. Mom and dad should be ready to answer questions and understand complex topics. You can’t blame tutors or send your child to Google. At the same time, to teach a child at home, it is not necessary to be an expert in all areas. All that is needed is a broad outlook and a willingness to deepen knowledge as necessary.

Try to stimulate your child's natural curiosity.

Refresh your school curriculum as you transition to homeschooling. To do this, you may have to leave your comfort zone, overcome boredom and fear of unloved objects. To make it easier, refer not to textbooks, but to popular science books and films.

Sergei Didyk, father of two children in family education, shares his experience: “You can adjust the educational process to the abilities, opportunities, interests of the child, and even the current situation in the family. You can adjust the depth and speed of mastering the subject: what the child is most interested in is studied in detail;

Tip 2. Don't try to be a multi-subject

The thought of teaching a child at home causes some adults to panic. Sophia Pascal, the mother of a student at Foxford Home School, admitted this in an interview: “Despite the fact that I had a living example of homeschooling before my eyes (the children of my friend were at family school), I was still scared. What if I can’t explain something, and my daughter will have a gap in knowledge?

But a parent who decides to organize homeschooling does not have to turn into a multi-subject teacher. Professionals should explain and work out new material. For example, at the Foxford home online school, classes according to the school curriculum are taught by strong teachers, and the courses are aimed at obtaining systemic knowledge.

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