Free Curriculum Resources
Homeschooling can cost as much or as little as you like. Free is always good, right? Here is a list of free resources that I have found to be very valuable.
Curriculums:
Supplements:
- Spelling City
- Education.com
- Kinder Printables
- File Folder Fun
- The Crafty Classroom
- Lapbook Lessons
- Learning Page
What are some of your favorite free curriculum resources?
Workbox Lesson Planner
Summer has been flying by! We have had so much going on, that I haven’t had much time for the computer. My two oldest girls are at horse camp this week and my 19 year old son has decided to move in with my mom and dad for the time being. So… this week, it’s just me and my husband along with our two youngest girls at home. It’s really been quiet.
So, with all of this quiet time… I have been catching up on all that laundry I got behind on during two weeks at campmeeting/ my two week bout of the flu/ten days in Atlanta/two weeks of company/and 1 week of VBS. I have also been deep cleaning my family room/homeschool room in preparation for the new school year. I have also been planning my curriculum for 2010-2011. I love planning for our school year!
I want to share my new Workbox Planner Form with you. It is simple, nothing fancy, but is what I am using this year. I do only have space for 10 boxes as that is what I am using. I hope you enjoy!
I let you know which books we’ll be using this coming year soon!
Homeschool Freebies – June 15, 2010
Photo Credit: The Ramblings of a Crazy Woman
- Free Worksheets
- Ocean Worksheets from Learning Page
- The Island-below-the-Star Unit Study
- How to Raise Tadpoles
- Frog Lapbook
- Another Frog Lapbook
- God’s Amazing Sea Creatures Unit Study
- Nature Study at the Beach
- Handprint Crabs Craft (scroll down)
- National Geographic Sea Animals Coloring Book
Book Recommendations:
- The Island-below-the-Star by James Rumford
- Frogs by Nic Bishop
- The Frogs and Toads of North America
- Frogs Toads and Turtles by Diane Burns
- Days with Frogs and Toad by Arnold Lobel
Homeschool Freebies – May 18, 2010
- Preserve Backyard Flowers
- Holly Bloom’s Garden Unit Study
- Dandelion Lapbook and Unit Study
- Wildflower Crown
- Edible Flower Recipes
- Time of Wonder Lapbook
- WhatBird.com
- Cornell’s Bird Coloring Book
- Create Your Own Field Guide
- Recycled Bird Feeder Craft
Book Recommendations:
- Holly Bloom’s Garden by Sarah Ashman
- Backyard Birds (Peterson Field Guide for Young Naturalists)
- Time of Wonder by Robert McCloskey
- Dandelion by Don Freeman
- National Audubon Society’s Field Guide to Wildflowers
Homeschool Freebies – May 4, 2010
- Luna Moth Life Cycle – video
- Luna Moth Coloring Page
- Stellaluna Lapbook
- Journey to the Bottomless Pit Unit Study
- How to Build a Bat House Plans
- Adventures of Echo the Bat
- Scratch Paper Art
- Lunar Landing – Moon Craft
- Skymaps Downloads
- Glow in the Dark Constellations
Book Recommendations:
- Stellaluna by Janelle Cannon
- A Luna Moth’s Life by John Himmelman
- Journey to the Bottomless Pit by Elizabeth Mitchell
- Insect World – Luna Moths by Sandra Markle
- How to Draw Insects by Justin Lee
Homeschool Freebies – May 11, 2010
- Worms are Fun! Recycling with Worms
- Online Field Guides
- Earth Day Mini Lapbook Helper
- The Trellis and the Seed Lapbook
- The Tale of Three Trees Lapbook
- Botany Unit Study
- Earth Day Word Search
- Nature Words
- Reed Basket Craft
- Handprint Butterflies
A Year of Family Worship: Lessons in Nature
This past weekend we took our church youth group (Pathfinder Club) on a camp out. I love camping and enjoying the sights and sounds of nature. I love waking up to the fresh air and a warm campfire. I enjoy worshiping God outside – which made me think. If we can worship God outside on a camp out, why can’t we worship God outside for Family Worship?
Why not take your family outside in the backyard or even to a beautiful park on a Sabbath afternoon and sing songs of praise and other thoughtful activities? One of the requirements our Pathfinders had was to go out in “nature” and find three things that represented God.
Some of the things kids came back with:
- water – “Jesus is the Living Water”
- a rock – “Jesus is the Rock of our Salvation” or We should build our house on the “Solid Rock”
- a heart shaped Redbud leaf – “the heart of God” or “God’s love for each of us”
- a three leaf clover – “The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit”
- a vine – “He is the vine, we are the branches”
There are so many expressions of Christ in nature! This activity is fun for kids and adults of all ages. This week, when the weather is nice, why not go ahead and have Family Worship in the backyard and see how creative you can be finding the character of God all around you?
I am currently reading the book, Lessons Jesus Taught by Ellen White. Yesterday I read the following passage and felt it fit so well with this idea of worshiping in nature:
“So through the creation we are to become acquainted with the Creator. The book of nature is a great lesson book, which in connection with the Scriptures we are to use in teaching others of His character and guiding lost sheep back to the fold of God. As the works are studies the Holy Spirit flashes conviction into the mind…
We should study the Saviour’s parables where He spoke them, in the fields and groves, under the open sky, among the grass and flowers. As we come close to the heart of nature Christ makes His presence real to us, and speaks to our hearts of His peace and love.
And Christ has linked His teaching, not only with the day of rest, but with the week of toil. He has wisdom for him who drives the plow and sows the seed. In the plowing and sowing, the tilling and reaping, He teaches us to see an illustration of His work or grace in the heart. So in every line of useful labor and every association of life, He desires us to find a lesson of divine truth. Then our daily toil will no longer absorb our attention and lead us to forget God; it will continually remind us of our Creator and Redeemer. The thought of God will run like a thread of gold through all our homely cares and occupations… We shall ever be learning new lessons of heavenly truth, and growing into the image of His purity.”
Isn’t that what we all desire? To see the face of God, to feel His presence all around us? Teach your children about the Creator. In doing so, you will both be drawn closer to Him.
* * * * *
Each Wednesday, we will add a new post for A Year of Family Worship and you can do the same. Share your goals, experiences, and ideas for family worship with the rest of us!
If you don’t have a blog, you can add your comments in the comment section! You can join A Year of Family Worship here. And you can see the 52 Weeks of Family Worship here.
If you do not have a blog… you can either post your ideas here in the comments or even join our Proverbs 31 Sisters Network and get a free blog that way!
Homeschool Freebies – April 27, 2010
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar Unit Study
- The Very Tasty Caterpillar
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar Lapbook
- Nature Study Notebook – Journaling Pages
- Butterfly Lapbook
- “B” is for Bee Craft
- Butterfly Lapbook II
- The Monarch Butterfly – Amazing Migration – video
- Butterfly Project Ideas
- Monarch Butterfly Clipart
Book Recommendations:
- From Caterpillar to Butterfly by Deborah Heiligman
- Monarch and Milkweed by Helen Frost
- Arty Facts – Insects, Bugs, and Art Activities by Polly Goodman
- Origami Insects and Their Kin by Robert J. Lang
- Garden Insects of North America by Whitney Cranshaw
Homeschool Freebies – April 20, 2010
- Guide to Sketching Trees by Claire Walker Leslie
- Tree Shape Book
- Leaf Prints
- Leaf Flashcards
- Tree Study and Lapbook
- Miss Twiggley’s Tree Unit Study
- Chipmunk’s Unit and Lapbook
- How to Draw a Chipmunk
- Seasonal Tree Study
- Spring Tree Study
Book Recomendations:
- Miss Twiggley’s Tree by Dorothea Warren Fox
- National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees
- Drawing Trees by William Powell
- Keeping a Nature Journal by Claire Walker Leslie
- The Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock
A Day in Nature
Okay, so on Friday morning (last week) I took my daughter, Laura, to speech therapy. Hannah was with us, too. the parking lot was really full so we had to park quite a ways from the building. I pulled into a parking spot and there was a tree right in front of the car. Hannah says, “Mom, look! There’s a robin sitting on a nest!”
Sure, enough, there was a mommy robin sitting on a nest! We got out of the car, very excited. The nest was just above my eye level. The robin was startled when we got out of the car and she flew away. I couldn’t see into the nest and didn’t want to touch it, but I did hold my cell phone up above the nest and took a photo. There were no eggs on Friday.
So, this morning, we went back to speech and since we were running a little late, we didn’t stop to look at the robin’s nest until after the appointment. On our way back to the car (I brought my camera for the occasion!) we saw the mommy robin again sitting on her nest:
I stepped up on the curb (about 4 feet from the tree) and she was again startled and jumped up out of her nest, but stayed very close by on a branch. I held my camera up and took another photo, and this is what we found:
Are those not the prettiest little eggs you’ve ever seen??? We can hardly wait to see babies!
You know how much we love all of God’s creation – even snakes. But birds are just about our favorite. That is, if you don’t count horses.
This afternoon, we saddled, er, Emily saddled Ladybelle for the first time. (I took the photos.) Isn’t Ladybelle beautiful?? We lover her!
Side Note: In case you are wondering where my other daughter, Sarah, was… well, she is staying at our Middlesboro Church with a group of young people who came to work in the community doing literature evangelism (magabooking, canvasing). She loves the work! I am so proud of her. And in case you are a member in the Kentucky-Tennessee Conference, be sure to check out this month’s Connection newsletter – Sarah has an article in it!!
Anyway, while we were up with the horses, I took a photo of the apple tree. Wow, look at those blossoms! I hope we get that many apples!
: Download the Spring 2010 Issue :
