We have a few online resources for adding a bit more to our homeschool curriculum. I have told you before that we use BookShark most days for school. But I find my six year old prefers a bit of mixture to keep him interested. He loves computer work and I really think it is important to learn more about using computers, so it is a win-win.
I have told you before about Book Adventure. This is a great tool for checking your child’s reading comprehension and seeing what level they are reading and comprehending. It’s great to be able to check and see that your child is on track with their peers and catch any problems if there are any.
When my son was younger we loved ABCMouse.com. He was about 3-4 when we started it and he would likely have played it all day if I would have let him. We used this program for a few months and he still gets excited every time he see ABCMouse anywhere. Now that my daughter is nearing three I think we will sign her up and see how she likes it. You can get your first month for free to see how you like it. This is program you can adjust to fit your needs. You will be able to set your child up to learn the earliest of preschool lessons and adjust it if they are more advanced. We loved that it was learning by playing games.
My son uses Moby Max about once a week. There is a Pro version that is $99. a year. I would be comfortable using Moby Max as our school curriculum, and really thought about doing that for next year. The free version has everything you need to make it a great supplement to your school year. I only currently have one child on the program, but from what I can see it looks rather easy to set each kid up with their own profile so you can track their individual progress and keep them on their own grade levels. The kids can study spelling, phonics, science, history, social studies, reading, writing, and even study for state prep tests. The kids can earn badges, and earn game time (although I believe you now have to be pro to get game time as we haven’t been able to access it lately… so I transfer that game time to just add on to his video game time… you can’t beat a few more minutes of Minecraft in my son’s eyes).
We use Khan Academy for math. We don’t use it nearly as often as Moby Max. But if you are fortunate to have high speed internet (we are stuck in the dark ages with our satellite internet… I am sure AOL dialup was faster) Khan has so much more to offer. Not only can you learn algebra, but you can learn computer programming, take an economics course, you could become a WWII expert, or study chemistry. My husband used this course while he was working through this final college class. There really is something there for everyone. And it is FREE!!! Many of the classes you may “take” will be Youtube videos. These courses are not college courses, so don’t think you are gonna go and watch a few videos on law and be able to sit for the BAR exam, but at least you will understand more of those legal terms they use in your favorite TV drama. Like Moby Max, Khan also has badges you can earn. So if you find me on Khan, please don’t judge me on my small number of badges… my 6YO doesn’t mind telling me how few I have and thats about all my ego can handle.
It is not online, but I have to mention we also use Rosetta Stone. Rosetta was a purchase we made back when we fist started homeschooling. We don’t use it nearly as much as I intend to. But it is a great way to get accustomed to the language. My six year old does great with it when he takes it seriously. When we told him we were going to Spain and we started doing Rosetta regularly he was doing great with it. I don’t believe they are ever too young or too old to get started with foreign language. I don’t believe he could have a conversation with someone in Spanish, but he can speak more than if he were just watching Dora the Explorer. I also notice when we use Rosetta more he will be more likely start a movie and choose Spanish as the language instead of English. It would be a dream for both of my kids to be polyglots… so we can travel anywhere and they can translate for me. It is a bit pricey, but it is such a great program and we are willing to pay a little for something that will have such a great benefit long-term.
I am always eager to hear more about what you use in your homeschool. Do you use books or internet-based learning?
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Thanks for the Moby Max link…I will be checking that out for next year.
Have you looked at allinonehomeschool.com ?
It is totally free, all inclusive curriculum, online…you can pick your level. I used it for language arts for all 3 boys (2nd, 4th, 10th…allinonehighschool.com) and for math supplimenting. It has lots of links to online games. I also use Saxon Math and love Apologia Science…although not online.