I am continually amazed at the resources available online for homeschoolers today! There actually wasn’t an Internet available for home use when I started homeschooling my children!
So, excuse me if I sometimes seem over-exuberant … it’s all still a bit miraculous to me at times. I didn’t even have access to computers when I completed my bachelor’s degree (electric typewriters, yes). So, I had way too much fun with my master’s program … to think that I could do so much of my research online … amazing!
That said, I wrote previously about some wonderful homeschool communities (and other communities) I enjoy participating in: The Wonderful World of Online Communities.
Free Homeschooling Sites
There are many fantastic sites offering some free materials for homeschoolers. And there are some wonderful sites with lots of free printables and worksheet makers. But today, I’m especially focusing on unit studies. If you haven’t discovered them already, I want to introduce you to three sites which specialize in free materials, including unit studies, for homeschooling.
Along with using Montessori principles and materials, we used (and LOVED) KONOS unit studies. I liked having the units so readily available and integrated with each other. But you can create your own unit studies with the free online sites. If I were homeschooling today, I’d still use KONOS, but I’d probably add some of the online resources from the following sites to fit in with the unit we were studying.
Those sites are:
Free Homeschooling 101 and facebook page
Homeschool Share and facebook page
Free Montessori materials:
Thanks to Karen Tyler from Worldwide Montessori Online, I always give Karen’s wonderful AMS-style Montessori geography album free to anyone who signs up for my mailing list (see sidebar). I have links to lots of other great free Montessori materials as well: a post and link to the Friendship Flower Activities download from Montessori 3-6 Homeschool and a post with Free Montessori Materials Online.
I often have discussions with links to lots of free resources (Montessori links as well as general educational/family resources) in my Living Montessori Now Blog Frog Community that’s embedded in my blog (see Community tab at the top of my blog).
Have fun!
Mary says
I love anything free related to homeschooling! Thanks for all the links!
Deb says
Thanks for visiting and commenting, Mary! Have fun checking out some amazing resources!
Harriet says
Thats really good that there are so many free resources for home schooling, it must make it so much easier for parents who are just starting out on homeschooling!
Deb says
Thanks, Harriet! It definitely is easier for parents homeschooling today – except for managing time spent online when there are so many wonderful resources available!
Joy says
I love free stuff!! Thanks for sharing your sites you have come across!!
Deb says
Thanks for your comment, Joy! I LOVE sharing the amazing resources I find online!
Michelle says
Wow, for free! That is wonderful that there are so many resources out there. We don’t normal celebrate Chinese New Year at our home but my son will be learning about it at his Pre-school. I’m curious to see what they do/learn!
Deb says
Thanks, Michelle! It’s great that your son is learning about Chinese New Year at his preschool! It would be fun to see what he’s learning and doing.
Cheryl says
Free is always great! It’s amazing how the homeschool movement has taken off online. We are a resourceful bunch 😉 Thanks for linking up at the HSV!
Deb says
Thanks for your comment, Cheryl! That is so true about the online homeschool movement. It’s exciting! Thanks for having such a great link-up and theme at Homeschool Village!
jeannine: waddlee-ah-chaa says
Hi Deb! I’m going to checkout your post about online communities!
Deb says
Hi, Jeannine – and thanks for your comment! There are some fabulous online communities! I hope you find some that work well for you.
Erika says
Hi Deb! Thanks so much for stopping by and for your encouraging words! I’m looking forward to exploring your site more … though I am a former teacher, Montessori methods are still somewhat new to me, but I am eager to learn!
Looking forward to reading more!
Deb says
Hi Erika – thanks for visiting and commenting! I definitely have lots of posts about Montessori education, homeschooling, and Montessori homeschooling! If you have any questions, feel free to ask!
Linda says
I posted some great free resources too!!! Aren’t we always looking for free stuff?? I bookmarked a couple of the sites you mentioned for further investigation!! Glad you linked up!!
Deb says
Thanks, Linda! What a great link-up! I’ll look forward to checking out your post, too!
Jane says
I am with you-when my children were young I had no computer- I actually envy those who are able to homeschool with the help of the net-Great resources
Deb says
Thanks for your comment, Jane! It’s amazing how much things have changed in the last couple of decades! I think homeschooling would be much easier with all the resources available now. But, then again, it would be much more difficult to manage time with all the great things that can be done online!
Jennifer says
Free is in my budget! Thanks for sharing these sites.
It’s amazing how creative and generous homeschooling families are—to design some of these things and then share them with others at no cost!
~Jennifer
Deb says
Thanks for your comment, Jennifer! I’ve always been amazed at how generous homeschooling families are, too. Even before the Internet, homeschooling families shared so much in conferences, co-ops, and homeschool groups. Now, it’s just a matter of managing all the wonderful resources available!
varunner7 says
What excellent resources!
Visiting from Mom Loop today 🙂
Deb says
Thanks so much for your comment! I hope you find some ideas that work perfectly for your family!
Jenilee says
Thanks for your post! I LOVE using the internet for homeschooling. It is an incredible, and usually FREE resource! I’m going to check out the sites you suggested. Thanks!
Deb says
Thanks for your comment, Jenilee – I totally agree about the Internet being great for homeschooling. I hope you found some helpful ideas!
jacqueline says
Thanks for sharing these links. Homeschooling is getting expen$ive
Deb says
Thanks for your comment, Jacqueline! It’s nice that the Internet can help a lot with the expense part, isn’t it?!
Mozi Esmés Mom says
Thanks for the links! I’ve used Homeschool Share, but not the others, so I’ll have to check them out…
And I don’t know how I’d homeschool without the internet – it is such a core part of everything I put together. My daughter asked me yesterday, “What’s a mommy mouse called?” and I could actually give her a correct answer thanks to Google search!
Deb says
Thanks for your comment! That is so true about how helpful the Internet is. It’s the first place I look now when I need information on something!
Shannon (Living Life at Home) says
Aye the internet has definitely made it a lot easier to find free materials for homeschooling, and for sharing free homeschooling materials.
I’m so thankful for those homeschoolers, like you, who use the internet to share their finds and experiences and make it easier for those of us searching for information.
Whenever I can I try to pay it back by sharing what I find or what I’ve found useful, simply because the generosity of homeschoolers before me has made it so much easier.
I also love the fact that the internet has made it so much easier to find and use public domain materials, and projects like Librivox.org and homeschoolshare.com make it easier for those of homeschooling on a budget to gain access to materials we wouldn’t normally be able to.
Thank you for all you share here on LivingMontessoriNow. Reading your posts helps bring back my own montessori training. And I love hearing your lessons from your own homeschooling experiences.
Deb says
Thank you so much for your kind comment, Shannon! I love researching the Internet and really enjoy sharing my finds. Thanks for mentioning Librivox.org. That’s a wonderful resource! It’s amazing how there’s more and more available online each day. Truly mind boggling, but what an awesome resource!
Julie says
Absolutely love to see someone I can relate to! There wasn’t internet and thus not nearly as many resources available when I began homeschooling my now 21yo. There is so much out there now to use with my 10yo and 6yo that it’s a bit overwhelming at times. Thanks for all the great links and great post all around.
Deb says
Thanks so much, Julie! 🙂 I can definitely see how all the information available on the Internet would be overwhelming at times – just managing time must be so much different. But the Internet is still awesome, isn’t it?! Have a great weekend!
Angie says
Fabulous set of links! Thanks so much for sharing free Montessori materials/links.
Deb says
Thanks so much for your kind comment, Angie!
Jackie Lee says
These are some fantastic resources. I don’t homeschool my kiddo, but I’ve seriously thought about it. Do you think it’s easier to homeschool at an early age or as they get older? I do engage in learning activities with her after school, so I appreciate all the incredible resources.
Deb says
Thanks for your comment, Jackie! That’s a great question. I had a Montessori preschool until my oldest was 3 1/4, then we homeschooled until kindergarten, and then we homeschooled after kindergarten all the way through high school. My youngest was always homeschooled, and we homeschooled through high school. Here’s a post I wrote about our start with homeschooling: https://livingmontessorinow.com/2010/09/02/when-we-decided-to-homeschool/.
Homeschooling worked wonderfully for both of my kids even though they started at different times. But I really think it depends on each child and family when and if they’re meant to homeschool. I often think families feel “called” to homeschool. And for others, a school situation is perfect. It sounds like you’re doing a wonderful job with your daughter at home whether you decide to homeschool or work with her after school!
J.Elliott says
Thank you so much for all these links. I only started homeschooling this year so am constantly looking for new resources. One free resource that I use regularly for math is:
http://www.k-5mathteachingresources.com
I have found a lot of ideas for math activities and math games based on the Common Core Standards there.
Deb says
Thanks so much for your comment and for the link to a great resource! That’s an awesome site for homeschoolers! 🙂
Kris Dunlap says
I often think families feel “called” to homeschool. Thanks for your comment, Joy! It is an incredible, and usually FREE resource! Wow, for free!