Homeschool Must Haves!

Hello everyone!  I get a lot of requests asking what my favorite homeschool materials are.  Today, I thought I would put together a list with many of my favorites.  It’s no secret how much I adore the Charlotte Mason method, but I also add in other things.  Without further ado, here is the list:

1. Language Arts/Spelling/Reading.  I use All About Reading and All About Spelling.  I have three boys ranging in ages 7 through 12 and these programs work for each.  They are laid out in a very organized manner and both are fun and engaging.  One of my kiddos is diagnosed with Aspergers and ADHD while another we strongly believe to be dyslexic (awaiting to be tested).  All About Reading and All About Spelling wonderful for children with ADHD, Aspergers, and dyslexia.  Since we love Charlotte Mason so incredibly much, I am obsessed with all things from Queenhomeschooling.com.  They have a fantastic language arts program that ranges in ages from little ones through high school!  You can find it here.  We also love BJU English for younger kids and Easy Grammar is great for older ones.  We are also huge fans of First Language Lessons, which I have used with all my kids.
2. History.  We have had wonderful success with many of the items on Educents.  I have found a wide variety of resources from lap booking to guides to timelines and more!  We also adore Mystery of History for a spine.  Mystery of History discusses and teaches history beginning at Creation and moving forward.  It is filled with knowledge, activities, and even extra reading you can add in.  We do not usually complete all the activities listed or recommended because, well, its homeschooling and we lean more towards Charlotte Mason; however, my kids really enjoy reading from MOH.  You can find MOH HERE for a really good price!  For the younger kids, we like History For Little Pilgrims.  Not only have I used this program for my three kids, but also my niece!
3. Science.  If we use a spine, I prefer material from Answers in Genesis, Apologia, and the astronomy program from Intoxicated on Life.  This program is fantastic and taught from a Creation standpoint! Hurry! I think you only have till the 27th to register for this!
4. Math.  We start with Horizons Math.  I love how easily it is to teach and how the curriculum inches forward with each math concept.  It is a grade level ahead of where they should be and it keeps my kids very interested and the teacher guides are fantastic.  We also use Life of Fred.  Life of Fred is a wonderful curriculum that explains math in a story form.  The name is what drew me in because it sounded like a lot of fun.  I was surprised with how much my kids learned from this fun program.
5. Handwriting.  If you have not tried Notebookingpages.com you are missing out!  I reviewed them HERE.  We have fallen in love with this wonderful resource!  It fits perfectly with our studies and there are so many options to choose from!  I also love Educents for handwriting.  One resource we particularly like through them is Cursive Logic which I reviewed HERE.
6. Bible.  We really enjoy a few different resources I want to share with you.  Grapevine Ministries designed Stick Figuring through the Bible.  You can read my reviews HERE and HERE about this!  We love this fun, creative way to help our kids grow in the Lord.  We also use Apologia for Bible study.  You can find them here.  We also can’t really study the Bible without sharing Character studies, right?  My friend Stephanie has come up with one that is just fantastic!  It is called My Character Matters and you can get it HERE.

Most of the rest of our learning is completed using living books.  However, I did want to share a few of my personal favorites as a homeschool momma and teacher.

1. Disney Circle.  My friends, we can never protect our young ones enough.  I have heard stories of innocently looking at a website and something else coming up.  I have heard of kids whose parents don’t even allow them to have an iPad, smart phone or any mobile device but their kids somehow venture onto websites that they shouldn’t be on.  Also, lets not forget how easy it is for adults to also fall into the porn trap!  Our marriage struggled with it.  You can read about that HERE.  I am thankful for a resource such as Disney Circle that works on our devices and computers to help protect us.  
2. Organization.  It has taken me a while to find the planner that does it all.  You can read more about my journey HERE.  If you are like me, then you need the Homeschool Mom Planner!  If you don’t homeschool, there is one for you, too! If you want to get a planner go HERE there is also a student planner!
3. Digital Homeschool Conference.  This conference is amazing and you won’t want to miss it the next time it comes around!   Click here to learn more

Those are a few of our favorite things.  Make sure you are subscribed so you don’t miss a thing!  Coming later this week or next will be living books for upper grades PLUS a free printable!  Don’t miss it!