Free Lesson Plans and Homeschool Curriculum
Valuable Online Resources for Teachers and Parents
Jan 10, 2009
Finding online resources for teaching tips and ideas can seem like a daunting task with second rate sources, especially those with hidden fees. There is plenty of help available. The most helpful sites have a plethora of free plans and ideas that are well organized. The following resources are easily navigated and can be helpful for teachers or homeschoolers looking for solid information.
Ambleside
Ambleside Online is a full free curriculum. It leans heavily on Charlotte Mason teaching and philosophy, with an emphasis on quality literature. If you are unfamiliar with the Charlotte Mason teachings, Ambleside has a great summary of it’s fundamentals in the introduction section. This is a complete program, lacking only math and foreign language.
One of the most incredibly useful things about this site is that it not only has an extensive booklist for each year, but also a weekly schedule to guide you through these books, serving as an excellent teacher’s manual. And, since many of these books are classics, they can be found online to print and read free of charge.
There is a suggested art study schedule that even includes links to all the art work. The music and nature study section is highly detailed. There is a list of articles that moms using this method have written that hold great potential for support and information for parents and teachers. The music appreciation and poetry pages contain so wide a variety of resources that regardless if a teacher is seeking a lesson on a specific piece of music, or if a parent simply needs a coloring page on the composer, there is a resource available.
With the extensive Charlotte Mason resources including the entire six volume Charlotte Mason collection as well as succinct summaries, Ambleside is an undeniable gem.
Homeschool Launch is a very unique tool. It’s basically a platform for parents and teachers to share files in nearly every educational category. Topics range from lapbooking, to history, to English. Because the topics are nearly endless, good organization is a must, and Homeschool Launch makes the grade. Viewers may search by topic, by tags, by rating, or by general word search.
One way that this site comes in handy is when planning a unit study or similar topic. For example, upon searching for “pirate,” numerous helpful files appear, including a worksheet for pirate songs, a worksheet on women pirates, and even a helpful file for designing pirate clothing. All files are PDFs and free to print and use.
Along with their vast selection of printable, they also have 20 pages of remarkable educational links. Homeschool Launch will equip parents and teachers with hoards of ideas.
These and many other learning resources can be incorporated into almost anyone’s educational program. Free online teaching tips and homeschool tools are readily available and quality education is within the grasp of every avid seeker.
