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The BEST Viking Unit Study for Homeschooled Kids

October 3, 2018 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

An ancient Viking unit study makes for a fascinating study for kids of all ages. Also, look at my page more Vikings Lapbook Unit Study and Hands-on Activities and my page Best Homeschool Unit Studies.

The fierce Norseman or Vikings came from what we now know as Scandinavia or Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Vikings prospered in Scandinavia from about 800 AD to 1066 AD.

The BEST Viking Unit Study for Homeschooled Kids

From their homes in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, the Norsemen (Northmen) explored much of the northern hemisphere between Europe and North America.

A Germanic people, the Vikings had a great love of adventure.

First, look at some of these living books about the Vikings.

11 Viking Resources & Books for Multiple Ages

Grab some of these books and resources for multiple ages about Vikings.

Viking Adventure

Sigurd, a Viking boy, cannot see the value of learning to read and write. All he can think of is adventure. But then he has an adventure that he cannot help but tell. And to do that, he decides, he must learn to write. A fine story for young readers.

Guts & Glory: The Vikings (Guts & Glory, 2)

From battle-axe-wielding tribes plundering the greatest cities of Europe to powerful kings and queens ruling their dominions with iron fists, the Vikings were some of the most feared and fearless figures in European history. Find the bravest heroes, the most menacing villains, and unbelievably awesome facts and myths inside this action-packed overview that will amaze kids with tales of a people so incredible...it's hard to believe they were real.

Viking: Discover the Story of the Vikings―Their Ships, Weapons, Legends, and Saga of War

The most trusted nonfiction series on the market, Eyewitness Books provide an in-depth, comprehensive look at their subjects with a unique integration of words and pictures. Loaded with superb color photographs of Viking ships and swords, clothes and shields, memorial stones and beautiful brooches, this revised and updated edition of Eyewitness: Viking offers a unique view into the lives of the Norse people and their outstanding achievements.

LEGO Creator Viking Ship

Kids can experience thrilling adventures on land and sea with this 3in1 set featuring a toy Viking ship, Viking house and Fenris wolf figure

A Child's Introduction to Norse Mythology: Odin, Thor, Loki, and Other Viking Gods, Goddesses, Giants, and Monsters

The newest book in the best-selling, award-winning A Child's Introduction series explores the popular and captivating world of Norse mythology. Organized into two parts, part one introduces characters like Odin, the leader of the Norse gods; Thor and his mighty hammer Mjollner; Frigg,
weaver of the destinies of humans and gods; frost and fire giants; cunning dwarves like Brokk and Eitri; and many more. Part two tells the stories of the suspenseful myths themselves including The Creation of the Cosmos, The Aesir-Vanir War, Loki Bound, Thor's Hammer and many more.

Renegade Game Studios Raiders of The North Sea,Multi-colored

Play Raiders of The North Sea, a worker-placement board game where players work to assemble a crew and outfit a longboat to raid settlements for gold and fame.(For 2-4 players)

Odd and the Frost Giants

Odd, a young Viking boy, is left fatherless following a raid. In his icy, ancient world there is no mercy for an unlucky soul with a crushed foot and no one to protect him. Fleeing to the woods, Odd stumbles upon and releases a trapped bear…and then Odd's destiny begins to change.

The eagle, bear, and fox Odd encounters are Norse gods, trapped in animal form by the evil frost giant who has conquered Asgard, the city of the gods. Now our hero must reclaim Thor's hammer, outwit the frost giants and release the gods…

Viking Quest Series Set of 5 Volumes Including Raiders From the Sea, Mystery of the Silver Coins, the Invisible Friend, Heart of Courage, and the Raider's Promise

Raiders from the Sea: Viking raiders capture Bree and her brother Devin and take them from their home in Ireland. After the young Viking prince Mikkel sets Devin free on the Irish coast far from home, Bree and Devin embark on separate journeys to courage. Readers will be captivated by the unfolding drama as Bree sails to Norway on the Viking ship and Devin travels the dangerous road home.

Black Fox of Lorne

Set in 1005 AD, twins Brus and Jan go a-Viking with their father Harald Redbeard and all their household. They plan to settle in England with Danish relatives there. But, their ships are caught in a fierce gale on the North Sea, and they are taken far off course to the western shore of Scotland. Held captive by a cunning Scottish Laird, Jan and Brus must navigate the political intrigue of chieftain, clan, and king without the help of their father, who has been killed and their mother, who is believed lost at sea. They follow adventure after adventure until they earn their freedom and find a home in Scotland at last.

Make This Viking Settlement (Usborne Cut-Out Models)

Printed on stiff card, this book contains templates to cut out and construct a model of a Viking settlement crammed with authentic detail. The base of the completed model measures 61 x 46cm, and includes 16 houses with doors and windows that open to reveal the details inside, and two Viking trading ships. It contains over 40 cut-out figures including merchants, traders and towns people to recreate scenes of everyday life in a bustling riverside settlement.

Who Were the Vikings Internet-Linked (Starting Point History)

Answers questions about the everyday life of the Vikings, including clothing, homes, religion, medical care, food, entertainment, ships, shops and towns, government, warfare, and the travels of the Northmen in Asia and the North Atlantic.

Ancient Vikings Unit Study

Vikings became infamous for sacking villages and towns, destroying churches, and easily defeating smaller armies in their search for new avenues of trade and the spoils of war.

Fearless warriors and superb shipbuilders, Vikings left their mark on Europe, Asia, Iceland, Greenland, and North America before they were absorbed into European Civilization.

Viking lands

Viking civilization began in the Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, but in the nearly 300 years of their power they traveled to and traded with many distant lands.

They also created settlements in England, Ireland, Iceland, Greenland, and other countries.

Viking Expansion Watch a short video about Viking exploration.
Viking Settlements Learn which countries the Vikings settled in outside of Scandinavia.
Life in Viking Settlements Learn what life was like in a Viking settlement.
Viking Houses See the types of houses Vikings lived in.

Viking Society

Society consisted of jarls (nobles), karls (middle class freemen), and thralls (slaves).

Viking social classes Learn how the classes worked together and how a Viking could up and down in social status.
Viking social classes in Iceland Learn how society differed abroad from Scandinavia.
Gender and age in Viking society Learn the roles of men, women, and children in Viking villages

The BEST Viking Unit Study for Homeschooled Kids. Your kids will love this. Check it out @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Viking warriors Learn what it took to be a warrior, what a beserker was, and the role women played in war

Futhark Learn about the runic alphabet of the Vikings

Viking Mythology

Vikings believed in a pantheon of Gods led by Odin. The pantheon included Thor and Loki of Avengers fame.

Norse mythology Read an overview of Norse mythology along with a brief history of Vikings.
Norse mythology dictionary Learn about Norse mythology with an A to Z listing.
The Nine Worlds A more in-depth look at the worlds of Norse mythology.

Viking Ships

Viking ships were the fastest and sturdiest of the era. The Norse skill in shipbuilding helped enable the exploration and settlement of other lands

Types of Viking ships:

Faering
Knarr
Longship
Karve

Viking ships Learn the different types of Viking ships and how they were used.
Vikings at sea Learn more about sailing and ships in the Viking Age.
Navigating the open seas Learn how the Vikings knew where they were going and how to get home.

Viking Vocabulary

Althing Yearly meeting of all Viking tribes to discuss laws and solve disputes
Beserker Warrior who wore a bearskin cloak or shirt and worked himself into a frenzy before battle
Brooch A decorative piece of metal used to hold a Viking’s cloak closed. The more ornate the brooch, the richer and more important the Viking.
Burial Ship Used for the wealthiest Vikings, these ships were filled with the belongings of the deceased and set ablaze or buried under mounds of earth or in underground chambers
Fjord A long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs found along the shores of some Scandinavian countries
Flax Cloth made from the stalks of the flax flower

Futhark The runic alphabet of the Vikings
Jarl A Viking Noble
Karl A middle class, free Viking
Keel The lengthwise timber structure along the base of a ship that supports the framework of the vessel and sometimes extends downward to increase stability
Loom A machine that weaves yarn or thread into cloth
Lyre A string instrument resembling a small, u-shaped harp
Norseman Northman
Pantheon A religion that believes in a group of gods/more than one god
Prow The portion of the front of the ship that is above water
Runes Letters of an ancient Germanic alphabet
Stern The rearmost part of a ship or boat
Strake A continuous line of planking from the stem to the stern of the ship
Thing Local assemblies where all freemen could file complaints and voice opinions
Thrall A Viking slave

Famous Vikings

Erik the Red Viking explorer who discovered Greenland
Leif the Lucky Son of Erik the Red
Harald Bluetooth Viking king of Denmark (also namesake of Bluetooth technology)
Olaf Tryggvason Viking king of Norway
Sweyn Forkbeard Declared King of all England in 1013
Gunnar Hamundarson Icelandic chieftain

Also, we love the hands-on ideas for studying history over at Home School in the Woods.

They cover Vikings in their middle ages lapbook.

Viking Unit Study and Lapbook

The BEST Viking Unit Study for Homeschooled Kids. Your kids will love this mini unit study about Ancient Vikings. They are truly fierce people of the sea. Click here to grab this AWESOME Vikings Unit Study @ Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Hands-on Ancient Phoenicia: Alphabet Clay Tablet Craft

September 24, 2018 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

The study of ancient civilizations is one of the most interesting parts of history to me, especially Ancient Phoenicia. I’ve enjoyed teaching about ancient civilizations and their contributions that have led to some of the great inventions and resources that we still use today.

Hands-on Ancient Phoenicia: Alphabet Clay Tablet Craft. Your kids will love this easy hands-on history craft if you’re looking to study the Ancient Phoenicians.

In this lesson, kids can learn about the ancient Phoenicians and the alphabet that they developed as well as creating their own clay tablet with Phoenician writing.

About the Phoenicians

Phoenicia was actually a group of city-states. It was established in the area that we now know as Syria, Lebanon, and northern Israel.

These city states began forming around 3200 BC and around 1500 BC, Two of it’s most well-known city states were Tyre and Sidon. In Scripture, Phoenicia is the area known as Canaan.

The Phoenicians were an ocean people. Phoenicia was a very popular place for trading and manufacturing. They worshiped many gods and goddesses.

One was their god of the sea- Yamm, and they put horses heads on their mighty ships to honor him. They were known for the manufacturing of the powerful ships, for glass-making, and for the making of their famous purple dye.

The name Phoenicia comes from the Greek word for purple. In fact, they were sometimes called the “purple people” because the dye they made would stain their skin purple.

The famous historian Herodotus gives Phoenicia the credit for the invention of the alphabet.

They supposedly brought the alphabet to Greece sometime before the 8th century BC.

Most of the western languages that we know today came from the Phoenician alphabet.

And the Phoenician city of Byblos where papyrus was manufactured and traded gave the Bible its name- through the Greek words Ta Biblia, “the books”.

The Phoenician Alphabet

The Phoenician alphabet that was later passed on to other countries and cultures developed around the 15th century BC. Before that, the Phoenicians used a form of cuneiform writing.

The alphabet spread so rapidly and to so many places because the Phoenicians were such avid traders and sailed around trading with many different peoples.

Most of the writings that have been discovered from the Phoenicians have to do with trade and business.

The alphabet had twenty-two letters. It was read from right to left in diagonal lines. The shapes of the letters came from an earlier Egyptian form of hieroglyphics.

Their shapes came from the meanings of the symbols. For example, the first letter- aleph– means ox. And it’s shape looks a little like the head of an ox.

All of the letters in the Phoenician alphabet are consonants. The vowel sounds were added in when the language was spoken.

The Phoenician alphabet was different from other systems of writing that came before because instead of having a symbol to represent every word, the symbols actually represented letters that were put together to make words.

Occasionally- but not always- the Phoenicians put a straight line in between words to separate them.

This is what the Phoenician alphabet looked like.

Clay Tablet With Phoenician Writing

Although the Phoenicians often wrote on papyrus, they also occasionally wrote on stone tablets or gold panels and later on parchment and wax tablets.

When they wrote in clay, they used a stylus to inscribe the letters into the clay. In our activity, we’re going to use clay to write on and a wooden dowel as our stylus. So we’ll create a clay tablet with Phoenician writing.

Materials Needed:

Clay- You can use a variety of clay types, but you want a clay that is going to dry and maintain its shape- not just crumble like playdough. Modeling clay works well or a homemade clay that will dry out well without crumbling.
Wooden dowel or toothpick to write with
Phoenician alphabet chart- Download printable chart here.

Procedure:

Roll out your clay and shape it into a rectangle- or as close as you can get. We tried for a rectangle because we wanted our clay tablets to look “authentic.”

Use your wooden dowel or toothpick to copy the letter shapes from the chart onto your clay. You can also use the tip of a broken pencil. (We like to adapt and use what we have.)

Remember that this alphabet only contains consonants, so you won’t use the vowels of your name.

See what other words you can write using the alphabet. Because there are no vowels used, you can write words and see if others can decipher what you’ve written. Although this alphabet is supposed to be read diagonally from right to left, we used the traditional straight across left to write because it was easier.

Also, I wanted to let you know about this. If you’re looking for more hands-on history, we love using Home School in the Woods.

Once you’ve written the name or message you want to keep, let your clay tablet harden over night. If you use a colorless flour-based clay, you could paint your tablets as well. I use an all-natural dough that comes in earthy colors, so we didn’t paint ours.

Most historians agree that the most important legacy that the Phoenicians left behind was their alphabet. It’s been changed and added to, but it is the basis for the alphabet that we still use today.

You’ll love these other activities:

Written by Leah from As We Walk Along the Road

Hands-on Geography Mesopotamia: Fun Salt Dough Map

September 21, 2018 | 1 Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Teaching your homeschoolers about ancient civilizations should be engaging and fun. Too, look at my page Homeschool Geography for hands-on and simple ideas and tips.

After all, there is so much to learn about how we humans came together, created society, and learned to use tools to make our lives better. Every society in history is fascinating to study, but if you want to start at the beginning, Mesopotamia is the place.

According to Merry E. Weisner in Discovering the Western Past, historians and archaeologists define a city as “a place inhabited by more than 5,000 people.” The remains of the earliest communities of this size can be found in ancient Mesopotamia.

Hands-on Geography Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia, located in what is now southern Iraq, has been called the cradle of the human race. It is considered by many to be the birthplace of western civilization.

Its location between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers is to blame. In fact, Mesopotamia means “the land between the rivers.” The rivers originate in the Armenian Highlands of Eastern Turkey and empty into the Persian Gulf.

The valley between these two long rivers had rich soil capable of producing abundant crops which could sustain an early civilization. Believe it or not, the region got very little rain even in ancient times. The soil was enriched with silt each spring when the rivers flooded due to snow melt in the upland mountains where the rivers began. The problem was that the rivers flooded with the snow melt and the times and amounts were unpredictable.

As rich as the soil was, it couldn’t be farmed unless people could control the flooding. They came up with a large-scale system of water control that included irrigation and drainage ditches, making it possible to grow crops on a regular basis. The resulting abundance of food enabled large numbers of people to live together and create a civilization.

Hands-on Ancient Civilizations

Sometimes it’s hard for kids to get a grasp on a place that existed 5,000 years ago. It sounds made-up and is hard to picture in the real, modern world. Learning about Mesopotamia should include all the cool facts, like the ziggurats that housed holy temples, the Code of Hammurabi, and cuneiform–the world’s oldest writing system.

But you should also make sure they understand exactly where it is. Maps will help, but creating a hands-on experience will help even more.

Hands-on learning is the best learning. When your kids engage in kinesthetic activities while you’re teaching them with auditory or visual methods, they can retain the information better.

In other words, the more ways you engage them in a lesson, the more they’ll remember what they’ve learned.

Especially when you’re dealing with something for which they can’t get a true visual (like the geography of an ancient civilization), giving them a hands-on activity to do can help them wrap their minds around the lesson.

Salt-Dough Map of Mesopotamia

Help your kids get a visual of Mesopotamia and remember where it is with this fun activity. Make sure you have some books or other materials for them to learn from along with their map-making.

What you need:

Hands-on Geography Mesopotamia: Fun Salt Dough Map

A map of Mesopotamia for reference
Printable Map of Modern-Day Middle East
Printable Mesopotamia template
Laminator and laminating sheets (optional)
Tape
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 cup water
Blue, green, white, and brown craft or tempera paint
Paint brushes
Plastic knife

What you do:

Print out Map of Modern Day Middle East: In printer properties change multiple page function to “1 in 2×2 pages.” (This will allow your printer to print a larger map on 4 pages.) Or enlarge the map 200% on a copier
Laminate map pieces (optional)

Tape map pieces together

Mix flour and salt in a medium bowl
Add water slowly, stirring as you go
Mix until it resembles play dough–if it’s too sticky, add a bit more flour
Knead the dough for a couple of minutes till it’s easy to work with

Roll it out on a floured surface
Print and Cut out template of Mesopotamia and use it to shape salt dough, cutting away excess with plastic knife

Use the back of the plastic knife to trace the rivers onto the salt dough

Remove the template and deepen the river outlines in the salt dough with the back of the plastic knife; paint them blue

Use extra salt dough to add Armenian Highlands at the north end, keeping the flow of the rivers going through them; paint tips white and bases brown

Use finger tips to thin dough between rivers into a valley and paint valley green
Allow to dry several days or dry quickly in oven by covering loosely with foil and baking 20 minutes at 250F

Place your salt dough Mesopotamia on your map whenever you’re learning about the ancient civilization

Mesopotamia Geography

If you want your kids to get an even deeper experience of the geography of Mesopotamia, try these ideas:

Label the rivers on your salt dough map
Use black paint to make dots on your salt dough map that represent the cities of Mesopotamia (Babylon, Uruk, Ur, Eridu, Nineveh, and Susa)
Use white or another color to paint the borders of the 3 regions of Mesopotamia on your salt dough map (Assyria, Akkad, and Sumer)

Fun, useful, and memorable, this activity is sure to help your kids remember where Mesopotamia was and the topography that made it possible.

And also we love hands-on history activities from Home School in the Woods. Be sure to look over their beautiful timeline materials.

Don’t miss tutorials for a Salt Dough House from Ancient Mali and Egg Carton Rainbow Dragon from Ancient China.

You’ll love these other hands-on activities:

Written by KT of Lit Mama Homeschool

Free 2019 Year Round Homeschool Planning Form

September 18, 2018 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have the 2019 Year Round Homeschool Planning form and I named this color scheme Plateau. Long range planning is key to sticking to homeschool, so I know you’ll love getting this planning form early. Don’t be put off by my form name of year round homeschool even if you don’t homeschool year round. You should plan round the year regardless of when you actually school.

Too, remember that I create both academic and planning calendars. Although they may seem similar, they are not.

If you following the academic year when planning don’t forget I have schedules for the academic year too.

This one today is if you homeschool by the physical year.When you take a closer look, you’ll see that each calendar has a different purpose. The form today is for you to PLAN your school year and track the number of days and weeks your kids are doing school.

I have all 12 months on one page which means you can start on any month that you begin homeschooling and move forward to plan your year.

Plain calendars (okay, they are not so plain) are just for noting dates and for your reference. I don’t create them to write appointments on them OR to track your school.

Free Curriculum Planner Pages

Plain calendars are always on Step. 2. Choose Calendars/Appointment Keepers. The 2 page spread appointment keepers are for appointments and have more room for writing.

The form today is to plan your homeschool year with days off, teacher planning days and holidays to take off. It gives you a glimpse of your homeschool year. Plan and track your school year on it.

Because this form is not a calendar, but more of a planning tool I keep it each year at Step 5a. Choose Unique forms JUST for You!

If you need to see how to use it go to that step Step 5a. Choose Unique forms JUST for You! to look at my sample copy.This form today is NOT the 2 page spread calendar. You can grab that too.

Download here free (Plateau Color) 2019 Year Round Homeschool Planning Form.

7 Easy Steps – “Tons of Options & Pretty Color” Begin building your planner

Step 1. Choose a Pretty Front/Back Cover

Step. 2. Choose Calendars/Appointment Keepers

Step 3. Choose Goals/Objectivesur

Step 4. Choose Lesson Planning Pages Right For You!

Step 5a. Choose Unique forms JUST for You! Not a kazillion other people

Step 5b. Choose MORE Unique Forms JUST for You!

Step 5c. Choose MORE MORE Unique Forms Just for You!

Step 6. Personalize It

Step 7. Bind it! Love it!

Hugs and love ya,

The BEST Gift Ideas for Homeschool Families & Their Kids!

September 16, 2018 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

What’s the best gift ideas for homeschool families and their kids?

After a year or two at it, it’s easy to see how homeschooling can easily become a lifestyle. And while there are certain times in the year that you can predict certain needs (for example, school supplies in the fall), there’ll be many other times throughout the year when both homeschooled kids and their parents will appreciate something special.

There are lots of opportunities like Homeschool Teacher Appreciation Day (yup, there IS such a thing!) that friends and family (and a shout-out to generous grandparents) can show an extra measure of support with a thoughtful gift. But really, who needs an occasion to “gift” someone you care about, right?!

But what to give? Even the most supportive family can be a little stumped by what to buy. Especially when a homeschooling bunch enjoys a flexible style, or thrives on “unschooling”.

So I asked a bunch of homeschoolers I know to give me their dream list. Of course, asking a bunch of homeschoolers – who by their very nature like to live un-labeled – sometimes/often/always means you’re likely to get a wide range of answers!

Fortunately, I was able to distill those answers into a few categories. And I’m hoping that the following list of ideas will help you in the future as you gift shop for your favorite homeschool family.

Keep in mind that while some of these categories don’t sound like fun (i.e. supplies), homeschoolers by nature are a pretty creative lot, and many kids I know get as much fun out of a fresh pack of colored pencils or markers as any artsy adult out there! So don’t be put off by the titles below. When given with enthusiasm and a kind heart, a sincere gift is always appreciated.

One/ Gift Homeschool School Supplies

No, “homeschool” and “school” isn’t a typo here: homeschools and schools are NOT (necessarily) the same thing! Many of us work super-hard to not re-create a traditional school inside our own four walls, even though we may use some of the same materials. Such as:

Amazon gift cards – These are always welcome, ‘cause when something comes up unexpectedly, Amazon is bound to have it!
Backpack – Yes, even homeschoolers use these. Many families study at co-ops, or the library, or other locations, and at the very least have been know to take along a book or two when out and about.
Hands-on science kits and other materials – No matter what science is going on at home, anything hands-on is sure to be super-appreciated. These are the items that are often a bit beyond budget, and add an exciting element to studies.
Models – Same here, whether they are train, plane, car, or human body models – what fun!
Pens and paper – Always appreciated because we’re always running out. The “cooler” the variety, the more they are a gift..
Gift card to Hobby Lobby – or Michaels or any craft store, for that matter. We’ll take it and be oh-so-thankful!

Two/Gift Homeschool Teaching Resources – a teacher’s wish list

Ah, yes, these are the items that for the typical homeschool family might be budget-busters, but if given as single gifts by someone special can be treasured for years to come:

Telescope or microscope – Remember that comment above about hands-on science kits? Well, there are entire universes (quite literally) that open up to our kiddos by looking through either of these, and you will have the entire family’s eternal gratitude by gifting one of these puppies.
A laminator – This is like “If you Give a Mouse a Cookie…” to a homeschool mom. There are a gazillion uses for one of these, but sadly, this is not usually on the basic school supply list in the fall. Sigh.
A ukulele or set of bongo drums, musical instruments – Sure, consider gifting a piano if you have the bucks! Music is one of those gifts that keeps on giving, and studies show that music studies often have far-reaching side benefits, too.
Gymnastics class or other class the kids would like and don’t fit into the budget – If they already have an instrument, consider paying for a semester or even a year’s worth of lessons. The grandpa of a friend of mine covered the cost of piano lessons for two of her children one year, and went on to cover another year for the student who really “took” to music studies.
Metal detector – This is SO fun and educational and a great item to have when going on vacation, too.
Cover (or at least contribute to) travel expenses to somewhere super cool – OK, maybe this might be asking too much, but considering how much we spend on technology, that same amount going towards memories and the learning that takes place while traveling? Priceless!
Printer – Even mini printers are affordable these days and homeschoolers still print – a lot.

Three/ Gift Other Homeschool Resources – month-by-month

Learning goes on month-to-month, and these resources can broaden the scope of almost whatever subject is being taught! Plus, the passes also help families make the most (educationally) of potential family vacations.

Magazine subscriptions, homeschool and learning magazines for kids.
Any kind of zoo pass, National Park pass, nature/science/museum/center pass…
Documentary movies – Netflix, Amazon Streaming, etc

Four/ Fun Stuff that Homeschooled Kids and Families Appreciate

Pj’s – From a well-meaning family member, pj’s can be a great inside joke. You know how some people think we “do school” in our pj’s all day.(OK, maybe some of us do, but that’s another story)
Games – Board games for inside and outdoor games for when the weather’s fine are always welcome. If you can gift NON-tech games and/or games without batteries and mom-annoying noises, these will be especially appreciated by the grown-ups.
Art baskets – Head over to a craft store or big-box craft department and put together a cute little box or basket with fuzzy pom poms, pipe cleaners, clothespins, craft sticks, googly eyes, little erasers shaped like animals. Go crazy! Or send them a fun package to their house.
Minecraft skins – If you know a homeschooler who’s “into Minecraft” (and believe me there are ways to use Minecraft in a homeschool) pick up a pre-paid gift card for them so they can make in-game purchases. Of course, always check with mom and dad beforehand.

Five/ Homeschool Mom Gifts

Last, but certainly not least, at the end of the day, I can’t think of a homeschool mom on the planet that wouldn’t appreciate a special gift for herself once in a while.

Monthly massage – This needs no explanation.
Babysitting – Having time to prep or clean or just have some “me-time” is oh-so-important, and often neglected.
Housekeepers – And you get extra points if you can arrange for an hour or two before a special family occasion coming up!
A mani-pedi gift card – Even more fun, go out with her and make it a fun friends-date.
Words of encouragement – Who gets “real” mail these days? Sending a store-bought, or even handmade card is sure to touch her heart.
The day off! – Come take over for the day while she goes out and does whatever. You don’t even have to volunteer to oversee school ‘cause even the kids could use a break now and then. But she’ll be sure to remember this day fondly for some time to come.
Pre-made meals – Don’t wait until there’s an illness or tragedy. Surprise the family with a meal and, if you brought enough, stay and visit for a while.
Pay a library fine – Oh my, this will speak volumes to a busy mom who may or may not have forgotten to bring a book or two back in time. And I may or may not have personal experience with this one. I’m not saying.

There you have it! But see what I mean? The “perfect gift” for a homeschool family comes in as many shapes and sizes as homeschool families themselves.

Give any of these ideas or anything else you can come up with… from your heart and you’re sure to touch their hearts!

You’ll love these other ideas: