Over the past couple of weeks, some of our friends have asked what we have enjoyed most out of all the books, studies, and games we’ve used…
There’s no doubt we’ve purchased, reviewed, and tested out a TON of various books and resources over the past ten years, some of which were fantastic finds, some of which turned out to be… total flops. This leads me to the thought that… Perhaps we could save others from our costly trial-and-error method of discovering great books and gifts (because we have found that we do not always enjoy all the books recommended by Sonlight, TOG, etc) by listing our family’s most beloved, most used, and most enjoyed top-notch, attention-grabbing resources. Simply put, these are our favorite family favorites.
This is certainly a work in progress! In our current season of life, I have just a few moments at a time to work on a blog post, but I wanted to get this out there in a timely manner, which means… I have not yet finished putting in all of our recommendations! We will also be adding to this list as we come across other fabulous finds in the future. As time permits, I hope to revisit this page to add more descriptions and photos. My prayer – honestly – is that others will enjoy these selections as much as we have! {But your experience may vary, an obvious disclaimer that we all have a difference of opinions!}
Favorite Toddler, Preschool, & Early Elementary Toys
Melissa & Doug Pizza Party Wooden Play Food Set. Not only have our children enjoyed playing with this set, we’ve also used it to teach probability.
Melissa & Doug Birthday Party Cake. Similar to the Pizza Party Set, this proves more toppings for us to combine for introduction and practice of probability concepts. (And they love putting jelly beans on their pretend pizza and pepperoni on their pretend cake!) We’ve owned it for over 5 years, and it’s still in great condition!
Design & Drill Activity Center. Our toddler boys have loved using this set, and later it can be used to teach patterns and designs.
Pretend & Play Cash Register. Not only a fun toy our children enjoy playing with, it’s also a wonderful way to teach addition, subtraction, budgeting, and money concepts to children.
Take-Apart Vehicles and Toys. Our toddler boys love construction… and destruction! This gives them the ability to take apart their toys without destroying them. We own several of the Tonka versions, along with a crane and an airplane. LOVE!!
Melissa & Doug See & Spell A favorite when our boys were preschoolers and just learning to read. I’m saving it back for Isaac now that the other boys have outgrown it.
Learning Resources Smart Snacks Pieceapizza Fractions The boys have loved playing “chef” with these fraction pizzas – and they are handy as an introduction to basic fractions. Update: This appears to be discontinued. Alternatively, you can try this Learning Resources Pizza Game.
Favorite Educational Board & Card Games
Pandemic. A cooperative game for (two to four players) that challenges our family to work together to save the world from a deadly disease! Each person plays their part. Great reinforcement of world geography.
Forbidden Island. Whether playing this as a family or with a group of moms, this cooperative game is quick (requiring usually less than 30 minutes game play time), engaging, and simple to learn! We love it!
Forbidden Desert. A bit more challenging than its predecessor, this is a favorite of our children because they get to “build” the flying device to escape the desert.
Rory’s Story Cubes. A fun way to practice impromptu storytelling! If you’re shopping for Christmas, it makes a great stocking stuffer!
States & Capitals Sequence A five-in-a-row game with cards that help to teach state shape recognition while practicing matching up capitals with their respective states. The cards by themselves could be used to practice naming the states. Even the five-year-old enjoys it! For a photo of us playing, visit this page.
Bible Sequence Another five-in-a-row game which we’ve successfully used in a children’s church group (age 4 to 11). It lends itself to Bible study and review, as each card contains a scripture passage that can be read (or children can tell what they know about that event/person in the Bible).
10 Days In The USA I am so disappointed that the 10 Days… games from Out of the Box are discontinued! These have been wonderful games for our family – and our community’s Challenge A class – to practice geography! It’s not often I find a strategy game that doesn’t take hours to complete, but the 10 Days.. games take only about 30 minutes from start to finish! We own all of these games, as it helps us TREMENDOUSLY with geography. This is a fun game for everyone in our family! Click here to see what game play looks like. In case you can find them at an affordable price, there’s also 10 Days in Europe, 10 Days in Africa Game, and 10 Days in Asia.
Ticket To Ride A cross-country train excursion game, the objective is to see the most cities in North America in a 7-day period. Players collect cards enabling them to claim railway routes to connect cities throughout North America. Suggested for ages 8 and up, although younger children can play with help from parents.
Ticket To Ride – Europe A more complicated version of Ticket to Ride, this one takes you through Europe. We like the game purely for the strategy. With its lack of country borders and obscure spelling of cities, this one does not very easily review geography.
Quirkle. Simple rules so that young children can play, but involves a good does of strategy that keeps all of us on our toes. A favorite of our second son.
Lewis and Clark The Expedition Recommended for upper elementary through age 100 (box recommends it for age 14+, but our 8yo and 11yo play it together), this complicated strategy game teaches a tremendous amount of history! The game and cards are stunningly beautiful! Click here to see a photo of this game in progress! If you need a simpler version, try Discoveries: The Journals of Lewis & Clark.
Scrambled States Card Game I think we enjoy this game mainly because we love-love-love the books by Laurie Keller. {See Favorite Books}
Authors Bookcase Card Game (History Channel) Do you have any Mark Twain? Go-fish! These cards are a simple way to introduce children to famous authors and their works. I wish I’d had these in high school when I was trying to memorize lists of authors!
Melissa & Doug Wooden USA Map Puzzle Our 8 and 5 year old have been playing their own made-up states-and-capitals matching games with this wooden puzzle by Melissa and Doug. The back of the board lists facts (motto, statehood, etc.) for each state, and the puzzle pieces include the state’s name and nickname. The state’s capital is listed only on the board; this was truly an unexpected way our children practiced U.S. geography of their own accord.
The Settlers of Catan The boys enjoy playing The Settlers of Catan with their friends when we go over to their house and have added it to their Christmas wishlist. We own the Bible version of Settlers of Catan, Settlers of Canaan, although it has limited playability in comparison to the original Settlers games. (The Bible version was discontinued in Fall 2014, so it will likely be hard to find in the near future.)
Clue The Classic Edition Albeit a murder mystery, our family loves this game and has shared many laughs from it. I know we sound a bit psychotic (which we kind of are around here). But this is what happens when you decide to use alliteration in all your guesses. (You might be a homeschool mom if… you use Clue to teach English grammar.) I love this game because it teaches some simple rules of logic. It’s been a joy to see when each child starts to understand how to use logic for better game play.
Favorite Educational Wii Games
Create a puzzle-solving game in which players use creativity to solve spatially-based puzzles. According to Stephen (age 11) and David (age 8), “It tells you what to do but not how to do it.” Although the challenges can be time-consuming and a bit difficult at times, our boys thoroughly enjoy this game. My opinion? I love solving puzzles as a family, and, unlike many other video games, Create allows for a good deal of interaction with others (e.g., “What if you put that there?”) Plus, it’s great to see the boys thinking while playing a video game!
Ultimate I Spy/I Spy Spooky Mansion 3-D hidden object adventure with over 70 I SPY riddles (40 within Ultimate I Spy, for those who opt to purchase just that one – the combo pack is currently cheaper than the single game) with mini-games in each riddle. Our family has loved playing this together!
Endless Ocean: Dive, Discover, Dream When we were at the Downtown Aquarium restaurant, Stephen started correctly naming the fish swimming around us. I thought maybe he could read a sign until he started telling us odd facts about each creature. It turns out he had learned (and remembered!) the names and facts about many of the fish there due to this game.
Wild Earth: African Safari With eleven picture-taking missions, this virtual safari teaches you about various animals and their habitats.
Favorite Educational DVDs
Liberty’s Kids – The Complete Series Great series for young children studying American history. (Current price is $5.00 for forty episodes)
Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego? Usually priced under $10, these exciting episodes are full of history and geography!
KJV Songs Memorize long passages of scripture set to music. This children’s songwriter is one of our favorites!
Sing through the Bible A great way to memorize facts like the Judges of Israel or the Kings of Judah. Very catchy tunes!
What’s in the Bible? Series We used the entire What’s in the Bible? series (13 DVDs) as our at-home Bible study last year, and as our at-church Bible study this year where the children – and adults – learned so much!
Adventures in Odyssey DVDs. I just love all of AiO products – books, audios, and videos. Great Bible/character message, and they capture the boys’ attention. Many (or all?) are free to watch on Amazon Prime Streaming Video.
Torchlighters DVDs. Great stories of martyrs and missionaries through history. Also free to watch on Amazon Prime Streaming Video.
Song School Latin DVD A simple and enjoyable way to learn some Latin vocabulary. I love the Derivative River!
Schoolhouse Rock! Catchy tunes and silly animations to easily further our understanding and memorization of English grammar, science, multiplication, American history and government.
Donald in Mathmagic Land A great way to help children see math in the world around them! This is my own personal favorite!
Make Mine Music Mainly because it includes our favorite introduction to orchestra, Peter and the Wolf!
Drive Thru History: American History Series, All Episodes 1-12 in Set We have learned so much about America’s Heritage through this wonderful DVD set! {Can be purchased separately.}
Drive Thru History Holy Land Series with Dave Stotts Set of 4 Such a wonderful history of the Holy Land! {Can be purchased separately.}
Drive Thru History: Ancient History (Extended Length) WONDERFUL overview of ancient civilizations. We so enjoyed watching Ancient Greece when my husband traveled to Athens for training! {Can be purchased separately.}
Building Big: Bridges/Domes/Skyscrapers/Dams/Tunnels This set of DVDs are a fascinating look at the science behind structures! Each DVD also provides instructions for parents to complete a special activity with children.
Favorite Audiobooks, Audio Dramas, and Music Appreciation
Adventures in Odyssey: For God and Country Thrilling audio drama! Join Christopher Columbus, Paul Revere, Francis Scott Key, slaves traveling the Underground Railroad, and Abraham Lincoln on this adventure through U.S. History. In fact, we love all of the Adventures in Odyssey books and audios!
Greathall Productions by Storyteller Jim Weiss Some favorites are American Tall Tales, Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Thomas Jefferson’s America, and Masters of the Renaissance. (To me, these audio recordings are far better than the Story of the World!)
The Sugar Creek Gang Series The audios have been favorite of our boys.
Wee Sing America Audio CD While not a book or drama, this CD gives an overview of history through its many patriotic songs.
Lamplighter Theatre. These virtuous stories are engaging for all of our children and come with character-building themes. An absolute favorite of our family!
The Maestro Classics. The Maestro Classics are such a fun way to learn classical music! This 12-CD set includes The Nutcracker, My Name is Handel, and Peter and the Wolf, to name a few (and each cd includes an activity book). Easy peasy way to include classical music appreciation and composer study into your classroom!
Just for Fun: Star Wars and Star Trek Fans
Here’s the great debate amongst our teenagers: Which is better, Star Wars or Star Trek? My hope is to one day furnish them with kitchen gear to aid in the debate, but it appears that Star Wars wins according to the number of gadgets available on Amazon. Note: Although we own and use everything else on this webpage, we don’t yet own the items in this category. It’s simply the beginnings of a wishlist for our older boys.
Star Trek Live Long and Prosper Oven Mitt.
Captain Kirk Apron.
Star Trek USS Enterprise Bottle Opener.
Star Trek USS Enterprise Pizza Cutter.
Star Trek Glass Set.
Star Trek Captain’s Log.
Star Trek Messenger Bag.
Star Trek Sticky Notes Booklet.
Star Trek Mad Libs.
Star Wars Mad Libs.
Star Wars Salt and Pepper Shaker.
Light Saber Pizza Cutter.
Tie Fighter Bottle Opener.
Star Wars Toaster.
BB8 Kitchen Timer.
More Star Wars Kitchen items.
Favorite Studies
Homeschool in the Woods History studies that include geography, timeline, creative writing, and an assortment of crafts and projects. I’m not sure which came first: our oldest son’s love of history, or his first Homeschool in the Woods study. There’s not doubt that these studies have ignited his passion for history!
Favorite Books
This is a huge work in progress…
Multi-Volume Series – Fantasy and Historical Fiction
- The Chronicles of Narnia These are treasured books in our home. Not only are they real page-turners, our family has had so many discussions about our faith as a result.
- Magic Tree House Series Our 8-year-old’s favorite series (although not mine).
- Imagination Station Series Our eleven-year old’s favorite series (even though they are quick and simple reads for him).
Ancient History
- A Cry from Egypt. {Ancient Egypt & Israel} This book was such a fabulous way to bring the Exodus to life (not to mention the connections between Egyptian and Jewish history)! The boys kept asking me to read “just one more chapter!” We look forward to reading future books from this author (who happens to be a recent homeschool graduate)!
- King Solomon & the Queen of Sheba. Greenberg This picture book is incredibly fascinating! A blend of Jewish history and African history!
- Detectives in Togas. {Ancient Rome} Great mystery that intrigued our boys. Another “just-one-more-chapter” page-turner!
- The Librarian Who Measured the Earth. Lasky. Fabulous picture book about the Greek geographer/mathematician/librarian Eratosthenes who measured the earth with amazing accuracy.
- One Grain Of Rice: A Mathematical Folktale. Demi This mathematical folktale comes from India.
Middle Ages
- The Magic Runes: A Tale of the Times of Charlemagne. A short novel originally written in 1888 about showing Christ’s love to others. Certainly a different perspective of the life and times of Charlemagne! (Uses slightly antiquated language but footnotes are included).
- Caedmon’s Song. Lovely picture book about how Caedmon (a cowherd who dislikes singing and poetry) becomes the “first English poet.”
- The Squire and the Scroll: A Tale of the Rewards of a Pure Heart [With CD (Audio)] (illustrated) Our boys have listened to this read-along book over and over and over and over again!
- A Medieval Feast (Reading Rainbow Book) (illustrated)
- The Sword in the Tree (Trophy Chapter Book)
- The Minstrel in the Tower (Stepping Stone)
- Gabriel and the Hour Book Lovely story. Free Kindle Edition. Also visit Librivox for a free audiobook version.
- Tales of Robin Hood. With the end of each chapter, the boys were shouting for me to “Read another! Read another!” Delightful stories about the legends surrounding Robin Hood.
- The Magna Carta: Cornerstone of the Constitution. Illustrated picture book about the Magna Carta and how it has formed the framework for other documents in American history.
- The Apprentice I absolutely loved this book. The boys kept asking me to read another chapter… so we read until we finished the book: a beautiful story of forgiveness.
Age of Absolute Monarchs
French Revolution
- Beneath the Cat’s Claw. Our family has chosen this book as our favorite book (thus far) about the French Revolution! In the midst of the Reign of Terror, a young lady finds herself catapulted into a mysterious world as a maid in the Duplay family, whose host is the powerful French revolutionary Maximilian Robespierre. As the city around her whirls in chaotic madness, she discovers the brokenness of a world without God. Although presented from an atheistic worldview, it reveals the main character’s inner struggles as she considers the existence of God. This book reveals the impact that the Reign of Terror had on the people of France. Excellent book!
Other World History
- Heart of a Samurai. Fantastic family real aloud! A novel based on true events following the life of Manjiro (aka, John Mung) at a time when Japan’s borders were closed to all Western nations. [When Commodore Matthew Perry’s ships arrived to restore trade with Japan, Manjiro became an interpreter and translator for the Shogunate. This book starts with the exciting events that took place before his rise to samurai, when he was shipwrecked on an island and saved by a whaling boat crew as a teenager.] An enthralling story with historical notes and some of Manjiro’s sketches.
United States
Across U.S. History and/or U.S. Presidents
The Children’s Book of America (illustrated)
America the Beautiful (illustrated)
Books by Mike Venezia (illustrated)
So You Want to Be President? (illustrated)
Colonizing America
Animals Christopher Columbus Saw (illustrated)
Problems in Plymouth (AIO Imagination Station Books)
The Courage of Sarah Noble
Sign of the Beaver
Squanto, Friend Of The Pilgrims
Thanksgiving on Thursday (David’s choice from Magic Treehouse)
N.C. Wyeth’s Pilgrims (illustrated) Not a riveting account, but the pictures are beautiful and can be used for art study.
Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving (illustrated)
The Thanksgiving Story
American Revolution
Can’t You Make Them Behave, King George? (illustrated)
Where Was Patrick Henry on the 29th of May? (illustrated)
Paul Revere’s Ride by Longfellow/Rand (illustrated)
The Redcoats Are Coming! (AIO Imagination Station Books)
Captured on the High Seas (AIO Imagination Station Books)
The Minute Boys of Lexington
The Minute Boys of Bunker Hill (w/glossary)
Revolutionary War on Wednesday (David’s choice)
Phoebe the Spy (illustrated, but also a good read aloud)
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch. This read aloud is a wonderfully fascinating book that encourages a love of learning. We have enjoyed this book so much that we’re re-reading it. (And it will be re-read again in Challenge.)
Early 1800s
How We Crossed The West: The Adventures Of Lewis And Clark (illustrated)
Davy Crockett: A Life on the Frontier (Ready-to-read) (illustrated)
Andrew Jackson: Seventh President, 1829-1837 (Getting to Know the U.S. Presidents) (illustrated)
The Star Spangled Banner in Translation: What It Really Means (illustrated)
Sisters of Scituate Light (illustrated) A wonderful story about two sisters who outwit the British during the War of 1812
Napoleon: The Story of the Little Corporal (illustrated) Longer picture book with beautiful illustrations. Great overview of the life of Napoleon.
Mid 1800s
Who Was Harriet Tubman?
Amos Fortune, Free Man (Newbery Library, Puffin)
. . . If You Traveled on the Underground Railroad (illustrated, but also good read aloud for younger children)
Apples to Oregon: Being the (Slightly) True Narrative of How a Brave Pioneer Father Brought Apples, Peaches, Pears, Plums, Grapes, and Cherries (and Children) Across the Plains (illustrated)
Follow the Drinking Gourd (illustrated)
Civil War & Late 1800s
Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek: A Tall, Thin Tale (illustrated)
Abe’s Honest Words: The Life of Abraham Lincoln (illustrated)
Who Was Abraham Lincoln?
Who Was Ulysses S. Grant?
Early 1900s
To Dare Mighty Things: The Life of Theodore Roosevelt (illustrated)
Bully for You, Teddy Roosevelt!
The Memory Coat (illustrated) Beautiful story about a Russian immigrant family arriving in Ellis Island.
World War I era
Hero Over Here: A Story of World War I
Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear
World War II era
26 Fairmount Avenue (Newbery Honor Book, 2000) (illustrated, but also good read aloud)
26 Fairmount Avenue Series
Franklin and Winston: A Christmas That Changed the World (illustrated)
DK Readers: The Story of Anne Frank (Illustrated Reader)
Snow Treasure Though set in Norway during WWII, I include this simply because I haven’t put together a world history list. Another the boys didn’t want me to put down!
Number the Stars Again, not US-related WWII events, but still… a beautiful story of the Danish Resistance during WWII.
Post World Wars
I Have a Dream (Book & CD) (illustrated)
The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain (Caldecott Honor Book) (illustrated)
Look to the Stars by Edwin Aldrin (illustrated)
Who Was Neil Armstrong? Simple chapter book with wonderful illustrations that show the Apollo 11 mission (and other information)
The Little Chapel that Stood (illustrated) A child-friendly book about 9/11
Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey (Picture Puffin Books) (illustrated) A child-friendly book about 9/11
Fine Arts (Drawing, Artists, Orchestra, Hymn Study)
- Usborne’s art books and flashcards. I highly recommend Usborne’s art and science books. I hope to write a post specifically about them to show how we use them and what each includes (since we own all of the art books).
- Impressionist Art Game by Birdcage Press. Includes a Go-Fish game with art cards and a fantastic book about Impressionist artists and their artwork.
- Ish by Peter Reynolds (illustrated) A wonderful story to help us all overcome perfectionism and enjoy fine arts – even if we fill like everything we draw is kind of “ish.”
- The Turn-Around, Upside-Down Alphabet Book (ALA Notable Children’s Books. Younger Readers (Awards)) (illustrated) This one requires a bit of imagination and rotation of the book as you read it. A favorite of our boys!
- Art Fraud Detective: Spot the Difference, Solve the Crime! (illustrated) This book requires the reader to look closely at artwork to distinguish between fraud and the real thing. A wonderful way to get the most reluctant children to enjoy and explore art in greater depth. Highly recommended!
- Mozart: The Wonder Child: A Puppet Play in Three Acts (illustrated) A wonderful book about the life of Mozart – presented in a creative way!
- Lives of the Musicians: Good Times, Bad Times (and What the Neighbors Thought)
- A Child’s Introduction to the Orchestra : Listen While You Learn About the Instruments, the Music and the Composers Who Wrote the Music!
- Beethoven Lives Upstairs Audio CD
- Draw Write Now, Book 2: Christopher Columbus, Autumn Harvest, Weather (Draw-Write-Now)
- Draw Write Now, Book 3: Native Americans, North America, Pilgrims (Draw-Write-Now)
- Draw Write Now, Book 5: The United States, from Sea to Sea, Moving Forward
- Then Sings My Soul
- The Maestro Classics. The Maestro Classics are such a fun way to learn classical music! This 12-CD set includes The Nutcracker, My Name is Handel, and Peter and the Wolf, to name a few (and each cd includes an activity book). Easy peasy way to include classical music appreciation and composer study into your classroom!
Geography (all illustrated)
A Childs Geography Explore His Earth (Vol 1). Voskamp
Scrambled States of America
Scrambled States of America Talent Show
John Denver’s Take Me Home, Country Roads (Audio CD Included) (Illustrated)
America the Beautiful (with tie-ins to historical events)
Minn of the Mississippi (also good read aloud)
Paddle-to-the-Sea (also good read aloud)
Tree in the Trail (also good read aloud)
Amazing Impossible Erie Canal (Aladdin Picture Books)
Tour America: A Journey through Poems and Art
Christmas/Winter
Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree (illustrated)
The Friendly Beasts: an old English Christmas Carol (illustrated)
Snowflake Bentley (illustrated)
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever Chapter book – very funny!
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey with CD: Gift Edition (illustrated) Lovely story!
Our Library List of Favorite Christmas Picture Books & Read Alouds
English Grammar & Learning to Read (all illustrated)
All About Reading readers. So fantastic!
Wikki Stix Alphabet Fun Cards for Learning Safe and simple early learning manipulative for learning letters
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: Why, Commas Really Do Make a Difference!
Around the House the Fox Chased the Mouse: Adventures in Prepositions by Rick Walton
Words are Categorical books by Brian McCleary We love all the Brian Cleary books! Easy way to introduce parts of speech to younger children!
Parenting
If I’m Diapering a Watermelon, Then Where’d I Leave the Baby?: Help for the Highly Distractible Mom
Boyhood Daze: An Incomplete Guide to Raising Boys
Raising Real Men: Surviving, Teaching and Appreciating Boys
Homeschooling
Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler’s Guide to Unshakable Peace by Sarah MacKenzie LOVE this book!
Consider This. SO good!!!
For the Children’s Sake. Great especially if you have littles.
A Thomas Jefferson Education. Really has changed the way I view education.
An Introduction to Classical Education by Christopher Perrin
The Liberal Arts Tradition. Much of what is taught as classical education is actually a modernized version of classical education (based on an essay written by a woman who was not even an educator). The Liberal Arts Tradition more accurately describes the what, how, and why of a classical Christian education.
Official Book of Homeschooling Cartoons by Todd Wilson LOVE this book for a whole different reason!
Help! I’m Married to a Homeschooling Mom: Showing Dads How to Meet the Needs of Their Homeschooling Wives (Gary’s favorite gift for new homeschooling dads)
If I’m Diapering a Watermelon, Then Where’d I Leave the Baby?: Help for the Highly Distractible Mom
Teaching the Trivium: Christian Homeschooling in a Classical Style
The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home (Third Edition)
Science
The Quest to Digest
The Circulatory Story
The Complete Periodic Table: Elements with Style!
The Periodic Table of Elements Basher Flashcards
Rocks & Minerals: A Diamond Deck Flashcards (Does not contain pictures of rocks, but includes interesting information about each rock along with which rock type it is.)
The Periodic Table of Elements Coloring Book
Find the Constellations by the author of Curious George books
Other/Reference
Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America (Kaufman Field Guides)
Butterflies of North America (Kaufman Field Guides)
Multiplication and Division Three-Corner® Flash Cards (Just one set of cards for multiplication and division. Does not contain the 13s, 14s and 15s)
The Synonym Finder Way better than a thesaurus! We love this book for our IEW writing assignments!
Vocabulary Cartoons: SAT Word Power Great way to learn vocabulary! I wish I’d had this when I was preparing for the SAT a couple of decades ago!
Favorite Free Resources
Classic Elementary Life Science Student and Teacher texts
“Drawing Around the World: Europe” {Free until December 31}
Free Librivox recording of Paul Revere’s Ride by “Jim Fish of the Texas Frontier”
“Geography Quiz Game”
Seterra Software (for geography practice)
Sheppard Software Online Educational Games
Print N Practice
Human Anatomy + Biblical Connections {Free ebook}
Favorite Other Stuff
Lego Room Makeover: Our Storage Solution
History of Half-a-Hundred Acre Wood
I started our family’s Half-a-Hundred Acre Wood website in 2011 to chronicle our homeschooling journey and connect with my husband who worked on a different continent for over half the year. Over time, we started journaling our 50-states-before-they-graduate trips and our funny farm & reality checks. Eventually, I started posting the educational printables I made for our family, which further led me to offer whatever helpful (or not-so-helpful?) tips and resources I could conjure up – along with a healthy dose of real-life chaos encouragement – to other homeschooling families.
At the time, our family was in a fortunate and blessed position to not need income from any of my creations, so we initially decided as a family to offer the resources and printables on our blog as a ministry to other homeschooling families. Supporting other families in their homeschooling endeavors was one of the few ways I felt I could minister to others when our children were very young. It gave me great joy to share my work and to make this small offering of myself to others.
As time progressed, our website grew beyond what I ever thought it would. There were several costs that came about as a result of maintaining and upgrading this website: software, server & hosting fees, technical support, licensing fees, and blog migration – to name a few. Because these were expenses that were incurred as a result of sharing things for free, we set up affiliate partnerships with some of the companies whose products we use and truly recommend. The money received from affiliate links does not cost those who use them anything, but it helps to offset the costs associated with running this website. Many of the funds which have exceeded the associated costs of running this website have been invested in charities and into Half-a-Hundred-Acre-Wood-funded giveaways. For those who have used our affiliate links, please read about what you’ve made possible.
But now… here’s where I share a dream from the depths of my heart. My dream… was that one day, maybe one day, my husband would be able to board a helicopter that landed on the helideck of a drillship,
Please know that I do not put anything on this list that we have not invested in ourselves. If you use these affiliate links, thank you so much.