Webinars & freebies to help you homeschool

By Kathy Kuhl

Coronavirus got you homeschooling–or at least trying to get through school assignments at home for a while? Welcome.

When you begin to homeschool, you need three things: knowledge, wisdom, and confidence. You’ll find help in all three areas from these resources. Veteran homeschoolers are jumping in to help families who find themselves teaching at home for the first time.

[This is part 2 of my  Coronavirus Homeschool Survival Guide. Part 1 is here.]

Next time we’ll talk about getting your kids to sit still and work.

But tonight, I’m starting a list of online events to help. If you know of others, please link to them in the comments. I will review them and share more. (I reserve the right to limit which I post.)

I’ll mark those that are free and also indicate those for people with kids who think out of the box, those who learn differently. But your child does not have to have a learning disability to benefit from these:

I’m posting this tonight because one begins tomorrow! But there’s much more in the reviews on my site. Try the search window or send me a question.

Online homeschool conferences and general resources

  1. Homegrown Generation Family Expo, an excellent online event with a terrific line-up is expanding, with new sessions added weekly. They will be live and interactive and FREE. To watch later, $20 gets you lifetime access to all the workshops, including the 35 videos previously recorded.
  2. Interested in classical education? Classical Conferences is repeating their conference on April 16-18. This features the excellent line-up of the classical educators I know from Great Homeschool Conventions. I know several of these speakers personally–Andrew Pudewa, Martin Cothran, Christopher Perrin, Andrew Kern, Carol Reynolds. You’ll learn and be encouraged. Free and live, but you must register to attend.
  3. Homeschool Connect Expo, March 25-29. Free.

Conferences to help parents of students with learning challenges and special needs

  1. Free, at-home on-demand Special Ed Homeschool Conference, now through August 31, 2020. From SPED Homeschool. Speaking of…
  2. SPED Homeschool has an helpful website, and produces one of the top-rated homeschool podcasts. (They are available on Facebook Live Tuesday nights, 8 PM Eastern time, and as podcasts webinars on their site and on YouTube.) Peggy hosts this excellent program, and has interviewed many publishers and service providers.
    SPED Homeschool aims to equip families to homeschool kids with special needs. We do this by connecting them with resources and consultants, and by fostering local special needs support groups. (I’m on the board.)SPED also offers a weekly “Special Needs Moms’ Night Out” Tuesday at 9 PM Eastern, after the weekly interview. Join this private chat via link on the SPEDHomeschool.com site or the SPED Homeschool Facebook Support Group. 
  3. “Crisis Time Schooling at Home for Students with Disabilities” is a talk I gave recently for PEATC, the Parent Educational Advocacy and Training Center. Watch it on YouTube here. 
  4. “Homeschooling children with special needs” is a YouTube webinar I gave two years ago for the Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center. Though I’ll be updating this material for 2020 soon, but meanwhile it will help.SPED Homeschool
  5. SPED Homeschool has an helpful website, and produces one of the top-rated homeschool podcasts. (They are available on Facebook Live and as webinars on their site.) Peggy hosts this excellent program, and has interviewed many publishers and service providers.
    SPED Homeschool aims to equip families to homeschool kids with special needs. We do this by connecting them with resources and consultants, and by fostering local special needs support groups. (I’m on the board.)

Looking for curriculum?

  1. Some of my homeschool publishing friends and I have put together some discounts and freebies. You’ll find a growing list here at Better Together on the Homeschool manager site. 
  2. Free Charlotte Mason curriculum and resources from the Charlotte Mason Institute. Miss Mason was a nineteenth century British educator whose work has helped thousands teach in schools and at home. Her emphases on great literature, natural journaling, character development, skills in writing and analysis–a comprehensive, rich approach. The Charlotte Mason Institute is offering a free Emergency Curriculum Packet.
  3. Cathy Duffy’s Curriculum Reviews are my favorite source for recommendations. Cathy is thoughtful, thorough, and particular. Free reviews online, though her book is a wonderful resource if you ever decide you want to homeschool after the crisis is over!

Free activities

  1. Walt Disney partnered with Khan Academy to offer Imagineering in a Box, “a free online program of 32 videos in which Imagineers share how they use a wide range of skills – from story development and conceptual design, to math, physics and engineering – to create immersive experiences. The online curriculum aims to ignite curiosity, inspire creativity, and encourage innovation in the minds of students and teachers alike, while creating fun and engaging opportunities to explore new concepts.”
  2. Unit study on the immune system from Adam and Michelle Teach with Games.
  3. Coloring books from 113 museums.
  4. Little House of the Prairie paper dolls. 

Since I wrote this post, I’ve been inundated with options. If you have a favorite, please leave it in the comments section.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

One Comment

  1. Thanks for this timely post and all of the helpful links. I’m especially interested in checking out the Imagineering one as well as the museum coloring books. Thanks for sharing these!