SeeMeSew: Homeschool and free stuff

We homeschooled before it was what everyone did last Spring. We have homeschooled for 5 years now and love the routine we have created! Covid-19 has made my homeschool groups blow up with questions from new homeschoolers. Friends have been messaging me for recommendations several times a week and I don't always know what to tell them. I mean yes our day is shorter than you imagine, but it was hard work getting there, we had to build relationships, and get solid on our flow of the day.

*free list st the end of post*

Four of my five now homeschool and the 5th does learning stuff with me everyday so I am quite in demand, lol! I also think some parents are going to get started on this journey and realize its harder and they have to sacrifice more than they thought, and I do sacrifice a lot to do this homeschool thing. One thing I would tell all parents considering homeschool is to be willing to change. I was a selfish person when we started homeschooling. If my kids couldn't do it on their own I would get upset, "Why can't you do this?", or, "I've said it THREE times just figure it out!", are phrases I'm ashamed to say I said frequently. Over time and lots of prayer I came to realize homeschooling wasn't about them doing it on their own and I had to be willing to share myself with them. I hope and believe I have changed and rarely say those things anymore.

So my advice is be prepared to change, to let yourself change, to allow your family to become better, to allow yourself to become better, and most importantly to realize that the way you are now might not be the best version of you. Yes, you can do it, but No, you cannot stay the same you've always been. It sounds hard and it is, but the gain you get is so worth it! Your relationships within your family will become stronger if you are willing to change.

For the Practical we use the Good and the Beautiful curriculum and I do love it, in fact I love it more each day! It has made my day so much easier and now we get the subjects we were always lacking. Our flow has been amazing using it. That is not to say that we haven't had to adjust things, because you will always have to do that no matter what you use, but we have had to adjust far less than other curriculums we've tried.

For years before using The Good and the Beautiful I used free curriculum online. Our budget was incredibly tight and I didn't have money to buy much. Things have gotten a bit better in that respect so I have moved on to other things, but those resources worked great and could be all you need. Here is a list of what we used and other things I found along the way. Some are full curriculum, some are single subjects, but either way there is something there for all ages.

FREE Homeschool Resources:

The good and Beautiful Language arts levels 1-5 and Marine Biology https://www.goodandbeautiful.com/

Plain and not so plain 1-9th grade Language arts, writing and Math https://plainandnotsoplain.com/free-schooling-resources/

Easy Peasy homeschool Prek-12thgrade

https://allinonehomeschool.com/

Charlotte Mason K-5th

https://underthehome.org/

MATH:

Embarc/Engage math (what they use in many schools) click on grade and then downloadable resources for teachers guide and problem sets.

https://embarc.online/

MEP from pre-k-12th:
http://www.cimt.org.uk/projects/mep/index.htm

This site tells you how it works:
http://ohpeacefulday.blogspot.com/2009/06/mep-101.html