Let’s face it. Teaching grammar, vocabulary, spelling, handwriting, and composition can take a LOT. OF. TIME.
Even if you love teaching language arts like I do, you don’t have hours and hours to devote to it.
Then there’s the problem of motivating kids. Sure there are a few kids who just can’t wait to get their hands on language arts workbooks, but most kids would rather do chores! Hm. There’s a chore motivator I haven’t tried.
A Quick, Fun Way to Teach Language Arts
Like most of you, I wanted a quick, fun way to teach my kids who range in age. This year mine are in 3rd to 9th grade. I’m happy to report that I found a way!
In less then ten minutes a day, I have seen my children’s language arts skills improve significantly. They remember what they’ve learned, look forward to the lesson, and the curriculum cost me less than $15. Interested? Read on!
I found the book Caught Ya!: Grammar with a Giggle by Jane Bell Kiester on Amazon when I was researching language arts curricula. I was immediately excited about the concept.
Students are told an engaging story typically with one sentence a day. I write the sentence on a white board that they can all see.
I define the new vocabulary word in the sentence and assure them that it is spelled correctly. The students must then write the sentence correctly in their notebooks while I walk around checking their work. If they have made a mistake, I say, “Caught ya!” My kids are very invested in not getting caught as they are writing the sentences with their siblings. When everyone is finished, I ask them to tell me what is wrong with the sentence and we review any spelling errors or grammar rules. Here are some of the benefits of this approach we’ve experienced.
It’s an easy way to correct handwriting problems on the spot. I often make my kids erase improperly formed letters or words that are too close together. And no, I am not being too picky! I only make them correct significant problems.
Handwriting speed increases. The youngers try to keep up with the olders so they can be done. Handwriting speed is very important to a young student’s confidence.
Grammar skills are practically applied. Students who can get every workbook problem correct often can’t translate those skills into editing and writing. Learning where to start a new paragraph is a skill Caught Ya teaches that is rarely learned in workbooks.
The story line and competitive aspect helps students who are less interested in grammar pay attention to it. This has been especially true for my sons. Sometimes they can’t wait to find out who is right about a particular error.
Caught Ya combines the benefits of copywork and editing into one short practice that is more effective than longer workbook lessons.
Are you ready to buy? Wait just a minute.
There are some potential drawbacks to this approach.
The book is written for classroom teachers. A lot of time is spent explaining how to use this approach with a large group of students in and out of class and that doesn’t apply to homeschoolers. I did recommend it to my teacher neighbor, however!
The book assumes you know language arts. The corrected sentences are given to you, but if you don’t know all the rules for why sentences are punctuated in a certain way, for example, you will need to look it up. The fastest way is to use an online query or to turn to an English handbook. You can do this while your kids are writing so you still seem to know what you’re doing. 🙂
The included stories are really long. You are encouraged to write your own stories for your students. I would love to do that, but I just don’t have time. I use the included stories that are designed for a 5-day a week classroom. They move too slowly to complete on our homeschool schedule. I am choosing to just continue the stories into the next school year, but I would also considering editing the stories to shorten them. There are many different Caught Ya books with different stories for different grade levels I would like to try. One of them may be right for you.
Just 10 Minutes? That’s Not Enough!
I agree. Children need lots of time to read and be read to and plenty of time to write as well. What children do not need, in my opinion, is lots of time spent doing boring English drills that kill their interest in the language arts. Caught Ya is a great replacement for language arts workbooks or could be a great supplement for more enriching language arts teaching.
If you like the principles behind Caught Ya, I think you’ll love my upcoming elementary language arts curriculum. Be sure to subscribe to Psychowith6 so you’ll be the first to be notified. If you’d like more ideas for making language arts fun, check out my lists of grammar websites and games and follow me on Pinterest.
My primary desire with this blog is to find solutions to the problems that drive us crazy. With respect to homeschooling, I know that one of the most crazy-making aspects of it is choosing curriculum. You spend HOURS researching. By the time you’re done, you can’t even remember what you’ve looked at and what you haven’t. If you make a choice that doesn’t fit, you start the process all over again.
Most of my education as a clinical psychologist wasn’t on treating patients, but on research. I really enjoy researching things and decided to research curriculum so you don’t have to! I thought science would be a quicker curriculum to research, and while it may have taken me less time than other subjects, IT TOOK ME A VERY LONG TIME. I have tremendous respect for the people who make their living by reviewing curricula. Whew!
How This List of the Best Homeschool Science Curriculum Will Save You Time
But you don’t want to read my whine about how long this took, do you? 🙂 You want the list of the best science curriculum! But before I share it with you, I want to explain how I’ve organized the research. You can read this list of my opinions of the best curricula, pin it, and share it–and I hope you do!
But the real gold I’ve produced is a complete PDF of all the best science curricula for elementary, junior high, and high school students. You can look through the tables within the PDF to find Christian, Catholic, or secular curricula. You can look for curricula by cost, difficulty, teacher involvement, or materials required. But even better, you can click on the BEST REVIEWS for each curriculum. No more Googling for you!! You can save the PDF to your computer for when your child reaches the next level of education or if you want to find something new. You can form your OWN opinions of the best homeschool science curriculum with this list.
The best news of all is that I’m not going to charge you for this great resource. You’ll get it for free when you subscribe to any of my email lists (which includes a Freebies Only list, meaning you’ll only be notified when a valuable freebie is ready for subscribers). Sound good? Click on the picture of the table below, add your email, and BAM! It’s yours as quick as it takes vinegar to react with baking soda. Now on to what, in my opinion, is the best of the best.
Best Elementary Homeschool Science Curriculum
Best Christian Science Curriculum
God’s Design for Science by Answers in Genesis is my top pick. Why? Because it takes the least amount of time to teach, is very interesting (I learn new things every week!), and is light on experiments. As a creationist, this perspective on science is also very important to me. But don’t worry, I’ve got you covered if you’re looking for something else. A very close second for best Christian elementary science curriculum is Berean Builders. I love that it’s written by Jay Wile and would be excellent preparation for higher-level science. I’m also crazy about the fact that it’s organized historically. How wonderful to have your science curriculum coincide with your history studies!
Best Secular Science Curriculum
Just because I’m calling a science curriculum secular doesn’t mean that it’s anti-creationist. None of the curriculum I’ve included on my complete list of the best (which you can get by scrolling down) is anti-creation. Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, my top pick in this area is Real Science 4 Kids. I love it because the lessons are short, engaging, and very easy to understand. The chemistry explanations are my favorite!
Best Science Curriculum for Experiment Lovers
Supercharged Science is my top pick. This curriculum is perfect for kids who love to investigate (and teachers, too). If you are raising a future inventor, I can’t think of a better choice. Runner-up in this category is R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey. One of the criticisms of it is it has too many labs. The reviews say they’re a lot of fun, so if you’re a lab lover but you don’t want to go full boar, this may be the perfect option.
Other Options
Not what you’re looking for? No worries! I have included several other elementary science curricula and all the info you need in the complete PDF. Click Here to Get the PDF!
Best Junior High Homeschool Science Curriculum
Both of my top picks for junior high homeschool science are Christian curricula.
Apologia is my favorite. It has just the right mix of interesting, conversational text with labs and it’s not expensive.
Runner-up is The Rainbow, which also has a conversational text and might be easier for some students. It is more expensive, however.
Best High School Homeschool Science Curriculum
Again my top picks are both Christian curricula.
Apologia is once again my favorite. Three of my children have used it and have enjoyed it. The criticism that it does not prepare students for college is unwarranted in my experience.
My second-place pick may be surprising. It’s Switched-On Schoolhouse or Monarch (the online version of SOS). I have been asked by parents of students who struggle with science what they should choose and this is it. It’s less challenging and the least demanding for teachers.
One final option is especially appropriate for high school and that is outside classes through local co-ops. The advantage is your student may enjoy doing labs with others and you won’t have to purchase equipment. If you have an advanced student, consider dual enrollment or AP classes online through programs like Pennsylvania Homeschoolers. My son had an excellent experience taking Advanced Chemistry through them.
I received a copy of DragonBox Algebra 5+ for free and was compensated for my time. All opinions are my own.
Algebra. It’s a word that strikes terror into the hearts of math-phobic homeschool moms everywhere. But it doesn’t have to.
I’ll admit that I like algebra. It’s like solving puzzles. Now geometry is another story! But when I heard about DragonBox Algebra 5+, I was intrigued. I wondered how algebra could be turned into a game that my 9-year-old would enjoy. When we memorized geometry formulas for Classical Conversations last year, he looked at me like I was crazy. How could letters mean math? Right. Much of algebra requires abstract thinking which elementary students, as a rule, don’t have. But DragonBox gets around that significant obstacle with gamification.
How DragonBox Turns Algebra into a Fun Game
In order to explain the game, I have to refer to an algebraic principle. I know I’m in danger of losing some of you right now, but bear with me. Solving equations for a missing number often relies on performing the same arithmetic on both sides of an equal sign. To this end, negative numbers (or negative variables in the form of letters) are used to cancel out positive numbers (and vice versa). The end result should be the solution for the missing number (often referred to as x). Are you still with me?
Even if that was gobbledygook, the game introduces kids to this means of balancing equations, which is a critical skill in algebra. Beginning with pictures in “equations,” DragonBox eventually substitutes traditional numbers and symbols. This video will give you an idea of the enticing interface.
How My Homeschooled 3rd Grader Liked This Unique Math App
I’ve got to be honest and tell you my son thought it was a weird game. You know, where are the monsters you shoot at? This one has those pesky letters acting like numbers again. But he was quickly drawn into the game. He was especially taken in by the stars and levels.
He liked it enough to play it on his iPod. I didn’t even know it worked on iPods, but apparently it does!
The most interesting reaction to the game wasn’t from him, but from my 12-year-old. He couldn’t keep his hands off it! He is using Life of Fred Pre-Algebra, so has a much better grasp of the point of the game than my 9-year-old. But that leads me to offer these:
Tips for Making the Most of Your DragonBox Algebra 5+ App
Allow your older children to play the game, too. It will keep it from seeming like a “school app” that your child is required to play.
Play the game with your child–especially if you’re not an algebra pro. You may find that your math anxiety disappears! The added benefit will be motivating your child to play.
Treat playing like a privilege. If you don’t allow your child to play until their other math work is complete, your student will view the game as the fun break it really is.
How to Get Your Own Copy of DragonBox Algebra 5+
If you’re ready to prepare your student for algebra, you can purchase the app on iTunes or for Android for $4.99. It’s also available for both Windows and Mac computers.
Finally, you can enter to win a copy! 100 fortunate winners will receive one of apps from We Want to Know.
Make sure to enter and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube where there are more videos about their array of fun apps.
I received the Adventurer Package for free and was compensated for my time. All opinions are my own.
I knew my kids would love to get something fun and educational in the mailbox. Look how my nine- and eleven-year-old tore into the package when it arrived! They were especially thrilled to receive a personally addressed letter.
What is Adventurous Mailbox?
The Adventurer Package from Adventurous Mailbox is a set of eight books written like letters from Crameye Junker to your 8-12-year-old child. Crameye and his family (who homeschool) experience adventures in the countries of Finland, Taiwan, Brazil, Thailand, Greece, Tanzania, and Peru. In the process, kids learn about the geography of these countries (its location and climate), but even more importantly, what it’s like to be immersed in the culture. Readers learn about the language, traditions, and schools of each country as they follow the characters.
Painless Geography and Cultural Education, Too
As I am still homeschooling five children, I find adding geography studies to my day challenging, even with the great tips I have shared on the blog before. Adventurous Mailbox makes it easy! Simply reading these engaging books (that are full of mystery and intrigue) will give your kids an excellent cultural education. And in my book, that’s even more important than memorizing facts like capital cities. But kids learn traditional geography along the way, too. If Adventurous Mailbox were only a set of books that counted as a literary and geographical education, I would be very happy. But there’s more…
A Complete Education with the Teacher’s Lounge
I received access to the Teacher’s Lounge with my package (which can too — see details below!). I’m going to be honest and say I wasn’t expecting much. I just reviewed a huge list of grammar websites to determine the best of the best to share with my readers, so my standards are high. When I looked over the material available for each book, my mouth hung open. Here’s a list of lessons available for Taiwan JUST FOR VOCABULARY.
I love to teach language arts. In fact, I’m writing my own curriculum! Again, my standards are high. I cannot overstate the quality of the materials available with Adventurous Mailbox. I am shaking my head as I write! I’m amazed. In addition to vocabulary, your Teacher’s Lounge membership will allow you to download lessons on reading comprehension (which is vitally important), writing (which actually TEACH numerous forms of writing!), critical thinking, online research, country-specific projects (like learning to write Chinese), and even group projects (making this a great option for co-ops).
But wait! There’s still more. No really, there is! For each country, safe research links are shared along with a list of other lesson and activity links. Are you starting to see how you could use Adventurous Mailbox as a thorough, year-long unit study?
Safe Online Learning and More
Your child will receive a code allowing them to access Crameye’s World. Here they can read the main characters’ blogs, see pictures of each country, learn more about languages, and see foods popular around the world. There is a forum for kids (which isn’t active yet, but could be really fun when it gains momentum) and a section planned for games to go along with the books. My kids accessed Crameye’s World IMMEDIATELY, but thankfully the books have remained the focus. My daughter, in particular, totes them around everywhere!
Ebook versions of the books are coming and Adventurous Mailbox plans for 40 books total. My mind is blown thinking how smart my kids could be, having finished all this material!
Don’t Take My Word for It
When I am considering an online purchase of curriculum, I want to be able to see as much of it as possible. If you’re the same, you will love the Adventurous Mailbox site. You can see significant previews of everything, including the book text. Unless you want to surprise your child (hint: this would make a GREAT gift), you could have her read the samples online and see what she thinks.
The Details
By now, you’re probably wondering how much this cultural and all-around education is going to cost you. Don’t worry! You don’t need to be sitting down. The Adventurer Package, which I reviewed, is just $79. The Teacher’s Lounge is just $20, which is a BARGAIN. But my readers won’t pay that!
Using code HSadventure, you’ll receive 10% off and the Teacher’s Lounge for FREE! But hurry…this offer is valid until 6/30/15 only.
If your students struggle with grammar or find it boring, you’ll love these free grammar websites that can serve as a complete curriculum, a great complement to your studies, or a fun, occasional break. I’ve reviewed dozens of grammar websites (so you don’t have to) and have determined that these are the best of the best! If you’re looking for grammar games be sure to check out this popular post.
Grammar games are included with the Grammar Galaxy lessons your student will love!
Best Free Grammar Websites for Beginner to Upper Level Students
If you’re looking for a complete, free language arts curriculum, look no further. I’m crazy about Easy Peasy All in One Homeschool because it offers pre-planned instruction online. If you want only grammar lessons, students can complete just those sections.
I’m crazy about the Virtual Grammar Lab because it provides a search engine of grammar websites for grammar concept and type of activity. Search results tell you if the activity is easy, medium, or difficult. It could serve as a complete curriculum if you used a scope and sequence like this one from Easy Grammar. You can also sign up for a free account so you can track your students’ progress.
I’m crazy about Daily Grammar because it can easily serve as a complete grammar curriculum. Lessons include practice questions and quizzes follow every five lessons.
While the English Media Lab is designed primarily for English as Second Language students, I’m crazy about the breadth of activities listed at this site for all students of grammar. If you’re working with a scope and sequence of some sort, this site will provide you with everything you need to teach and enrich the study of grammar.
Best Free Grammar Websites for Beginner to Intermediate Students
I’m crazy about these classic videos that I remember from childhood. If I remember them, our kids will, too! You can find the grammar videos among all the School House Rock videos on this Disney curated playlist.
I’m crazy about Grammar Practice Park because it offers games to teach grammar concepts like proper / common nouns and sentence type for grades 3 through 5. Grammar Gold, also through Harcourt School Publishers, offers grammar downloads for grades 1 through 5.
I’m crazy about Arcademic Skil Builders because it has the most game-like interface of the websites I reviewed. While it doesn’t offer a lot of games (Furious Frogs, Word Frog, Verb Viper, and Word Invasion are the true grammar games), your students are likely to enjoy them.
I’m crazy about Grammar Gorillas because it’s a great alternative to sentence diagramming. Beginners can choose nouns and verbs from sentences and intermediate learners can identify all the main parts of speech to earn bananas.
Once your students know the main part of speech, they can do Mad Libs online. I’m crazy about Mad Libs because rather than just identifying nouns and adjectives, kids have to choose them. As with any Mad Libs, the results can be entertaining.
I’m crazy about Grammar Ninja because it’s a great way to entice boys to practice identifying parts of speech. Throwing stars get stuck in the words that are chosen correctly and “ninjas” are encouraged for correct responses.
I’m crazy about Maggie’s Earth Adventures because of the real-life contexts for the games. Nouns and verbs get sorted into recycling bins. If a student makes a mistake, the sand gets littered with that word’s trash. The editing game involves helping a reporter get his grammar correct by retyping. Other games help students with prefixes and suffixes and word matching.
I’m crazy about Grammar Blast because it offers grade-level quizzes (for 2nd through 5th grade) that mimic questions kids will encounter on standardized testing. Kids will like earning points for correct responses on multiple grammar subjects.
I’m crazy about Grammar Man because the site uses comics (in printed and movie form) to teach grammar concepts. There are some excellent printables on vocabulary and reading here as well.
I’m crazy about Quill because of its beautiful interface and the practice students will get typing their answers, rather than just choosing a multiple choice radio button.
I’m crazy about Grammar Bytes because its exercises offer teaching followed by funny responses to your answers and even more importantly, a thorough explanation for incorrect answers. Power Points, online exercises, and accompanying handouts are available.
This is one of the most unique grammar websites and may be super motivating for your students. Movie clips are used to teach grammar concepts. There are exercises and associated worksheets.
I’m crazy about Grammar Arcade because it also has a true gaming interface that middle and high school students will enjoy. There are 10 concepts for students to study. Note that if you are sent to Classzone’s main page, you will need to click on California on the map and then click GO to access the grammar arcade.
I’m crazy about the British Council’s Learn English because it teaches students a grammar concept and follows the lesson with interactive quizzes which can earn points. Fifty grammar concepts are covered.
I’m crazy about the Blue Book site because has a number of excellent free grammar lessons and quizzes and in particular has a great grammar pretest and mastery test.
I’m crazy about this website because it can serve as a complete grammar course for your upper level students. Students must score 80% or better on quizzes before continuing.
I’m crazy about the Guide to Grammar and Writing because it’s an extremely thorough treatment of grammar with associated quizzes that could serve as a complete grammar curriculum for your upper level students.
I received curriculum to review and was compensated for my time. All opinions are my own.
I jumped at the chance to review Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum‘s Character & Skills for Home & Careers because I want my teen sons to have training in basic automotive and home maintenance. My father was gifted in this area, but my father-in-law was not. And my husband? Let’s just say that when I asked him to do the projects with the boys for the course, he emailed me back, “Are you joking?”
What is Character & Skills for Home & Careers?
This 75-lesson course is a high school, homeschool, elective course that is especially suitable for boys. That’s perfect, because I have a slew of ’em! (Check ’em out on my About page). But if you have a handy girl or a daughter who would like to be, there’s no reason she couldn’t complete the course, too. Your teen will learn automotive, electrical, plumbing, carpentry, time management, and finance skills. What’s not to love about that?
The material is covered in digital format or in five softcover texts and five softcover workbooks. We used the printed materials. If you liked, you could easily three-punch the softcover texts and store them in a binder. We found the material seemed less overwhelming when broken out into five separate units. What’s very unusual about this curriculum is that you can buy the units separately. Maybe your son knows carpentry, but not plumbing or electrical. You could purchase only these units. If you’re like me, though, you’re going to want the whole course.
What I Love About PAC’s Character & Skills for Home & Careers Homeschool Material
It’s easy reading. My sons have strong reading skills, but this curriculum is designed for all reading levels. The text-to-speech version makes it perfect for students with dyslexia or other reading challenges.
It’s in story form. Half the battle in education is convincing young people of the value of the skill. Story is used to provide that context and is more memorable than a standard text.
It teaches character. It would be enough for this curriculum to impart information about practical skills, but it goes further in providing examples of men with values. How refreshing!
It provides practical application that is doable. I love curriculum that tells me exactly what to do when it comes to application and PAC does just that. If you need to utilize people with strengths in these areas to go over the projects, they’ll appreciate having this structure as well.
It would make for a great co-op course. In fact, I was so excited about this aspect of it that my friends and I are going to use it with our boys next year. We will ask the people we know with skills in the various areas to do the projects. (My husband will be so disappointed that we won’t ask him. 🙂 )
To Make Best Use of PAC’s Character & Skills for Home & Careers High School Course
Motivate your teen. I spent time explaining why I think this is essential training. Otherwise, this is a course that can get put on the back burner. You can tell your teens that they will be able to save a lot of money by being able to do their own simple repairs. You can also motivate them with responsibility. My 15-year-old will be getting his driver’s permit soon, so I motivated him to study the automotive material.
Plan for projects. If you are going to bring in other teachers for the practical applications, you will want to arrange dates with them ahead of time. If dad is going to be in charge, it may be even more important to get projects scheduled so they are completed. When you have dates planned, make sure your son knows when he has to have his written work finished.
Give your son responsibility. Once he has completed a unit, allow him to put his new knowledge to good use whenever possible. If nothing comes up, help him get involved in a project in his area of interest. If he’s really interested, arrange an apprenticeship. He may even have discovered a potential career.
Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum plans to incorporate QR codes into the curriculum in the near future which will enable students to access more material via their smart phones. That’s just cool!
When you’re ready to buy, the teacher’s kit is $18.95. Individual units are just over $15.00 each. Or purchase everything for $95.95–a great price for a course that’s so well put together AND could end up saving you and your son a lot of money long-term. But Paradigm offers these discounts:
40% off for
● homeschool groups (minimum purchase $1000)
● single parents
20% off for
● ministry families
● military families
● farmers and ranchers
● first responders
● foster parents
Call Paradigm at 325-649-0976 for a discount code to use during the checkout process if you fit into one of these categories.
I’m a Christian psychologist turned homeschooling mother of six. My life can be a little crazy, so I look for sanity-saving ideas to use and share. I hope you’ll read my About page to learn more.
