Over the years, Hess UnAcademy has explored many homeschooling methods. We’ve learned that an online homeschooling experience gives busy and overwhelmed homeschooling families a simple path to success.
Are you looking for a way to streamline your homeschooling experience?
Are you struggling with the idea of homeschooling multiple ages?
Maybe an online homeschool will help you on your homeschooling journey too!
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Why Do We Prefer a Digital Homeschool?
Why do we prefer a digital learning experience or an online homeschool?
I have been homeschooling my kids for more than 10 years, and during that time, we have tried a lot of different curriculum options (specifically math curriculum options). We’ve bounced and dabbled and explored many resources for our home education, both high-quality and low-quality.
We’ve tried textbook-based curriculums, DIY lesson plans, living books a-la Charlotte Mason, and even full-on unschooling. And it took me years to finally figure out what worked for my family was a digital homeschool that was done almost exclusively online. That’s why developing an online homeschool is one of my top homeschool curriculum tips.
I find that when I use online homeschool resources with my children, I have an easier time keeping track of what each child needs to do. I can pick up exactly where we left off, whether it’s been a 20-minute interruption by a younger sibling or a full month’s vacation due to the holidays.
Since swapping to online homeschooling, we’ve enjoyed less clutter and mess, and fewer tantrums (my kids prefer screens over worksheets any day) and we’ve enjoyed more opportunities to travel while still taking our schooling with us.
Digital homeschooling is not for everybody, but it is definitely for us. And as homeschooling picks up in popularity, more and more homeschooling families are gravitating towards an online education for their kids.
Benefits of Online Learning in Your Homeschool
There are so many benefits to implementing an online school program (or programs) into your at-home education. Just some of the benefits my family and other homeschooling families have enjoyed include:
- Less clutter – No textbooks or worksheets means no messes!
- No grading – In a digital homeschool program, typically the grading is done automatically and without any parental effort – YAY!
- Student moves at his/her own pace – With an online homeschooling program, your student is able to move forwards or backwards as much or as little as he or she needs.
- Affordability – While there are some expensive online resources out there, I have found that most digital homeschooling programs tend to be very affordable, or even free.
- Mobility – When all of your homeschool curriculum is digital, you’re free to pack up and travel whenever you want, without worrying about neglecting your child’s education.
- Records – A lot of online learning programs keep track of your child’s progress as well as when your child logged in, making record keeping a breeze!
- Large family friendly – If you’re homeschooling multiple ages, and therefore multiple grade levels, I find it is a million times easier to keep track of your kids when all you have to do is make sure they are not having any problems with their digital learning experience. Must simpler than trying to customize lesson plans for multiple grade levels all on your own.
Online Homeschooling Programs
There are many options for homeschooling parents to choose from when it comes to an online education. You can find an all-in-one online curriculum such as k12.com or discoveryk12.com, or you can create your own online curriculum a-la-carte style, like we do.
The fact of the matter is we are living in a digital age and more and more resources are moving to the internet. Why should schooling be any different?
Online Courses – Math
When it comes to online math programs, we are definitely fans of CTCMath. We’ve used the program for years and have never regretted switching.
However, CTCMath is not for everybody. There are plenty of online math programs out there for homeschoolers who want to homeschool digitally. For example, when our younger children are learning to read, we do Mathseeds with them rather than CTCMath because Mathseeds has a user interface that is better for little kids.
Just a few of them include:
- CTCMath
- Mathseeds (through ReadingEggs)
- Schoolhouse Teachers
- Teaching Textbooks
- Khan Academy
- Math Whiz Tutoring
- Math Techbook (high school)
- Redbird
- Meister Cody
- Thinkwell
- Time4Learning
- Prodigy
- And of course, there are many options on Outschool.
Online Homeschool Programs – Learning to Read
When it comes to teaching kids to read, I do not claim to be an expert. Honestly? The few times I tried to teach my young kids to read all by myself are the times I was reminded how little patience I have. It ended up being better for both myself and my kiddos to invest in an online program for teaching kids to read.
Over the years, we have tried several learn to read online programs. I have seven kids and each kid has a different learning style, so therefore each kid thrived with a different program. But the beauty of online homeschool programs such as these means that each kid gets to go at their own pace and follow their own style. I will never regret letting the online experts teach my kid this crucial skill.
Just a few of the available digital learning to read programs include:
- Reading Eggs
- HOMER Reading
- Schoolhouse Teachers
- Reading Kingdom
- Hooked On Phonics (recently added a digital option)
- Time4Learning
- Freereadingprogram.com
- Headsprout
Online Homeschooling Resources for Other Subjects
There are so many other resources for school students who want to reep the benefits of an online education. From history to science to foreign languages, and from pre-k all the way through high school courses and schools that are accredited and will issue your student a high school diploma. In fact, you can even take music lessons online!
The options are nearly limitless, especially if you are willing to piece together online resources and video lessons on your own.
Take a look at these fantastic options for a virtual school at home!
- ABCMouse (all-in-one)
- Adventure Academy (all-in-one)
- Night Zookeeper (reading/spelling/storytelling)
- The Family School (language arts, science, geography, history)
- Schoolhouse Teachers (math, language arts, science, history, geography, electives, etc)
- Typing Practice
- Free Typing Games
- Veritas (history)
- And of course, Outschool (Outschool offers private learning coaches and video lessons for nearly every course and topic imaginable.)
So those are my thoughts on homeschooling digitally. I hope you found them helpful!
Related Posts:
Large Family Homeschool Tips
CTCMath Review
HOMER Reading App Review
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