Why did you choose to homeschool your child? I had many reasons why I wanted to homeschool my children but most of all, I wanted to be in control of the subjects that my children would learn, so they would thrive financially once they left my protective nest.

In school we have to simply hope and pray that our children will learn about money but most schools don’t teach this subject. They don’t have the funding, and they don’t have the knowledge to teach it to our kids. Our kids deserve better. We need to teach them not just how to get a job they hate to pay their bills, but how to earn money doing what they actually love to do!

And that’s what’s so wonderful about homeschooling our kids. We get to choose the subjects they learn. Besides learning the basics, like reading, writing and calculating, we need to teach them how to handle their money wisely. We need to teach them how to take their passions and natural talents and turn those into an ongoing, income for themselves so they would have the time and money to really enjoy their lives!

Money is not everything but if you have no money, then life is very hard. Money is neither good nor evil. It’s simply a tool. If you are a bad person and you make a lot of money then you will probably do bad things with your money. On the flip-side, if you are a good person, then with more money you will end up doing more good in our world.

Homeschooling gives us the opportunity to spend quality time with our kids to teach them how to make their money work hard for them. Schooled children can learn this too, but as homeschooling families we have the luxury of including money as a subject to our child’s daily lessons.

How can you include money lessons into your daily homeschooling lessons? Easy. Money doesn’t have to be a hard or boring subject. It can be fun and exciting.

Here is how you can incorporate the subject of money into your child’s daily life:

• Begin by getting your child to write down all the goals that they want to achieve. In our case, my kids wanted to save up for a new gaming system. Maybe your child wants to go to an amusement park; maybe they want to buy something special. It doesn’t matter what the goal is as long as your child really wants it.
•  Next, have your child draw up pictures of their goals and post these on a corkboard in their room to remind them daily of their dreams to keep them on track.
• Then sit down together and come up with some fun ways they can make their own. My daughter came up with a great idea to write and illustrate a children’s book to remember our dog, who had recently passed away. It helped other kids cope with the loss of their own pets. What interests or talents does your child have that they could use to come up with a creative way to earn their own money?
• Once your child earns their own money, have them divide their money using this “6 Magical Piggy Banks” system. It will help them save up their money so they can not only buy their goal but so they can also learn how to be in control of their money so their money will work hard for them rather than your child always having to work hard for their money!

Here are The 6 Magical Piggy Banks that my children use:

•  GROW – money for investing in other money making ventures (i.e. buying lemonade and cups for a lemonade business)

•  GIVE – money for giving to a charity of their choice to help others

•  RAIN – money that is saved for that rainy day emergency, otherwise never to be touched (i.e. to fix their bike that they need to ride to school)

•  LEARN – money for further learning and personal growth (i.e. for college, or for learning a new talent, like ballet or soccer, etc.)

•  GOAL – money saved specifically for their personal goal (i.e. a new gaming system, a trip to an amusement park, or a special toy, etc.)

•  FUN – money to spend whenever they like on whatever they like (within reason of course)

Setting goals, figuring out ways to earn their own money and teaching them how to manage their money so their money works hard for them is just the beginning. It’s a very fun way to get started teaching your child about money.

Homeschooling gives us the opportunity to raise money smart kids. We don’t have to hope that our child’s school will teach our child about money. We have the luxury to decide what topics we wish to include and make important in their daily lessons. Start simple and keep it fun.

Here’s to your child’s financial happiness!

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Author Bio:  Amanda van der Gulik has been homeschooling her own two children for over 11 years and is the  founder of www.TeachingChildrenAboutMoney.com, Visit Amanda’s site today to grab your FREE copy of her eBook, “50 Money Making Ideas for Kids and Teens” or her “The 6 Magical Piggy Banks” cartoon.

Thank you Amanda!

Founded by homeschooling parents, EDUSS is a world-wide company that teaches English, Phonics, and Mathematics to students in a home setting. It’s presently used in more than 26,000 households and is a very thorough and cost-effective product. When I spoke with the founder of the company, I was impressed with the enthusiasm and the passion he has for his company, education, and homeschooling in general.

In regards to how thorough the program is, EDUSS provides the following–

• The EDUSS curriculum Knowledge Web: EDUSS provides your children with the comprehensive curriculum to assess and design an individualized learning plan based on their individual needs. The curriculum also allows you the ability to accelerate your children if you desire to do so.
• Gap Scan Technology: The EDUSS Gap Scan Technology is the intelligent multi-dimensional assessment engine that has the ability to not only identify your child’s level of knowledge but also their foundational level of understanding.
• Automated Differentiated Diagnostic Assessment: Most often, learning gaps only become evident sometime after they occur. The EDUSS diagnostic assessment is designed to search for and identify these learning gaps by using the Gap Scan Technology, even if they occurred earlier in your child’s learning career. This forms the basis for the individualized learning plan for your student.
• Gap Recovery Plan: On the basis of information gleaned in the comprehensive diagnostic assessment, the Solution generates a learning plan that is specifically designed to meet the individual child’s needs. It is not a one size fits all.
• Personal Instructor: The personal instruction module of the Solution provides fully narrated step-by-step instruction in any topic of need to the student. Because different students learn differently, EDUSS has been careful to design this instructional module to meet the needs of different learning styles.
• Student Management System: The EDUSS Student Manager System provides real-time monitoring and mapping through one integrated reporting interface making it easy for you to track and monitor the activity of each of your children individually. Real time information helps you make instructional decisions and/or adjustments. Complete reports are available at any time for every component of your child’s learning.
• World-wide standards: Yes, world-wide standards, not just U.S. standards.
• Capability of putting EDUSS on your hard-drive: Perfect for homeschoolers on the road, or those in remote areas.
• Back-up from the EDUSS support team as well as ongoing updates: Support is always good!
• Plus, a real-world reward program is coming soon.

In regards to the cost, EDUSS provides all of the above for a minimum monthly subscription of $29.95. That’s for the entire family!

Thorough and affordable!

SkillsTutor At Home, owned by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt offers online self-paced Math, Reading/Language Arts, and Science lesson plans for kids K through Grade9+, that are aligned with national and state standards. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is a name homeschoolers trust—and as you’d expect, this product is first rate–this is an online learning option worth looking into!

SkillsTutor At Home offers an Assess, Assign, Achieve Methodology, which works well for the student, and provides valuable information to the parent.  Each unit of Math, Reading/Language Arts, and Science begins with a pre-test to assess the knowledge a child already possesses–the questions are directly related to the content which is covered in the unit. Upon finishing the assessment, the child is placed on an individualized learning path that provides additional learning opportunities and support. When the child finishes the unit, she is given a summative assessment to determine if she has mastered the content or has additional learning needs. When a topic needs to be revisited, it is automatically placed back in her learning pathway to provide additional educational opportunities. The parental reporting system is stellar, and easy to follow– parents are able to see all pre-and post-test results.

Regarding the topics of study, the online Math modules reinforce basic math skills and promote higher mathematical reasoning, up to and including Algebra II.  The higher Math modules specifically address–

• Basic algebra
• Measurement and geometry
• Proportion and percent
• Statistics and probability
• Inequalities and polynomials
• Factoring and rational expressions
• Functions, graphing, and systems of equations
• Data and statistics
• Exponents, logarithms, and trigonometry, and
• Quadratics and rational functions.

SkillsTutor At Home does not cover subjects beyond Algebra II.

The web-based Reading and Language Arts software helps develop critical reading and communication skills.  Children learn—

• Vocabulary building
• Word knowledge
• Reading comprehension
• Grammar and usage
• Language mechanics
• Language usage
• Sentence structure
• Clear writing and paragraphs

The online Science activities cover elementary topics, all the way through Biology, Chemisty, and Physics.

SkillsTutor At Home works for multiple children in one household, and because of this, it is very cost effective.

Regarding the cost, you can

• Start with the 14 day free trial—which is absolutely free—you don’t need to give your credit card information
• Choose their Monthly Plan for just $9.99 for up to two users.  Additional users are $1.99/month extra
• Purchase the yearly plan at $79.99/year for up to two users.  Additional users are $19.99/year

If you choose the free trial first, and then subscribe, all the completed lessons and reports from the trial period are moved over and maintained in your new account.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Need I say more?

The Sonrise Stable series of books (presently there are four books in the series) is the heartwarming, continuing story of an extended homeschooling family. Mixing adventure, life lessons, and realistic horse experiences, the series is a must for readers who enjoy family values, the Christian faith, and, of course, horses!

As mentioned, there are four books in series (a fifth one is slated)–a synopsis of the four books follows:

Book 1: Sonrise Stable: Rosie and Scamper

While learning to ride at Sonrise Stable, eight-year-old Rosie dreams of the horse shows she will win with her pony, Jet. Two years later, nothing is exactly the way Rosie planned it—she’s riding a new pony, Scamper, and learning that life isn’t always easy. But it’s as Rosie reaches out to the new girl next door that she truly begins to see that God works all things together for good in our lives.

Book 2: Sonrise Stable: Carrie and Bandit

Carrie can’t believe it—she has a horse of her own and is only weeks away from being adopted by the most loving family she’s ever known. But Bandit is harder to manage than she first imagined—and the adoption might not go as smoothly as she thought either. When a bad decision jeopardizes everything, Carrie learns what it means to be forgiven and truly loved.

Book 3: Sonrise Stable: Clothed With Thunder

After sitting through a 4-H demonstration on the evolution of the horse, Rosie and Carrie are determined to present the arguments for creation at the club’s next meeting. The demonstration proves harder to put together than they imagined as everyone offers the girls their opinions. The lessons Rosie learns about creation extend into her life in surprising ways as she faces her old adversary, Billy King, who cheated her out of her first trophy with her pony, Scamper.

Book 4: Sonrise Stable: Tender Mercies

When Rosie, Carrie, and Grandma are asked to help out at Last Chance Corral, a nursemare foal rescue, Rosie is shocked when she experiences firsthand how cruel some people can be to animals. During the week at Last Chance, the girls learn that the God who knows when a sparrow falls to the ground works through the kindness of others to provide for the animals He created. For the foals, and the girls, Last Chance Corral is a life-changing experience.

In addition to the books, the Sonrise site also sells very attractive horse-related jewelry. The various pieces range in style and price—and all are attractive.  A piece of horse-related jewelry with the four books, makes the PERFECT gift (very appealing) for the young homeschooling girl (or tween) in your life. When the books and the bracelet we chose (the red stretchy bracelet—very cute) arrived at our office, there were MANY “oohs and ahhs” (as my father use to say)—everyone appreciated the overall look—and really, everyone wanted a set of their own!

Oak Meadow School offers homeschooling curriculum and an accredited online distance school for grades K-12.  Their curriculum and programs are strong academically, and provide the flexibility that homeschoolers expect.  Their curriculum and programs accommodate visual, auditory, and physical learning styles, providing opportunities for all children to learn easily, and successfully.

We asked for, and received, the Fifth Grade program.  When it arrived (yes, arrived—real books, craft projects and more), we were pleasantly surprised (and downright amazed!) by the quality, and the quantity of the materials we received.

Specifically, we received—

• Texts covering the subjects of English/U.S. History, Math and Science.
• A Teacher’s Manual, as well as the Answer Keys for reviews and tests.
• Nine soft cover books, including such titles as Johnny Tremain, Harriet Tubman, If You Sailed on the Mayflower, Little House on the Prairie, and more.
• A large craft kit, containing colored pencils, embroidery thread, a loom kit, sketch pad, paint brushes, and more (The craft kit is not included in the curriculum package but can be purchased separately—and we did receive it).

In all?  27 items!

The English and Social Studies text is all one book.  It combines geography, literature, and early American history, and challenges students to draw parallels across the subjects. The Science text encourages students to engage in investigations and experiments that cultivate essential scientific skills such as forming hypotheses, conducting observations, and taking field notes. The lessons emphasize the scientific method, conservation ecology, meteorology, anatomy, and astronomy.  They also lay the groundwork for more extensive scientific studies in the upper grades. The Math curriculum presents a substantial review of all four basic processes and fraction concepts, with an emphasis on word problems and practical problem solving. Students strengthen their foundational skills in preparation for moving into more advanced computational skills.

Interested in viewing a sample lesson plan?  You may do so by clicking here .

Families may purchase Oak Meadow materials to use independently, or choose to enroll in Oak Meadow’s distance learning school in order to receive the support of an experienced teacher as well as official school records.

Oak Meadow is accredited through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools/Council of Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS/CASI). Through this accreditation, Oak Meadow is also recognized by several other regional accrediting agencies, including the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools, and the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

Accreditation, thorough curriculum, you as the teacher….or assistance from an experienced teacher if you want one….really, Oak Meadow covers all the bases!

Woody’s World, book written by E.Renee Heiss, book illustrated by Chelsea Sekanic

Book published by Character Publishing

Ages 8 and Up

124 pages

Approx. price $18

Woody’s World is a charming, thought-provoking book about the adventures of a creative twelve-year-old boy during The Great Depression. The book chronicles his fun, fool-hardy life prior to the stock market crash, through the following year, as he grows from a boy who tends to get into trouble, to a determined, hard-working young man—a true entrepreneur, who is able to partially support his family.

Because this book was written about a different time, there are numerous historical/cultural talking points. Read the book with your child and take the time to stop and discuss various subjects as they arise.  On the positive side—it was a time when kids played outside safely for hours on end, without needing to tell their parents where they were, and a time when close-knit communities kept an eye out for each of their young members. Unfortunately, it was also a time when it was the norm for children to receive corporal punishment, and a time when African Americans were called negative names due to their race.

Woody’s World is the recipient of the 2013 Children’s Literary Classics Seal of Approval—and a great book to read with your children.

Entelechy Education

Ages 5-10

$3.99-$14.95, Free Learning Guides

STEM is the acronym for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. A common definition for STEM is…

“…an interdisciplinary approach to learning where rigorous academic concepts are coupled with real-world lessons as students apply science, technology, engineering and mathematics in contexts that make connections between school, community, work and the global enterprise enabling the development of STEM literacy and with it the ability to compete in the new economy.”  Tsupros, N., R. Kohler, and J. Hallinen, 2009. STEM education: A project to identify the missing components, Intermediate Unit 1 and Carnegie Mellon, Pennsylvania

Entelechy Education, LLC takes STEM one step further, with STEM-C™ education – a unique combination of STEM and character education.

This integration occurs in a three book series written by Renee Heiss and Gary A. Stewart and illustrated by Fay Cofrancesco. Each book presents a single-concept STEM topic, combined with a character education topic.

For instance, in the book, Where’s Green?, the EnteleTrons™ help align the seven colors of the rainbow, while exploring the visible spectrum in a prism. Through character interaction, the EnteleTrons™ show everyone the value of cooperation within a group.

In Oxygen Finds Friends, the characters help atoms and molecules come together to form new compounds. Through character interaction, the EnteleTrons™ help young readers understand tolerance of others’ differences.

In the book What’s the Matter? the three primary states of matter understand their role in the water cycle, also exploring temperature and insulation. Through character interaction, the EnteleTrons™ help young readers accept the changes that occur in their lives.

As an additional aid, a free and downloadable learning guide accompanies each title. The guides are cross curricular and support core standards. The EnteleKeyLearning Guides™ offer activities, simple experiments, and discussion questions. The company also offers a free downloadable guide of Creative Options for Writing Assignments in Elementary Science using the EnteleTrons™ Series of Books. The outside STEM resources listed on the site are also helpful.

There are three levels of books–Basic (Where’s Green?), Intermediate (What’s the Matter?), and Advanced (Oxygen Finds Friends). Start with the Basic and move into the other two as your children are ready.

This is a great series–scientific and wholesome–really, what more could you want?

Fun–and fun learning is forever learning!

Ann Simpson

Time4Writing.com

Ages Elementary—High School, Writing Resource

$99 per Writing Class

Time4Writing provides 8-week online writing courses, with one-on-one feedback and interaction with a certified teacher.  Classes are offered at the beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels for students in the elementary through high school grades.  If you’re not sure which class is right for your child, Time4Writing provides an online Course Placement Tool to assist in the decision making process.

The elementary online writing courses start at the pre-writing level with a beginner course on grammar usage. Other elementary writing courses cover topics such as the parts of speech, punctuation, subject and predicates, sentence structure, sentence types and different types of paragraphs. An advanced elementary writing course introduces the essay, teaches about expository, persuasive and narrative variations and culminates with a five paragraph essay. Both parents and students appreciate the help of a certified online writing tutor as assignments are graded and feedback is provided.

The middle school online writing courses start at the beginner level with a basic writing mechanics course, which focuses on writing fundamentals such as sentences vs. fragments, subjects and predicates, subject-verb agreement and capitalization. Intermediate courses include writing enhancements, paragraph writing and a middle school essay writing course that is designed to strengthen the student’s ability to write a well-structured essay. The advanced middle school writing course teaches students to find their voice and create essays that match style and media. Online writing courses for middle school students led by certified teachers ensure that students are as proficient constructing a solid paragraph as they are crafting a well-balanced essay.

The high school online writing courses allow students to strengthen their writing skills at a level that recognizes their maturity. Beginner level courses include “Grammar, Usage and Mechanics” and “High School Paragraphs,” which focus on sentence structure, proper punctuation, capitalization, subject-verb agreement, paragraph structure, types of paragraphs and proofreading. Intermediate courses include paragraph and essay writing courses that develop skills and introduce students to the essay writing process from the pre-writing to revision stage. The essay writing for the SAT course is designed for students who want to strengthen their essay writing skills in order to achieve higher SAT scores.

With all the above courses, students complete their work online through an easy to use interface and submit their completed assignments to an assigned teacher who then grades and provides feedback through the students’ online account.  Students can send messages to their assigned teacher in order to ask questions about assignments or to discuss progress. Parents receive mid-course and end of course reports. At the successful completion of the course, students receive a completion certificate.

Want to see how it works?  View their two-minute tour.

In addition to the courses, Time4Writing provides free writing tips and additional resources on their site.  Plus, Time4Writing offers a satisfaction guarantee, which allows you to cancel or switch courses at any time if you are not satisfied with the product within the first 14 days. The courses cost $99 each.

Because Time4Writing is an online course, it is convenient for the ultra- busy homeschooling student and parent. Time4Writing  is great for the child who likes to work at his/her own pace (make sure they can do so within the allotted time).

Homeschool.com had a recent college graduate with weak writing skills, take the SAT Essay Writing class—and her writing skills improved!   Because of this, we believe the high school courses are appropriate for college-aged students, and parents too!

Writing can be fun–and as we all know, fun learning is forever learning!

Ann Simpson

MrNussbaum

 Ages 3-12

 FREE

The website MrNussbaum.com, is an educational website geared to young students, their parents, and teachers. There is a free and a premium version of the site–the good news is that homeschoolers will find the free option to their liking–a premium membership is not necessary.

Homeschoolers can easily use MrNussbaum.com for–

• Supplementing their homeschooling endeavors. MrNussbaum.com activities are perfectly suited for homeschoolers and serve as useful and fun remediation, enrichment, practice, and assessment.
• Setting goals. Parents can record scores their children get on games and quizzes and challenge them to reach a certain score by a specific time.
• Fun. MrNussbaum.com is so fun, that kids don’t realize they’re learning or practicing.
• Rewards. Homeschoolers can use the site as a reward for work well done.

The site was developed with the idea that crucial concepts, themes, ideas, and facts taught in the home can be enhanced over the internet through interactivity. MrNussbaum.com offers dozens of interactive games specifically designed to pinpoint one or several essential concepts taught in the elementary grades, and dozens of research themes designed to make the process of gathering information interactive and enjoyable.

By the way, there really is a Mr. Nussbaum — and I have to admit, I am not smarter than Mr. Nussbaum (this is actually a challenge on his site)! Perhaps you, or your kids are!

The site certainly has a lot to offer–a ton of information (do you know Idaho’s state bird?), MANY educational games (Math games, Science games, games in Spanish, etc.), free printables (Math, Reading, Scavenger Hunts, etc.), free videos, plus, much MORE. Almost all of the free games can be played on iPads/mobile devices .

Really, why wouldn’t you check it out? It’s free and fun–and fun learning is forever learning!

Ann Simpson

Bible Bookcase

 All Ages

 $29.95

The Bible Bookcase by EMG is not a bookcase at all, but an innovative puzzle-like game designed to teach the books of the Bible. In fact, with the Bible Bookcase, learning all sixty-six books of the Bible in sequential order becomes fun and easy! And your kids can’t make a mistake! Due to their patent-pending design, your children cannot place a book where it does not belong!

The Bible Bookcase is a perfect tool for:

• Kids and Grandkids ( of all ages )
• Christian and Homeschool Fun
• Social/Christian Fellowship Gatherings
• Sunday School Classes

The overall dimensions of the book case (with base installed and sign on top) — H: 14.5″ x W: 12.0″ x D: 3.0″. This is a wooden toy of high quality, and can be displayed in any child’s room or family room–it’s decorator quality!

The Bible Bookcase–it’s a high quality, fun puzzle-game for the entire family!

Note: The books are wooden puzzle/game pieces–not actual books that can be opened and read–but this does not detract from the product in any way. It’s really lovely, attractive — and educational too.