Jan 28, 2012

Fitness and Physical Education {How To Homeschool For Free}

Jan

2012

Saturday

Be sure to check out the other posts in the How To Homeschool For Free series too!

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This is the time of year when many people stay indoors and enjoy the warmth of a cozy home rather than get up and out of the house. It is also the time of year when many moms and dads make resolutions to be more active. Staying or getting in a healthy routine can be a tough battle with the desire to stay warm! Here are some links for helping the kids motivate you along your goals.

PE Central

PE Central was one of the first physical education websites available back in 1996. Their online resources include an extensive collection of lesson plans for every grade level. There is also a large section of ways to give an assessment on physical fitness ability, motor skills, and general fitness knowledge. They do have a store for buying additional items, but the lesson plans are free and you do not need to register to look at lesson plans.

Spark PE & Wellness

Since 1989, Spark PE has been researching physical education. This link is to the free sample lessons that Spark sells as part of their program. The free lessons are numerous, though, and would be more than enough to fill a semester of once or twice a week lessons if you do them more than once. Some lessons have printable worksheets and all the free lessons are in .pdf files.

Teach PE

Teach PE is a free site full of resources for teaching physical education as well as coaching sports. The site provides dozens of free worksheets to download and use in the classroom or for students to test themselves at home. There is also an interactive flash card quiz available at the end of each lesson. I thought the lesson plans on anatomy and physiology looked great, too!

PE Scholar

PE Scholar is a newer website designed to provide a place for teachers to share ideas and resources for teaching physical fitness classes and coaching sports. There are step-by-step instructions on how to do things for each activity. For example, there is a printable lesson available for basketball that explains the steps involved in shooting the ball and another for doing a lay-up. These printable pages are of good quality and they have visual cues and assessment questions for the coach to check understanding. I noticed resources for teaching dance lessons, gymnastics, and several other sports.

PE Universe

PE Universe is a forum for PE Teachers. As a homeschool parent, you are a PE teacher! While you do have to register to comment the forums, you do not need to join to read-only & watch the videos set on public viewing. While I am not a public or private school PE teacher, I think some these games look fun for a co-op setting or a homeschool field day. I went ahead and joined so I could watch some of the videos that were for members only land found a few fun games I want to share with our local homeschool group for some field day fun!

PE Gang

Let’s not forget about teaching good sportsmanship when we teach sports to our kids. PE Gang is all about character education and playing with friends and classmates in a respectful environment. There is a manual for starting your own PE gang. It includes a teacher’s guide, student workbook, and character profiles for the kids in the program. It’s all pdf files, so you can download and get started right away!

The President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition

The President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition was originally founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956 as the President’s Council on Youth Fitness. It now includes sports and nutrition, which are important partners in total fitness. Part of this council includes the President’s Challenge, which was temporarily down for maintenance at the time I wrote this post. Keep trying to find it. It might turn out to be your favorite since you can join your kids in the fitness challenges. I highly recommend it for a way to motivate kids (and parents!) to keep working and improve on previous activity goals. Kids and adults can join as individuals or work in teams to earn awards and recognition.

Special Olympics

Children with special needs need activity to stay healthy, too. Visit the Special Olympics website to find a local group where a special needs child will feel welcome and able to participate. There are over 32 activities for participants to choose from and enjoy. In the Young Athletes program, children ages 2-7 play simple sports and games. The focus is on fun activities that are important to mental and physical growth.

Stay active with your kids this winter!

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Jan 14, 2012

Weather and Climate {How To Homeschool For Free}

Jan

2012

Saturday

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Be sure to check out the other posts in the How To Homeschool For Free series too!

The following is an article by Jody Scott from Red Mixer Bakery!

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Living in Texas, the weather here can change from hot to cold in a matter of minutes. For example, a few days ago I needed my wool overcoat to go get groceries. Today, I didn’t need a coat because it was about 70 degrees! I’m not complaining, because it is January after all. After growing up in Montana where it is winter for close to 8 months some years, I’ll take Texas anytime! It does bring questions from my kids, though, when the weather is so out of character for winter. We adapt and say our thanks that we have it pretty good here in Texas… until summer, of course. Then, we might just plan a trip to Montana to get out of the heat!

Here are some weather, climate, and natural disasters links for free lessons and activities for your home school pleasure.

Discovery Education

Discovery Education has activities, puzzles and project ideas to boost your interest of Weather & Climate. There are video and CD-ROM resources, which offer an up close exploration of Weather & Climate. It includes a glossary of terms and a quiz at the end of the activities.

CIESE

Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education offers Weather Scope: An Investigative Study of Weather and Climate for upper elementary, middle school and high school students (ages 11-18).

In this project the students will investigate local and world weather and climate. To complete this investigation, the students will have detailed instructions that describe how to create weather instruments, how to access the Internet to locate real-time weather information from around the world, and an online educational project to guide you along. It looks fun and I think my kids will enjoy it!

The Know Zone

The Know Zone has a lesson available for grades 4-6 about Evaporation and Condensation. Students explore how temperature affects the processes of evaporation and condensation. It has detailed instructions and a worksheet for checking for understanding.

The GLOBE Program

“ The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) program is a worldwide hands-on, primary and secondary school-based science and education program. GLOBE’s vision promotes and supports students, teachers and scientists to collaborate on inquiry-based investigations of the environment and the Earth system working in close partnership with NASA, NOAA and NSF Earth System Science Projects (ESSP’s) in study and research about the dynamics of Earth’s environment.”

Keep in mind that this website looks to be pro-global warming, so if that’s something you don’t want taught to your children then definitely be aware of that. It also has quite a few neutral lessons that are noteworthy though. I suggest just browsing around and seeing what is available. I liked the online picture books that come with a teacher’s guide.

The Weather Channel Kids

The Weather Channel Kids is chock full of links for parents, teachers, and kids. The downloadable lesson plans are found in the Teacher’s Guide. The Parent’s Guide is similar, but not as involved in lesson planning. The Kids’ section is almost endless with at least 6 games that I could find. Looks like it would be a lot of fun for the little ones.

Teach Engineering

Teach Engineering has numerous lessons that provide a real-world engineering context, helping students understand what engineers study and create to help people live with natural hazards & climate change.

F.R.E.E.

Federal Resources for Educational Excellence has at least 16 links related to climate, weather, and natural disasters. Many of these links are to other websites, such as FEMA, to direct teachers to the various resources for education opportunities on many topics.

The Jason Project

The Jason Project has been mentioned before in this series. One of the features that my kids can hardly stop playing with is the Monster Storm games. They can track a hurricane, follow a tornado, and collect data as if they are the storm trackers who make the decisions to evacuate. In the end of a simulated game, they might be told that they were actually tracking Hurricane Rita and that they completed a successful evacuation… or maybe not! It’s exciting for them to make those decisions and learn from any mistakes or successes.

If your children might just want to collect data, here are some links for entering zip codes or city names to track the weather on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis. I checked my hometown and I am happy to be living in Texas today! It’s cold up there!

World Climate

Real Time Weather Tracking

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Jan 1, 2012

Lapbooks & Notebooks {How To Homeschool For Free}

Jan

2012

Sunday

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Be sure to check out the other posts in the How To Homeschool For Free series too!

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Have you heard of Lapbooking? How about Notebooking? If you have experience with these, you probably know how much kids love having a final product to show their learning progress to family and friends.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you might consider looking into it, at least once. You might think Lapbooks are mostly for younger kids, while Notebooking is for the older kids. However, each one can be used for any age group. You might have already done a version of one already, a poster board display for a science project is really a large lapbook! And, for those who scrapbook, your scrapbook is a detailed lapbook of sorts, as well! Each of these is a fun way of putting the information you’ve gathered into one place and making it easy to use as a reference later.

A lap book can also be called a layer book, flap book, or shutter book. Basically, it is made of at least 2 manila folders with sections of mini-books, pictures, facts, poems, or anything related to the lesson at hand. It can be about anything you choose. Some companies sell pre-made kits or they might charge you for downloading the sheets for cutting & coloring. I’m going to show you where to get these resources for free. Many of the sites I’ve visited had lists of old links that were no longer valid. All of these links here will give you valid links for FREE lapbooking downloads and examples.

Ignite the Fire

Terri Camp helps you see the many different ways you can use notebooking in your homeschool. She has a wealth of other resources as well to encourage you to find your child’s strengths to make homeschooling a blessing and not a chore. I put this link first because I love the way Terri Camp lights a fire under our desire for homeschooling! There is no set formula for each child. Find what works for you. It might not necessarily be what she does, but she is full of encouragement and ideas.

Highland Heritage Homeschool

The mom behind Highland Heritage Homeschool will explain a little more about lapbooking and will show you what will work for organizing a lapbook that isn’t finished in a day. She will also give you some links at the bottom, but most of them are outdated, as I found out. One of the links, though, is of an example lapbook, made by her daughter. She also has a page for getting ideas about other kinds of books students can make.

Now that you have an idea what Lapbooking and Notebooking are all about, I’ll share some resources for making your own without paying for downloads. Some of the links are for places that sell lapbooks, but I will tell you where to look for the freebies.

CurrClick

CurrClick is one of my favorite websites for getting good-quality freebies for downloading. I’m sure I’ve mentioned it before. If you search for “Lapbook” in their search bar, you will find some very reasonably priced items. If you then select the results to be sorted by price, the free ones should be at the top. I’ve done that HERE for you. There are many, many resources on this site to download for lapbooking and notebooking as well.

Homeschool Helper Online

Homeschool Helper Online has several links for resources for Lapbooks, Notebooks, Unit Studies, and other homeschool help links. I found quite a few I’d like to try soon. They have a good variety of topics from preschool up to high school.

Homeschool Share

Homeschool Share provides several free lapbooks, along with a plethora of resources for making your own to suit your needs for whatever project you have. There is also a well-maintained blog where the author welcomes us to look into their homeschool and share the progress of using lapbooks and notebooks in a fun way.

Homeschooling on a Shoestring

Homeschooling on a Shoestring will give you three videos with details on how to assemble lapbooks in various ways. This bottom of the page is full of links, and many of them are still valid.

Hands of a Child

Hands of a Child almost always has a free download. It changes often, though, so don’t wait to get the freebie. They also have a yahoo group to help parents and teachers learn how to use lapbooks and Hands of a Child resources effectively. There are actually several lapbooking yahoo and google groups. Just do a search if you are interested in joining one.

Dynamic 2 Moms

The Dynamic 2 Moms are Tina and Kelley and they have a passion for sharing what they know. They were homeschooled as children and now homeschool their own children. The resources for lapbooks, notebooks, and unit studies are well-organized. They also offer support resources for New-to-Homeschool parents.

I hope you will have some fun with this! I would really enjoy seeing you all post links to your lapbooks, too!

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Dec 19, 2011

Vacation Games and Activities {How To Homeschool For Free}

Dec

2011

Monday

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Be sure to check out the other posts in the How To Homeschool For Free series too!

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Does your home school schedule include vacation? Are you trying to find ways to keep kids independently entertained? When we are on a break, I let my kids have some online fun that we generally don’t have time for during school days. Here are some links that might keep kids occupied for a while and have them learning at the same time. Most of them are designed for independent playing, but some might require your assistance. The age of your child will also be a factor in how well they can play alone, of course. The last section includes some links and ideas for fun offline, too.

Online Fun!

Knowledge Adventure

Knowledge Adventure has over 100 online learning games. They have been categorized into different groups based on the age group and grade level. The fun educational games created by Knowledge Adventure games have gained awards and kudos from iParenting Media Award, the Toy Man Award of Excellence and the National Parenting Seal of Approval, to name a few.

PBS Kids

PBS Kids offers familiar faces and fun games. Your child might not realize he (she) is playing school when this is the activity. Curious George, Super Why, Clifford, and the Wild Kratts will make learning fun. This has been favorite for all 4 of my older children through the years.

Sheppard Software

I think I have mentioned Sheppard Software in past posts, but I think it’s worth mentioning again. The games are colorful and simple to understand. They also keep kids’ attention without discouraging them from trying again.

Education Place

Education Place has six games for students to play that help with speech, language, geography, math and spelling. These are designed to reinforce the lessons that the Houghton Mifflin textbooks contain. They are general enough, though, that any student can play & learn.

Game Classroom

Game Classroom has games for language arts and math for grades K-6, which are conveniently sorted according to skill, topic and grade level. There is also a homework help section and an assortment of educational articles covering topics such as kids online safety, homeschool tips, and the top educational iPad apps.

National Geographic Kids

Do you have a student who loves nature and crafts? Check out National Geographic Kids game center and craft corner. There is also a link for NG Little Kids! I was personally impressed by the amount of information & activities available on this website. It looks like one that would hold the attention of a good reader who was interested in nature activities.

Playing History

For older kids who enjoy role-playing games, Playing History might be of interest. For example, “Argument Wars is a game designed to highlight the role of argumentation and reasoning in civic engagement. Step into the shoes of a lawyer and participate in trials ripped straight out of the history books. In order to win points with the judge, you must analyze your arguments and evidence carefully and be prepared to not only back up yours claims, but to pop your opponent’s bubble when they make a misstep. Can you tip the scales of justice in your favor?” There are quite a few more simulation games, too. I might just try one myself!

Offline Fun!

Mom’s Minivan

Mom’s Minivan has quite a few ideas for keeping kids busy on a road trip. If it isn’t making things out of pipe-cleaners or counting cows, I hope you will find something fun for your family. We’ve consulted this website for several road trips. This mom does have some good ideas, and not just for games to play on the road.

Write and Perform a Play

There is no link for this one. Your kids might be interested in putting on a play for the family. Let them write it and use dress-up clothes for inspiration. Older kids could probably do this without much help, but smaller ones would need a little attention. My girls do this a few times a year and it’s so much fun to see them accomplish something fun and creative.

Small Notebook for a Simple Home

I came across a blog awhile back with some fun ideas on it. (Thank you, Pinterest!) Rachel Meeks of Small Notebook for a Simple Home tells some of her ideas for keeping things fun for kids of various ages. My favorite was letting the bigger kids have at the family photos and create a slideshow presentation. I know my oldest would love to do that! It would be a present for me in more ways than one. You might explore her website a little more, too, because she has some fantastic ideas for decluttering and living simply.

Education.com

Education.com has all kinds of great activity ideas for kids that you can do together, or that they can do independently. You can even narrow things down by age or grade level!

Happy Vacation! Get some rest… you deserve it!

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Dec 11, 2011

Home Economics: Manners & Etiquette {How To Homeschool For Free}

Dec

2011

Sunday

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Be sure to check out the other posts in the How To Homeschool For Free series too!

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I love this quote by Emily Post:

“Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork you use.”
—Emily Post

I didn’t grow up in a fancy house with servants, nor did I know why there were two or three forks in a place setting until I was in high school Home Economics. Each person at our supper table only had one fork. I thought others put out extra forks in case one fell on the floor! What I did know is that that people should be polite and pass the food to the left. Saying “Please” and “Thank you” was par for the course at our table. We said a blessing over our meals, and we knew that food was not free. We ate what we were given and helped clean up afterwards. If we had extra food, we invited someone over to join us, and others did the same for us. I know that my parents taught me to treat others the way I want to be treated. If only the world could be full of those kinds of people… well, what a world it would be!

Learning Manners

Emily Post and Everyday Manners

Emily Post.com covers almost everything you might need to know. Emily Post is known today for her timeless advice on entertaining, weddings and all things etiquette. She also has quite an interesting biography, which you can read on this site. While there are not any lesson plans that I could find, there are plenty of ways to find real-life lessons for learning everyday manners.

In Good Company

In Good Company is a company that has curriculum for sale, but they also have a free lesson download. They call themselves “The Civility Experts!” and have plenty to say about it on multiple websites with activities for kids. Visit here for your free download of “Be a Manners Detective.”

Manners Matter with 4H

North Carolina 4H has a free lesson plan for manners on their club website. “Manners Matter” is an etiquette curriculum for three age groups. The series includes activity guides for ages 5 to 8, 9 to 12, and 13 to 19. The series also includes a Helper’s Guide with tips and background information, along with several activities designed for group participation. This looks like a well-thought-out program that could encompass several weeks or months, depending on your preference.

Mommy Nature

This is a 4-day schedule for “Good Manner Week” at a preschool, but you can just use it as you please. The lessons include a list of books that fit the lesson, DVD suggestions, and other activities.

Creation Science Academy

Here is a take on the Biblical origins of good manners, how our perceptions of manners have changed over the past generation, and what our response should be. It’s more than a pdf download. It is a thought-provoking article with ideas for application in life.

WebQuests About Manners

WebQuest with Miss Rumphius

Your student’s quest will be to study citizenship through the eyes of author Barbara Cooney’s story, Miss Rumphius, and through projects and activities. Be ready to read, visit the web, and complete the tasks to earn a Good Citizenship Award.

WebQuest with Do Unto Otters

This is a WebQuest based on the book “Do Unto Otters:A Book about Manners”, by Laurie Keller. Students will create a brochure on different types of manners, based on the story’s characters. They will do a little research first, but it’s all in the webquest.

Free Kindle Books About Etiquette.

The Ladies’ Guide to True Politeness and Perfect Manners
By Eliza Leslie

Book of Etiquette Volume I & Volume II by
Lillian Eichler Watson

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Dec 9, 2011

Christmas & Hanukkah {How To Homeschool For Free}

Dec

2011

Friday

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Be sure to check out the other posts in the How To Homeschool For Free series too!

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The holiday season and all the memories that it brings is my favorite time of the year. The cold weather makes baking more fun and I love thinking about how I can spread some love around a little more than usual! I enjoy a break from the workbooks and read up a storm of fun with my girls. Whether you celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah, I hope these links bring you some good ideas for making your holiday season a great one. I do wish there were more good links for Hannukah. If you have a good one, please post in in the comments for the rest of us!

Christmas

Amazing Grace — A Christmas Unit Study

This Christmas Unit is designed to be completed in four weeks. There is also a biography study of John Newton, the author of the song “Amazing Grace.” This is probably the most comprehensive unit that I found, which includes hymns and hymn writers, Christimas songs, and recipe gift giving ideas.

A Blessed Christmas

A Blessed Christmas unit study is about the Symbols of Christmas. “Every Christmas symbol ought to point to the Lord Jesus Christ. Our entire focus for this season is on Christ, His character, our service to Him, and our opportunity to spread His light to others.” Karen Caroe is the author and in that statement you can see her passion for this subject. It looks like something my children would enjoy, too.

The Names of Jesus

This unit is suitable for the entire family. Activities can be adjusted to meet the needs of the various ages of your children. What better way to get to know Our Saviour than by His name? It is a combination advent devotional and unit study. Making a Journal of the Names of Jesus would be a fantastic way to make this memorable.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas Unit

This unit is based on How the Grinch Stole Christmas. It includes copywork, language arts, social studies, science, character study, and art. While it is designed to be completed in a notebook fashion, some parts can be done as a lapbook. There are notebook pages, mini books, and worksheets to use as you wish.

A Colonial Christmas in Williamsburg

As this lesson progresses, students will plan a colonial Christmas event, demonstrate colonial Christmas customs, and participate in a colonial Christmas activity. Colonial Christmases were not commercialized in any way. In fact, they traditionally excluded children. I found this to be interesting and even found another website that said some places banned Christmas celebrations altogether with the punishment of a fine!

Saint Nicholas Center

St. Nicholas Center is a website where people can learn about St. Nicholas. It’s somewhat of an online museum. It provides resources for families, churches, and schools. It is also offers a traveling exhibit and offers display and activity kits appropriate for churches and schools. The tradition of Santa Claus is rooted in the history of a real person named Nicholas, who used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering.

Literature Unit with Tomie DePaola books

This is an advent and Christmas unit. It was designed with the realistic limitations and demands of a large family in mind, but it would work for any family size. This unit uses books by Tomie DePaola for every lesson. I, personally, love his books and would enjoy reading these, even if I didn’t have time to do the activities to go along with them.

Christmas Around the World

ABC and 123 blog has this unit study for learning the different Christmas traditions in 4 different places: Germany, Sweden, Iceland, Hawaii. Each unit has literature suggestions, printable art activities, and some have traditional foods you might want to try out for a fun eating adventure.

Hanukkah

Hanukkah Lapbook

This lapbook unit is loaded with activities. I think it could be for older children as well, as they could help the little ones with the activities. I downloaded several of the printable cut-outs and they seem to be of good quality.

Alphabet Soup

Alphabet Soup has a nice list of activites for making your own fun memories of Hanukkah. From the songs and poems, to the crafts, and recipes, your kids will have several days (or weeks!) of fun with this list of activities.

My Chanhukah Activity Pack

Download a colorful activity pack by the mom at Jewish Homeschool Blog. She has quite a few more beautiful & fun activities available for your homeschool holiday season. This is probably the most helpful site I discovered in my searching! This mom has done a fantastic job of using pictures to illustrate every activity on her blog. If you visit today, you might want to enter the Chanukah giveaway!

Hanukkah Printables

The Holiday Zone has a nice selection of downloadable and printable activities. To get to the activity, click on the diamond shape that is next to the description.

Happy Holidays!

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Nov 27, 2011

Home Economics: Knitting & Crocheting {How To Homeschool For Free}

Nov

2011

Sunday

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Be sure to check out the other posts in the How To Homeschool For Free series too!

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Learning to crochet or knit can be a useful and profitable skill for your children to learn. Some moms, like me, learned just enough to finish a home ec project and move on to something else. Others picked up the skill and developed it into something wonderful. Whichever kind of student you were, maybe you will find something useful here. Whether it is learning all over again with your children, or learning how to teach the skills of knitting and crocheting, I hope you will enjoy this post.

Lion Brand Yarns

Lion Brand Yarns sells yarn, it is true, but they also want you to know what to do with it. After all, the more knitters and crochet fans there are, the more yarn they can sell. Even if that is their motive, the video lessons here are among the best I found in my search for free video lessons. The Learning Center has help for knitting, crocheting, and using a loom for various projects.

Knitting Help

Knitting Help is a website dedicated to knitting. The videos are practical and useful. KnittingHelp.com has become one of the most, if not the most, popular online instruction web site for knitting. There is an iphone app (not free, however) for accessing the video tutorials on the go. There is also a forum for asking questions and showing your projects.

CyberSeams

CyberSeams is a site to show you how to knit, but they also have sewing and other crafing fun on there as well. On their YouTube channel, they have 66 tutorials for your learning pleasure. One impressive feature of this website is that they are thoughtful of the Left-handed group of learners who have to learn by mirroring the action, not copying it.

Knitting Tips by Judy

Knitting Tips by Judy starts with tips on which size needles to buy, what kind of yarn, and other helpful information for getting started. She also has free videos (scroll way down the page to find them) showing the techniques up close and with clear directions.

The Crochet Crowd

The Crochet Crowd is not just for crocheting, although it is a great resource for that. There are knitting videos and tutorials, for using needles and well as using looms. You can visit this link for the list of video categories. If you see a project on a video and want a printable version of the directions, visit this page and you will find a .pdf file for your use.

The Knitting Site

The Knitting Site is for anyone at any level of knitting. “Whether you’re completely new to knitting or a seasoned veteran I aim to bring you new skills and answers to your knitting problems.” The owner of this site also has suggestions and ideas for helping you make money from your knitting success. She is another teacher who shows Left-Handed knitters how to get started.

Crochet Geek

Crochet Geek is teaching the world to crochet, one stitch at a time. She has several videos for Lefties. There are also several YouTube videos available for viewing patterns for cute hats and other, more complex, projects.

All Free Knitting

All Free Knitting has a free e-book available for downloading. It’s called Knitting for Beginners. One of the best parts of this free e-book is the chart on page 7 that tells you about the weight of yarns and what they are best used for. There is also a sister site called All Free Crochet which has numerous free pattern e-books for downloading.

Local Resources

There are website for the Crochet Guild as well as the Knitting Guild. They should have resources to help you find a local chapter with members who might take you under their wings for a few free lessons.

Last, but not least, I want to encourage you to remember your local library and churches as a resource. I have been fortunate to find a retired school teacher who is willing to teach my girls to crochet. For Free! I found out about her through a local church group who crochets prayer shawls as a ministry. All it took was a phone call to the number on the church website and my girls are set to begin lessons very soon. If you have a true desire to learn or have your children learn to knit or crochet, I encourage you to ask around and find something that will work for you!

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Nov 21, 2011

Home Economics: Money Management {How To Homeschool For Free}

Nov

2011

Monday

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Be sure to check out the other posts in the How To Homeschool For Free series too!

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As any parent knows, the economics of keeping and managing a home isn’t something you can learn overnight. The balance of saving, giving, and spending without borrowing unnecessarily does not come naturally in this generation of “get it now” and “instant download” accessibility. Starting young with the basics of “what is money?” and “what is a job?” is a priceless beginning that will build a foundation for the rest of the life lessons of how to be a wise consumer. My hope is that somewhere in these links you will find resources to help yourself and your children develop good habits for being a responsible consumer and manager of the home.

What is a Job?

Five J’s shows us how to discuss what a job means, how a person gets a job, and the kind of question one might get in an interview. If you have kids who want to practice filling out forms, Joy also has one link with a downloadable forms for practice.

Practical Money Skills for Life

Practical Money Skills for Life offers lesson plans about money for all ages. These lesson plans start with the basics of “What is Money?” to more complex budgeting & bill-paying lessons. The lecture guides, worksheets and even quizzes and tests are free to download and ready to use. There is a section of lessons specifically for students with special needs. You do have to register to use the lesson plans & play the games, but there is no fee involved at all.

Center for Economic Education

The Center for Economic Education has resources to promote economic literacy. The free lesson plans here are numerous, and many of them use books you could get at your local library. You can download all of them, or just pick choose the ones that fit your needs.

Hands-On Banking

Hands-On Banking has a plethora of resources for teaching money management. It has lesson plans for all grades, even for adults! There are some fun interactive areas for all ages as well. It is well worth clicking the link to see what is offered. I enjoyed exploring the kids area myself!

The U.S. Mint

The United States Mint H.I.P. Pocket Change™ web site is all about coins and learning basic economic understanding! Lesson plans and games make for a fun exploration of money and it’s importance in personal finance. The lessons are for grades K-12.

Money Math: Lessons for Life

Money Math is a four-lesson curriculum supplement for middle school math classes, teaching grade 7-9 math concepts using real-life examples from personal finance. The teacher’s guide with lesson plans, reproducible activity pages, and teaching tips is free to download.

Legacy Educational Resources

Legacy Educational Resources has more lessons that just about money. The lessons here are for developing good character in every area of life. The money section doesn’t just speak of how to earn and save, but also why it’s important to give back to your community.

Council for Economic Education

Council for Economic Education offers comprehensive, K-12 economic and personal finance education programs, including the basics of entrepreneurship. Not only do they have resources for kids, but also for teachers to help prepare for the lessons.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

Have your kids ever asked what the letters on the bank window means? The FDIC has a mission to maintain the stability of the nation’s banking system. They also have a Start Smart: Money Management for Teens, which is a series of helpful information about saving and spending money. There is also a section about Identity Theft and how it can happen to kids, too. That section is worth reading for the parents as well!

Money Instructor

Money Instructor is a collection of Money lessons, lesson plans, worksheets, interactive lessons, and informative articles. They have printable budget worksheets and budgeting lessons to teach real life basic personal finance concepts and important fundamental money skills.

What is a kid’s job?

This lesson uses a chore chart with monetary rewards for teaching your child the value of a job. I like this one because the directions state that the job must be completed without reminders or prompting. Even if you only paid the children for a month, I think it would be good practice for kids to realize that jobs take dedication and diligence. We do not give allowances for daily chores in our house, but it would be a fun way for the kids to earn a paycheck for a month. I had an idea that kids could use the chart to see how long they would have to work and wait to earn enough for a certain toy or item they have been wanting.

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