How to Homeschool Like a Pro With These Essential Tools
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With schools closed all over the country during the coronavirus pandemic, more and more parents are taking on the unexpected challenge of homeschooling their children. Although students have been provided with online lessons, curriculum and virtual class time those only fill up so much time and it’s up to parents to keep the learning going. Bring the feel of the classroom into your home with these simple pieces of furniture and fun at-home learning tools that are sure to keep everyone engaged.
This colorful carousel-style storage center has eight easy-to-grab containers to keep all of your schooling supplies together instead of scattered around the kitchen or living room. Sized perfectly for anything your student might need throughout the day from glue sticks and scissors to colored pencils and calculators, this is a great homeschooling resource for less than $20.
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If you have multiple school-aged children at home you may need a bit more organization for varying projects and this rolling storage cart has plenty of room for just that. With 12 plastic drawers and wheels with locking casters, this cart can roll as smoothly as you do from one take to the next. It even has a nice sturdy cart top to provide an additional workspace or act as a “podium” while you explain the day's lessons.
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Sometimes a simple change of scenery can bring a wandering mind back to the task at hand and that’s where this cool little desk comes into play. This versatile workspace makes it possible to write, read or work on a laptop wherever your student is most comfortable: on the floor, in a chair or outside somewhere. Plus the work surface is angled properly to support healthy posture so you don’t have to be that teacher that nags about sitting up straight.
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This stability ball/chair is another awesome addition to any homeschool situation because it encourages kids to practice healthy posture while teaching concentration, balance and calm all while allowing little bodies to get their wiggles out. The constant movements of the ball keep the body active and the mind engaged resulting in increased blood flow to the brain creating an ideal learning environment within the body. Use it as a seat during lessons or make it the focus of a core strengthening Phys Ed session.
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Now that you have your classroom together it’s time to get outside and do some exploring with this visual encyclopedia of the plant kingdom. Filled with over 1,000 awe-inspiring images and chock full of fascinating facts, this book takes everyone on your “field trip” on an exciting and explorative adventure without the need for extensive travel. This fantastic field tool isn’t just for children, either, and I’m sure everyone in the family will enjoy learning about the world of trees, leaves, flowers and seeds.
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This particular learning set is a great choice for math lessons as it appeals to a wide age range of ages. Smaller children can work on tactile skills by fitting the pieces together while older kids can get better acquainted with geometry as they build 2-D, 3-D and composite shapes. Other great math tools available for cheap include these Rainbow Fraction Tiles (fractions are hard, y’all, I may have to get some of these for myself) and Pretend & Play money to help kids master early math essentials while playing pretend.
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Did you know you could pretty much trick kids into learning? Because you absolutely can and this sight word swat game proves it! Specially designed to teach the most commonly used sight words, this great game challenges kids to see, SWAT, and learn while having fun. If your homeschooler is already past sight words these phonics dominoes are great for word formation games and this magnetic sentence builder is sure to be a hit with students and teachers.
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Since you’re all at home why not kill two birds with one stone and create a snack or whip up a whole three-course meal while teaching a science lesson? Physics and chemistry come into play with cooking and this Edible Kitchen Science Lab gives you all the tools you need to be the boss of the kitchen-slash-laboratory. Looking for some more traditional science experiments to do at home? This awesome science experiments for kids book covers over 100 fun STEM/STEAM projects that the whole family can get in on.
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When your kids start to get bored from the usual reading, writing and arithmetic lessons (which they will) it’s probably time for everyone’s favorite class - art! This Studio in a Box is a great way to engage anyone’s creativity with over 60 pieces from paintbrushes and paper pads to colored pencils and washable markers. If you’re looking for something a bit more vibrant, the Crayola Inspiration Art Case is a great choice especially when it’s paired up with some Astrobrights cardstock or regular old reliable construction paper.
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