guides

Home Schooling- Online Academic Sites Guide

By North Shore Macaroni Kid January 6, 2024

Whether you are a seasoned homeschooler or a mom looking for some homeschooling resources for the short-term, this guide is for you. We assembled resources from all over the web to help you find what you need to keep those kid's minds active, engaged, and growing. 

ALWAYS FREE: 

  • ABC YA - practice math and reading skills all while playing fun games
  • Fun Brain - Play games while practicing math and reading skills. 
  • Into the Book - Play games that practice reading strategies.
  • Highlights Kids - Read, play games, and conduct cool science experiments.
  • National Geographic for Kids - Learn all about geography and fascinating animals.
  • PBS Kids - Hang out with your favorite characters while learning.
  • Starfall - Practice your phonics skills with these read-along stories
  • Storyline Online - Have some of your favorite stories read to you by movie stars
  • Switcheroo Zoo - Watch listen and play games to learn about animals.
  • Suessville - Read, play games, and hang out with Dr. Seuss and his friends.

General paid online learning activities: 

  • ABC Mouse – Math, art, science, reading & color lessons for ages 2-8. FREE access during the school closures by using code – SCHOOL7771
  • Adventure Academy – Math, art, science & reading for ages 8-13. FREE access during the school closures by using code – SCHOOL7771
  • Brain Pop – Video-based lessons with companion quizzes, for several different subjects. Free access for March 2020 using THIS LINK and this code: BPCVFAE1
  • Epic – Digital library of books. Students can access this site for free through their student account. Families can subscribe, and a 30-month free trial is offered. 
  • Extra Math – A free online math learning resource that is available to everyone. 
  • i-Ready  The most frequently used online resource for students. This program offers math and reading lessons and diagnostic tests for students. It is self-guided and they typically need to log a certain number of minutes per week in both reading and math. This program is not available to the general public. 
  • Khan Academy –  Short lessons in the form of videos for English and math. These lessons are available online, free of charge to anyone. 
  • Miacademy Learning –  Lessons for multiple subjects offered. Subscription-based with a $1.99 first month trial. 
  • Mystery Science - Offering a starter list of K-5 science lessons that are easy to do at home is now free; no sign-up or log-in required.
  • Prodigy – A game platform that teaches children math. Free access for students through school accounts, or subscription-based for the public. 
  • Quavers Wonderful World of Music – An online music education resource, provided for free through school access. Families can subscribe for $24 a school year. 
  • Quizlet – Teachers create study guides and practice tests for the current curriculum being studied. This is not available to the general public. 
  • Scholastic – A free resource for students pre-k through middle grades. A daily list of four new activities.
  • Seesaw –  Teachers create an activity library of assignments for students to complete. Students then use tools to take photos, make videos, and draw to complete those assignments. This is not available to the general public. 

Math Resources:

  • Dragon Box – Online and App-based Math lessons for ages 4-9. 
  • Zearn – An online math lesson resource that is typically subscription-based, it is now available for free during the cancellation of school because of Covid-19.

English Language Arts: 

  • Reading Eggs – Reading lessons for children ages 2 through 13. Subscription-based on a free 2-week trial. 
  • Storyline – Free read aloud videos Resources.
  • Teach Your Monster To Read – 100% free online phonics and reading lessons.
  • Night Zoo Keeper – A Creative writing community for kids. Subscription-based on a free trial. 
  • Reading IQ – Reading assessments and digital library of books for ages preschool (2 years old) through 8th grade. FREE access during the school closures by using code – SCHOOL7771

Science: 

  • Next Generation Science – Science videos, vocabulary, discussion questions, and more. Subscription-based with a free trial. 
  • Supercharged Science – Online science lessons and experiments. Free content, and premium membership-based content.