Home-schooling your kids? Check out these free online resources for parents and kids of all ages—including lesson plans, activities, educational online games, test prep, online high schools, forums and support groups.
Lesson Plans
Hotchalk: A lesson plan resource for kids of all ages, from pre-kindergarten to high school.
Educator’s Reference Desk: Wide range of lesson plans for all ages encompassing a variety of subjects including philosophy, physical education, computer science and the arts as well as the three R’s.
Teach-nology: Printable worksheets and teacher-submitted lesson plans for kids of all ages.
EdSITEment: Literature and language arts lesson plans.
Teachers.net: a few thousand teacher-tested lesson plans and lesson ideas for a wide range of subjects.
Education World: Creative teacher-tested lesson plans on a wide range of subjects including everyday activities, Five-Minute Fillers, and other special features.
Teachnet.com: Lesson plans in a variety of subjects, including a “Parents” section of lessons tailored to the home.
TeacherVision.com: Lesson plans divided by age, subject, and theme.
LessonPlanZ: Lesson plans and activities for kids of all ages, geared toward home-schooling families.
Scholastic: Lesson plans, teaching strategies, tools including rubrics, flash-card makers and podcasts, printables and mini-books, and a section for new teachers.
Educational Websites
KidsKnowIt: Educatinal website on various topics including dinosaurs, space, animals, science, math and reading. Games, educational videos and interactive features.
Study Stack: Study tools including virtual flash cards, memory and word games.
FunBrain: Online educational game and resource site.
Gamequarium: Game site for elementary school-age kids.
PBSKids: Games, music and resources related to popular PBS shows.
The Problem Site: Educational games for a variety of topics.
National Geographic Kids: Videos, activities, games and stories.
Teach-Nology: Online games and directory of game sites.
ForKids.org: Games and educational videos for kids.
TuitionPlaza.com: Free online tutoring site with interactive forum.
Online High Schools
For more information on online high schools, check out this article on online high schools.
Keystone High School
Stanford University Online High School
Citizens High School
Kaplan College Preparatory School
CompuHigh
University of Missouri Online High School
University of Oklahoma High School
Forest Trail Academy
Florida Virtual School
Primavera Online High School
Open Courseware
MIT: Medical Anthropology
Tufts University: Producing Films for Social Change
Berkeley: General Biology
MIT: Introduction to Urban Design and Development
Berkeley: Introduction to Computers
MIT: Economics and E-Commerce
Free-Ed.net: GED and College Prep
Utah State University: Avalanche and Snow Dynamics
Delft Open Courseware: Math Learning Space
Sogang Korean Program: Basic Korean
Test-taking Resources
TeachKidsHow: Teach Kids Test Taking Strategies
SAT Test Prep
SAT Practice Questions
Number2: Free SAT Test Prep
PSAT Online Prep
GED Test Prep
SteckVaughn GED Practice Test
GED For Free
GED Prep Online
ACT Test Prep
Reading Resources
Math and Reading Help for Kids
Reading Rockets
Reading Rainbow
Storyline Online
KidsRead.com
Starfall
Kids’ Place: Houghton Mifflin Reading
The Story Place
Poetry Splatter
Story Starters
Math Resources
Math and Reading Help for Kids:
Algebra.com
FreeMathHelp.com
Math.com
MathNerds.com
MathVids
PurpleMath
MathLibs
Hotmath.com
Cramster.com
Science Resources
NASA for Kids
Endangered Species Kids Corner
The Universe Adventure
Smithsonian Education
ParticleAdventure.org
Bill Nye the Science Guy
Extreme Science
Funology.com
Human Anatomy Online
Robot Constructor
Social Studies Resources
New York Times Learning Network
Library of Congress Site for Kids and Families
KidsPast.com
U.S. Census Bureau Kids’ Corner
TerraWeb for Kids
White House for Kids
Presidents of the United States
Library of Congress American Memories
Ben’s Guide to U.S. Government for Kids
Patent and Trademark Kids’ Pages
Home Schooling Resources
Home School Spot: Forum for parents of home-schooled kids.
Home School Mom.com: Website full of homeschooling resources, newsletters, lesson plans, planning and more.
HomeSchool.com: Homeschooling curriculums, resources, interviews and articles, and a database of local and regional homeschooling support groups.
Home Education Magazine: Online magazine geared toward homeschooling families.
Home School Resources: Site with information on local support groups, pre-k to high school education, special needs and more.
Home School Buyers: Website offering volume discounts on school supplies for homeschooling families.
The Well-Trained Mind: Website spin-off of The Well-Trained Mind book; directory of home-school blogs, forums, and resources.
Homeschool World: Official website of Homeschool World Magazine. Free newsletter, forums, experts, articles and resources.
SHEAF Homeschool Blog: Homeschooling with a Catholic theme.
Let’s Homeschool: Homeschool resource site with articles, curriculum resources, and directory of 100 best homeschool sites on the web.
100 COMPLETELY FREE Distance Learning Resources for Homeschoolers
April 08, 2009

Jennifer Williamson worked as a GED teacher for an adult education nonprofit for two years. Her students came from all walks of life, and ranged in age from sixteen to sixty-eight. During that time, she became knowledgeable about the unique needs of non-traditional learners. She counseled hundreds of students about their higher education options, including online degree programs. Today, she works as an education writer in Pennsylvania.
Comments:
Rmelodie
12/27/2011 04:05 pm
This is an awesome list of resources for students of all ages.