This post is all about supplemental resources that don’t fit into the core subjects category. However, they are helpful educational resources and activities for well rounded learning.
Want to know some the best supplemental resources in homeschooling? I’m going to share some of the favorite things we have used or still use use. These are for non-core subjects (math, language arts, etc.), but are still helpful for a well rounded education.
Once you have a solid plan for your core subjects, you may feel ready to add in some extras. I needed some time to get to this point, but now that we have been doing this for a few years, we have ventured into more supplemental resources. Sometimes, it is even helpful for rhythms when some of your children need more mom attention than others.
My personal boundary with screens in homeschooling is that it has to serve a purpose. Some of the resources I list are just that. So use your personal discretion when going through these.
[RELATED POST: 2023-2024 Homeschool Curriculum Choices]
Here is a list of some of the best supplemental resources we have used in our homeschool for a well rounded education.
Supplemental Resources We Have Enjoyed
1. World Watch News
As our children have grown older, I found a desire to introduce current events to our morning. I thought about getting a hard copy version of the newspaper, but felt I needed to stay current to the times in this area.
I was introduced to this online current events subscription, and gave it a trial. It contains daily 10 minute videos of news content. I am surprised at the level of professionalism and playfulness it offers – a great fit for my elementary, middle, and high school students.
Here is a link for a 7-day free trial. See if it is a good fit for your family!
2. Skillshare
Okay, I can’t say enough good things about our experience with Skillshare. One membership can work for the entire family, and there are thousands of video courses available. It is ad-free, and there are topics ranging from Procreate to gardening, and video editing to animation.
If you have a family with multiple children and with different interests, it will pay for itself very quickly. My link here often has discounts attached to it. At every point in the year, we are all taking different types of courses. To give you an example, currently, we are taking:
- 3rd grader: Procreate courses
- 6th grader: Stop motion and drawing courses
- 9th grader: Adobe Illustrater courses
- Me: content creation courses
3. Nutrition
Growing Up Nourished is a nutrition curriculum for kids written by a registered dietician. I love the way it communicates nutrition facts and tips in a way the whole family can understand. My kids really love using their journals and all the color inside the book.
We have been using it once a week in our morning meeting, and has been a welcome addition to our feast. I have already noticed subtle changes in their food choices! It also contains Scripture, which is a bonus here. You can use my code JUICEBOX for 15% off!
4. Watercolor School
We jumped on an amazing sale over at Lily & Thistle for lifetime access to Watercolor School. I had seen some of her work on Instagram, and it was really well done. There are seasonally themed designs as well. She provides video tutorials for beginner to advanced levels. It works perfectly for my entire family!
The fact that it is lifetime access gives us time to enjoy the course (there are MANY videos), and not have to rush working through it. Highly recommend to add to a loop schedule or fun Friday enrichment subject. I have my eye on her Nature’s Art Club course too.
5. Compass Classroom
Compass Classroom is a new to us video based learning program. We are currently taking the Word Up! Vocabulary courses. The host is hilarious, and he teaches the Greek and Latin root word meanings for different vocabulary words.
My little loves to pick up new fun facts, and enjoys his sense of humor.
Click here for a 25% off your Compass Classroom course!
This post was all about our favorite supplemental resources, both past and present, in homeschool.
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Carrie Ray says
Can I ask what your favorite laptops have been? Trying to decide the best one to invest in right now for my kids long term. We are a Mac family but I’m torn if my kids should have a PC model. If you already have a blog post on this, let me know!
juiceboxhomeschool says
Hi Carrie! I haven’t been intentional with selecting laptops – we’ve been handing down our older laptops when us adults upgrade. =)