Educational Resources and Products for Parents That Do or Don’t Homeschool

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you—thank you for supporting our family blog!

Middle School & High School

Today I’m sharing my most coveted teaching/learning tools that I use for my kids—Both homeschooled and not homeschooled. Let’s start with what I consider the holy grail: The Jossey-Bass Teacher Lesson-a-Day Books. If you’re an open-and-teach type of parent, then this collection is for you. It’s a very straight-to-the-point, walk-you-through-it series, and I love everything about it. We started with The Grammar Teacher’s Activity-a-Day Book, and it was just what I needed. If you’re at the stage where you’re teaching the there, their, and they’re(s), then this book is for you. Like most of the books in this series, it covers a multitude of grades; this particular book covers 5th–12th grade. I use these books as a basis and then go from there, but they’re especially good if you want to catch any gaps in your child’s learning.

I was so impressed with the Grammar Book that I quickly purchased The Reading Teacher’s Word-a-Day, Grades 6–12 version, and I gotta tell you, I love, love, LOVE it! I’m a person who loves words, and I love teaching my kids new words. On car rides, we review words and I make each child use the word in a sentence, and the other kids get to rank how well the word was used. It’s a huge hit for car rides.

After my experience with both books, I bought every book I could find in the series. I also have:

Perfect Paragraphs & Excellent Essays is for kids in grades three through twelve. It’s extremely simple to use, especially for a parent with little to no experience teaching writing. The lessons are short, and you’ll see improvement in your child’s writing quickly. This teaching series also includes Radiant Research, Simple Sentences, and Superb Sentences. I haven’t used these yet, but I’ve heard great things about them.

Did you see that viral video of that guy on Love Island pronouncing epitome as E-PI-TOME, or that video of those high schoolers who couldn’t pronounce “silhouette” or “extraordinary”? That video shook me to my core. I immediately paused the video to have each of my kids read the words to see if they could pronounce them. Gratefully, they all could, but I immediately bought 100 Words Every High School Freshman Should Know & 100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know. They both had been sitting in my cart for a while, but those videos motivated me to cash out. Both are excellent resources. We also use them in the car to learn the definitions and create sentences. These are small books that travel well and can easily be placed in your purse, small bag, or glove compartment.

For a while, Zaniel struggled with fractions. Nothing we tried would help. He is a hands-on, visual learner like myself, so we didn’t start seeing real improvement until he began using Magnetic Fractions. These visual representations easily helped stop any mental blocks he was having when it came to fractions, and now he breezes through them. If he gets stuck, we pull the magnets out and work through the problem tear-free.

Vayda was recently accepted into two medical programs! Not only is she CPR certified, but she knows how to stop the bleed, and soon she’ll have even more medical skills to beef up that college resume. Even though she’s only in the 8th grade, you can never prepare too early for college. Vayda wants to study medicine, so I do as much as earthly possible to support her medical goals. One of her favorite medical toys is the Human Anatomy Squishy Body Model. This couldn’t be a better learning tool, because we spend too much money buying her squishies. Now she can squish and learn at the same time. She also has an Anatomy Coloring Book, which is another easy, interactive way for her to learn about anatomy in a low-pressure way. Lastly, to round off her medical tools, she has the Future Doctor Medical Kit. This is a full medical kit equipped with everything a doctor would need for a medical exam. It also includes an introductory online medical class and 60 practical projects. We haven’t dug into this one yet, but we took out all of the supplies and tools, and it had Vayda feeling like a real doctor.

Pre-K Through Kindergarten

I’m in the midst of turning my theater room into a classroom for my Littles, and one of my newest buys is an analog learning clock. It’s a visual aid for kids learning to tell time. Each hour is a different color on the clock, and the hour hand is black like the black number of the hour, while the minute hand is blue and the minutes on the clock are blue.

Zaccai loves all things STEM, so it’s only right that the marble run is his current favorite toy. It allows him to put his engineering skills to the test. It’s just right for him and Zo, but the toddler one is better suited for Binky, as he still tries to put the marbles in his mouth.

I’m currently teaching Zaccai how to read, and I think Big Zo will probably learn early by default, as he wants to do everything that he sees his big brother do, and he knows just as many letters and sounds as Zaccai does. Here are the resources that have helped me tremendously on their literacy journey.

The Elemental Phonics series is an open-and-go book series that introduces phonics in a fun and engaging way. It’s designed for kids ages 3–7, and it helps children master letter sounds, blending, decoding, and early reading skills. I was looking for a straightforward, effective, and no-fluff approach to teaching reading, and this is exactly what it is. There’s no guesswork involved—just clear, explicit instruction that helps kids understand phonics patterns rather than just memorizing words. It also has two-letter sound blending, while most curriculums only have three.

I use the Elemental Phonics series in conjunction with Preschool Beginner Math, Preschool Literacy, and Preschool Writing by JDA Learning. All three are just as straightforward and easy to use. I also find them very practical for my preschoolers. We are also using games and toys like Zingo to learn sight words, and Scholastic Wipe-Clean Workbooks—Wipe-Clean Workbooks are such a brilliant invention, and they save me so much paper. We also use Scholastic Learning Pads for morning work. We use the Get Ready for Preschool, Preschool, Kindergarten, & First Grade Learning Pads. They cover Binky, Zo, and Zaccai’s learning levels. We also use the large Ticonderoga pencils, which are perfect for their little hands as they learn how to grip the pencil to write and draw.

I’ll be honest, teaching math intimidates me, but gratefully I’ve found a system and resources that work. I’m currently using Preschool Math at Home to teach my Littles how to count, add, and subtract. We are moving through it so fast, and Zaccai is already adding! Right now, the kids are loving Montessori Wooden Counting Pegs for counting and adding. My kids love puzzles, so I buy up every large Melissa & Doug puzzle I can find.

Outside of traditional learning subjects, I’m very intentional about my little kids learning life skills. They like to cook with me, so they use their little Montessori cooking utensils whenever they can. We are also working on building the skills they need to properly dress themselves. We have the Learn to Tie Your Shoes & Dress Montessori Boards that let them practice how to use buckles, buttons, snaps, zips, and laces.

The heart of all things important regarding schoolwork in my house centers around the only printer you’ll ever need: the Epson ET-4760. We have had this printer for over six years, and it has never, EVER done me wrong. Printers used to be one of those pieces of equipment that scared me; I found them to be expensive and too technical, and if I pressed one wrong button, I could have a major problem and wouldn’t be able to print. This printer is the complete opposite: it prints cleanly, smoothly, quickly, and it’s not high maintenance at all. I print a lot! Like, maybe a novel’s worth of pages a month, and we’ve only ever refilled the ink once. So it may seem like a big investment, but it absolutely saves money in the long run. It’s due for a little maintenance now, but I’m rocking with this printer until the very end!

If you’ve found this blog post from my Instagram or TikTok account, then you’re probably looking for information regarding free tutoring. I am happy to share one of my resources. Tutoring is an asset when it comes to homeschooling. In fact, it’s an asset even if you aren’t homeschooling. Right now, my big kids are working on math that is way over my head, and tutoring for three kids can be extremely expensive—I know this because I’ve done it before. So if your kid needs some extra help in any subject, here’s how you can gain access to free tutoring.

First, you’ll need a Chicago Public Library card. If you don’t have a library card, now is the perfect time to get one, because September is Library Card Sign-Up Month!! On the other hand, if your child is a Chicago Public Schools student, their student ID number doubles as their library card number, so they essentially already have a library card. Here’s how to gain access to free tutoring:

Visit https://www.chipublib.org/
In the upper right-hand corner, select the search icon and switch the search toggle from “catalog” to “website.”
Type in Brainfuse.
Select the first result that pops up. It should say something like:
- Brainfuse HelpNow: Homework Help
- Get help with your homework online 24/7. Get expert help with:
  - Writing assignments
  - Math, science, and social studies subjects
  - Spanish homework
  - English as a second language lessons
It’ll take you to a page that requests your Library Card Number and PIN.
- Card Number: Your CPS student ID number
- PIN: Your home ZIP code
Log in, and it’ll take you to the page where you’ll gain access to 24-hour online tutors! All you have to do is select the subject and your child’s grade in school.

We’ve had great experiences with it. Also, if the first tutor isn’t a good match, just end the session and start a new one. You’ll usually be routed to another tutor.

If you don’t have access to a Chicago Public Library ID, just head over to the Matteson Public Library website.

Visit the Matteson Public Library website. Scroll to the bottom of the page and you’ll see “Research and Learning.” Click “Learning,” and scroll down until you see “Brainfuse HelpNow.” Select “Live Tutoring” and then follow the prompts. Now you’ve gained access to free tutoring for your child—no library card necessary! I personally spoke to the librarian at the Matteson Public Library, and she told me that they were thinking of canceling the service because no one uses it and they are paying for it, so be sure to put it to good use. You may also find access to free tutoring via Brainfuse at other local public libraries. If you do, let me know so that I can add them to this post for other families.

If you’re a military family, I have an even better resource—just let me know if you want that info, too!

You can find a complete list of my learning resources on my Amazon Storefront, and be sure to subscribe to my newsletter, as I’ll be releasing more Chicagoland Youth Programs on my blog this week.