Over 100,000 UK children are now homeschooled! This is the second highest number in the whole world.
So how can parents ensure that their children are getting the richest and broadest education possible?
The Headmistress at the very first school I ever worked at (was back in the 1990’s!) once gave me an excellent piece of advice. I will never forget her exact words:
“Our children deserve a mixed diet.”
Home schooled parents and children have the freedom to explore topics in as much depth as they wish.
A study of the Tudors could result in an impromptu trip to Hampton Court Palace, a session of Tudor cooking (can you buy peacock at Tescos?).
If Astronomy is on the menu, unforgettable night-times gazing up at the stars with a telescope may well be the order of the day.
Mathematics can be brought to life by asking your child to take charge of the week’s shopping budget!
The possibilities are clearly endless…
But it is technology that really enables us to bring the world into our homes. To marvel at the look of awe and wonder in our children as their thirst for knowledge is ignited.
So, here are my top ten FREE websites to help ensure that home schooled children are getting that ‘mixed diet’ of learning!
1. Khan Academy
This wonderful website curates many courses from around the web; Khan Academy offers impressive depth on many different subjects.
Among the more well known educational sites, Khan Academy is also incredibly user friendly, which may make it easier to keep learning goals.
2. Udemy
Udemy’s free courses are brilliant. I strongly recommend that you jump onto the website and take a look!
3. Codecademy
Codecademy is a website dedicated specifically to teaching coding. Codecademy includes a live practice window. This means you can practice coding while still viewing the lesson material.
The courses at Codecademy are brilliant.
4. BBC Podcasts
The BBC offers a wide variety of podcasts on many different topics. Most podcasts are updated weekly, and focus on everything from finance, to sports, to current events.
Check out BBC Bitesize for some really fun educational activities!
5. TED-Ed
Most of these brilliant (and short) educational talks include impressive animation, and all are ten minutes long or less.
The talks are inspirational and also include quizzes on the videos. This makes the site extremely useful in formal education settings, as well as in entertaining ways to brush up on new discoveries and topics.
6. National Geographic
For those looking for kid friendly education, a large variety of games, puzzles, videos and photos keeps kids interested on this site.
National Geographic Kids is a fun and engaging learning experience!
Adam Haffner has been a teacher for many years. He is the Director of the Be My Tutor team.
