Homeschool Freebie of the Day

Classic Children’s Songs (mp3 audio files) - Today we have a collection of some favorite children’s songs from generations past! Follow a little boy on his journey to discover “The Prettiest Song in the World”, sing along with some classic standards, and revisit some of our own favorites including “Punky Pumpkin” and the dreaded “EIO Song”! If you’ve been with us a long time, some of these will be familiar favorites to you, but there are also a few new treats for you to enjoy… PLUS an exciting bonus story about Little Wolf, the Indian boy. Check them out!

If you like these, be sure to visit our sister site, HomeschoolRadioShows.com, for more free weekly programs, especially selected for homeschool listening!

Click here for today’s resources

Faith Lessons From The Farm by Penny Raine (PDF ebook) – Here is author Penny Raine’s introduction to this neat little ebook of lessons learned from their family farm: “Many years ago while sitting in a church service the pastor was talking about the Old Testament and how they desired big families because they lived off of the land and needed their children to be workers with them. Well, Jim and I smiled at each other knowing we were raising a big family to be workers in God’s harvest fields. We already lived on a farm at that time but hadn’t fully realized what God could teach us by that lifestyle……

“Since many of you don’t live on a farm so I will share my lessons with you. This is not a teaching but rather a testimony. I hope it sparks some teachable moments for you and that the Lord gives you fresh revelations from your surroundings. He is everywhere and His lessons are everywhere. It is up to us to
see them.”

Great ebook with some wonderful lessons & reminders. To visit Penny’s website and find out more about their family & ministry, click here.

Click here to download today’s freebie resource

Everyday Arithmetic (PDF ebook) – This is a CLASSIC early 20th century math text for middle grades that very effectively applies arithmetic to everyday activities such as shopping, cooking, telling time, building projects, household concerns, sports activities, camping, and much more. It is full of interesting interesting word problems and neat illustrations – plus some great math exercises and quizzes. Definitely a “living book” as far as math texts go, and worth your checking out! Originally written for grades 5 – 6, but the material could be used for other middle grades as well.

Click here for today’s resource!

Our Favorite Homeschool Ideas For The Holidays (PDF ebook) – Whether you’re ready for it or not, the holiday season is right around the corner! And while we can’t control the calendar, we CAN control what the holidays are going to be like in our own households. Now’s the time to plan how to make the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons the best time of the year for your family.

We surveyed over 800 homeschool families and asked them to share their favorite holiday activities and ideas – what worked for them, and what did not. This is a compilation of the very best responses and ideas we received. In this little collection you’ll find dozens of great holiday learning activities plus tips and suggestions for balancing homeschool & family during the hectic holiday season. This is some of the very best “real life” advice on the subject you’ll find ANYWHERE at any price. Don’t miss it!

We’ll be making this resource available all through October and November, so please tell your friends to stop by and get a copy — they’ll thank you for it!

Click here for this great holiday resource!

Hero Tales from American History by Henry Cabot Lodge & Theodore Roosevelt (PDF ebook) – Today’s resource is this fine collection of essays on heroes from the pages of American history, as collected and told by none other than Teddy Roosevelt & Henry Cabot Lodge! Some of these are familiar ground for most of us, but several of these heroic deeds, once read and treasured by earlier generations, are now almost entirely lost. Includes essays on Daniel Boone, Lincoln, Washington, the Alamo, Revolutionary War battles, Civil War heroes, and many more. Great for students who really enjoy history and adventure!

Excerpt from the introduction:

“It is a good thing for all Americans, and it is an especially good thing for young Americans, to remember the men who have given their lives in war and peace to the service of their fellow-countrymen, and to keep in mind the feats of daring and personal prowess done in time past by some of the many champions of the nation in the various crises of her history. Thrift, industry, obedience to law, and intellectual cultivation are essential qualities in the makeup of any successful people; but no people can be really great unless they possess also the heroic virtues which are as needful in time of peace as in time of war, and as important in civil as in military life….”

Click here for this resource

15 Ways to Save Money (PDF ebook) - Are you looking for ways to stretch your household budget and save some of your hard earned cash? “Yes you can… but you need to train yourself to be a disciplined buyer and learn to become an intelligent saver,” says the intro to today’s resource. In this ebook you’ll discover dozens of tips and advice on saving money on groceries, insurance, furniture, clothing, vacations, credit cards and other household expenses. Some great ideas here for just about anyone — glean what you can and start saving in YOUR household today!

Click here for today’s resource

Mr. President Gets Fit (mp3 audio) – Today’s freebie is this great episode of the program, “Mr. President”, which dramatized little known but fascinating stories of those great men as dramatized on old time radio. Frankly, most kids don’t know much more about these past Presidents other than their name, approximate dates, and one or two general facts about their presidency. To most young people today (and us older folks too!), they are just a bunch of funny looking, musty, bewhiskered, hopelessly outdated “old dead guys”. But listening to these classic programs breathes a little life back into this part of our American history and heritage.

In today’s episode, we find that this “Mr. President” is an avid hiker and fitness enthusiast — and one day he realizes that most everyone else around him in the government is woefully out of shape. So begins his crusade to promote physical fitness… a program that continues to this very day. Who was this “Mr. President”? Listen to the story and pay attention to the clues and see if you can guess before his identity is revealed at the end of the program. 30 minute mp3 audio (download size: 7 megs)

Click here for today’s resource!

Getting Yourself Organized: A Collection of Easy and Simple Strategies to Getting (and Staying) Organized (PDF ebook) – Today’s freebie is this great collection of articles on organizing your household — from decluttering to re-organizing your schedule to getting the kids organized and more. Lots of great tips and ideas in these that you can use in your household today!

Click here for today’s resource

The Book of Hand Shadows to Throw on the Wall (PDF ebook) – If you enjoyed the little hand shadows video we ran yesterday, then your kids might enjoy making some of their own during the upcoming fall and winter evenings. Here’s a delightful gallery of shadow pictures for kids (and limber adults) to try their hand at, from way back in 1858.

Click here for today’s resource!

Oh, and here’s a couple more fun hand shadows video to inspire you to have fun with your own…

This one is a wildlife commercial from Argentina that features lots of simple animals…

And this one is just an amazing artsy hand shadow video. I think you’d need three or four families together to actually put together something like this, but it IS fun to watch!

Many of you are familiar with Jill Novak, author of The Gift of Family Writing and publisher of The Girlhood Home Companion. This summer the Novak family began a new chapter in their lives with the founding of Hopeful Farm, a non-profit organization based in Kentucky that ministers to families impacted by special needs.

The vision for Hopeful Farm was planted in the Novak’s hearts ten years ago, after the birth and death of their fourth child, Nicholas, who was born with a genetic syndrome. Now, Hopeful Farm is finally becoming a reality.

The mission of Hopeful Farm is truly unique and much needed as it seeks to provide an all-access environment in which families impacted by special needs may find time to focus on each other, build relationships, and gain refreshment and renewal in an escape from the exhausting grind of everyday life.

This is the first time Hopeful Farm has held a benefit of this magnitude, and you will not believe the resources that are being donated as a thank you for your participation. If you have been wanting some of Jill’s writing and drawing products to enrich your home school curriculum, not to mention her resources for mothers and daughters, this is something you have to see!

Click here

Not only that, but Jill’s publishing friends have donated some incredible resources as well, as a way to bless you for becoming involved in this very important work.

Your family can have a direct impact on families with children with special needs – and in return, your own family will receive a blessing from all of the wonderful companies that have offered their products in support of Hopeful Farm.

If you would like to hear what Hopeful Farm is all about, you can access an online interview by Cindy Rushton with Claire and Jill Novak HERE

This benefit will run for a few more days, so take a look now…and please tell a friend or three or four about it!