A homeschool video curriculum can help take the stress out of homeschooling!
There’s no question that homeschooling (well, any schooling) can sometimes be a slog for both parents and kids. No matter how fun and engaging you try to make your homeschooling, there are bound to be days (or maybe weeks?) when it just feels like boring old school. You know, the kind of schooling you picture taking place in uniform, in old black and white movies.
Homeschooling puts a lot of pressure on homeschooling parents, there’s no doubt about that. After all, in almost all cases, you’re just one person. There’s only so much variety and engagement one person can bring to the table. That’s not a failing of you as a homeschool parent, by any means. It’s just the reality of homeschooling (or, any teaching for that matter). School doesn’t have to feel like entertainment…but what if it could? At least a little?
This brings us to 2cool4school.org. They provide an online, comprehensive and curated list of age-appropriate learning videos for every topic in their grade 1 through 8 curriculums. These aren’t videos created by a single company, instead they’re the best of the best of YouTube videos that teach each and every topic, fully vetted by real humans.
Created by a husband and wife team in 2020, parents of two wonderful elementary school aged kids, 2cool4school was built to help parents keep their kids engaged while learning. After all, isn’t engagement one of the most important aspects of successful learning? The more engaged your child is, the more they will retain. The more they enjoy the learning experience, the more they’ll want to keep learning. As homeschool parents, we want to build lifelong skills and a positive relationship with learning. We’re building the foundation for future learning. That’s the goal of the founders of 2cool4school.org. To build a foundation for modern, lifelong learning.
Let’s get into the details of this free platform. Each grade’s full curriculum aligns to the Common Core State Standards and includes comprehensive coverage for Math, Science, English, Health and Social Studies. You can use the platform as a full teaching curriculum for grades 1 through 8 (with some basic progress tracking features) or you can cherry-pick which subject or topic you want to cover with your child. It’s not all or nothing, which is one of the nice things about the platform. Pick a topic or a series of topics and have your child watch some of the best learning material out there…for free. The platform only covers the presentation of the material, so as a homeschool teacher, you’ll still want to either discuss
the material afterwards, to check for comprehension, or pair the learning videos with worksheets (they’re looking at adding free worksheets to the platform in the future).
You might be thinking, why can’t I just find free learning videos on YouTube myself? Absolutely, you can. But if you want to save time (the 2cool4school team has spent dozens of hours scouring the web for great content) and have the reassurance that the video you choose is age appropriate AND aligns with the Common Core Standards, then 2cool4school is a great tool. Besides, it’s completely free. There’s no catch or limits on use. Check out www.2cool4school.org and add the homeschool video curriculum to your homeschooling toolbox. If you like it, spread the word. Keep those kids engaged. Happy learning!
