Creating a website may sound intimidating, but today’s free tools make it surprisingly simple. This challenge gives you and your children a low-pressure opportunity to experiment with website design and discover how useful this skill can be.

A simple website can be useful for:

The goal of this challenge is not to produce a professional website. It is to become comfortable enough with the process that you and your children will be willing to create one when a real need arises.

Canva is my first recommendation for this challenge because it is easy to use and will host your website for free. You can design the pages visually and publish the finished website with a Canva link.

Strikingly is another free option that makes it easy to create modern-looking websites.

Google Sites takes slightly more time to learn, but it is free and works well for simple websites, portfolios, and collaborative projects.

When you get stuck, begin with the tool’s help section. You can also ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Claude, or another AI assistant to walk you through the specific problem.

Work alone or with your children to create a simple website about something you enjoy. Possible topics include:

Share what you did in the challenge on one of the FundaFunda Education Instagram or Facebook posts or in one of these Facebook groups:

If you are not on social media, email your entry to [email protected], and it can be shared on your behalf.

Each week, one participant will win a FundaFunda Academy unit study of their choice worth $20. Everyone who participates during the summer will also be entered into the grand prize drawing for a $50 gift card.

Take a look at show sponsor, FundaFunda Academy to see what they offer for online classes and web-based unit studies.

Join our Facebook Group especially for the listeners of this podcast! You can ask questions and get advice as you try integrating technology in your homeschool.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and give a rating and maybe even a review! Subscribing will help you make sure you never miss an episode

The post Summer Tech Challenge # 9 – Build a Website appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Video creation is becoming an essential skill for today’s students. In this episode, homeschool families are challenged to create a short recommendation video using Canva. Whether you’ve never edited a video before or you’re ready to build your skills, this challenge provides a simple way to get started while creating something useful to share with others.

Students / parents can recommend anything they enjoyed this summer—from books and games to museums, podcasts, travel destinations, or homeschool resources.

Create a 30–60 second recommendation video about something you enjoyed this summer.

Ideas include:

Use Canva to combine images, video clips, text, and/or a voiceover into a short video.

Share what you did in the challenge on one of the FundaFunda Education Instagram or Facebook posts or in one of these Facebook groups:

If you are not on social media, email your entry to [email protected], and it can be shared on your behalf.

Each week, one participant will win a FundaFunda Academy unit study of their choice worth $20. Everyone who participates during the summer will also be entered into the grand prize drawing for a $50 gift card.

Take a look at show sponsor, FundaFunda Academy to see what they offer for online classes and web-based unit studies.

Join our Facebook Group especially for the listeners of this podcast! You can ask questions and get advice as you try integrating technology in your homeschool.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and give a rating and maybe even a review! Subscribing will help you make sure you never miss an episode

The post Summer Tech Challenge 8: Create a Video Recommendation appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

In this week’s Summer Tech Challenge, learn how to turn Google Slides into an interactive choose-your-own-adventure story. This activity combines creativity, planning, writing, and technology while giving students a fun way to present what they’ve learned.

Create a summer-themed choose-your-own-adventure story using Google Slides.

Your story could include:

Share what you did in the challenge on one of the FundaFunda Education Instagram or Facebook posts or in one of these Facebook groups:

If you are not on social media, email your entry to [email protected], and it can be shared on your behalf.

Each week, one participant will win a FundaFunda Academy unit study of their choice worth $20. Everyone who participates during the summer will also be entered into the grand prize drawing for a $50 gift card.

Subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss any episodes!

The post Summer Tech Challenge 7: Create a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Story appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Did you know you can create your own interactive Google map?

In this episode, you will learn about Google My Maps, a free Google tool that allows you to create personalized maps with locations, notes, photos, videos, colors, layers, and routes. Whether you’re planning a family vacation, documenting your travels, or creating a homeschool project, custom maps are a fun and practical way to organize information visually.

As part of the Summer Tech Challenge series, this week’s challenge is to create a Google My Map on any topic that interests you.

Create a custom Google My Map on any topic that interests you.

Ideas include:

Share what you did in the challenge on one of the FundaFunda Education Instagram or Facebook posts or in one of these Facebook groups:

If you are not on social media, email your entry to [email protected], and it can be shared on your behalf.

Each week, one participant will win a FundaFunda Academy unit study of their choice worth $20. Everyone who participates during the summer will also be entered into the grand prize drawing for a $50 gift card.

Subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss any episodes!

The post Summer Tech Challenge 6: Create a Custom Map appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Summer is the perfect time to experiment with new technology without the pressure of a full school schedule. In this fifth installment of the Summer Tech Challenge, Meryl introduces one of her favorite educational tools: Padlet.

Whether you want to plan summer adventures, organize projects, create a travel journal, or build a digital portfolio, Padlet offers an easy and flexible way to collect ideas, photos, videos, documents, and more in one place.

This week’s challenge is simple: create a Padlet and discover how it could become one of your favorite tools for homeschooling.

Create a free Padlet and use it to document or plan part of your summer. Some ideas include:

Then share a screenshot or describe what you created on one of FundaFunda Academy’s social media posts about this episode for a chance to win.

Each week, one participant will be randomly selected to win a FundaFunda Academy Unit Study of their choice.

At the end of the Summer Tech Challenge, one grand prize winner will receive a $50 Amazon gift card.

Share what you did in the challenge on one of the FundaFunda Education Instagram or Facebook posts or in one of these Facebook groups:

If you are not on social media, email your entry to [email protected] and it can be shared on your behalf.

Each week, one participant will win a FundaFunda Academy unit study of their choice worth $20. Everyone who participates during the summer will also be entered into the grand prize drawing for a $50 gift card.

Subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss any episodes!

The post Summer Tech Challenge # 5: Design Your Summer appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

In the fourth installment of the Summer Tech Challenge, Meryl encourages homeschool parents and teens to explore one of the most useful productivity tools available: Google Sheets.

Many students today have limited experience with spreadsheets, yet they are an invaluable tool for organizing information, tracking data, budgeting, planning projects, and creating charts. In this episode, Meryl challenges listeners to learn the basics of Google Sheets and then use it to track something meaningful during the summer.

Whether you’re completely new to spreadsheets or already have some experience, this challenge can be adapted to your skill level.

Create a Google Sheet to track:

=> The high school activity tracker mentioned in this episode – it will force you to make a copy you can then edit and fill out.

Complete the challenge and share your project for a chance to win prizes. You can:

Share what you did in the challenge on one of the FundaFunda Education Instagram or Facebook posts or in one of these Facebook groups:

If you are not on social media, email your entry to [email protected] and it can be shared on your behalf.

Each week, one participant will win a FundaFunda Academy unit study of their choice worth $20. Everyone who participates during the summer will also be entered into the grand prize drawing for a $50 gift card.

Subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss any episodes!

The post Summer Tech Challenge # 4: Create a Summer Tracker appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

This week’s challenge is simple: explore Google Arts & Culture and discover something new.

Whether you enjoy art, history, geography, museums, or interactive games, Google Arts & Culture offers countless opportunities for learning and exploration. From virtual museum tours to historical exhibits, famous artworks, cultural landmarks, and educational games, there is something for every age and interest.

Share your favorite Google Arts and Culture Activity on one of the FundaFunda Education Instagram or Facebook posts

or in one of these Facebook groups:

If you are not on social media, email your quiz link to [email protected] and it can be shared on your behalf.

Each week, one participant will win a FundaFunda Academy unit study of their choice worth $20. Everyone who participates during the summer will also be entered into the grand prize drawing for a $50 gift card.

Subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss any episodes!

The post Summer Tech Challenge #3: Explore Google Arts and Culture appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

This week’s summer challenge is to create a trivia game. Students can choose any topic, educational or just for fun, and create a quiz with 10–20 questions. The quiz should use multiple choice, matching, or another format where players select answers on-screen. Episode 83 covers some tools not mentioned in this episode.

Creating quizzes helps students review material in an active way while also building tech skills. Students can make quizzes for friends, siblings, or family members, or families can create one together.

Students may use AI to help generate questions, but they should carefully check all answers for accuracy and test the game before sharing it.

Students in grades 6–12 can also enter the Canva Game Creator Contest:

https://www.fundafundaacademy.com/product/game-creation-contest/

Once your quiz is complete, share the link on one of the FundaFunda Education Instagram or Facebook posts

or in one of these Facebook groups:

If you are not on social media, email your quiz link to [email protected] and it can be shared on your behalf.

Each week, one participant will win a FundaFunda Academy unit study of their choice worth $20. Everyone who participates during the summer will also be entered into the grand prize drawing for a $50 gift card.

Subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss any episodes!

The post Summer Tech Challenge #2 : Create a Trivia Game appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

This summer, Homeschooling with Technology is launching a fun nine-week Summer Tech Challenge designed to help homeschool families explore technology together. Each Wednesday in June and July, you’ll receive a short challenge focused on building practical tech skills through hands-on activities.

The first challenge explores AI-powered trip planning. Families will use multiple AI tools to create and compare travel itineraries while developing research, critical thinking, evaluation, geography, and digital literacy skills.

Select a travel theme that interests your family, such as:

Possible tools include:

Create a detailed prompt that includes:

Example:

“Plan a three-day Tennessee history-themed family trip for a family of four with two teens and a budget under $600 starting in Nashville.”

Check:

Also conduct your own Google search to see whether you can discover attractions or ideas the AI tools missed.

Discuss:

Share something you learned from the challenge, such as:

Submit entries by:

Weekly Prize

Grand Prize

Subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss any episodes!

The post Summer Tech Challenge #1: AI Trip Planning appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

In this episode, Meryl interviews sixth-grader Penny Laine Buschle about her experience using Boddle Learning, a free game-based learning platform for students in Kindergarten through sixth grade.

Rather than reviewing the platform only from an adult perspective, Meryl invited Penny Laine to spend time actually playing and learning inside Boddle so listeners could hear directly from a student using it.

Topics covered in this episode include:

Topics Penny Lane explored included:

Meryl also shares details about:

If you use any of these ideas, come join the conversation in the Homeschooling with Technology Community on Facebook and let us know which ones your family enjoyed most!

Subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss any episodes!

The post Game-based Learning with Boddle appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.