Homeschooling with Technology

Looking for free, ready-to-use educational resources for your homeschool? Canva Learn Grid offers worksheets, presentations, infographics, and interactive activities that can save you time and make learning more engaging.

How to access Canva Learn Grid and search for ready-to-use educational resources.

How to filter resources by subject, grade level, and location, including US state standards and other countries.

Worksheets and digital activities that students can complete as part of their lessons.

Presentations and infographics that make teaching easier, especially for homeschool co-op classes.

Interactive games created with Canva Code, including matching activities, word searches, quizzes, and sequencing exercises.

How to customize resources by changing text, adding your own photos, or adapting activities to your curriculum.

One of the biggest advantages of Canva Learn Grid is the ability to find resources that are ready to use immediately. Whether you’re planning a unit study, teaching a co-op class, or need an educational activity on a busy day, Learn Grid provides plenty of options.

Students can also use the templates as a starting point for their own presentations, research projects, and creative assignments.

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 Canva Learn Grid: A New Free Resource for Homeschooling appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Completing the FAFSA can feel intimidating, but the process has become much simpler than it used to be. In this episode, Meryl talks with Robert Farrington, founder of The College Investor, about what families need to know when completing the FAFSA.

Robert explains why almost every college-bound student should complete the FAFSA—even families who assume they won’t qualify for federal aid. The FAFSA can also be required for state aid, college scholarships, and other financial aid opportunities.

Robert also shares how the FAFSA has changed. Much of the information is now imported directly from your tax return, and the form uses smart logic to ask only the questions relevant to your family. The average completion time is now around 12 minutes.

In this episode, we discuss:

Robert recommends completing the FAFSA early because some state and college financial aid programs operate on a first-come, first-served basis.

He also shares planning strategies families can consider before their children reach college age, including where assets are held and how 529 plans are treated for financial aid purposes.

After submitting the FAFSA, students should watch for their Student Aid Index (SAI) and check whether any colleges on their list also require the CSS Profile.

The College Investor

Look for Robert’s article: “The 2027–28 FAFSA Is Now Open to Every Family.”

StudentAid.gov

Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network Birthday Giveaway

Find the giveaway here

Website: http://thecollegeinvestor.com/

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 Tips for Completing the FAFSA: What Parents Need to Know appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Meryl has been tracking what technology does to a homeschool since before most of us were paying attention. That is why she gets this question.

For the network’s thirteenth birthday, every host answers one real question from a homeschool parent. Here is hers.

Her question: “Your teenager is using AI to do their schoolwork, and you have no idea whether to ban it or teach it.”

Her answer is the analogy that makes it click: adults use AI like an intern — a junior one, whose work you check. Teens do not see an assistant. They see a replacement, a shortcut, a brain double. We do not use it as a crutch; we use it to help us, and that is what your teen has to learn. The clip comes from Creating an AI Policy for Your Homeschool.

Also in this episode: Felice Gerwitz on whether to homeschool at all · Hal and Melanie Young on boys who will not sit still · Dr. Melanie Wilson on why you are already behind · the 7Sisters on the high school transcript · Sue Myers on a fever and a two-year-old · Meredith Curtis on getting the joy back · Lisa Nehring on life skills before they launch.

The Sweet 13 Giveaway is open. More than $1,500 in prizes, four drawings across October, and a free party favor for everyone who enters. Enter at ultimateradioshow.com/sweet-13 — October 1 through 29. No purchase necessary, US residents 18+, official rules here.

Presented by Eden’s Table, a Bible-rooted herbalism unit study for K–5. Get Week 1 free, or use code EDEN13 for 10% off through October 31.

The post Sweet 13 Bonus: My Teen Is Using AI appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Meryl shares a free website that makes practicing history quick and fun: Cool History Games.

The site includes several daily history games that work well as a short family activity, a homeschool warm-up, or a transition between subjects. Everything can be played directly in the browser, with no login required.

Meryl highlights five daily games:

She also explores Time Trek, a longer choose-your-own-adventure-style history game. Players travel through different historical eras, make decisions, and earn attributes such as health, gold, knowledge, and fame along the way.

These games are a simple way to reinforce history knowledge, introduce unfamiliar historical topics, and give students an opportunity to interact with history rather than simply read about it.

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 Cool History Games appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Have you heard of Airtable but aren’t quite sure what it is—or why a homeschool family might want to use it?

In this episode, Gina Steffy from the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network explains how Airtable can help homeschool families organize information, keep records, and create searchable collections of resources.

Gina explains that Airtable is essentially a database with a user-friendly interface. Unlike a traditional spreadsheet, it allows you to organize the same information in different ways, attach files and images, create forms, filter records, and easily find what you need later.

We also brainstorm plenty of practical ways homeschool families could use Airtable.

In this episode, we discuss:

Gina also shares an Airtable Homeschool Starter Guide printable that walks you through creating a simple book list—an easy first Airtable project for your homeschool.

A simple project for your teen

Instead of learning new software without a purpose, give your teen a real project. Ask them to create an Airtable database your family can actually use. They could organize your books, recipes, field trips, homeschool resources, or another collection of information.

They’ll gain practical digital-literacy skills while creating something useful for the whole family.

Resources mentioned

If your homeschool information currently lives in a mixture of spreadsheets, screenshots, notes, papers, and files, Airtable may be worth exploring.

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 How Homeschool Families Can Use Airtable appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

College applications can feel overwhelming, especially once senior year arrives. In this episode, I share several useful websites that can help homeschool families choose colleges, understand the application process, work through essays and recommendations, and make sense of what happens after applications are submitted.

These resources are useful for seniors, but many are worth exploring much earlier. Starting in middle or early high school gives students more time to think about what they want in a college and helps reduce stress later.

FAFSA

If your student may apply for financial aid or scholarships, be sure to complete the FAFSA. Parents and students will each need the appropriate accounts, so it is helpful to get those set up before the FAFSA opens.

College Scorecard

College Scorecard is a helpful place to start comparing colleges. You can filter schools by factors such as:

You can also compare information such as graduation rates, average annual cost, and median earnings after graduation.

Appily

Appily offers college search tools, virtual college tours, scholarship information, and quizzes designed to help students think about possible majors and what type of college might be a good fit.

Students can also explore factors such as campus culture, demographics, clubs, and other aspects of college life.

Common App Resources

This provides a video walkthrough of the Common App.

https://www.commonapp.org/apply/fy-toolkit

The First-Year Toolkit also covers topics such as:

BigFuture by College Board

BigFuture includes information about scholarships, college planning, and the application process.

Resources include:

BigFuture also has a College Planning for Homeschoolers FAQ, which answers questions specifically relevant to homeschool applicants, including questions about high school codes and account setup.

College Essay Guy

The College Essay Guy’s resources extend well beyond the main Common App essay.

You can find information on:

There are also free resources for international students, first-generation students, and low-income students.

Even if your child is not yet a senior, consider creating a digital folder where you can save useful college application information. When application season arrives, you will already have resources available rather than starting from scratch.

You can also search the FundaFunda Academy blog for additional articles about college applications, scholarships, and scholarship websites

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 Best College Application Resources for Homeschoolers appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Google Search has changed significantly with the addition of AI-generated summaries at the top of search results. For students especially, this can make it tempting to accept an AI-generated answer without ever visiting the original source or checking whether the information is accurate.

In this episode, I talk with veteran homeschooler and educator, Jo Ebisujima, about alternatives to Google Search and why homeschoolers should teach their children to think more carefully about how they search for information online.

Jo shares a variety of search engines and browsers families can explore, including options that emphasize privacy, reduce tracking and advertising, or allow users to search without automatically receiving AI-generated answers.

One simple activity Jo recommends is giving your children several questions for which you already know the answers. Have them search for the same information using different search engines and compare what they find.

This is an easy way to introduce discussions about online research, digital privacy, source evaluation, and AI literacy.

Be sure to check out Jo’s blog post on this topic, where you can find links to the sites she mentions.

For online classes for homeschool students, including Computer Applications, AI for Teens, computer science, and other electives, visit the Computer page on FundaFunda Academy.

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 Alternatives to Google search appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Can you really homeschool for free?

Yes — but free curriculum usually requires more work from the parent. In this episode, I walk through what a homeschool day could look like using completely free resources for math, English, foreign language, science, history, geography, art, and music.

Rather than giving you dozens of websites to sort through, I focus on a manageable number of resources that can work across multiple subjects and age levels.

Math

English

Foreign Language

Science

History

Use a video as the starting point, then expand the topic with library books, research projects, posters, LEGO builds, games, or other hands-on activities.

Geography, Art & Music

These subjects don’t necessarily need to be covered every day, so they can easily be rotated throughout the week.

Free resources can provide excellent content, but parents often need to decide what to use, put lessons into a logical sequence, add supplementary material, provide accountability, and give students feedback.

That takes time.

Paid curriculum and online classes often save parents time because someone else has already organized and sequenced the material. But you certainly don’t need to outsource every subject. Working alongside your children is one of the advantages of homeschooling.

AI can also make using free resources much easier.

For example, you could ask AI to help you map out a year of science for an eight-year-old and suggest topics and resources. You can then review the plan, check the resources, and use it as a framework for your homeschool year.

Using AI as a planning assistant can significantly reduce the time required to piece free curriculum together.

FundaFunda Academy also has a free States of Matter mini unit study available when you join our newsletter. You’ll also receive access to our library of other free homeschool resources.

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 How to Homeschool for Free: A Sample Homeschool Day appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Giving a teen their first social media account can feel a little like handing them the keys to a car. We wouldn’t expect a brand-new driver to figure everything out without preparation, and social media deserves the same kind of intentional teaching.

In this episode, I’m joined by Stephanie Simoes of Critikid for a conversation about what teens need to understand before they start using social media.

We discuss six important areas parents should consider:

We also talk about practical ways parents can prepare their teens, including modeling healthy social media habits, discussing questionable posts together, and creating a social media agreement before giving them an account.

Kids Safe GPT

How Social Media Platforms Work – Reel

Interview with Fareedah on Online Safety

Be Internet Awesome – Google

Social Media TestDrive

Critikid Social Media Simulator

Critikid Media Literacy Resources

Or buy both together in the Media Literacy Bundle: https://critikid.com/bundles/media-literacy-bundle

Free media literacy resources:

Critical Thinking in a Digital Age

FundaFunda Academy Computer Applications

Teens need practice navigating social media before they are expected to manage it independently. Talk through examples with them, teach them what warning signs to watch for, and make sure they know they can come to you when something online makes them uncomfortable.

If you know a family with a teen who is getting close to opening a first social media account, share this episode with them.

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 How to prepare teens for their first social media accounts appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

AI can be an incredibly useful learning tool for teens—but only when they use it in ways that support their own thinking and skill development.

In this episode, I share a framework parents can use to help teens decide when AI is appropriate for schoolwork. The key question teens need to ask is: Will using AI help me learn something, or will it help me avoid learning it?

We look at situations where teens should not use AI, including:

I also share productive ways teens can use AI. It can re-explain a difficult concept, generate extra practice questions, provide feedback on a draft without rewriting it, help brainstorm ideas, identify gaps in understanding, practice for an interview or oral exam, and suggest search terms or resources for research.

Finally, I give teens four questions they can ask themselves before using AI for schoolwork:

These questions can help homeschool parents move the conversation beyond simply telling teens whether AI is “good” or “bad” and teach them to make thoughtful decisions about how they use it.

AI for Teens class at FundaFunda Academy

NotebookLM

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 Is AI Helping Your Teen Learn—or Doing the Learning for Them? appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.