The beauty of homeschooling is being able to pick and choose the courses and resources that best meet your children’s learning needs. While most of us wouldn’t love our kids to be on a screen all day for school, using online courses to supplement your homeschool can be a great help to mom! Plus, as the kids get older, the more complex subject matter can be taught by an expert.
Here are my best tips for using online courses in your homeschool plus some favorites for you to check out.
This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. I will receive a commission if you purchase from these links. Thank you.
Why Use Online Courses
Online courses can help supplement subjects that you don’t want to teach. Many moms find that online math courses take the frustration off of that tricky subject!
We’ve used Thinkwell Homeschool and CTCMath for different children at different points in our math education.
Other subjects that work well for outsourcing include music, art, foreign language, and high school electives.
Tips for Using Online Courses
Younger students will of course need help with navigating online courses at first. By setting a flexible homeschool routine, your children will enjoy looking forward to a regular online course.
Use the time while they are learning online to take a few quiet minutes for yourself, or tend to the other kids. It’s a great tool for multi-tasking as a homeschool mom, while knowing that your child is still learning!
Older students will benefit from taking responsibility for course deadlines and required projects. If your high schoolers can take online college courses as a dual enrolled student, they will benefit tremendously from the added academic rigor, learning under different professors and teaching styles, and taking full responsibility for their learning.
How to Organize Digital Homeschool Resources
We’ve probably all been there – dozens of purchased (or free) digital resources are stacking up on our computer, but we have no idea how to organize them or find a resource when we need it!
Trello provides a powerful tool for organizing your digital homeschool resources in one place, then easily assigning resources to your children.
Check out these two short videos or learn more about using Trello on my YouTube channel!
Online Courses for Homeschool
If you’re looking for top-notch online courses to use in your homeschool, you can’t go wrong with one of these options. Click on the graphic to learn more.
 | In this online course you will find 19 lessons based on the life, era and culture in which Sir Isaac Newton lived, including experiments, videos, MP3 audio files, printable worksheets, online games, and interactives. It is chock full of resources for ages upper primary through high school. Families will enjoy the ‘Read & Discuss’ sections about Newton’s life, greatest accomplishments, and beliefs. There are opportunities to review and test your knowledge as well as assignments for final projects that include experiments using the included scientific method lab report. Save 25% with Learn more hereCode: ONLINE2020 |
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 | This online science & history course is full of resources for ages upper elementary through high school. Family’s will enjoy the ‘Read & Respond’ discussion-style questions about Galileo’s life, greatest accomplishments, and beliefs. Also included are opportunities to review and test your knowledge & fun, engaging experiments to learn more about Galileo’s most famous works and ideas. Assignments for final projects that include experiments, lab reports and fun, not-so-sciencey’ ways to express your knowledge and understanding of Galileo. Finally, there are excellent history resources and science museum information dedicated to the life and work of Galileo Galilei. Save 25% with Code: ONLINE2020 Learn more here |
 | This online course is 12 digital lessons and experiments about Archimedes It includes: ‘Read & Discuss’ information about Archimedes’ life and greatest accomplishments; An Archimedes Timeline, Fun Facts Quiz Cards; 5 fun, engaging experiments to learn more about Archimedes’ most famous inventions,15 + videos offering 6+ hours of instruction. Information about museums dedicated to the life and work of Archimedes. Save 25% with Code: ONLINE2020 Learn more here |
 | With this online course you will enrich your homeschool by planning staycations, family days out or epic family adventures based on your homeschool curriculum. Choose a travel destination and plan your homeschool with a family trip in mind. Learn how to utilize virtual learning in your homeschool as a way to inspire, educate and plan the next family travel adventure. Save 25% with Code: ONLINE2020 Learn more here |
 | Does your homeschool teen need an elective credit on their transcript but feels uninspired by the options? Would your creative high schooler like to make money on the side while completing coursework? Would YOU like to have all the teaching outsourced, homeschool mom? Then the Selling on Etsy Masterclass for Teens is for YOU! Save 20% with code MOXIE Learn more here |
 | Podcast Launch for Teens is a step-by-step game plan for creating and growing a podcast. Your teens can pursue the topics they’re passionate about, gain experience in new mediums and platforms, all while earning credit on their homeschool transcript Save 20% with code MOXIE Learn more here |
 | This mini course will give your teenager the step-by-step information he needs to declutterhis personal stuff first, make some sales, then reinvest into his business and start reselling. Save 20% with code MOXIE Learn more here |
 | The 15-Minute Music Lessons online course contains nineteen lessons especially suited for elementary-aged students. Everything you need is included right in the course: Lessons to read, Videos to watch, Printables, Online quizzes, and Sometimes links to other sites to enrich your learning on the subject. You can complete each music appreciation lesson in 15 minutes, but more material is included if you’d like to expand the time or the days on a particular lesson. Save 20% with code ONLINE2020 (exp. 8/31) Learn more here |
 | Intro to Musicals for Elementary Students includes ten lessons on ten different musicals. Read about the story and background, watch video clips, work on one printable per lesson, take an online quiz, and explore links to outside sites with other materials to enrich your study. The ten musicals are Annie, Seussical, Cats, James and the Giant Peach, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Mary Poppins, Newsies, Annie Get Your Gun, The Music Man, and The Wizard of Oz. Save 20% with code ONLINE2020 (exp. 8/31) Learn more here |
 | You and your students will LOVE the 65 lessons included in the World Music for Elementary online course! Each lesson is about the music of a different country or area of the world. You’ll learn about unique instruments, folk dances, songs, and styles. • Listen to music sung in other languages. • See indigenous people perform their music for you. • Learn to love the people and their music from all around the world! World Music for Elementary is a perfect complement to any world geography or world history course. Each lesson should take you around 15-30 minutes, excluding the optional activity. Some lessons, but not all, include instrument notebooking pages as well! Save 20% with code ONLINE2020 (exp. 8/31) Learn more here |
 | Online art courses and projects for the entire family. Get unlimited access to the ever growing library of courses and projects. Suitable for students age 5 and up. Get your first 6 weeks for only $9.99 with code BSFUPGRADE Learn more here |
 | Want to paint delightful family portraits with you family? Makes a perfect project for back to school or holiday gifts! Learn step by step how to make these miniature masterpieces and then how to put them all together into an entire family. Personalize to your style and personalities. Save 40% with code ARTFAMILY Learn more here |
 | This course contains everything you need to add those special finishing touches to your holiday. Simple, clear, and concise, step by step videos will lead you through this signature mini course. These projects can be used to decorate your table, create gifts, craft hand painted cards, and so much more! Best of all, the techniques taught in these course will give you the skill and confidence to create your own masterpieces from scratch. Now, that’s the gift that keeps on giving! Save 40% with code ARTFAMILY Learn more here |
 | The Explore Delaware Online Course helps your upper elementary through high school students learn everything there is to know about Delaware by learning about Famous People & Places. They will explore literature, history, geography, science & art. In this online course students will enjoy the videos and the other hands-on activities as they learn about ‘The First State’. Save 25% with Code: ONLINE2020 Learn more here |
 | The Explore Pennsylvania online course helps your upper elementary through high school students learn just about everything there is to know about Pennsylvania. They will explore literature, history, geography, science & art. In this online course students will enjoy the videos and the other hands-on activities. Save 25% with Code: ONLINE2020 Learn more here |
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