The current state of the economy has many homeschool familes concerned with finding teaching material at affordable prices. You may be surprised to know that many free materials are out there that you can order for your homeschool, and these will come via US mail. You will not need to print a thing! I will create a list of several reputable sources, and you can check them out and decide if the resources provided might work for your homeschool.

Keep in mind that when ordering resources by mail that you will need a valid postal address, and if possible order for folks in your homeschool group too. Many organizations are happy to mail to a homeschool group or co-op, and they can send the materials at a bulk rate. Then you can distribute the materials to your fellow homeschoolers, or use those resources in a group lesson or co-op. Don't forget, you are a teacher, so please let the organization you are ordering from know the appropriate grade level(s).

A fantastic resource is "Team Nutrition". This website, sponsored by the USDA, offers many free publications for educators. I received an order from them today and I was pleasantly surprised. As I ordered bulk material to share with others, I got a box full of nutrition curriculum guides, posters, activity books, and dvd's. This is a perfect place for getting a year of Health curriculum for free, and it is current and applicable, too. Be sure to click on the icon for the online order form and request the materials online. I got my materials within one week.

For a wonderful unit on character study, check out Tiger Woods "Start Something" curriculum. This is a huge binder, full of character building lesson plans, activity pages, and much more. Go to the website to order this awesome kit for your homeschool classroom. Not only does this curriculum help children build confidence, it can also help them learn about how to deal with everyday issues.

A super Science curriculum add on is the "Share the World" program. This unit offers materials including a Reading unit with a Science focus, posters, a video and reproducibles. This curriculum explores how we need to respect animals and their habitats, and it teaches about animal adaptations and current concerns. This is not a unit on mistreatment of animals, or anything that may upset students. It is purely an animal awareness resource pack. My son loved learning about animal adaptations and how we can help the endangered species. Children today are more aware of environmental concerns, and this unit is a nice way to teach respect for every creature on our planet.

Look for future articles with more free resources and curriculum, as well as other helpful information for your homeschool.

www.teamnutrition.usda.gov/educators.html

www.tigerwoodsfoundation.org/actionplan/materials.php

http://www.sharetheworld.org/order.asp