Resources

Here’s a list of a bunch of stuff I actually use — regularly! — in my own home.

Note: most of these are affiliate links.

Best Places to Buy Used Books

Amazon is an obvious choice. Word to the wise: it's worth it to pay the extra dollar for better quality.

I adore AbeBooks. Click here to find my video on creating a want and using AbeBooks to shop FOR you while you're doing other things.

 

Things We Use for Lessons

We have used AmblesideOnline from the very beginning, and we love it!	I was looking for a way to teach my children piano. I play, but I didn't know how to teach them. PianoPhonics has saved the day! Three of our four children are currently using it, and I'm very happy with it. You can read my review of it here.
Grammar of Poetry is assigned in AmblesideOnline Year 7, and it is just wonderful. The DVDs have been especially helpful since I didn't know much of anything about the mechanics of poetry when we started the curriculum.	For beginnin Latin, we use a combination of Visual Latin, which we later combine with Henle Latin.
Teaching Reading with Bob Books is a curriculum I wrote. In fact, it's now available as a printable e-curriculum! This is really how I've taught my own children to read, and it's quite simple.	Signs and Seasons is something we've used over and over, just bits of it at a time. I think that astronomy should be an ongoing study, and that applying what we've learned outside with the sky is more important than getting through the book quickly. Even my littlest ones have learned some basic constellations through the exercises. You can read my thoughts on it here.
Simplified Dinners for New Cooks is fairly new on our list, and it's been met with great enthusiasm. The two older children are learning to make basic meals and side dishes on their own, without much assistance from Mom. Call it Life Skills. It is nice to know they won't die without me! Read more of my thoughts on this here.	Art for Kids: Drawing is what we're currently using for drawing lessons. I usually incorporate these lessons into Enrichment Friday. I'm not a great artist myself, so even I benefit from going through these lessons.

 

Things for Mom

Years ago, Mystie helped me wrap my mind around cooking, and I've never been the same. I adore Simplified Dinners! Read more of my thoughts on Simplified Dinners here.	Mystie has also helped me get my organization on. She's basically my life coach. Simplified Organization gets to the hear of organizational problems; it's a fix that actually works for me. You can read more of my thoughts on it here.
A couple years ago, Pam sent me a free copy of her Plan Your Year kit. Oh my! I fell in love with all the pretty forms, and her tutorial videos are super helpful. I use her forms all the time, and not just for planning school.	If you want to think deeply about classical homeschooling, a great place to start is Jennifer Dow's course, The Five Elements of Classical Homeschooling. Highly recommended!