by Deborah Hanyon, MPH, RDN, ACE-CHC | Mar 26, 2020 | Education Materials
5 Ways You Can Use YouTube as a Homeschooling Resource. (Post may contain affiliate links).
As a parent who homeschools, you already know that gaining access to resources can be a real struggle. And an expensive one at that! You probably know that there are a lot of helpful teaching aids you can find online, but have you ever considered YouTube as a possible resource?
Kids love watching YouTube as entertainment. There are endless amounts of content. In fact, a lot of people are even choosing it over TV, including children. If you look beyond the fluff videos, you will find that there is actually a lot of really good, educational, and age-appropriate content your children can enjoy and benefit from.
So, instead of fighting against it, why not lean into it to harness the benefits and all the knowledge YouTube has to offer?
Below are 5 Ways You Can Use YouTube as a Homeschooling Resource.
1. Learning about foreign languages & cultures
Have you ever considered how valuable YouTube content can be, as a foreign language aid? Not only are there millions of videos out there created by people from all over the world, but they often have an educational slant. Channels like Rock ‘N Learn provide multiple foreign language tutorials (among other things) for languages like Spanish, German, or French.
If you go on YouTube right now and search for any language, you are sure to find dedicated videos that help people learn step by step. From “word of the day” type videos to videos explaining issues of grammar, there is almost no need to go out and purchase expensive textbooks that teach the exact same thing, but in a less engaging way.
Perhaps the best thing about learning a foreign language on YouTube is the fact that real people are presenting facts about their lives and the reality of living in a different country, including local culture, spiritual beliefs, everyday habits, etc.
YouTube can also facilitate actual interaction with people from foreign countries. Your children can chat with content creators (under your supervision, of course) in order to practice their language skills.
2. Explanations for science-related subjects
Believe it or not, even when it comes to hard science subjects such as math, chemistry, or physics, your child can still use YouTube as a resource. Especially when a new concept is taught, it can take a while for your little one to catch on, or they may require a different or more in-depth explanation. Especially when it comes to practical experiments in areas of physics or chemistry, it can be extremely helpful to have someone demonstrate how they do it. It makes it much easier to replicate or to follow slowly, step by step.
If you feel like you are out of your depth, chances are that someone on YouTube has a dedicated video explaining concepts thoroughly. Oftentimes, they even include diagrams, images, and other teaching aids that you may not have access to. The Organic Chemistry Tutor is just one of these channels that deal with math and science subjects.
3. Primary resources – movies, audio books, documentaries
YouTube is actually a great place to find primary resources when you need them. For example, movies, documentaries, and even audiobooks can be easily found on YouTube, free of charge. That is especially helpful for essays and critical analysis assignments, where studying primary resources like this is an essential part of the process. These resources may also be available at the local library, but not always.
In addition to the resources offered for free, YouTube also sometimes offers viewings at a price, much like Amazon. You can download a certain film, for example, for $10 and watch it, just like you would purchase a DVD.
4. History, made interesting
Students often dislike subjects like history, because they can feel very dry. There are lots of names, lots of years to remember, and a presentation that is not always interesting, when it’s in text form.
That is where YouTube can actually help instill a love of history in your child. History buffs will make lengthy, detailed videos about historical events. They explain context, and presented in interesting tidbits that students may not otherwise have access to.
Having someone passionate explain something in an interesting way is a much better way of learning. Especially when compared to reading from a history book. In addition, videos usually have accompanying images that can contextualize the information in a way that makes it easier to understand. Bedtime History is a channel that makes dedicated videos to historical figures, landmarks, and concepts. Bedtime History videos are presented in a way that is easy to understand and process for children.
5. Practical skills & hobbies
With everything that is crammed in a regular school year, it can be difficult to fit in time for hobbies, extra curriculars, and other skills. In addition, classes like home economics and such have fallen by the wayside. As a result, very useful and practical skills like sewing, or woodworking are no longer taught.
Perhaps you’ll be surprised to know that these are things they can learn on YouTube. There are tutorials for everything, from beginner levels to more experienced ones. All your child needs to do is search for what interests them. And they will find someone who teaches it online, for free. Plus, you don’t need to drive them anywhere, which is a significant bonus! For example, a channel like 5-Minute Crafts PLAY. This channel has hundreds of videos demonstrating fun, creative crafts your kids can do at home with household items.
5 Ways You Can Use YouTube as a Homeschooling Resource. What’s the bottom line?
As you can see, YouTube can actually make a great resource for education, especially if your children are homeschooled. Most parents who choose to homeschool are equipped for the subjects they will be teaching, but a little extra help never hurts.
It would be a shame not to take advantage of all the resources the internet provides for students. And learning from home is the perfect opportunity to explore these alternative means of education.
Whether we’re talking about interesting and age-appropriate explanations of historical events, math problems solved in real time, or valuable skills, YouTube offers a great assortment of choices. With the technology of YouTube, an incredible variety of professionals and hobbyists can help your children achieve a well-rounded education.
Caroline Black is a long time freelance writer hailing from sunny California who enjoys outdoor adventure, spending time with her fur babies, and cooking.
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by Deborah Hanyon, MPH, RDN, ACE-CHC | Dec 10, 2018 | Homeschooling
My autistic son hates school. Fortunately for me, he is willing to do what he has to do–to a point.
(This post may contain affiliate links).
I have fought with, struggled with, and forced him to do things he doesn't want to do. I've bribed, tried positive reinforcement, begged and pleaded. However, it takes a ridiculous amount of energy to get Nathan to do things he doesn't want to do–not to mention it is not a great way to promote a positive, loving relationship. As a result, I have been motivated to find creative ways to encourage learning that fits his learning style.
First, a little background…
I have one son, and he is 13 years old, in 8th grade. This is our fifth year homeschooling.
Nathan was in 4th grade when we started homeschooling. The first three years we used online public schooling. This worked out great for the first couple of years. One reason why was because the structure was provided. Also, I had a lot support through his IEP.
I learned a huge amount of stuff during those three years. However, by the time Nathan was ready to go into 7th grade, I was ready to venture out on my own.
A big part of the why was that the public school was not Christian. Thus, I felt like I had to constantly “rewrite” or add to the science and history curriculum. Also, things changed drastically in middle school, and I would have been severely limited in my role as a learning coach.
So in 7th grade I went independent.
Abeka and Apologia were my chosen curriculums. Both of these curriculums are awesome. However, they really are more appropriate for the typical learner, which Nathan is not. For example, I purchased the workbook for science. However, Nathan never wanted to write any words down. All he wanted to do was draw pictures of everything.
In addition, I had to read history, literature, science, and pretty much everything else to him. This is because he wasn't willingly reading on his own at that point, nor would he have been able to read quickly enough to keep up with the schedule. Also, everything was offline.
The good news is I LEARNED a lot of stuff I didn't already know.
However, by the second half of the year, I was exhausted. Plus, I was constantly adding this or that, supplementing with this or that because the curriculum just wasn't a great fit.
As a result of his unwillingness/inability to write things down, or read things in a timely manner, I switched to Monarch. Monarch is an online Christian (not live) curriculum by Alpha Omega Publications.
This program seemed perfect at first, because most of the work was completed online with very little hand writing required. Also, the curriculum has a text-to-speech feature, so he doesn't need to read it on his own. We are still using Monarch. However, I'm probably not going to continue with Monarch either.
This is because Monarch has a “typical learner” bent as well. As a result, I have been supplementing the curriculum with hands-on projects, unit studies, and more appropriate level reading/writing assignments.
This year I have finally started to “put it all together” on how I can teach my son, meet the requirements, and make it fun and as interesting as possible.
I have not found the perfect homeschool curriculum for my autistic son who hates school. However, there are parts of many different curriculums that I love. And I have discovered ways to teach my son in a nontypical way that requires way less fighting, arguing, bribing and so forth.
Along the way, I have discovered various tools that have been immensely helpful. I have also discovered that adapting school to at least sometimes match his preferred topics and interests makes a HUGE difference in his willingness to do an assignment.
The following math, reading, and writing tips and tricks are things I have gathered and used, and am still using today.
- Adobe Creative Suite ($19.95/month for students, compared to $59.95/month) – I don't think a lot of homeschoolers realize that you can have the ENTIRE creative suite, which includes Acrobat DC, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Illustrator, and a bunch more for such a good price. I know I didn't until September of this year. Nathan is getting a serious head start by learning Photoshop. And he really likes it.
- Dragon Speak Naturally – we don't use this program much anymore. However, it helped us when we first started out on the speech-to-text path. It is available through Amazon, and is under $50. You can download it on multiple devices. It gets to know you, so starts to be more accurate the more you use it.
- Kindle Fire – I mention this one because it's the only tablet (including iPad) that I have been able to get to read any book we purchase. It is a computer voice, but it's better than nothing if you have a reluctant reader like I do. This was especially helpful a few years ago when Nathan wouldn't read anything on his own.
- Audio books – Kind of pricey, but a lot of books are available for free through local libraries.
- Whiteboard – Lap size whiteboards are portable and they make great scratch paper for math problems and for spelling tests. As a teacher, you can use them to help your children keep track of their schedule. I use a lapboard for PE class. That way I don't have to be there the whole time. The Whiteboard is helping my son to be much more independent.
Great for Visual Thinkers Who Hate Writing
- Inspiration 9 – This is a visual thinking organizer, and we absolutely love it! It has templates, or you can start from scratch. It converts bubbles to outlines and vice versa. You can create presentations, export to MS Word, and download pictures from the internet. It really helps me and my son organize our thoughts. You can learn a few things just from reading the premade templates.
- Allow your child to sometimes write essays on topics not necessarily the same as in the subject, but still allow child to practice the skills.
How many specific dates, names and events do you remember learning in 6th grade?
My experience is that teaching facts and figures, dates and names just doesn't stick. What makes learning stick? Meaningful projects that add depth to the persons, places, dates, and events. They are much more effective at painting a picture that stays with you over time–especially if it is a subject your child is interested in.
- Subjects on preferred topic – Trains, for example. (my son loves trains)! You can take the subject of trains, and assign a paper about the historical context of trains during the Civil War, for example.
- Online Unit studies – Thematic studies that focus on a certain flavor. For example, TechieHomeschoolMom.com has a Christmas Around the World Unit Study that we have been working through. We are learning about various countries around the world and how they celebrate Christmas. Also, Hide the Chocolate's Unit Study on “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” Unit studies are great for breaking up the sameness, or you can build an entire curriculum around them.
Autistic Son Hates School But loves Arts and Crafts
- Lots and lots of arts and crafts and hands on activities – I believe that I started losing interest in school in junior high and high school because there were so few hands-on activities. I don't know where our school system got the idea that older kids don't need hands-on instruction. But I completely disagree with this idea. I don't think a kid ever outgrows the ability to enjoy hands-on activities.
- Remember the point of learning is to grasp the subject matter being taught, not just memorizing facts.
- Type of pencil used – It is amazing what a difference changing from the standard #2 pencil to a basic, plastic Bic auto pencil has made in our house (there are also Pentel brand, but Nathan doesn't like those).
I don't know if you've noticed, but standard pencils are kind of “scratchy” when you write with them. Plus they get dull so quickly, you have to re-sharpen them almost constantly. (I can't stand writing with a dull pencil)!.
The auto pencils are a bit more expensive, but they are SO worth it! Nathan still doesn't like to write. But he now is more willing than before.
These are just a few of my favorite ideas.
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