Data scientist uses algorithms to plot the best route across the United States.

Planning the perfect road trip isn’t just about creating the ultimate playlist and getting a map – what you really need are algorithms.

Now the man behind the ‘Where’s Waldo’ algorithm has created a road trip route revealing the best way to visit 48 US states.

Using a series of equation, the Michigan data scientist says his method can also be used on shorter journeys, beating Google maps on providing the best route possible. Read more here!

Written by Rachel Wolf for Simple Homeschool

My son once mistook Lake Michigan for the ocean. So we sat down with a map and found the Great Lakes. And then we found the Atlantic.

Lake Michigan is big, but the ocean is immense. He wanted to see it for himself. So did his sister.

And so did I for that matter. After traveling the world in my teens and 20’s, I hadn’t left the Midwest for nearly a decade. Read more here!

ShillerMath Kit I Basic – Homeschool Montessori Curriculum – (Pre-K to 3rd Grade)

  • The ShillerMath Kit – everything you need in a single box! No lesson preparation required by parents!
  • Your package contains over a dozen different manipulatives based on Dr. Maria Montessori’s method developed over a hundred years ago. Includes a balance, number cards, number tiles, operator set, foam ball, wood dominoes, a US/metric ruler, wooden shapes, dice, measuring cups, and probability bag. You also receive a wide range of decimal material, including 100 unit cubes, 27 ten rods, 27 hundred rod, and 17 thousand cubes (1 plastic and 16 oaktag) along with a wooden decimal tray.
  • Your purchase comes with lifetime downloads that allow free replacement of all consumable lessons. This is a handy feature for families with more than 1 child!
  • This Is An Award Winning Montessori Based Lower Elementary Homeschool Curriculum Program

Complete Curriculum: Grade 1 (Flash Kids Harcourt Family Learning)

These workbooks provide hundreds of fun pages for practicing all the skills kids need to succeed in each grade.  Complied from the popular Reading Skills, Spelling Skills, Math Skills, Language Arts, Writing Skills, and test Prep series, these colorful workbooks include:  High interest stories to develop reading proficiency; exercises in math problems students will face; grade appropriate spelling words grouped by vowel sound or suffix; lessons in parts of speech, usage, and constructing sentences; creative prompts for writing sentences, letters, and even short reports; and practice in using standardized test formats. 

Harcourt Family Learning Workbooks are a comprehensive line of workbook developed through a partnership with Harcourt, a leading educational publisher. Based on national teaching standards, these workbooks provide complete practice in math, reading, and other key subject areas.



10 LAMINATED Educational Wall Posters For Kids – ABC – Alphabet, Solar System, USA & World Map, Numbers 1-100 +, Days of the Week, Months of the Year, Emotions, Time, Money | Learning Charts (18×24)

  • 10 Educational Wall Posters For Kids – USA Map, World Map, Human Body, Time, Seasons, Calendar, Days of the Week, Months of the Year, Emotions, Solar System, Money, Numbers
  • Heavy Duty 3 MIL LAMINATION
  • Perfect for Toddlers, Preschool Kids, Home Schoolers, Daycare, Kindergarten Class Supplies
  • Great addition to any Home School, Preshool Curriculum or Toddler Learning Kit – Teach Your Child Math Basics and Help Prepare Them for Phonics


The Courageous Homeschooling Handbook: Part 1: Starting Out: Help, Support And Encouragement (Volume 1)

Starting homeschool is probably the scariest thing you’ll ever do! Drawing on the collective wisdom of over 100 families from across the world, the Courageous Homeschooling Handbook proves that teaching your child at home is the best decision you will ever make.

Sonya Chappell is one of the few 2nd generation families with a homeschool son at Oxford University.

This Handbook covers all the main fears you face when you begin as you struggle with other people’s attitudes, worries about whether you will fail your child, how you can manage to teach everything and the elephant in the room – homeschool socialization.


Homeschool Secrets Of Success: How To Avoid The Battle Zone, Motivate Your Kids And Build The Homeschool Of Your Dreams

This invaluable guide will prove to you that the biggest secret to a successful homeschool is motivation. Because when you choose how to homeschool, there’s an elephant in the room. And that’s you. You are the parent. But now you are the teacher too. That is potentially an enormous problem.

Based on unique experience from one of the few 2nd generation families with a homeschool son now at Oxford UniversitySecrets of Success will show you exactly what you can do in your homeschool to get your kids happy and enthusiastic – and what not to do.

Giving your child the best start in life is something we all have in common, so you will find the advice here applies worldwide whether you call it homeschooling or, as in the UK, home education.


College-Prep Homeschooling: Your Complete Guide to Homeschooling through High School


Chandra Byers is a homeschooling mother of six, and David Byers has a Ph.D. in education and teaches education at the college level. Their oldest is now attending college on a scholarship, after having been homeschooled all her life. With their combination of experience and expertise, they show us how parents can continue to homeschool their children through high school in subjects for which they are not experts. Not only that, but they demonstrate how these home-taught children are fully prepared for college and are often superior performers. Not only has Dr. Byers helped prepare his own homeschooled children for college, but he has seen first-hand how many homeschooled students have done in college. They are both from Nebraska.

Every year of my 20+ homeschooling years my family took December completely off school. We used that time to bond as a family over Christmas cookies, gift gathering and visits with extended family. 

Roxanne Raiche at  Homework and Horseplay has some great ideas for you if you choose to take December off as well!

The holidays are a crazy time of year, and if your homeschool is anything like mine not a lot of school work gets done in December. And when I say “not a lot” I really mean none… at least not in the traditional sense.

Instead of being stressed about getting behind I have made the executive decision to set the curriculum aside and just enjoy the holidays. No History Read-Alouds, no Language Arts lessons, and no Science. However, that doesn’t mean the learning and growing has to stop! Here are three ways my children continue learning in December even when school’s officially out. Read more here!