free
WatchKnow.com: Videos for kids to learn from
Watchknow.com is a site that allows you to search for educational videos by age range and keywords. The videos are submitted, tagged and rated by users, the videos themselves are from other sites across the web. I would be tempted to prescreen any unranked videos before sharing them with young kids.
Virtual Historic Books and Manuscripts from the British Library
View the original, handwritten Alice in Wonderland or Da Vinci's notebook, or Captain R.F.
Teacher's Resources from the Library of Congress
The Library of Congress has helpfully linked primary sources, lesson plans, activities and even professional development for teachers on this page. From here, you can find a wealth of lesson plans, primarily relating to American History, but literature and culture are also well represented. The lesson plans are built around primary sources-- letters, interviews, and other documents from the time in question. They are meaty, in depth lessons, from what I've seen. Most lesson plans are for upper elementary through high school, with a definite bias toward the higher gra
Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock (free download)
This classic book about nature study is out of copyright, and available for free online viewing, or download in pdf, kindle, or a range of other electronic formats.
Great for Charlotte Mason-style homeschooling. I'm embedding the online viewer below, follow the link for a full screen view, or to download.
Encyclopedia Smithsonian: Art to Zoology
The Smithsonian has linked to a broad range of materials here, including history, science, art and culture. A good first source for material or information. Some topics include lesson plans, and all are fully referenced. The entries are aimed at adults, but most topics are appropriate for children. It is all available for free.
My favorites so far: Zoology
US History at Hippocampus- Free Units, Lessons, and Complete Curricula
Geared for high school and AP level students, this free resource has online multimedia lessons. Choose topics or units, or follow an entire course. The courses include: US History I for AP, US History II for AP, US History I, and US History II. Ideal for high school home
Museum Kids: Just for Fun
From the Metropolitan Museum onf Art, here are eighteen interactive web games that teach about art, art theory and artists. Many cultures and time periods are represented. There are games for all ages, but if a game doesn't seem geared toward younger children, I'd recommend screening it first (for example, the one on Van Gogh's life includes mention of his mental trouble and suicide).
Free, printable early readers...
This very simple website offers free readers to download and printout. They start out very simple, and as the child works through the stories, more and more words are added (that's how readers usually work, right?)
The stories are silly and short, and reading difficulty builds very gradually. Books also include "story questions".
Another source for these public domain readers (this one features printer-ready booklet files): http://www.marriottmd.com/sam/index.html
CK-12: Free, quality math and science curriculum
This site features textbooks in a flexible format called "Flexbooks" available for free download and printing. Most programs include a Teacher's Edition, workbooks, and other supplementary material, all for free. The topics at the moment include middle school and high school level math and science. The science is mainstream (evolution is included in Life Science and Biology programs). The Chemistry course includes labs. The math is fairly traditional and includes Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Probability & Statistics (AP), and Calculus (AB). Free S
