homeschooling tools Archives

Should you think about homeschooling this fall due to COVID-19? Spawned Episode 209

Over the last couple of weeks, many schools have been releasing their plans for fall, and not surprisingly, it’s all the parents in our social media feed are talking about. We recently featured a post about things to consider if you’re thinking about...

8 things to think about if you’re considering homeschool because of COVID-19 this fall, from a homeschool mom

by Kate Etue | Tips + Tricks

With school districts all over the country releasing their preliminary plans for school this fall, I’m hearing so many parents trying to determine whether or not their kids are going back. The requirement between states and districts varies greatly, with some...

3 excellent educational videos about Juneteenth for kids. Watch and learn.

by Kate Etue | Entertainment + Media, Tips + Tricks

I’m trying to do a better job of raising anti-racist kids, and I believe that starts with learning more about the history of the Black experience in America. An essential part of that education is the understanding of Juneteenth, a holiday that I was certainly...

6 tuition-free classes that help your teens learn online this summer — without you standing over their shoulders.

by Cool Mom Staff | Kids

Over the last few months, we’ve shared some informative posts to help the newbies among us succeed more with homeschooling — or more accurately, helping us to guide our kids through the at-home learning they’re getting from their schools. So much has...

Lincoln Center at Home offers the most amazing art classes and concerts for kids. Free! From home!

by Kate Etue | DIY, Entertainment + Media

Even those of us who are seasoned homeschoolers are feeling a little frazzled about how to fill our kids’ long, uninterrupted days at home right now. But I’ve loved the way our artist community has come out to support our kids and families in so many ways...

This free printable Women’s History Month coloring page should cover your at-home history lesson and art class in one

by Kate Etue | DIY

When I saw this amazing free printable Women’s History Month coloring page from Here Wee Read, I geeked out and immediately messaged Liz. It’s such an amazing resource for those of us hoping to teach our kids more about important and diverse women who have...

5 deschooling tips for new homeschooling parents, and how it will keep you from feeling like a total failure.

by Christina Refford | Tips + Tricks

I know a lot of parents have jumped right into homeschooling their kids (or, schooling-from-home might be more accurate) so that they won’t get too far behind in their studies. But with news that Virginia has canceled school for the rest of the academic year due...

All the best free classes and memberships online right now: Get fit, learn a language, read a book, have family movie night…

by Liz Gumbinner | Entertainment + Media, Health, Fitness + Wellbeing, Tips + Tricks

We’ve all been seeing our social feeds fill up with amazing “OMG THIS IS FREE RIGHT NOW!” posts from friends, and it’s hard to keep track of it all! Between the online story time for kids, the Club Quarantine virtual dance parties, the museum...

Creating a homeschool schedule: 8 different ideas to help you figure out what will work best for you.

by Liz Gumbinner | Kids, Tips + Tricks

Hi! Total homeschooling newbie here, and now here I am, trying to create a homeschool schedule — or some semblance of one — to help keep us sane. Um, it’s not easy. For background, I am the parent who thought I could wing it with newborn nap...

10 simple writing exercises for kids that don’t even feel like schoolwork

by Kristen Chase | Tips + Tricks

As we all scramble to grapple with the new normal of our kids home from school, I’m thankful for the teachers in my life who have been doing this job for years. I can always count on them for great ideas, like these 10 writing exercises, from a friend and former...

Hi! We’re Kristen + Liz!

Kristen Chase + Liz Gumbinner of Cool Mom Picks

We started Cool Mom Picks in 2006 to help make life cooler, more meaningful, and more fun for parents of all kinds.

Trivia: It was called Cool Mom Sh*t for the first two days. (Yeah, we rethought that.)

We had no idea our site would grow to become a major lifestyle network, that we'd end up sharing our finds with the TODAY Show and Martha Stewart, that we'd be able to make a real difference for so many small businesses and women-run companies, or that we'd end up with an incredible community of the coolest readers on the planet. (If we do say so ourselves).