Category: More Free Resources for Your Homeschool

FREE Social Stories About Bullying

Published on by Mary CooneyLeave a comment

With a new school year in full swing, many parents and children are feeling anxious about the possibility of bullying. Multiple studies have shown that children with special needs are at higher risk of being victimized by bullying. In fact, they are two to three times more likely to experience bullying. Children with speech difficulties are even more vulnerable. And the psychological and emotional consequences sometimes last into adulthood.

Being proactive about this issue, and helping children recognize bullying even before it happens is one way to help prevent and mitigate patterns of bullying. So, here are two highly-illustrated, FREE social stories about bullying, written for children with (or without) special needs.

Continue reading “FREE Social Stories About Bullying” →

A FREE Reading Comprehension Workbook About Saints

Published on by Mary Cooney4 Comments

Here’s a FREE reading comprehension workbook about the lives of saints for students in grades 2-4. Now that my son has learned to read, he is reading to learn. A reading comprehension workbook is a perfect way to combine religion and reading.

I wrote it with the differentiated classroom in mind: the large font makes it accessible to most students, large colorful pictures aid interest and comprehension, and the variety of activities allow teachers to choose what’s best for their students.

As more and more Catholic schools adopt inclusion programs for students with special needs, more and more teachers need curricula that can work for a variety of learners. So when I make resources for my son and the kids in our co-op, I try to include different levels of learning.

If you’re a home school mom, this workbook also allows you to cover the same material with different ages.

This workbook can be used for children in grades 2-4 with various levels of comprehension and writing activities.

Continue reading “A FREE Reading Comprehension Workbook About Saints” →

A FREE Book of Poems for Second Grade

Published on by Mary Cooney2 Comments

Here’s a FREE book of poems I made for my son with Down Syndrome for second grade. If you and your kids enjoyed Poems for First Grade, you’ll enjoy this compilation of poems and illustrations.

Memorizing and reciting is becoming a lost art, but there is so much to be gained from it — for all children. Memorizing and reciting poetry develops the memory and the imagination and fills the mind with beautiful imagery and language. For children with speech delays, it also helps to develop articulation and pacing in speech.

But most of all, poetry should be studied for the enjoyment and beauty of it!

Continue reading “A FREE Book of Poems for Second Grade” →

Stop and Go! FREE Sight Word Cards and Readers

Published on by Mary CooneyLeave a comment

Did you know that many children with Down Syndrome as young as 3 years old can learn to read sight words?

If you’re wondering whether or not your child is ready, here’s a free way to try.

I made this set of car-themed sight word cards and readers for a boy in our co-op who just wouldn’t sit at a desk.

So, we sat on the floor and played cars. And snuck in some sight-word learning. When I showed him the word “Go”, we’d yell “Go!”, and he would zoom a car across the floor. Then I’d show him the word “Stop” when the car stopped. Next I took out a car ramp, and I showed him the word “Car” or “Truck” before he could let a car or truck go down the ramp. Eventually, he had to read “car” or “truck” before zooming down a vehicle.

Some of the best learning happens when we incorporate play.

Continue reading “Stop and Go! FREE Sight Word Cards and Readers” →

Introducing a Catholic AI Platform Parents can Trust

Published on by Mary CooneyLeave a comment

I just had to share this with you.

Because parenting is hard. Today, more than ever.

As most of you know, one of the hardest parts of parenting is managing our children’s use of addictive screen-based tech: Smart phones. Social media. The internet. These are wreaking widespread havoc on the mental and emotional health of our youth. And navigating screen-based tech with our kids and teens has been challenging… exhausting, actually.

If parenting weren’t hard enough, along comes AI, that powerful tool that is rapidly changing the landscape of innovation, work, and education.

So parents have yet one more thing to worry about, monitor, and try to keep up with.

Continue reading “Introducing a Catholic AI Platform Parents can Trust” →

Free Picture Addition Cards for Kindergarten and Grade 1

Published on by Mary CooneyLeave a comment

Here’s a set of Picture Addition Cards that help children understand the concept of commutativity (that is, 1+2 and 2+1 both equal 3). Kids with Down Syndrome and other special needs require a lot of practice with pictures to understand and master addition facts. So I made these for my son, and as always, sharing them with you.

Continue reading “Free Picture Addition Cards for Kindergarten and Grade 1” →

FREE Number Sequence Puzzles in Art

Published on by Mary CooneyLeave a comment

Does your child need extra practice sequencing numbers from 11-20? Here are four FREE sequence puzzles featuring the artwork of Homer Winslow. (I like exposing my kids to beautiful artwork in any way I can!)

Continue reading “FREE Number Sequence Puzzles in Art” →

Poems for First Grade

Published on by Mary Cooney2 Comments

Here’s a FREE book for poems for first grade that I compiled for my son with Down Syndrome. All my children have copied, memorized, and recited poems throughout their homeschooling years. So I certainly wasn’t going to let my youngest off the hook just because he has T21! Especially because memorizing and reciting poetry is so great for developing memory skills and working on articulation and pacing in speech. But most importantly, poetry fills the mind with beautiful imagery.

Continue reading “Poems for First Grade” →

Simply Subtraction Level 1 Games

Published on by Mary Cooney2 Comments

Here are the Games for Simply Subtraction Level 1, which covers the subtraction facts within ten. These FREE games can help bring some fun into your math lessons! Our kids need a lot of review to build confidence and fluency. Games a great for sparking interest and motivating our kids to practice those facts.

There are eight games that align with most of the lessons in Simply Subtraction Level 1.

Here are some sample pages:

Continue reading “Simply Subtraction Level 1 Games” →