This week I thought I’d begin joining in with Top Ten Tuesday at Many Little Blessings. But Tuesday has passed and I did not finish this post, so you’ll have to bear with me and take it on Wednesday.

Today I decided to talk about the top ten learning tools I have loved in homeschool thus far. I just finished my first full year, and we’re enjoying a more casual summer, with some unschooling as well as some more formal learning going on!

10. [amazon_textlink asin=’B00J688VHG’ text=’GeoPuzzles’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’rebereid06-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’6775be75-17f7-11e7-8e9a-53357112a832′]. My son loves doing these puzzles, and I know he is learning about geography at the same time.[amazon_link asins=’B000K3C2QC,B000K3BZNS,B000K3A1JW,B000LFSQSC,B000LFUKV8,B003F1E7K0′ template=’CopyOf-ProductCarousel’ store=’rebereid06-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’f64ef4d5-17f7-11e7-b892-edd1a8264d1e’]

9. Stack the States. This app for apple products, Windows, and Kindle teaches my son geography and trivia about the U.S. states. It it tons of fun to play too![amazon_link asins=’B00DZYXTRY,B00G4A6VZS,B01B4ZJ9U6′ template=’CopyOf-ProductCarousel’ store=’rebereid06-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’e49bd2c0-1810-11e7-8b13-13c380f5f5ed’]

8. Miquon Math (thoughts). I love how the centimeter rods help my son understand mathematical concepts.[amazon_link asins=’0913684503,091368452X,0913684546,0913684538,0913684511,0913684554,0913684627,0913684643,0913684678′ template=’CopyOf-ProductCarousel’ store=’rebereid06-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’afdc19f8-1810-11e7-b03b-db27ef82c07a’]

7. The Magic Tree House series. My son loves reading these books, and I know he has learned a lot of history and science from them. True, he has a little trouble sorting out the fact from the fiction sometimes, but he’ll figure it out. I’m glad he can read them and enjoy them so much.[amazon_link asins=’0375813659,0375822666,0375825533,0375846611,0375858113,0385389574,0399549560,0545856639′ template=’CopyOf-ProductCarousel’ store=’rebereid06-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’d0226e50-1810-11e7-b850-0720baddd9a1′]
6. Visual Link (thoughts). I posted about this the other day. Already I see it as very valuable for learning Spanish.[amazon_link asins=’B0049J03EG,B0049J4IBK,B0049I6M06,B004G70KX0,B001Q1FY9O’ template=’CopyOf-ProductCarousel’ store=’rebereid06-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’109bb5ba-1811-11e7-a834-8b93c85ba87b’]

5. BrainPop. On Windows 8, there is a Metro App for BrainPop. My son loves to watch the video of the day each day, and he remembers the facts he’s learned!

4. Google Earth. My son spends hours each week finding himself on a map and travelling to previously unknown destinations on the roads he finds. He loves finding landmarks (although he did not quite understand why “Google Headquarters” is not a special place) and I love that he is independently learning.

3. The great outdoors. I love that my son can learn so much from nature and exploring.

2. My local library. I love swapping our current week of reading for a completely new week of reading. I don’t have to store any more books! And the world is at our finger tips. I would struggle to homeschool without a strong local library.

1. The internet. I do not know what I would do without the internet. As with my library, the internet provides a wealth of facts. We can find the answer to any question thanks to the internet.

What learning tools are you especially grateful for? 

Find more Top Ten lists here.