BrainPOP Homeschool: How to Take Your Learning Adventures to the Next Level

BrainPOP Homeschool boosts learning in so many creative and fun ways.

My boys are having a blast with the engaging videos and activities. And I love being able to relax as I watch them soar in their skills and confidence.

I'm sharing how we're using this online learning platform - and why it's a fantastic way to take your homeschool to the next level. Come see what it's all about and give the free trial a test run, too!

Disclaimer:  I received this product for free and was compensated for my time. As always, I’m sharing my honest opinions and was not required to provide a positive review.

BrainPOP Homeschool has been a game changer for our learning adventures at home. Find out how it's helping me save time and reduce stress PLUS boost creativity and make learning fun for my boys.

A Simple Way I'm Taking Our Homeschool to the Next Level

If there's one thing that I love about our homeschool, it's that we have a lot of fun 😊

Oh, it didn't start off that way! I had a lot of learning to do about works best for my boys and me. And what works for us is to keep it as relaxed and engaging as possible (for all of us).

We don't necessarily have a specific homeschool approach. If I had to describe our homeschool, I'd say it's relaxed - eclectic - positive - flexible - with a focus on thinking outside the box and relationship building.

To sum all of that up, I'd use one word - FUN!

I choose curriculum and resources based on a few things, like our current homeschool status, erratic schedule, and what each boy needs at that time. Also, I don't stick to one curriculum provider for the whole shebang. I don't operate that way and neither do my boys.

While our unique approach helps our homeschool (and relationships) thrive, I like to make sure that my boys have opportunities to explore subjects and expand upon their interests. I'm only one person and there really isn't enough hours in a day for me to work on an individual basis with each of my 4 boys who are homeschooling (my oldest graduated from our homeschool in Spring 2021). I do my best with core subjects but have discovered that outsourcing some of those subjects helps.

In the past few years, I've grouped my 3 younger boys (ages 8, 11, 13) into as many subjects as possible to help us save time (and my sanity). Those experiences were fabulous but I can tell that they are ready to take things to the next level on their own for their grade.

It's kind of hard to believe that I have two boys in middle school and one in elementary (plus a Senior!).

For example, Xman (8) is having a blast with Geography Through Literature from Beautiful Feet Books. Bear (11) and Smiley (13) are staying together for Reading Through History with BookShark.

This year, we'll still enjoy our homeschool morning time , with calendar and family read-aloud. And now I'm super excited to watch each of them spread their wings and soar through grade-level subjects with BrainPOP Homeschool.

The Nitty-Gritty of Why We're Using BrainPop Homeschool

I have several reasons for choosing to use BrainPOP Homeschool this year with my 3 younger boys. The biggest reason is that I recognize that they're getting older and need more opportunities to work on their own in ways that keep them each engaged.

After reflecting on our current homeschool status and what each of us needs, BrainPOP Homeschool just makes sense because it's a great way to encourage:

• Independent learning: I want to empower my boys to take their education into their own hands. My goal has always been to give them the basic tools and best resources to help them thrive and go beyond their potential. BrainPOP provides a safe place for my boys to develop these skills.

• Outside the box thinking: As much as I try to provide creative materials and printables, I know that my boys can take it to the next level with critical thinking skills when they have access to interactive resources. BrainPOP has such cool activities, like Creative Coding, Make-a-Map, and more. These exercises are just the type of things that my boys need to thrive.

• Mindfulness: Another important goal that I have for my boys is to be aware of how their thoughts and feelings impact their behaviors (and the people around them). As a former mental health therapist, I know how essential these skills are - and seek to add these types of lessons and activities whenever I can. BrainPOP has some excellent resources for both!

• Interest exploration: I have a tendency to pick things to study in our homeschool based on my interests (and avoid the ones that I don't care for-eek!). With BrainPOP, my boys can search for things that they want to learn about and explore. It's such an excellent platform for expanding kids' interests!

• Self-confidence: I've seen firsthand with my 2 older boys how developing and mastering independent learning skills builds self-confidence. And I very much want my younger boys to enjoy the same!

• Resilience and problem-solving: I'm all about promoting and practicing growth mindset skills around here! For example, when Xman (8) was struggling with a coding game, he asked Bear (11) for help. Bear had learned all about basic coding so gave an informative demo and a few tips. Xman was able to figure out it - and he was grinning from ear to ear. Made my mama heart so happy!

Our Experiences with BrainPop Homeschool

When I started to research creative and fun ways to boost learning, I remembered how much my 2 older boys had enjoyed BrainPOP when they were in public school and then a year of cyber school.

Well, I was so surprised by how much more content, activities, and support are available, especially with BrainPOP Homeschool! BrainPop topics (and BrainPop Jr. Video) never fail to amaze.

The BrainPOP 101 tab of the Parent Dashboard led me through a helpful sequence to get started. This sequence was similar to what a student goes through in a lesson (so cool to go through it myself!). I learned all about BrainPOP through:

• Video
• Challenge (Engage higher-order thinking with interactive assessment tasks)
• Related Reading
• Primary Resource
• Quiz
• Time Zone X (A timeline game that requires close reading skills)
• Make-A-Map (Visualize thinking and connect ideas)
• Make-A-Movie (Make your own BrainPOP-style movie)

I appreciated going through this sequence (especially the short videos) so I could experience the options that my boys could be assigned or choose.

At that point, I decided to use BrainPOP as part of our homeschool morning time to work through the sequence to practice as a group. We worked through Today’s BrainPOP Topic which was Birds.

My boys quickly got the hang of it (they're so much more tech savvy than I am!). It's actually quite easy to navigate the Teacher Dashboard and search for topics. I just like to run through it with my boys in case they have any questions.

A special thing about BrainPOP that my boys got a kick out of is Moby. He's a robot that joins BrainPOP friends (like Tim) in videos to explore different topics.

In the Teacher Dashboard, I started to give assignments for each boy.

Oh my stars! I forgot to mention that each student gets a login and password. I like that they have individual accounts to practice accessing. I've seen how much my older boys need to do it with their high school/college/trade school classes!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Relaxed + Fun ⭐️ Amy Milcic (@rockyourhomeschool)

I've only assigned a few things so far. And that's worked out well - the boys are completing their work and enjoying it. I give assignments to extend their learning with their current subjects (like learning more about the Great Wall of China and The Silk Road to boost their learning fun with BookShark Level F Reading Through History).

Other topics that I've assigned help us meet homeschool requirements for our state (Pennsylvania). BrainPOP has some wonderful units on Fire Safety, Water Safety, and Bicycle Safety. Also, a search for our state pops up some fabulous resources to learn about and add to our homeschool portfolio.

The best thing that's worked out for my 3 younger boys is giving them 30-45 minutes each day to just have fun in BrainPOP Homeschool. I encourage them to search for a topic that interests them and let them go. The conversations that we have after each of these sessions is priceless (and I'm learning so much from them)!

I'm ecstatic to have this resource for my boys, especially my middle one (Smiley - age 13). He's such a sweet boy but tends to hold back and not push himself. With BrainPOP Homeschool, I've seen his homeschool work performance take off - and love watching his Creative Coding lessons.

FAQs About BrainPOP Homeschool

Take Your Learning Adventures to the Next Level with BrainPOP Homeschool

Are you ready to boost your learning at home? Well, you're in the right place because BrainPOP Homeschool can help!

Go ahead and give BrainPop Homeschool a try with this FREE 2 week trial!

BrainPOP is such an awesome homeschooling option! I encourage you to thoroughly look through all of the options and decide what's best your family. You'll be amazed at how it helps you take learning to the next level!

Got questions about BrainPOP Homeschool? Please let me know in the comments area below!

Sharing is caring!