Monthly newsletter packed with info on free and paid resources for homeschool parents wanting to prepare their children well for college and careers.
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March Newsletter: Self-Paced Sale, Free Magazine, Free History Resources, and More!
Published 1 day ago • 6 min read
Spring is here and we have some fresh deals for you this month: a self-paced sale, fun games and links for learning history, and a free magazine with 100 pages of free and affordable homeschool resources . Of course, we have new offerings in our regular features as well. And, last but not least, we have our winners from the Canva Poster Contest, and details on our April contest.
Disclosure: This newsletter may feature affiliate links, which means we will earn a small commission if you purchase through the links provided.
Teacher Spotlight
Mariselle at Machu Picchu last April.
Mariselle Gonzalez
Mariselle Gonzalez is an electrical engineer, educator, and founder of Parallel 10 Education. She has more than 30 years of experience working in engineering, technology, and innovation, including roles with companies such as Motorola, Microchip Technology, and Salesforce.
During her career, Mariselle led more than 100 projects in product development, digital transformation, and technology training across industries including semiconductors, software, higher education, and nonprofits. She holds a degree in Electrical Engineering and an MBA from Arizona State University.
Mariselle has always been passionate about teaching and mentoring students. She has taught Algebra and engineering concepts and has volunteered as an ESL instructor in the community. Through her teaching, she discovered that many students are curious about engineering but rarely get the opportunity to explore the wide range of fields within it. This inspired her to create the Engineering A to Z curriculum, a hands-on program designed to introduce students to many different engineering disciplines while connecting them to real-world applications and careers. Her goal is to help students build confidence in STEM subjects and discover how engineering shapes the world around them.
We have a special offer for you this month: Take 40% off any FundaFunda self-paced course! These can be started at any time, so consider using them over the summer!
AND you only need buy once - you can reuse them for all the children in your family! You have lifetime access.
Intro to Adobe Photoshop: In this class students will learn fundamental techniques for image manipulation in Photoshop.
Computer Applications: In this class students will learn to work in an online environment – something which is becoming more and more common in the workplace.
Graphic Design with Canva: In this class students will be introduced to the basics of using a free Canva account to create graphics for presentations, infographics, posters, social media, and more.
High School Health: In this class students will be provided with relevant information and cover the basics of the human body, diseases, nutrition, exercise etc. Assignments will be engaging and designed to help students make good decisions about their health.
Intro to Theater: In this class students will be introduced to acting and technical theatre. By the end of this course, the student should have a selection of monologues he/she can use for an audition.
Intro to Photography: In this class students will learn the basics of taking and editing photographs. The class is designed to teach many skills, but also to be fun!
Middle School Anatomy: In this class students will learn about all the systems of the human body in a fun and engaging way.
Use code SP40 to receive 40% off any of the above FundaFunda self-paced courses.
Not only is it free, but it contains tips and encouragement for homeschooling parents. The goal behind the magazine is to help homeschoolers find free and affordable resources, curriculum, and more.
Here are just a few of the articles you'll find in this issue:
Rover is offering a $2,500 scholarship. Applicants need to be U.S. residents and a graduating high school senior, or a college freshman, sophomore, or junior. Students will need to submit a 400-500 word essay in response to the question "How did growing up with a pet in your life impact the person you are today?".
Submissions my be received by May 1, 2026. A winner will be notified by May 31, 2026.
AI Tip of the Month
If your children are visual learners, turn any pdf, video, etc. into an eye-catching infographic in NotebookLM.
Here is an example:
Upcoming FundaFunda Events
Congratulations to the winners of our A Winter Getaway Canva Travel Poster Design Contest
1st Place ($15 Amazon gift card): Jack G 2nd Place ($10 Amazon gift card): Emmalyn H 3rd Place ($5 Amazon gift card): Brextyn P Honorable Mention: Ibrahim W The contest was judged by our "Graphic Design with Canva" teacher, Rebecca Brinkman. She said: "Jack’s design was very creative and original and “sold” the trip for a potential traveler."
Winning Entry
Fantasy Geography Contest for April!
Turn world events into a strategy game! Students will draft countries and earn points based on how often they appear in the news—the contest will be run through the Fanschoolplatform.
The contest is open for students in grades 4th-12th and runs from April 1–30, 2026.
The top three students will receive $50, $25, and $10 Amazon gift cards.
You can purchase courses at 2025 prices through April 30th!
This month, we've gathered fun links to some history games for you. Meryl uses several of these, plus other similar ones, in her US History and World History classes.
Be Washington: Do you have what it takes to lead like George Washington? There are four scenarios to choose from with this game.
Mission US: Eight scenarios to choose from, where you play as a character from that time period and make decisions related to current events.
Oregon Trail: An educational game created to teach students about the life of a 19th century pioneer.
Digital Breakouts: You'll find several US History digital breakout games to choose from here and four world history ones here.
ACT CORNER
ACT College/University Cost Comparison Worksheet
ACT has published a cost comparison worksheet to help students compare colleges based on important costs like tuition and housing against scholarships, grants, and aid. This is a valuable tool for students (and parents), and it's a free PDF file. The worksheet covers up to three schools, and you can just print an extra copy or two if you have more than three schools to evaluate.
One of our students wrote a post for his mom's blog: Proverbial Homemaker. The post is a review of his experience of taking FundaFunda's AI for Teens class this year.
In our Homeschooling with Technology podcast, we explore new and different ways of using technology in homeschooling. There is an episode released every week!
You can start listening at any time. Just click on a link to listen in a browser, or find the podcast wherever you listen to podcasts. Email me if you need help! We have a tab on our website to browse through all our past podcast episodes easily. Check it out!
NotebookLM has graduated from Google Labs beta into a fully featured, stand-alone tool — and it has grown dramatically. In this episode, Meryl walks through all nine features currently available in the Studio panel, explaining how homeschool parents can use them to save time and how students can use them to study more effectively.
In this episode, Meryl explains what Gems are, how they compare to custom GPTs in ChatGPT, and how homeschool parents can use them to create interactive lessons, quizzes, games, and study guides.
In this episode, Meryl is joined by Melissa Muir from Think Curio to discuss an important topic for homeschool families: avoiding tech burnout.
While both Meryl and Melissa love educational technology and use it extensively in their teaching, they recognize the need for balance. With recent studies showing that adults, teens, and even younger children are spending significant hours each day on screens, it is crucial to be intentional about how technology fits into homeschool life.
In this episode, Meryl interviews Melissa Brander from Pocket Homeschool about the many free technology resources available through your local library.
Melissa shares practical ideas and specific tools to help homeschool families take full advantage of what libraries are already offering — often completely free.
Free Resource Library for Subscribers
Access the Free Resources Library HERE. Password: edufun
It may be cold outside, but we have some warm deals for you this month: a unit study special and an offer from Literary Adventures. We also found some help from other homeschoolers for those of you who have been asking us about extracurricular activities that involve socialization. Of course, we have new offerings in our regular features. And, last but not least, we have our winners from the January Vocabulary Contest, and details on a new Canva Creation Contest for February. So, grab a warm...
Spring semester has started - but it's not too late to register for our classes! We have reminders about spring classes and a special on a critical thinking self-paced class. We also have a new teacher spotlight, AI hints, and ACT tips for you. Plus, we have some cool Winter Olympics links and new podcast episodes. Finally, we included information on contest opportunities for writers and those who enjoy (or need to work on) vocabulary. We think you'll find something in this month's...
Spring semester starts this month! We have reminders about spring classes and a special on a critical thinking self-paced class. We also have a new teacher spotlight, AI hints, and ACT tips for you. Plus, we have some cool Winter Olympics links and new podcast episodes. Finally, we included information on contest opportunities for writers and those who enjoy (or need to work on) vocabulary. We think you'll find something in this month's newsletter especially for you! Disclosure: This...
