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This month, we have a Black Friday sale for you--time to stock up on unit studies! We also have information on a Thanksgiving Giveaway and Challenge. There is also a reminder about spring classes and fun typing links. Plus, we have updates on our regular features like the teacher spotlight, AI and ACT tips, and podcast episodes. Thanks for checking out our November newsletter!
Disclosure: This newsletter may feature affiliate links, which means we will earn a small commission if you purchase through the links provided.
Teacher Spotlight
Emily Boyle
Emily Boyle is a homeschooling mom of six with over 25 years of teaching experience. She holds a B.S. in Chemistry from Seton Hill College (University). Emily loves bringing science to life - she created FundaFunda's forensic science class! She is passionate about researching and designing curriculum and inspiring a love of learning.
When she's not teaching, Emily enjoys sewing, gardening, caring for her bunnies (French Angoras), reading a good book, cheering her children on in the pool, and helping her Science Olympiad students.
You can find Emily on Instagram at @boyle4769 or Facebook.
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JUST FOR YOU:
November Special
Black Friday starts now at FundaFunda! Shop our unit study sale through November 30th and stock up!
You can save 75% on regular unit studies with coupon code 5FOR5. (Not applicable for mini unit studies or bundles.)
You can choose one or up to 5 regular unit studies at this incredible $5 each price.
We have fun and engaging unit studies on anatomy topics to World War II and everything in between! (Also our new Intro to AI one!) For grades 4 - 12.
Our sale ends November 30, 2025.
TWO GREAT RESOURCES FOR NOVEMBER
The 30 Days of Thanks blog series is running all month with fresh ideas to grow gratitude in your home. Join the challenge and get free printables plus daily encouragement! And be sure to enter the giveaway! It includes our Astronomy Unit Study Bundle worth $34.
Don't forget to scroll to the end to find links to loads of helpful articles. Be sure not to miss ours on Planning Thanksgiving with GPT!
The Homeschool Quest magazine helps you homeschool with practical tips, inspiring stories, and resources that adapt to your family’s rhythm.
Let’s make homeschooling fun again!
Click the link above to read the magazine online.
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| November Poll: Would you be interested in an online community (other than Facebook--there are algorithm issues and we are learning that the majority of our followers are not seeing our posts) |
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Grab a unique advent calendar!
We share some ideas homeschoolers will LOVE!
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Contest of the Month
Dell Scholars
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Mark your calendar for December 15th when the application opens!
Every year, 500 hundred students are chosen nationwide as Dell Scholars. Students receive $20,000 flexible scholarships, a laptop, book credits, an emergency fund, academic and mental health support, as well as career coaching, and more!
Applicants must be high school seniors participating in an approved college readiness program, be Pell Grant eligible, and have at least a 2.4 GPA.
The application deadline is February 15, 2026.
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AI Tip of the Month |
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If you want recommendations on a YouTube video, ask Gemini as Google owns both YouTube and Gemini, so you will receive the best responses from Gemini vs. ChatGPT, Claude, etc.
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Upcoming FundaFunda Events
This month, teens can compete in our free Photography Contest!
To enter, students ages 13-18 just need to submit a fall or Thanksgiving photo. The photo must have been taken by the teen during the month of November.
Submission guidelines and judging criteria can be found here.
Entries must be submitted by November 30, 2025.
The top three winners will receive Amazon gift cards: first place $15, second place $10, and third place $5.
In December, students in 4th - 12th grade can compete in our Scratch Coding Contest! Students new to coding will be able to watch video tutorials to help them get started learning to code in Scratch. It really is VERY easy.
The task will be to create an interactive Christmas scene using Scratch. Scratch is a free online drag-and-drop programming language that makes it very easy to code. All the instructions will be provided in the online classroom students will access after registering.
Students will be divided into 2 groups – those new to programming in Scratch and those with some experience. They will not be competing against each other. The age of the student will also be taken into account when we judge.
First place in each division (new programmer/those with some experience) is a $20 Amazon gift card. A runner up in each division will receive a $10 Amazon gift card.
All students will receive a $10 coupon to use on any of our programming classes.
The final project submission due date for the 2025 contest is December 23rd, 2025.
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Fall Semester classes END December 12, 2025.
Spring Semester classes BEGIN January 5, 2026.
Register here for spring semester classes.
This month, we found free, online resources for students (and/or parents) to learn or improve typing skills! There's even one where you can race each other! Give it a try!
- Typing Club gives you the option to create a profile in order to save your progress. Whether your choose to create a profile or not, you just practice each lesson until you get five stars. Typing Club says you'll be a pro with just a few minutes of practice a day for one to two weeks!
- On Typing.com you can learn to type easily with practice lessons for touch typing. The program includes custom lessons and progress reports, as well as a progress certificate you can print. You can also create a teacher account and create custom lessons based on your homeschool curriculum. Free typing games are also included to make learning typing skills fun! You can create a free account to save your progress.
- Type Racer takes your typing to another level! This is a great program to help increase speed after the basics have been learned. Students create their own race car and then choose whether they would like to race the clock or race other online typists. There are also themed races like numbers, repeating words, dictionary, etc. We love using games for learning and Type Racer looks like a great fit!
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ACT Navigator
ACT Navigator is a free, easy-to-use tool that breaks the high school journey into clear steps — by season and by year.
It helps families track testing, deadlines, college planning, and financial aid, so parents always know what’s next.
Navigator is a free tool from ACT that equips families with a trusted roadmap that reduces stress and keeps students moving forward with confidence.
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Latest Podcast Episodes
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!
In this episode, we explore the alarming rise of AI companion usage among teenagers and the serious risks these tools pose. While AI can be incredibly useful for education and productivity, AI companions designed to fulfill emotional and social roles present unique dangers that most parents are unaware of.
Teen guest Mishe Breetzke shares how she learned to manage her time more effectively using technology. Mishe, a homeschooled student from South Africa, who is in Meryl’s online Computer Applications class, shares how she realized that feeling “too busy” often came down to poor time management, not too much work.
Mishe explains how she uses the TimeTune app (Android) to plan her days, balance school and hobbies, and reduce stress. She discusses features she loves—like notifications and templates—and what she wishes the app had. Together, she and Meryl also explore other scheduling tools like Todoist, Google Calendar, and analog options such as bullet journaling or spreadsheets.
Meryl talks with Morgan Bergstrom, creator of the BaseCampEd app, a new tool designed to help homeschool families build community and connection.
In this episode, Meryl is joined by Critical Thinking in the Digital Age instructor Stephanie Simoes to explore how AI is impacting students’ ability to think deeply and critically.
In this special birthday edition of Homeschooling with Technology, Meryl looks back at the five most downloaded episodes of all time!
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Free Resource Library for Subscribers
Access the Free Resources Library HERE. Password: edufun
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9508 Abrams Creek Way, Knoxville, TN, USA, KNOXVILLE, TN 37922
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