Do you know about Flipboard for homeschooling and parenting tips? I’m always looking for fun ways to learn and this is a great way to discover new learning topics, craft ideas, and kids’ activities to add to your lessons and teaching ideas! I’ve put together the ultimate guide to using Flipboard for your homeschool curriculum and for fun family ideas!
Beginner’s Guide To Using Flipboard For Homeschooling & Learning Resources
If you’ve never heard of Flipboard or have heard rumblings (like me) and keep thinking, “Flip…what???” you’re in for a surprise!
This free online app for phone or desktop is the most excited I’ve been about online sharing and social media in a long, long, long (I mean, really long) time.
(And they didn’t even pay me to say that!)
What Is Flipboard?
Flipboard is a personalized magazine app that lets you curate content from across the web based on your interests.
Then, you save them all in one place for when you need it, neatly categorized into folders called Magazines.
Think of it as a customizable bulletin board where you can pin articles, videos, and stories from various sources all in one place under “Magazines” that you create.
For example, so far I’ve created Magazines for:
I also created a “Weird, Fun & Trending” Magazine for things I liked, found funny or interesting, or wanted to try, but really didn’t fit into the other Magazine topics.
(It’s kinda like my kitchen junk drawer of online coolness.)
Those are just the Magazines I created right now. You can create a Magazine with any topic that interests you!
Then, you “flip” through stories that others have posted on Flipboard (like turning the pages in a magazine). When you see something you like, you hit the “+” to add it (or “flip it”) into one of your Magazines.
I SHARED A VIDEO OF HOW IT WORKS OVER ON FACEBOOK
You can also copy a link from a website that you like and save it into your magazines, although this can be a little tricky if you’re new. I show a step-by-step how to add a link from a website on Flipboard to STEP #4 below.
One of the best Flipboard things is that it is all about community. I love that it’s community-focused! In that way it feels like the “old internet” where people were excited to share others’ work and engage and interact. This means you see some really cool and fun content on there!
Before we get to using Flipboard for parents, let’s cover a little about curated learning and why it’s perfect for homeschooling parents.
What is curated learning?
Curated learning is the process of selectively gathering, organizing, and presenting educational content tailored to specific learning needs or interests.
Unlike traditional education methods that follow a set curriculum, curated learning allows for a more personalized approach, often leveraging digital tools to compile and share customized resources.
Curated learning is perfect for a relaxed homeschooling method or just for fun extras if you’re already using a homeschool curriculum.
Flipboard is an excellent platform for curated learning because it enables users to act as gatherers of their own, fun educational content.
Here’s how Flipboard ties into curated learning:
- Personalized Content Selection: On Flipboard, you can follow topics that interest you and are relevant to your educational goals. This allows you to receive a steady stream of content that matches specific interests or the subjects you’re covering.
- Magazine Creation: You can create your own Flipboard Magazines, which act like personalized digital textbooks or resource compilations to hold all the cool stuff you find! These Magazines can be filled with articles, videos, tutorials, and more (anything you find on the internet), all chosen based on what you as the curator (person saving the info) finds useful and relevant for your homeschooling or family life.
- Resource Sharing and Collaboration: Flipboard allows you to share Magazines with others or collaborate with fellow educators, parents, or homeschoolers (and more!). This makes it a valuable tool for group learning or even for homeschool co-op teachers / parents who want to distribute tailored content to their students.
- Updated and Dynamic Learning Materials: Since the content in Flipboard is continuously updated by various publishers and contributors (all day, everyday, at all hours), you have access to current and diverse resources. This keeps the learning material fresh and gives you a constant stream of engaging ideas.
Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Started With Flipboard for Homeschooling
I am finding myself using Flipboard WAY more than Facebook or Instagram right now because it’s actually interesting information that I need and want and not just a bunch of people being rude or complaining.
(Remember those amazing early Facebook times? I miss those… *sigh*)
STEP 1. Download and Dive Into Your Flipboard Profile
Start by downloading the free Flipboard app or visiting their website.
Sign up is a breeze, but the phone app can be a little wonky sometimes. (Just an FYI.)
Upload your photo and create a brief bio of your interests. That way like-minded people can find your interest keywords and follow you!
SETP 2. Follow Your Interests On Flipboard
I’m not gonna lie, it can feel a little overwhelming at first, but following your interests on Flipboard is an important step because it helps train Flipboard what you want to see more of in your feed.
The best thing to do is follow some of the hashtags (like #education) that Flipboard shows you (or search for them with the magnifying search icon), follow some Magazines that interest you (created by others), and save (“flip”) articles of interest into your Magazines.
STEP 3. Create Flipboard Magazines
Think of magazines as your personal collections of articles, videos, and resources.
If you use Pinterest, Magazines are kinda like a Pinterest Board and an article you save into the Magazine is like pinning to a Board.
You can create one Flipboard Magazine for each subject area—like “Math Mania” or “Literary Legends” or anything you’re interested in, like home renovation ideas or gardening tips.
There are no rules for the Magazine topics you create, so make them relevant to your interests and needs.
To create a Flipboard Magazine, simple click NEW MAGAZINE under your profile, add a Magazine title, and a brief description of your magazine.
FLIPBOARD TIP: Start with 5 Magazine topics (or less), just to keep from getting overwhelmed. You can easily add more, as needed. I created my handful of Magazines first before I started flipping (saving) articles into them.
You can even create a Private Magazine (toggle the button to “Private”) if you want to create a Magazine of items for your eyes only (or only those who collaborate with you, which would be really helpful for a homeschool coop inspiration board for parents and teachers).
STE 4. Curate And Collect Fun Information On And Off Flipboard
FLIPBOARD TIP: “Create A Flip” just means adding something to one of your Magazines and saving it.
As you browse articles, videos and more on Flipboard, “flip” (aka: save) interesting finds into your Magazines. You can do this by clicking the “+” sign at the bottom of an articles. Flipboard will then bring up your list of Magazines and you click (or tap) on the one you want to save it to.
If you want to paste a link that you found online, use the icon that looks like pencil and paper.
You can also like (heart icon) or comment (talk bubble icon) on any of the articles you see.
If you find something interesting that fits into two of your Magazines, it’s OK to “reflip” (resave) the post into another Magazine so you have it with that category, too.
For example, I might save this pollination craft into my Education Magazine and also my Crafting With Kids Magazine.
Over time, you’ll build a comprehensive resource library—right at your fingertips, to go back to at anytime.
FLIPBOARD USE TIP: Flipboard information moves through the platform quickly. If you see something that interests you, flip it (save it) when you see it. It may be hard to find it if you try to go back later!
There are also Storyboards, but I haven’t done anything with those yet. Once I do, I’ll come back here and update my Flipboard tips for those.
STEP 5. Connect With Parents, Other Homeschoolers, And Interesting Communities On Flipboard
Flipboard isn’t just about collecting content! One of the best things is that it’s also about connecting with like-minded folks.
Follow other homeschoolers, teachers, educators, artists, and more cool people to exchange invaluable resources with each other.
You can also follow many big brands on there. So, for example, if Martha Stewart is your thing, you can follow that brand and their Magazines to see their shares in your feed.
YOU CAN FOLLOW THE HOMESCHOOL SUPER FREAK FLIPBOARD HERE
STE 6. Explore Daily Editions For You On Flipboard
Don’t miss out on Flipboard’s “FOR YOU” daily picks.
If you go to the FOR YOU section (at the top), it will show you a mix of things from your interests and also some popular and trending things on Flipboard.
This is also like your Home Feed that will show when you open the app on your phone.
It’s like having a little editorial team helping you find the gems each day.
Be sure to Flip some of those into your Magazines. Don’t forget, it’s also about supporting community on this app!
FLIPBOARD TIP: If you only want to see a specific topic that you follow (say “Education”), you can select from those at the top of the app and it will show you articles tagged with that topic.
What I Like About Flipboard For Parents
You’re probably thinking, “Ugh! I don’t want another social media platform to follow!” and, I totally get it. That’s what I thought until I started using Flipboard
Pros Of Flipboard
- It’s a super easy way to save all your ideas in one place.
- Flipboard is inspires me to add weird topics to my homeschooling! (I’ve saved a ton of weird history stuff that my kid is going to love!)
- You’ll get introduced to a ton of fun and interesting topics that you’re not necessarily seeing everywhere else.
- It’s really easy to use and you can move through information quickly in just a few minutes a day (or a little each week).
- You can save things others shared on Flipboard, or anything you find around the internet (including videos!).
- ***I’m finding it way more fun and mood-enhancing (and better for my mental health) than doomscrolling on other social media apps.
Cons Of Flipboard
- It can feel overwhelming when you’re first starting.
- The phone app can be hit or miss. (It’s a little wonky sometimes and I sometimes can’t Flip directly from websites, but have to paste the URL into Flipboard.)
- Sometimes I have to refresh the desktop app to load the page (if it says page not found).
- It can take a minute or two to get used to the terminology. (Hint: Magazines are your different category folders, a flip is an article you’re saving to a Magazine, reflipping is where you take another piece of content that you’ve already added to one of your Flipboard magazines and then flip it into another magazine.)
- Flipboard is broader based, so you will see more under “Education” and less under “Homeschooling” (although there is homeschooling content on there!), so you have to readjust your thinking a little.
- It’s easy to get addicted to it because there really is such a wide range of great information on there.
I think Flipboard is going to be the next big thing as we crave better information and easier ways to share and get info!
Whether you’re a tech-savvy parent or just dipping your toes into digital waters, Flipboard makes it easy to organize educational materials, find craft ideas, and discover inspiring lesson plans. Give it a try!
MORE TECHNOLOGY IN HOMESCHOOLING INFORMATION TO CHECK OUT NEXT: Teaching Kids In The AI Era: Welcome To Uncanny Valley
Let me know you’re using Flipboard for homeschooling! I’d love to follow you over there!
