Homeschool World Forum

[wendit59]

Hi!
I'm hoping to get tips here. For us, this is my first year hs our 4 children. We've gotten used curriculum on e-bay and I've gotten some new through Rainbow Resource and Christian Books, then some stuff from the library. Can you tell we use eclectic home schooling? Then we pray and God provides, too. So let's hear your ideas, okay?
_________________
Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior!

[momo3boys]

I used a lot of internet resources, google just about anything with free at the end and you can find it. from graph paper, to unit studies, to coloring pages.

I also get old books from tag sales and other people's old curriculum. I love the older textbooks like Holt mathematics and the McGuffey readers, that you can also get online for free. Spellingtime.com is great and free. I customized it to the McGuffey spelling book.

I also do my actual shopping at Timberdoodle.com I don't buy much but when I do I get a great deal and a free book.

Can you tell I like the word free!!
_________________
Phi 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

[micheller79]

I am a frugal hs mom too. I use the public school textbooks which they have to give me. but when i asked for the workbooks they did not directly say no but told me they didn't come in yet. and everytime i called after that for about 2 weeks they did not come in yet. but a girl i knew in dd class said sure we have all our workbooks. I wonder if i am legally able to get the workbooks too. does anyone know? i live in PA.

i found lots of great hs tools at the dollar stores. we go to the library and
on the computer. But my daughter needs more. So, i am also interested in any tips for free things and cost cutters. Like are there any rich benefactors out there that want to adopt me?

[frogguruami]

Internet!! There is tons on there that can be done with little or no money.
_________________
AM, homeschooling mom to Drake and Kyllian
www.seilerclan.info

[mezuro]

It depends on the age of your kids. My daughter and I used some curriculum when she was very young, but I wouldn't need it now. Basic format- pick a topic, find a non-fiction & a fiction book on the topic then do activities. Go to the zoo or park, draw pictures, act out the story, rent movies, go to museums. Spend lots of time in nature. Math - use it around the house, at the store, get books, etc. Talk, read, and live! Games are also a good way to use math if your kids like games.

We also used Konos when Adrienne was a little older. Each book is a 2 year curriculum packed with inexpensive ideas. We got materials from second hand stores & garage sales. I spent very little money until middle school.

Have fun!
_________________
Remember forever.

[Ramona]

--Read the books you have around the house
--Library books
--Write your own life stories and have children write theirs
--Keep a daily journal
--Teach kids songs you already know or have around the house
--Research ancestors and study family history
--Write letters to faraway friends and relatives
--Perform volunteer service for all sorts of different groups in your community
--Grow a garden
--Clean house inside and out
--Learn and do home repairs
--Beautify the home
--Cook and bake together
--Read newspapers and mail that come into the home
--Get to know neighbors
--Do art projects using junk mail you receive
--Use sample pages from ads for kids' magazines--photocopy them, enlarge them, re-use them for each child or every year
--Walk to nearby parks, playgrounds, sports fields, empty lots, and other interesting places
--Save all paper with one blank side that comes into the house and let the kids write and draw on it
--Teach kids games from your childhood that don't require equipment, like Hide and Seek, Tag, Fox and Geese, Colored Eggs
--Teach kids your family traditions surrounding holidays and other special occasions; start some new ones
--Request that friends and relatives who will be giving you or your kids gifts for occasions like birthdays and holidays please give things that are useful academically

Ramona

[Morgan]

(Great suggestions Ramona!)

If you are homeschooling children in elementary school, it will be much cheaper than if they were in middle or high school, considering SAT/ACT test prep, large textbooks, etc.

If you ARE indeed home educating young children, you can find most things for little or no money, such as workbooks, etc. You can get other things from the library, as Ramona has said, and you can also create your own essays/writing prompts, if you don't mind writing, by simply writing instructions on a piece of lined paper and giving it to your kids. You can also find some cheap printer paper and there are some free online writing prompts/worksheets, etc. that you can print out (be sure to use lightest ink volume, and print in black and white).

But if you are homeschooling teens, it would be about the time when you need to begin purchasing more expensive textbooks, and college test prep, too. What we do is buy used textbooks off of Amazon or eBay. You can get lightly used books for a lot less than new and if you purchase older versions (this is not a good idea for history, however, due to the fact that older books would contain less info. about serious recent events like 9/11), then you can usually get those cheaper as well. You can buy notebooks for 50-70 cents from superstores around back-to-school time, and you can have your kids write journal entries or small essays daily.
_________________
"What we want to see is the child in pursuit of knowledge, not knowledge in pursuit of the child."
- George Bernard Shaw

[Ramona]

[jan]

You have a very good point about those old history books, Ramona!
I have found lots old text books at Goodwill, very cheap and even yard sales. Then when finished with them you can redonate. That is 1 of the things I like about HSing the sky is the limit, just use your imagination.

<>< <>< <>< <><

[bigreys5]

[momo3boys]

Here are a few useful websites.

http://spelling.wordpress.com/

http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/15456 (for the spelling book)

http://2020ok.com/tags/english_language.htm

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?&isbn=0030505267&nsa=1

basically if you have time and internet, you can find about anything free or just about. I hope this helps.
_________________
Phi 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

[Morgan]

eBay and Amazon.com are our main sources for HS textbooks. You ca easily find lightly used textbooks for a few dollars or, if you don't mind a few highlighter marks here and there, for literally a few cents. Although most high school textbooks like Physics, Chemistry, or Calculus tend to have more content, they cost a lot more than other books. However, there are benefits to large "textbook bundles" that you can buy online that contain lots of little workbooks and a teacher's edition of the textbook. My mom bought a Chemistry textbook bundle for $52.00 on eBay. It had over 20 workbooks included with the regular textbook and teacher's edition textbook. She had me keep the teacher's edition textbook so that she could refer to it when necessary, along with about five of the 25 workbooks in the bundle. She listed the remaining pieces of the bundle on eBay for $49.99, and just today it sold! So, basically, it cost her a few dollars for everything she kept.

You really can afford homeschooling with little money if you take the time to research it. I highly recommend using all the links in the posts above if you are looking for affordable HS tools. Good luck!
_________________
"What we want to see is the child in pursuit of knowledge, not knowledge in pursuit of the child."
- George Bernard Shaw

[riccalo]

If your children are in grades preschool through 3rd grade you'll find learningpage.com a useful website. It has free printable Lesson plans, books, and worksheets (Science, Math, Language, etc.). You just have to sign up, which is also completely free. I use their theme worksheets (ocean, zoo animals, insects & spiders, etc.) quite often with my two little ones (ages 8 and 5) and they seem to enjoy them.

www.iknowthat.com is another great free website for children in grades preschool through 6th. They have a wide range of online educational games to play. My children love that one as well.

I hope this has been of some help to you. Good luck.

[dawnr1101]

[Lily]

Mine's not the most frugal way but it works for us.

- MAKE A LIST! I cannot stress this enough! It's easy to buy something just because you want it, but then you get home and find out you have way too much math stuff and no language work. We make a list at the beginning of the year and try to stick to it.

- if you do buy curriculum, look for it used year round. I keep a projected spending list in my notebook with retail price plus shipping (if applicable). When I go to sales I pull out my notebook to determine the best price.

- put a little aside every month. Even $10 in the pot. It adds up fast, so if you do need to buy something new, take a field trip, whatever, the money is there.

- weigh the cost of the book vs. the cost of copying/printing. I found I didn't save much money by printing online sheets or copying from the workbook. We did save money, though, buying books that encourage the child to copy onto notebook paper.
_________________
"The greatest sign of success for a teacher... is to be able to say, "The children are now working as if I did not exist."
- M. Montessori
Proud non-member of the HSLDA