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I know many people cannot afford to purchase curriculum. We have been so fortunate to have funds and curriculum donated to us by family and friends, but we've also added to that by other methods.
My friend Jodi Lynn asked me if the rumors were true. Is homeschooling more expensive than government schools? The truth is, it can be but it doesn't have to be! There is a lot of free homeschooling material available online. Stores like Half-Priced Books, Dollar Tree, and Goodwill hold so much for homeschoolers as well. (Read my post on MandyMom.com titled "A Fruitful Dollar Tree")
Some curriculum tools, like math manipulatives, are expensive. If you're doing the Montessori method, those items can add up quickly. However, if you approach it with a creative eye, you'll find you can easily substitute other items or make them yourself for much less.
Workbooks can be expensive as well, but Dollar Tree has workbooks up to 1st or 2nd grade for only a buck. We have a few pricey workbooks that need to last us through every child. We either copy the pages, slip them in protective sheets (which you can then write on with wipe off markers), or use another paper to write the answer. In my Dollar Tree post on MandyMom.com, you'll see that we don't write in our Math workbooks. The kids use their math manipulatives (squares, bears, beans, or macaroni) to work out the problems, then write down the answer on another paper.
When you purchase curriculum, you're really investing in something, and you want it to last. You can find creative ways to stretch it out for all of your children.
Here are a few sites I've really enjoyed checking out over the last few weeks.
Free World U is free curriculum site. The only catch is that you need to register (but that's free, of course). They offer digital flash cards on a variety of subjects. Subjects are divided out by school and grade (all the way up to highschool).
For example, Preschool subjects not only include the regulars of Colors, Shapes, Letters, and Numbers, but also Social Issues, Environment, and Weather.
Twelfth grade includes Principles of American Democracy, Principles of Economics, Physics, Probability and Statistics, and Calculus!
This site will make a wonderful addition to your homeschool. Check it out!
1+1+1=1 has a theme on her site called Tot School. You can draw a lot of inspiration from these posts, and even join in.
One of my buddies was telling me about Hippo Campus. Here's an excerpt from the site information page: "HippoCampus is a project of the Monterey Institute for Technology and Education (MITE). The goal of HippoCampus is to provide high-quality, multimedia content on general education subjects to high school and college students free of charge."
Did you know the government has a free resource page? Check it out here: http://free.ed.gov/
I think I've mentioned this site before, and if so, here it is again. The Discovery Channel is very informative, but did you know you can also gather much from their website? They also have a resource page to help teachers enhance the curriculum.
While Teach-nology isn't totally free, they do have a lot of freebies to offer. Check out these free worksheets and free lesson plans (many of these link to other sites).
The Teacher's Cafe has loads of free resources too.
Those links should keep you busy for a while!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Great homeschooling tools for cheap!
Are you unschooling, deschooling, delight driven, or Montessori in your home education methods? I haven't been writing about our homeschooling adventures here, but you can see lots of photos and explanations over at my blog, http://mandymom.com
Take today's post for example:
A Fruitful Dollar Tree Dollar Tree is awesome. I'm sure most you know that, and those of you who don't probably don't have to live on a tight budget. For home educating families like ourselves, Dollar Tree holds a plethora of goodies, especially if you think outside the curriculum box. I had a few things in mind, so we headed over to our neighborhood store to grab a "few" items. [Read more]
Even our eighteen-month-old is involved in our methods!
Take today's post for example:
A Fruitful Dollar Tree Dollar Tree is awesome. I'm sure most you know that, and those of you who don't probably don't have to live on a tight budget. For home educating families like ourselves, Dollar Tree holds a plethora of goodies, especially if you think outside the curriculum box. I had a few things in mind, so we headed over to our neighborhood store to grab a "few" items. [Read more]
Even our eighteen-month-old is involved in our methods!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
A relaxed day of homeschooling.
Children can't help but learn. People often ask if I have to stand over my children and force feed them knowledge, but, the truth is, homeschooling, at this point, is pretty easy going.
This is what has happened so far today. First comes breakfast. While I prepare, my daughter traces the alphabet with her finger (on a mat which is on the kitchen table). I pour them a new kind of cereal, and they want to know exactly what is in it, how it is made, and who made it. This is a popular question at meal time. Then we count out grapes, and they tell ask where grapes grow. After breakfast, I begin cleaning up the dishes in the sink leftover from the previous night, and the children dig into their "math box" full of math manipulatives of all kinds. They sort out shapes and colors, build things with blocks, and count the dots on dominos. The baby tags along, going wherever his siblings go and trying to do whatever they do. Before I do some work online, I write out a few sentences on a piece of paper. My daughter traces them, writes them on her own, and then sounds out the words. After lunch, the baby goes down for a nap and all those awake insist on making Valentines for Nana and Poppa (even though Valentine's Day was a couple weeks ago). They get out the cool scissors, paper, and pens. My daughter asks how to spell Nana and Poppa. She accidently adds an additional P, so it looks more like Popppa. My four-year-old sorts and counts change while my oldest and youngest sit at the piano pounding away the keys. The baby has always had an interest in the piano ever since he could stand on his tippy-toes to reach the keys. I don't think we'll have to force him piano lessons when the time comes because, like my daughter, he enjoys making music. Seconds later, they've moved onto something else. My middle child pretends to cook "Dad a healthy lunch", my daughter pulls out a coloring book, and the baby uses the livingroom as a jungle gym. He climbs up and down the couch, over his sister, under the chairs, stands up on the math box and tumbles onto the couch (and then off of it once again) and... once dad walks in the door... he's up on his lap. Soon we'll have bible study and bible trivia.... and more fun spontaneous education. Plus, I know the children are ready to read a few more chapters in the book we're going through!
With three children under the age of five, there's no need for strict lessons. Some days are more structured, but most are not. We do sit down and do crafts and projects, but it's not a daily thing. Sometimes I'm really involved in everything, and other days, like today, the kids do a lot more on their own while I tend to the house, the laundry, and the baby.
What does your homeschool look like?
This is what has happened so far today. First comes breakfast. While I prepare, my daughter traces the alphabet with her finger (on a mat which is on the kitchen table). I pour them a new kind of cereal, and they want to know exactly what is in it, how it is made, and who made it. This is a popular question at meal time. Then we count out grapes, and they tell ask where grapes grow. After breakfast, I begin cleaning up the dishes in the sink leftover from the previous night, and the children dig into their "math box" full of math manipulatives of all kinds. They sort out shapes and colors, build things with blocks, and count the dots on dominos. The baby tags along, going wherever his siblings go and trying to do whatever they do. Before I do some work online, I write out a few sentences on a piece of paper. My daughter traces them, writes them on her own, and then sounds out the words. After lunch, the baby goes down for a nap and all those awake insist on making Valentines for Nana and Poppa (even though Valentine's Day was a couple weeks ago). They get out the cool scissors, paper, and pens. My daughter asks how to spell Nana and Poppa. She accidently adds an additional P, so it looks more like Popppa. My four-year-old sorts and counts change while my oldest and youngest sit at the piano pounding away the keys. The baby has always had an interest in the piano ever since he could stand on his tippy-toes to reach the keys. I don't think we'll have to force him piano lessons when the time comes because, like my daughter, he enjoys making music. Seconds later, they've moved onto something else. My middle child pretends to cook "Dad a healthy lunch", my daughter pulls out a coloring book, and the baby uses the livingroom as a jungle gym. He climbs up and down the couch, over his sister, under the chairs, stands up on the math box and tumbles onto the couch (and then off of it once again) and... once dad walks in the door... he's up on his lap. Soon we'll have bible study and bible trivia.... and more fun spontaneous education. Plus, I know the children are ready to read a few more chapters in the book we're going through!
With three children under the age of five, there's no need for strict lessons. Some days are more structured, but most are not. We do sit down and do crafts and projects, but it's not a daily thing. Sometimes I'm really involved in everything, and other days, like today, the kids do a lot more on their own while I tend to the house, the laundry, and the baby.
What does your homeschool look like?
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