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May
21
The Abundant Affordable Homeschool
May 21, 2012 | Homeschooling Affordably | Leave a Comment
We are beginning our 12th year of homeschooling. When I look back over those years, I believe that we have only had 1 year where I felt like I spent a chunk of money on curriculum. However, the rest of the years, I had little or no money/budget for homeschooling. This meant I had to get very creative! Many years we actually did not spend a single penny on curriculum, and very little on supplies! Yet, we have been able to homeschool our children each of those years, and homeschool them well.
This year, I have 4 children in high school and one in seventh grade. I spent weeks researching what we were going to study this year, making sure that each child would have what they need to meet their graduation requirements. When all was said and done, I anticipated I would need to spend about $1000 this year.
My God is faithful! He has provided for my family once again, in a myriad of ways! And I have only spent $25 for one book that I was lacking! Over the years, He has provided resources in some unexpected ways, as well as providing resources that continue to prove to be wonderful resources for our family, each and every year! I would like to share all of these with you today!
95% of what you see on the table in the photo was obtained for free. Either gifted by a homeschool friend who no longer needed the books, or borrowed.
I firmly believe the statement I have often heard, “God does not call the enabled, He enables the called.” I truly believe that God will help you find the resources you need to educate your children, to ultimately glorify Him. Here are some of the ways, the Lord has stretched our homeschool curriculum budget.
Offline Resources
Check your local library! Most libraries’ have a book sale once or twice a year. I have been able to find books to build our living books library, reference books and even a few textbooks. The most I paid would be $2 a book, but by going on the last day, they have a buck a bag day, and that is when I normally clean up! Check with your local library to see when they have a sale scheduled!
Check with your local homeschool group. Our group has a lending library, where our members can check out curriculum for the year, for no charge! If your group does not offer this kind of service, perhaps they will start a lending library! They may also host, or know of a used book sale in your area. You can also check with members of your local group. This year, I am borrowing both Algebra 1 and Geometry. Each one I will have through the end of this year. I will need Geometry next year, and I have already been told that I can borrow it next year! So exciting!
I have found that the homeschool community is a very generous one! We love to help each other!
Online Resources
Once you have done these things, if you are still coming up short, these online resources will be sure to help you! Our family has either used the websites listed below, or we are currently using them this year. I pray that they will bless your family.
Old Fashioned Education (http://www.oldfashionededucation.com/)
Using public domain texts, this website supplies links to full curriculum for every grade but 12th. You will only need to add math and science, possibly.
And that is where our next website can come to the rescue. If you are a Christian Homeschooler, and you have been homeschooling for any amount of time, you have no doubt heard of Answers in Genesis (AIG) . In case you have not heard of AIG, I wanted to give you some background information.
AIG, is the leader in Creation Science Apologetics. Ken Ham is the US Founder and Presidentof Answers in Genesis. He is a seasoned speaker, who travels the world and engages his audiences. He helps them understand the straightforward story of Creation, and inspires them to be a soldier of the faith, by standing firm for Creation!
What’s more, is that AIG also provides scientific backing to Creation Science!
In our home, we own several of the publications that AIG produces. We love their products. But did you know that they offer most, if not all of their book online for FREE ? That is right for FREE!!! You can peruse their inventory and start reading today, by visiting their website. And not only that, they offer study guides online for their books, for FREE! We have used these guides for books we have purchased, as well as, books we have used online for FREE! You can take took at their listing here.
In my study this year, I was so pleased to learn that there are major universities that are offering free online classes. Now, I may not actually want my children to take some of these classes, but some of them look very good.
This link is from Yale University. – Open Yale
This is for classes from MIT - MIT Open Courseware
Hippocampus - Offers multimedia lessons and course materials to help you with your instruction.
Homeschool College USA - full line of free curriculum resources that will not only get your child ready for graduation, in some cases they will prepare them for CLEP testing.
A CLASSICAL EDUCATION – Full line of resources for all subjects for a self directed learner.
While these are just a few links, you will find that these are a clearing house of resources. I found math courses, language courses, social studies and science courses. Take some time and peruse these sites and see if you can supplement your curriculum, or perhaps use these resources as your curriculum. What’s great is I found some free text, and then video lessons to go along with them.
My last resource is not a free resource; however, I would be remiss not to include it as an affordable resource. The Homeschool Dollar store (http://www.theoldschoolhousestore.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=463&zenid=isktdkrogvtbtn838s9444u5o0) , by The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, is chock full of wonderful finds. I have picked up items including unit studies, lapbooks, ebooks on homonyms, writing prompts, historical, devotional and much more. The titles rotate, so keep your eye out.
Homeschooling is an adventure! Keep your eye out, and you are bound to find some unique, affordable, and many times FREE items that will help you give your children a quality education.
Jennifer Southern, the mother of 5 energetic, diverse children, has homeschooled her family for the last 11 years. Jennifer volunteers as the director of her local homeschool support group, and serves in the nursery department of her church. Jennifer has a heart to serve others and desires to share with others all that the Lord has blessed her with. http://www.jenscreativelearners.blogspot.com/
May
18
Featured Blog Post ~ Teaching the Basics; Techniques that Work
May 18, 2012 | Featured Blog Post | 1 Comment
This weeks featured blog post has really touched home with me since we have a child that has a learning disability. Though that child is now older, and has grown out of a lot of the learning issues, when they were younger I was always looking for some help with teaching them. I think what Megan wrote in her post Teaching the Basics; Techniques that Work is very helpful. Plus, I think this post and any tips for special needs are a help for all children.
Stop by her blog for a good read on teaching special needs children, and don’t forget to congratulate her on winning this weeks Featured Blog Post Award. ~ JoAnn
May
16
Homeschool Mother’s Journal ~ 5/16
May 16, 2012 | Homeschool Mother's Journal | 1 Comment
In my life this week…I enjoyed a great Mother’s Day. I always tell my family that they don’t have to do anything, but they always like to spoil me. They bought me a game I really wanted, Scrabble Flash. I was quite excited when I opened that gift, and we’ve been playing it a lot since then. We also had a great lunch with friends from church, there was about 20 of us. It was truly a blessed Mother’s Day.
In our homeschool this week…Sarah, our oldest, is done with school for the year. Paulie will be done by the end of the week. Kind of hard to believe the year is over. I don’t really feel like it is because I still have school work I have to do before the end of May. 
Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…Try to keep up with all your paper work, it’s better than having to go through it all at the end of the year (like I’m going to have to do to pick out the papers for their portfolios 
).
I am inspired by…Parents with more than two children that homeschool. Honestly, I don’t know how they do it.
Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…Library and church mainly. Not too many plans this week except for this weeks library run hubby got to go with us since it was his day off. That is always a treat for all of us.
My favorite thing this week was…Mother’s day and spending it with my family and friends.
Things I’m working on…I’m finishing up some crocheting gifts I’m making for a friend, and then I need to look at my ‘craft’ list to see what else I want to start.
I’m reading…The Great Divide by T. Davis Bunn and The Sacred Shore by Janette Oke and T. Davis Bunn (audio book). I listen to the audio book while working on my crafts and when I want to relax I read the other book. Thankfully the stories are so completely opposite, I don’t get the story lines confused.
I’m cooking…I made bread this week and actually tried my first loaf of cinnamon/raisin swirl bread. It’s pretty much my cinnamon rolls just left as a bread loaf. I need to learn how to squeeze it together better so that after it cooks it doesn’t unroll when we cut it. Guess I’ll have to try again. My family will be so disappointed that they will have to eat another loaf. lol
I’m grateful for…My family.
A photo, video, link, or quote to share…My cinnamon rolls.
May
14
Gardens, fresh produce and farms
May 14, 2012 | Various Topics | 1 Comment
Last week you’ll remember I wrote about the freedom of not feeling guilty if you and/or your children are not big craft/art people. Well today I want to write about another thing the Lord helped free me from guilt on, having my own garden and/or farm.
I’m a city/suburb gal by nature, not country. We did move to a more country area about 8 years ago, and could have easily started a garden, had our own cow, pig, chickens and the like. And at first, when we moved, I did try and start my own garden, ugh what a flop. But I was a homeschooler, and homeschoolers were self sufficient. They lived off the land. They had their own farms and made everything they ate from scratch. Well, at least that’s how I felt, and that’s all I seemed to read. And there is nothing wrong with homeschoolers (or anyone in general) that do that. But I’m here to say there is also nothing wrong with homeschoolers or people who don’t do that.
Just like the crafts I wrote about last week, this is something I beat myself up with for the longest time. I got mad at my family that they didn’t want to do what we were ‘suppose’ to do. I tried to push what I thought was the ‘right’ way for us to live, and when I did that, we were all miserable. Finally the Lord showed me that we didn’t have to do that. We didn’t have to live off the land, grow our own produce or have our own cow. We know lots of families that do that, and my kids learn a lot from them, but absolutely none of us in my family has any desire to do that. And I’ve learned to accept that fact and be ok with it.
But the Lord also showed me something else, just because we don’t farm or garden, doesn’t mean we can’t support those around us who do! Like I said, we live in a very ‘country’ type area, and there are lots of farms around us. Also, we know lots of families that have fresh eggs, milk and produce. The Lord was saying to me, why not help support them in their endeavors, while you follow Me in the direction I have for you? All I could think was, duh?!?! Honestly, I don’t know how the Lord puts up with me sometimes.
Not everyone is blessed to live in an area like we live in, and I need to learn to take advantage of where the Lord has sent us. No, we won’t be starting a garden anytime soon. And the house we are renting doesn’t allow pets, so I don’t see any cows for fresh milk in the foreseeable future. But I do see us supporting our local farms, dairy’s and even friends. So if you are like me and my family, don’t feel guilty for not having your own garden or farm. Maybe the Lord does not have that for you, that’s ok. But look around your area, and see if there is anyone you can support by buying from their farms. You never know what you might find or how much your business will bless them.
JoAnn is the Senior Editor of Homeschoolblogger.com. She considers herself a bible believing Christian, who loves the Lord with all her heart. She’s been married to the love of her life, Paul, for over 17 years. They have been homeschooling their two beautiful children, Sarah – 16 and Paulie – 15, for over 10 years. They have enjoyed the ups and downs of the homeschool journey and look forward to the remaining years left. You can find her blogging here, http://homeschoolblogger.com/hsbcompanyblog/.
May
11
Featured Blog Post ~ Young Earth Timeline
May 11, 2012 | Featured Blog Post | 1 Comment
Laurie wrote a very interesting post about putting together what she calls a Young Earth Timeline. I think she has some great information and explains things very well. She also has some helpful links to share about timelines.
Make sure you stop by and see what she’s put together. And don’t forget to congratulate her on winning this week’s Featured Blog Post Award. ~ JoAnn
HomeschoolBlogger Company Blog
Kristen
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