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Frugal Homeschool Tips

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Recipe For A Fun And Frugal HomeSchool Experience

It may be tempting (or discouraging!) when you are faced with the latest issue of a homeschool magazine or catalog. With a little creativity and time, you can homeschool frugally - saving not only money but also allowing you more flexibility in the educating of your kids.

Ingredients:
  • Budget
  • 4 (or more) Test Drives
  • A Variety of Goodies to taste

    Directions:

    Start with setting up a homeschooling budget for the year before you begin purchasing supplies. Yeah, I know, not rocket science, but without a budget you may be in for trouble. Get your most important stuff out of the way first. You do not want to end up with some awesome programs or gizmos, only to find you forgot to get your math curriculum!

    Next, add several test drives. Request several samples of homeschool curriculum that interest you. Some curriculum companies will send it snail mail, other will be a pdf download. After reviewing, try them out with your children. This will help you avoid wasting money on something that is not the right fit for you.

    After taking some test drives, it is time to add "goodies." These are the free and low cost methods of acquiring homeschool curriculum. I've laid out a buffet below. Enjoy!



    • Image: graur razvan ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

    Is Cheap or Free Homeschool Curriculum Always Better?

    Sometimes curriculum in a box programs may be cheaper than obtaining everything piecemeal. You also have to put a value on your time. The less money you have in the homeschool budget the more time it will take on your part to pull a curriculum together.

    Get Creative And Save Major Bucks!

    Many parents are getting creative and opt to design a curriculum. You can create unit studies, you can go for a "living books" curriculum by making lists of reading material and getting these from the library. You can print an almost infinite number of free online worksheets (just search for what you need, for example "free third grade math worksheets" etc.).
    • Public Libraries...
      are a unending source of free homeschooling materials. From the obvious - unlimited free books - to educational DVDs, great music on CD, arts and crafts activities open to the public, symphony days, storytime, even continuing education for older teens and adults.
    • Public Domain Books
      You can find tons of material that can be downloaded and printed freely from the internet at Gutenberg.org
    • Math
      Math manipulatives can be frugal. Instead of buying fancy things , use stuff you have around your home to teach the kids math - dried beans, dried macaroni, Lego toys, wooden blocks, etc can teach addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions and basic geometry. Cooking with your children can be a math lesson on it's own.

    Tips For Buying Used Homeschool Textbooks

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    Places To Get Used Curriculum

    • Homeschool Swap Meets or Exchanges
      To find one, check with your local homeschool association - a simple internet search will turn some up.
    • Homeschool Message Boards
      You can do an internet search or go by the recommendation of others.
    • Classified and Auction sites like Ebay, Craigslist, and Freecycle
      WE found a very expensive curriculum (3 grade levels) very cheaply on ebay. Ditto the teacher's manuals for the expensive homeschool spelling program we like. The key is to test drive first, then you will know what to buy. It's not a bargain, if you won't use it!
    • Public Library Sales
      These can yield some awesome finds! We just picked up a bag of books for $2. In it were several children's literature selections that corresponded to our unit studies this year.

    k12 Virtual School Joins With School Districts Nationwide

    If Your School Is Listed You May Be Able To Enroll For Free.

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    Frugal Homeschool Info

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    Free or Cheap Homeschool Resources and Websites

    Here are some first class resources without the first class price tag.

    Here's a brief list of some free homeschool websites and resources.
    StarFall Phonics
    Excellent online full featured phonics program for PreK-1. You can purchase the hard copy of materials, as we did. They are of very good quality at an incredible price. We got 100 #2 pencils for $2.50. I liked having the real books and workbooks to reinforce what the online program was teaching.
    Spelling City
    This is fabulous to use as your spelling curriculum! There is a premium option which is $25, but you only need it if you want them to keep track of grading. Free printable worksheets and online games.

    Free And Cheap Homeschool Websites

    Image: Arvind Balaraman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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    Learn to Read with phonics

    A free website to teach children to read with phon more...0 points

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    Spelling & Vocabulary Website: SpellingCity

    Teaching spelling is easy with SpellingCity.com. I more...0 points

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    http://www.cosmeo.com

    Discovery channel videos and more.0 points

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    HowStuffWorks - Learn How Everything Works!

    HowStuffWorks explains hundreds of subjects, from more...0 points

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    Homeschooling special needs children

    Home Schooling Special needs Children, Homeschooli more...0 points

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    SchoolExpress.com - 13000+ FREE worksheets

    Numerous FREE items including 16,000+ worksheets, more...0 points

    How Do You Save Money Homeschooling?

    Please Share Your Tips.

    Please sign my guest book and let me know what you think. I'd love to hear from you. And while you're at it, have added any free homeschool sites to my lens? You can do so above. Thanks so much.

    Have a great day!

    Maureen :-)

    • jadehorseshoe Jan 16, 2012 @ 5:35 pm | delete
      Homeschooling is the BEST investment any literate parent can make.
    • marsha32 Feb 17, 2009 @ 10:31 am | delete
      Ive rarely bought any school material new..it comes from the library book sales, yard sales, and even out of the recycle bins at the public schools! I am adding your lens to the featured lenses on my homeschooling lens.
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    About The Author

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    Frugal Home Schooling Contents

    by

    mmkellis

    Maureen lives with her husband and four sons in Upstate NY. She is a total foodie, home renovator, and loves to travel with her family. more »

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