Growing Your Homeschool: Frugal

Showing posts with label Frugal. Show all posts

Monday, October 28, 2013

Homeschooling Can Be Cheap

Today, we are so excited to welcome a guest post from Christa, who blogs at www.littlelogcottageschool.com !

One of the comments that scared me when I was considering homeschooling was, “It’s not always cheap…” That’s not really something that a stay at home mom who just had her third child wants to hear.

After registering with an umbrella school, buying curriculum, supplies, and everything else that you think that you need to homeschool, I can see why people shy away from it. Since I was a public school teacher for 8 years I set out to prove that I could homeschool my soon to be Kindergartener for next to nothing and have a great time doing it. Using creative solutions can get you on the path to saving big bucks when it comes to homeschooling. Here are some tips for those wanting to homeschool on the cheap:

1. Register directly with your school board.

It doesn’t cost a cent to register and you may have more freedom with your curriculum.

2. Get to know a teacher or someone who does.

Teachers throw out books, curriculum, and resources every spring and most are more than happy to pass it on rather than throw it out. I have a whole guest bedroom full of curriculum, resources, manipulatives, games, and even dramatic play toys that teachers have passed along to me.

3. Pinterest and other great sites

These can be a homeschooler’s best friends. There are countless FREE material and resources that can provide anything that you need.

4. Follow a teacher blog or website.

If you haven’t purchased a curriculum you may be worried that your child isn’t getting all of the skills that they need. I look for a few top-notch teachers who are keeping their parents and audience informed about the skills that they are teaching. I have found many of these teachers through my hometown’s magnet school website. Their newsletters keep me informed of what is being expected of children and has been a tremendous aid in my curriculum planning.

5. Use your local library.

I usually have a different theme that I study each week. Just type the subject into your library’s card catalog and you will have a wealth of books to go along with your lessons. I couldn’t live without the library!

6. Plan, plan, and plan!

Like any money saving strategy it does take some planning on your part. I set up about 30 min. a day to plan. I try to do one subject a day to get ready for the next week. This way I am not spending all my time on the weekend planning. You also may want to set up a school supply budget for each month because sometimes it is easy to go overboard!

If homeschooling is calling to you and your family, don’t allow the cost to scare you away. Homeschooling may even add to your family coffer. I started homeschooling last year and am actually making money this year by opening a cottage school. I have created a place where local families bring their children 1-2 days a week for lessons. So that means that I am actually getting paid to homeschool this year! How cool is that?

Christa Brown is a homeschooling mom and founder of the Little Log Cottage School. Her blog at www.littlelogcottageschool.com is where she provides information about her lessons, techniques, and tips for homeschooling families and teachers.

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Free {or almost} Field Trips and Activities

As a child, my parents taught me to seek out deals and sales. If there was a coupon or discount for a product, we used it. When something we needed, or used regularly, went on sale, we bought it.

There are many ways to apply this mindset to homeschooling as well, especially with field trips and activities. A few ideas or ways to find free, or almost free, field trips and activities include...

Free...

Field Trips -

Attend open house days at various places - Near us, a group of ten museums open their doors to the public free of charge one day in February. Though the crowds are plentiful, it is a great way to visit a museum and determine if your children are interested in a second visit or not.
Check schedules for customer appreciation days, these are sometimes sponsored by the place itself or a nearby business. In our area, the art museum is free on Sundays.
Ask businesses for a tour - We took a free tour of a bakery. Post offices, donut shops, and stores offer free tours in our area.
Visit county, state, or national parks - These are often free, but check their websites first. Many parks have historical information centers or nature centers that can be toured.

Activities -

Ask the librarian - our library invites area businesses and companies to sponsor free programs for the public. We have listened to a classical music concert, complete with a discussion about the instruments and have participated in a hands on history lesson about pioneer life at our local public library.
Consider church activities - area churches can put on some great free programs. Close to our community area churches, including our home church, have hosted art camps, VBS, and family fun days. Our church has a theatrical group who perform plays for the community for free.
Community days - small cities often have community days which bring the community together in a variety of festivities. Parades, fairs, agriculture days, festivals, and fireworks are some of the activities families can participate in at local community days.
Park programs - local parks often offer visitors a variety of activities for free. During the warm months, our parks offer free musical festivals, concerts, hawk watches, nature hikes, and butterfly counts for the monarchs migration.

Almost Free...

Field Trips -

Dollar Days are popular during the summer months. An industrial museum, natural history museum, and a zoo all offer admission for one dollar on special days during the summer. It is typically a weekday when admission would normally be low. However, generally, dollar days are very popular. Websites often have the dollar days listed in the schedules or calendars.
Homeschool Days are gaining popularity in our area. A few places of historical interest even include additional programing for homeschoolers during homeschool days. We have visited a farm, learned about farm animals, and made butter during one homeschool day.

Activities -

Consider bartering or trading - one time my daughter wanted to learn ballet. We could not find a short (six week) class to try ballet before we signed, and payed, for an entire year. A family friend offered to teach her ballet for six weeks in exchange for a six week Spanish class for her children.
Volunteer your time to teach, lead, or help with the activity - often children of teachers, leaders, or helpers can take the class or participate in the activity for a very small price or even free. It will cost you time in preparations and actual teaching time.

Discounted...

Field Trips -

Get a group together and take advantage of group rates. Many places offer group rates, and sometimes the grown up chaperones can get free admission, which cuts the overall cost even more.
Consider visiting during off times - sometimes places discount admission rates during evening hours or off days. Always check the website for discounts and coupons before your visit.
Homeschool days aren't always free, but are often discounted greatly. Be sure to check under educational opportunities on websites. This is where I have often found out about homeschool days.

Activities -

Places that have activities and sports for school aged children are typically deserted during the weekdays. Consider getting a group of interested participants together and approach the businesses for a discounted time during these times. In our area, an ice skating rink, skating rink, bowling alleys, and gymnastic centers offer daytime hours to homeschoolers for a discounted price.

These ideas are all ones my family has used in our homeschool journey.
I am quite confident there are even more ways to find free,
or almost free, field trips and activities.

What are some other ideas you have for finding free or almost free field trips and activities?

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Dorie enjoys being outside, photography, art, writing, a strong cup of coffee, and good conversations seasoned with much laughter. She and her drummer husband, Jerry, share a life built on faith in Jesus, love, and grace. They have been blessed with four active children. Each day, whether easy or trying, is a wondrous part of this grace filled journey, and Dorie blogs about them all at These Grace Filled Days. Their homeschooling adventures can be found at Homeschooling Just Next Door.

Monday, May 28, 2012

Homeschooling with Google (and online resource list)

Back when my mom first began homeschooling me over 20 years ago, the choices for curriculum were much different. You either bought the same materials used in the schools (public or private), or you made your own from what you could find at the library and at garage sales.

Today, there is the internet—and oh, how that has changed the homeschool scenery! High speed information just a click away. With all of the resources of the internet, it really is doable to homeschool for free or nearly free if you choose to. However, what you save in cash you spend in time. Pioneering through the wilderness of cyber space is no easy task. You've got to know what you're looking for and where to look. So, here are a few tips that will have you well on your way to constructing your own Google curriculum.

Know What You Need

You'll never find what you need if you have no idea what that is. Google is close to miraculous, but the computer does not read your mind.

What I have found helpful is a unit study planner. Even if you are not necessarily taking the "unit study" approach, these planners are helpful for defining objectives and listing resources as you find them. You will need to know what you hope to study and some basic objectives. Brainstorm what you'd like to find: information, worksheets, maps, notebooking pages, library books, lesson plans, etc. Then, begin brainstorming some search phrases.

Know Where to Look

It may help, when you first begin to search, to go to particular websites rather that search the entire internet. Knowing specifically where to look can save you a lot of time, particularly if someone else has already done the searching for you. Squidoo, for instance, has a number of lenses (long posts) where the author has numerous links and valuable information on particular topics already gathered for you. (NOTE: You do not have to create an account to search the site.) Search Squidoo for your Ancient Egypt study, rather than the world-wide-web, and save yourself some time. Pinterest is another great place for searching other people's collections.

If you are in need of research information on a particular topic, begin with reputable sources. Not everything you find on the internet is reliable information, even if it comes from Wikipedia. The best information comes from either government websites, university websites, or "name brand" websites like National Geographic, PBS.org, etc. In fact, many of these websites may have lesson plans to download and use on particular topics—another tremendous time-saver.

When you do get around to using a search engine, a good search phrase is the key. For instance, when I'm searching for graphics, "free clip art" brings up images that are royalty-free but still require a charge to download them. Instead, "public domain clip art" has been a much better search term. Though there are tips for creating a good search phrase, most often a good search just requires several tries. To help with this, brainstorm different ways of phrasing what you are looking for, at least until you get the hang of crafting the perfect phrase.

Know Where the Freebies Are

Sometimes, it just helps to be in the right place at the right time. Attend Facebook and Twitter parties for free giveaways; visit the sites that find the freebies for you (my most recent favorite is FreeHomeschoolDeals.com); sign up for notification emails for the products or subjects that you are interested in; join forums where other moms share about their latest finds.

This strategy is especially effective if you plan way ahead. For instance, I know that next summer I want to study plants and gardening with the kids. As I run across those free resources, I snatch them up and file them away for next spring/summer's study. I'm not spending hours at a time searching; I'm just keeping my eyes open.

Homeschooling does not have to break the bank. Before you decide you can't afford to educate your children at home, spend a little time on the web. I think you'll be surprised at how far your budget can go.

Need a little more inspiration, visit 10 Days of Homeschooling for Free and Frugal and read tips from a homeschool mom who has educated her kids for less than $100 a year for the last four years!

To get you started on your search, I've compiled a list of some helpful online resources. Feel free to add your own favorites in the comments section. Happy searching!

Tracy is a pastor's wife and homeschool mom of three. She herself was homeschooled from 1st grade to graduation and, after college, had the opportunity to write and edit for the Christian textbook publisher A Beka Book. Tracy loves a rainy day, a cup of coffee (lots of cream and sugar), and Rachmaninoff. She blogs at Growing In Grace.