Rachel in a puddle!
Question:
I want to do homeschooling but I am afraid that it is going to cost a lot of money. When I start homeschooling am I going to have to go somewhere and buy expensive books?
Answer:
I know it can seem like it will take a fortune to homeschool well . . . especially if you look at my store…hee hee! I just keep finding better and more fun learning products, and if you have the money for them, they can really enhance homeschool! But, you can do a wonderful job of educating your children without spending much.
A wise homeschool mom once told me that it only takes “a paper and pencil” to homeschool! I am sure she was right. I would add to that: “a paper and pencil plus a mother’s love”. I think that is the crucial ingredient, and no school teacher, however wonderful he or she may be, can ever replicate that!
Let’s see: paper, pencil, mother’s love . . . I’d add: a library card.
The first few years that I homeschooled, I bought a very few carefully selected resources, and nearly wore my library card out. I found a wagon and took it to the library so I could wheel it around and gather my books. I’m sure I was a sight, dragging my wagon, carrying a baby on one hip, while my a-bit-older children struggled to push a stroller with a wiggly toddler in it. They could definitely see me coming and going!
I have since graduated to a luggage dolly (my Christmas present!) onto which I strap 3 apple boxes stacked on top of each other. That way I can stroll around the library gathering books and DVDs and have an easy way to get them out to the car. I come armed with a well thought out schedule so I know exactly what topics we will cover in science, history and literature for the next month. I check out books that will serve to reinforce our textbook studies (or even replace them if you do not have money for basic books yet). For example, if “electricity” is your science topic this week, you can find many good picture books, and harder text-type books, that give you a overview of the topic from the simplest explanations to challenging reading. You might even find some simple experiment books and a good DVD to make science exciting.
Not having enough resources is not the problem nowadays. If you have internet access in your home, you will be overwhelmed with all the information, lesson plans, visual aids, etc. that are available online. The problem I have found is there is too much information for me to easily sort through. If you don’t have internet access, libraries often do.
There are some necessary items, it is true, depending on the age of your children, such as math books, a phonics program, writing journals, etc. Ask for those for Christmas and birthdays, if you have grandparents that are willing. I also stock up at the August and September “Back to School” sales, where you can buy a pack of pencils for 10¢ and other amazing bargains. I buy enough paper and supplies to last the whole school year at great prices.
. . . paper, pencil, mother’s love, a library card . . . plus I ‘d add to that, a sense of fun.
Learning is delightful! Being with your kids is fun! This experience is an adventure you won’t want to miss! Don’t let budget concerns bog you down. You can do it on a shoestring. You’ll have a wonderful time together. You will become best friends with each other. You’ll pass on your values and be rewarded with seeing your children accept your morals and standards.
And, Mom, you will be delighted to see that learning is deliciously fun (just in case you missed out on that fact while you were in public school those many long years). I have learned more, become better educated and found more enjoyment in homeschooling than I ever did in school or college, and I was a good student who liked school. Homeschool really teaches you to love learning, to be hungry for learning and growing.
To your success!
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