Budget-Friendly Homeschooling. See How Easily You Can Homeschool on a Budget.
In today's public schools of woke curriculum, metal detectors, gangs, and extreme peer pressure regarding things like sex and drugs, we can't afford NOT to keep our precious gifts at home.
We have been homeschooling for nearly five years now (has it been that long?), and we have found ways to give our children a fantastic education while not spending their inheritance!
Economical Homeschooling Ideas
1. Library - Whether you are budget-friendly Homeschooling or not, you probably already know the library is a beautiful resource. With the advent of internet technologies, libraries have gotten even better as many borrowers can access books from all the libraries in their county! Ours is one of them! I am so glad I don't have to drive to the other side of the county to borrow a book. Here are some ideas on how you can use the library:
- books about how to start homeschooling
- craft books
- books for specific grade levels
- Search for a lesson idea, such as "hermit crab."
2. Free Online Resources - Hundreds of websites are dedicated to Budget-Friendly Homeschooling, crafts, lessons, hands-on experiments, and text about all the subjects for every grade. It will take you hours to navigate all the sites that come up for just one search! Here is just a tiny sampling of places that I use:
- DLTK's Printable Crafts for Kids
- A to Z Kids Stuff
- HomeSchool Math
3. Make Flash Cards- use lesson vocabulary, concepts, and definitions, and use them for learning games.
4. Used Resources - There are several ways to purchase books and materials that have been used. The apparent reason is that you can pay a fraction of the cost of new materials. But another reason is that used materials are often loved fabrics. If you can find a Budget-Friendly Homeschooling family selling their resources because they've graduated their youngest, you will be in homeschool heaven! Here are some places you can find used curriculum:
5. Curriculum Sales
- Buy Used
- Thrift Stores
- Library Sales (my FAVorite!)
- Garage Sales
6. Dollar Stores - During back-to-school time, you can find many school supplies for excellent prices. It may not be the name brands, but you can find what you need for Budget-Friendly Homeschooling. Just remember to shop the sale ads and price-shop. Sometimes, dollar stores draw you in with lots of really well-priced items and then "get you" on other things that are more expensive there than at your regular grocery store. The cheap stuff is called a "loss leader," they get your business with loss leaders and keep their doors open with the other stuff. Here are a few of the dollar stores in my area:
- Dollar Tree
- Family Dollar
- Dollar General
7. Walmart Books - When my son and I started Budget-Friendly Homeschooling, I didn't know what curriculum to choose. The more research I did, the more confused I became. So, I sat back for a moment to think about it. In the meantime, I went to Walmart to get a large handful of their School Zone workbooks. They cover all the Pre-K through 4th grade, the pictures are colorful and exciting, and the lessons are very well laid out. We worked through many of those books, and I could see how my son liked to learn, what he knew, what he didn't know, and more. It was a precious time for us.
8. Create Your Own - You know your kids the best! Sometimes, nothing else fits precisely how you want it to. Trust your judgment and make some things up as you go along. We have done this with a dry-erase board and many different colored dry-erase markers. I wanted a costly (nearly $300) Bile story, and I felt set to teach my children Bible stories in a way they would remember forever. Instead, I use the dry-erase board and draw as I tell and read the story. I use my everyday Bible and read straight from the text. They love to watch my very amateur drawings unfold!
9. Free Events and Classes - Join a local homeschooling group or watch the paper and fliers at the library for free events or classes in your area. My county puts on an "Outdoor Education" class. Once every two weeks to one month, they take us through a different park with another lesson in mind. There are usually crafts and a hands-on portion to accompany the kids' learning. Everyone has a great time; I met many other homeschoolers that way, and it's all free!
10. Homeschool Group - Speaking of homeschooling groups, not only will they help keep you "in the know" on happenings in your area, but sometimes local businesses will offer a price discount to the group members. You can also connect with a family homeschooling longer than you and glean TONS of encouragement and advice. On one particular occasion, I was pretty down in the dumps with how our homeschooling was going at that moment - it just didn't seem that everything was coming together the way I wanted. I happened to attend a home meeting for the homeschooling group, and there were many ladies there, precisely two veteran moms. The first thing one of them said when she got up was, "They will learn - just appreciate them while you have them." She was beginning her last year of homeschooling. I can't tell you how much her advice has helped me since she said it. Join to be encouraged and to encourage!
11. Educational TV and Videos - We don't have a TV in our home; when we did, it was only used for videos borrowed from the library. We do, of course, have a computer and the internet. You can access all educational audio and video content on any subject you choose!
The Greatest Adventure: Stories From The Bible (Use that title on a Google search and select Video at the top of your page.)
- Virtual World Tours
- field trips
- Tramline Virtual Field Trips
12. Your Closet - Even before homeschooling, I have always loved doing crafts with my kids. Before starting this journey, I had two huge bins full of craft supplies that were only used once or twice for a project or a handmade gift. I still use that supply of goods to supplement our needs and hands-on activities.
13. FreeCycle - This is an internet group moderated by a few volunteers where all members may post things they have and no longer need that they give away for free. Members may also post about things they need. This system is quite abused as many ask for high-dollar items, and sometimes, there are far more "wanted" posts than "offer" posts. Just remember that the point of this group is to keep things out of the landfill. For instance, I asked for any used magazines appropriate for children. Generally, after you have read a magazine once or twice, it gets stacked in a corner, ready for trash day. I use them with my preschoolers for making collages and helping them "exercise" their word usage by describing pictures and more.
Find your local FreeCycle group.
I hope these ideas and resources help you feel much more confident that you CAN homeschool on a budget and still give your children a wonderfully enriched education they will thank you for! Look for the most straightforward learning tools. We find flash cards and books among the best learning tools we purchase.
