Homeschooling is not expensive!

Homeschooling does not have to break the bank!

One of the greatest misconceptions of homeschooling is that it is expensive. I have read it in many publications, as well as many places on the web, that a person needs to budget hundreds of dollars per child per year in order to give each a proper education.

I understand where this mindset comes from; we have all been led to believe that it takes money, and loads of it, in order to teach children. This is driven mostly by the huge public education machine in our country. Every voting season the media is bursting with pleadings for more funding, with the stories of teacher shortages, building shortages, etc. It is unfortunate just how mismanaged these dollars are, but that is the stuff for other entries and another day.

Fact is, if God is our Source, we have no fears for tomorrow--just to be happy to have enough for today.

If I only had $20, I could homeschool my children. First, I would purchase a few cheap spiral notebooks, which can be found during back-to-school sales for as little as .10 a piece. I would buy some pencils and a small sharpener. Some color crayons would be good as well. I would make sure I had a Bible handy for reading aloud, copy work, etc. A set of watercolors and some play dough could also be helpful (you could make this with flour and salt--little or no expense there!).

Next, I would get a library card and use whatever was available there. Not everyone has a great library system, but there is probably enough of one to make do until other materials could be purchased.

With that library card, I would try and check out materials that would educate me, even if I had to do an inter-library loan. These are the authors I would try and read:

Ruth Beechick

Dr. Raymond and Dorothy Moore

John Taylor Gatto

Karen Andreola

*If you have the extra money, by all means buy as many of these tomes as possible to have on hand in times of doubt, etc.

As I could squeeze out a little more money, I would cull thrift stores, garage sales, etc. in order to find books to read aloud to my children, and titles they could read to themselves eventually--I would just be careful not to buy books that are meant to reinforce the errors of our modern culture, such as Barnie books, Disney books, modern teen novels, etc. It is amazing how cheaply one can find classics to build up the home library.

Old school textbooks are also helpful--I once found an algebra textbook I used with my kids that only put me back .25! Along the way, I would look for a cheap set of old encyclopedias--we currently have two which we bought for $20 apiece. Most of the information contained in these volumes is valid, they are just missing some current events, perhaps the names of a few countries have changed, etc. Actually, kids who read encyclopedias are better educated than the ones who are stuck on the school textbook track--for one thing, they get to read the things they are most interested in, which makes the information instantly retainable. Having a good secretary's guide to basic grammar is also a great help when it comes time to write and revise.

But if I had just a little more money, say, from a tax refund, my best investment would be a computer, an all-in-one printer/copier, and the Internet.

I cannot express just how much there is on the Internet for free! If you are reading this online, you already have an idea. From encouragement to Algebra and beyond, it is all here. Classic books and textbooks that cannot be found anywhere else can be found on the Internet. The best place I can think of to start this search would be An Old Fashioned Education. Miss Maggie has compiled some of the most wonderful, and free, resources to be found, and with a Christian emphasis. It is through her site I found the best phonics program I have come across, I have never bought such a great resource that I found for free there--it is called, Word Mastery, A Course in Phonics for the First Three Grades. I have printed these pages out and used them with the children to teach them reading and spelling,...

...but only after having brought them at least partly through the book, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, which is another good investment to make, and costs under $20.

Donna Young is also a marvelous resource, how many of us are indebted to her! On her site you will find numerous free print resources and advice. She has created pages for organization, math drill, penmanship (including ones linked to the "100 Easy Lessons" book already referenced), science, history, etc.

I also like to purchase homework books from Carson Dellosa--amazing how well you can teach with these helps costing under $5 a piece!

As for music instruction, I teach the basics myself (6 years of piano lessons--thank you, Mom). If the interest flourishes beyond that, they find ways to get their own lessons in later years. If you can't afford a cheap keyboard, a recorder (this is a wind instrument, not an electronic device) is great fun to learn basic music theory with. If you don't know how to play or read music, there are all sorts of DVD teaching series out there.

We also try and afford art and hand-craft supplies as the need arises--printing paper with a bit of tooth is good for watercolors, and you can use the cheap bottles of acrylic craft paint in lieu of gauche or expensive watercolors as your children are growing in their artistic pursuits. We have actually used these paints for all sorts of things along the way. One of our sons has taken cheap plastic toy soldiers and painted them realistically for use in war dioramas. We also keep on hand lots of felt with needle and thread to teach sewing, etc. Chenille stems are relatively inexpensive and wonderful for little children to make all sorts of things with.

God has blessed us with unique ways of obtaining other lessons, such as moving in across the street from a Christian karate studio (we bartered for the lessons)--who could've arranged that but God? Our daughter's "intended" is a fireman, so he has arranged for a tour of the fire station, another daughter lives in ranch country and so will host another son for some of this summer to help with livestock, etc.

Some other easy ideas:

Personal wipe-off marker board: Place white sheet of paper in a page protector.

Re-usable math/penmanship sheets: Place sheets in page protector and use wipe-off markers--keep a "workbook" of various types in a 3-ring binder for extra practice.

Calculadders--an investment for years and years that I have never regretted buying.

Design-a-study guides--these were the first set in setting me free from the "textbook mindset", and a good investment that is usable for multiple children of multiple ages--shows you sort of "how to"...

Mad Libs--a wacky, wonderful way to introduce and reinforce basic parts of speech--the kids beg to do these.

101 Famous Poems--great overview of classic poetry to be read aloud, copied, etc.

Homeschool Sanity-- a Practical Guide to Redemptive Home Educating is my attempt to communicate a way back to common sense learning. It is a pathway back to the simplicity and joy of gaining the knowledge born out of the reverence for the God of the Bible. It is a journey filled with the grace and truth of Jesus Christ.

This book is easy to read. Even if one only has time for perusing, something useful and encouraging will be achieved (I have included a few pages in this article from my book for your consideration).

It is full of colorful and engaging graphics, helps, charts, templates and resources. Even the busiest mother will be able to breathe a sigh of relief as she reads just how easy it is to give her children an education that will be a blessing to them for the rest of their lives!

Dollar Homeschool--has wonderful resources offered in the form of the Eclectic Education Series. Each disc is full of old yet wonderful books and I was privileged to write the guides for each of the wonderful Eclectic collections. There is a lot of bang for the buck!

The Taming of the Shrew--if you are a bit uneasy about Shakespeare, try this one with your kids, easier to follow than some and full of funny antics that are easily understood--teaches some good lessons, as well. Thrift stores and old bookstores tend to have lots of copies of Shakespeare's works for a mere pittance. After reading this one play, my dear children have used their own money to buy every other play he ever wrote.

As for physical education--let the children play outside, go on walks, scooter, ride a bike. These are things children have done long before organized sports were thought to be necessary--and are quite satisfying. We have enough people to play basketball, which we do quite often, but you could also strike up a good game with the neighbors, or even some baseball. Tennis is another option, as is a membership at the YMCA or local swimming hole for some aquatic exercise. Have your kids walk or ride a bike to the store the next time you need a loaf of bread. If your family is more into sports, then incorporate sports into your "curriculum" and consider it as an integral part of your entire education plan, instead of an "interruption".

Your identity as a family is one of the greatest parts of home education; some are scholars, some are hands-on, some are geared to all sorts of things in all sorts of directions. Just keep Jesus as Lord, and you will have an opportunity to develop your curriculum to suit who you are in God, not according to someone else's image sitting in some sterile office on some college campus or government office.

The most important element to any education is totally free--enthusiasm! Even if you have an unlimited budget, you will never be able to pass on anything to your children without your own interest and encouragement. Children will learn and grow no matter what, but without your guidance it just may be they will grow into destructive weeds instead of fruitful plants.

Don't be afraid to take your kids home and give them your full attention because of money--funny thing, but when we step out in faith, God meets us on every side! After over 20 years, I have seen the seasons come and go, but His faithfulness has always been evident, His grace sufficient for every need.