buttercup Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 For those using either of these programs, about how much money do you spend a year for the resources you will need to do this? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AudreyTN Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 I am doing AO Y1 with my 7yo. I spent about $100 at Amazon. It bothers my eyes to read from the computer, so I bought all of the books. I had a few that I got from Paperbackswap.com. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Testimony Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 I use Ambleside Online, but it is hard to say how much I spend because a lot of the books I get from the library. I did purchase a few books in the past and I continue to use them over the years like Plutarch and Trial and Triumph. I found some of the recommended books in my parents' basement!:smilielol5::smilielol5: I listen to a lot of the books on CD or we download them. I do print out some of the sections in a book and once a week my son reads on the computer. The best is listening on CD because we can listen while we are in the car. My overall favorite place to get Ambleside books is the library. Just a funny story, I checked out Bulfinch's Mythology at my public library. It took me the entire school year to read the parts that need to be read to my children. I kept renewing it. The book is over a thousand pages long. The librarians always looked at the book and said to me, "we understand you need to check out this book again.":lol: I would always ask, "Is there a waiting list?" They would smile and say, "Not for this book!":smilielol5::smilielol5::smilielol5: My husband told me that I should just go and purchase the book, but all the librarians look at me and say, "why we have it here?" Blessings, Karen http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/testimony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buttercup Posted August 30, 2010 Author Share Posted August 30, 2010 Thank ladies! I am possibly considering using one of them for next school year and was just wondering what kind of price I was looking at. We have a small local library but we do have interlibrary load which is good , but every year the library talks about getting rid of the interlibrary loans because of budget cuts. Because of this, I do not know if I could always depend on my library system. I would probably have to purchase many of the books myself and I am not too fond of having my children read off of the computer. Thanks again though for your input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AudreyTN Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 I can't depend on my library either, that's why I bought most of the books. If you're looking into next year you could find some really good deals on books between now and then if you just keep your eyes open. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chloe Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 If you are planning to stick with one of these for several years and have more than one dc, it seems to me that Ambleside would be cheaper in the long run. Whatever books you use for the older dc could be used for the younger dc when they get to that year. With SCM, unless the dc are at the same reading level or you aren't planning to keep them in the same time-period, you would always have to buy different books for each dc for each time-period you are studying. Does that make sense? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mystika1 Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 Hi, I think I spent about $65.00 for my year of SCM. The titles are very easy to get from the library as they are a bit more popular. I use AO for some read alouds but I have an e-reader so I download the books from the site. HTH, Penny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 I think Ambleside could be theoretically free, but only if you can use the library AND download from the internet. I like having a book in hand, myself (more so than computer print outs), which does raise the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poke Salad Annie Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 I think Ambleside could be theoretically free, but only if you can use the library AND download from the internet. I like having a book in hand, myself (more so than computer print outs), which does raise the price. :iagree: I love Ambleside, and integrate much of it into our schedule. I have found alternatives to a few of the books such as CHOW by buying the Young People's Story of our Heritage series (which I found at a thrift store for 50 cents a book!). I look for as many titles as possible on my thrift store jaunts, and I've been amazed at all that I've found that way. For other things we use, I download the audio from Librivox (free) and burn the stories on CD's. Most libraries carry the Little House Series, and I've not had trouble finding the literature titles there or via thrift store searches. I am a very frugal homeschooler, and I work hard to integrate books I find at the library or have on hand, and make them work for me. I may not have that very "exact" title, such as in the CHOW example, but the Young People's series works perfectly, and those titles can be found on Amazon for ~$1 or so apiece. Sure beats paying the going rate for CHOW. I also use other vintage texts in the same way. Editing to add---I looked at SCM a couple of years ago, but could not find the titles in my local library. It would have been an expensive program to pursue, so I gave it up and settled on my own version of Ambleside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 For other things we use, I download the audio from Librivox (free) and burn the stories on CD's. Most libraries carry the Little House Series, and I've not had trouble finding the literature titles there or via thrift store searches. I love the idea of downloading the audio. Does this work easily? I've never tried. I just recently got two hardcovers from the Little House series at a "bag sale." :) Along with a copy (old hardcover) of "Little Men." Editing to add---I looked at SCM a couple of years ago, but could not find the titles in my local library. It would have been an expensive program to pursue, so I gave it up and settled on my own version of Ambleside. I haven't found them either; many are out of print, and many are also published by SCM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poke Salad Annie Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 I love the idea of downloading the audio. Does this work easily? I've never tried. I just recently got two hardcovers from the Little House series at a "bag sale." :) Along with a copy (old hardcover) of "Little Men." Great job on your book finds! Now about the downloading thing, it really isn't that hard. Just get the whole zip file of whatever you want, then open the zip file and you're ready to burn it onto a CD. I like that better than mp3 use, as we enjoy sitting in the living room listening to the book while we rock in the rockers. As far as SCM, this was my experience too. Not a knock on the program, but just my experience. My dh said to use what I have on hand, and not buy all those books, so I made my own schedule based upon what I have on hand. I apply it towards Ambleside and also WTM. It works for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poke Salad Annie Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 I wanted to also respond with what we are doing with the books I have planned with my schedule. Our school motto has become "Read, think, discuss, write", which I believe is very similar to the the motto for Tapestry of Grace. I love it, and it is working for us. This is what I'm trying to impart with my post. Don't get so wrapped up with a certain list of books that you lose yourself in the process. Look around your house and then go to the library. Make lists of books you would like to find and look for them. Read over them. See if they mesh with what you want to teach, then just start reading and dig in. Do what works best for you. These are, after all, your children, and you are the only one who knows them well. That is why I don't do boxed programs. I've tried one, and it didn't work for us. I felt that while some books may work for others, they didn't work the same way for us. And I don't mind putting the time necessary into it to make the schedules and find printables, etc. to go along with what we're working on. For example, we are using the Rainbow Book of Nature as a base for our science. It all seems to flow from there, and I am amazed at how simple science can be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 Great job on your book finds! Now about the downloading thing, it really isn't that hard. Just get the whole zip file of whatever you want, then open the zip file and you're ready to burn it onto a CD. I like that better than mp3 use, as we enjoy sitting in the living room listening to the book while we rock in the rockers. Well, I'll try to figure out how to do that then! I enjoy reading "A Fierce Bad Rabbit" to my kids to entertain myself (they don't like that bad rabbit; I think he's hilarious), so it will be nice to have some supplementary CDs for them. I got a copy of Mathemagic (Childcraft encyc volume) at the same sale as well; that was also a big hit. I did buy that Golden book of math you recommended, but it's a bit advanced for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poke Salad Annie Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 I got a copy of Mathemagic (Childcraft encyc volume) at the same sale as well; that was also a big hit. I did buy that Golden book of math you recommended, but it's a bit advanced for now. Sorry about the Golden math book...it is a little advanced, but I'm doing lessons to bring it to the level we need as best as I can. I love the Mathemagic book! Great find!! Lots of good stuff in that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 Sorry about the Golden math book...it is a little advanced, Hey, considering how much it goes for, it may be a good thing I already own it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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