If your house was on fire....

[Mercy_Me]

......children, spouse, pets and Grandma's linens are safely out.....

which homeschooling items (one in each subject) would you grab? Just humor me, it is 3 in the morning. :)

[moonlight]

science--as much of our human anatomy tedco models as i could (eye, white blood cell, red blood cell, heart model, etc)

 

history-if you lived in the time of...books and also our you wouldn't want to .... books

 

math--math reasoning from critical thinking company, my ds loves it...

 

language arts--since we are looking for something great, nothing other than as many books that we could

 

i think more than curriculum, we would grab our books by the handfuls..:D

[Ravin]

Honestly? No way, no how would I go back in the burning house to get books. They can be re-purchased or re-downloaded.

[boscopup]

Maybe now is a good time to do an inventory of your homeschool stuff for insurance purposes, taking pictures and such. ;)

[johnandtinagilbert]

Honestly? No way, no how would I go back in the burning house to get books. They can be re-purchased or re-downloaded.

:iagree:and this was actually the case when we had a fire.

 

 

But to play along....that's why TOG is in handy dandy black boxes so I could grab and run!

 

I'd have to grab PR, too.

 

The rest, which is quite a lot, would have to burn up.

[AHASRADA]

Maybe now is a good time to do an inventory of your homeschool stuff for insurance purposes, taking pictures and such. ;)

 

:iagree: If we do this, then there is no need to run back into a burning building for books. ;)

 

BTW, this is a good mental exercise to do in general. If the house was on fire (or a forest fire approaching,hurricane/tornado warning, etc.) and you had to grab what you could in 15 minutes, what would it be?

 

Not only is this a good thing to have thought through in case an emergency ever does transpire, but it forces us to evaluate the true "value" or "necessity" of all the clutter we have clogging our homes, and might just inspire us to get rid of some of it, now!

 

Oh yes, and the documents that are truly vital are in a fire-safe box (ideally along with CDs of irreplaceable family photos and such).

[delaney]

Can I choose other?:) Since we homeschool in the sunroom and there are 8 windows in the 10x12 room I think it would be safe to throw open the windows and chuck it all out onto the lawn from there and then jump! No seriously I don't know but I really should inventory with pictures so that we have an idea of what we have. My neighbor 2 houses over had a housefire and lost A LOT and had no records and it was hell figuring it out!

[2cents]

Homeschool records binders, Science texts & microscope & slides. Forester's Algebra Text (took too long to find this), LLOTR Set.

[elegantlion]

My laptop. After a few posters actually had house fires I started looking at my computer back ups differently. My dh has an external hard drive that he uses to back up our computers periodically. We store in a fireproof safe. I also store a thumb drive in there with some of my priority files.

[Testimony]

The only thing I would go back and get are my pictures. I can never get those back. A lot of those pictures have the crafts and homeschool curricula that we have used through the years. So, only the pictures of the curriculum. Nothing else.

 

Blessings,

Karen

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/testimony

[whitestavern]

Definitely my computer; everything else is replaceable.

[5knights3maidens]

This is weird. My 2 little girls just asked me about fire this morning and how to get out etc.

 

I guess it would depend on where the fire was in the house. If it was downstairs we would be going out the window so everything would probably burn. If it were upstairs and we were downstairs, I'd grab books that were near us or right in the basement doorway, including cd's. I wouldn't worry to much about it though. They are replaceable. :001_smile:

 

Oh, since I started reading this post, I started taking pictures of my books. :D

[Wheres Toto]

Definitely my laptop and CD's of pictures. I haven't downloaded all the pictures from my old computer to my laptop but they are on cd - 6 years worth, about 3000 pictures. I would not want to lose them.

 

I have a ton of resources saved and as long as I can get to the internet, we are golden.

[cajunrose]

My very best friend had a house fire...they lost everything. I was there to watch it happen. So sad. So...that being said...after witnessing that, I have changed my priorities. I always thought I would grab computer hard drives, etc, my purse, kid (obviously), pets (not in order of significance). Now, I will grab my kid, my car keys, and my purse. They had NO time to grab ANYTHING. As it was, they lost their grandfather to smoke inhalation and their dog (she hid under a bed and they couldn't get her out).

 

She didn't have her purse...that was really really bad not to have (I.D. Health insurance, CC's) and a firefighter brought her her car keys thankfully...I know she could have gotten a new car quickly..or borrowed, but she was very very thankful to have it (it was in the garage and they got it moved out in time.)

 

Anyway..all that to say, there is NOTHING (other than purse and keys) that I'll grab that is not breathing. I don't even entertain the thought anymore after the fire. It was utterly heartbreaking.

[laughing lioness]

When our house burned last year my dh went back in to get the laptop and my dd went to let her dog out of it's kennel. I grabbed a math book, still thinking we were going to class day and it would be a "normal" day- haha! My dd grabbed both of our purses and her make-up ;). Wishing I'd grabbed the laminated VP cards, or some photo albums- most of which were ruined. In the end, everything is replaceable (though the insurance money, even when it sounds like a fortune, only goes so far).

[myfatherslily]

Yeah, since I've learned how very little time one has, I know I would not try to get anything. But in a random 5-10 min to leave my belongings forever scenario, I would get:

purse, keys, phone

Molly, my dear wonderful American Girl who I've loved since I was 11

'Puppy', my DD's best stuffed buddy in all the world

a laundry basket full of clothes, clean or dirty

 

I can think of a lot of other things I'd much rather have than any of my books. BUT my top school books to save would be the ones we're currently using - Phonics Road and Horizons math. The Vos' story bible.

 

My FIL recently replaced a light fixture for me. When he put it up, he didn't realize that there was a nick in one of the wires. The next day my son turned the light on and the breaker switched off. When my FIL checked it, we found a burned spot on the ceiling! I am truly so thankful for safety features like breakers turning off instantly when there's a short!!

 

I just wrote "photo inventory" on my to-do list! Thanks!:)

[Jane Elliot]

I would say my 3rd edition WTM, but I've spilled spinach smoothie on it, the binding is coming apart, and it's so tattered in every way that I would be happy to have a good excuse (like a fire) to replace it. So I would leave WTM and grab my Kindle, but I would replace WTM with a brand spanking new one within 24 hours.

[nd293]

My computer because it has my R.E.A.L Science Odyssey on it! And all my photos, of course...

 

Mosdos and MCT English. Yes, even in a real fire - insurance might cover the books, but I doubt it would cover the postage, which on those two was rather steep!

 

Nothing else I wouldn't be happy to see the back of for a few months.

 

Nikki in Australia

[Caitilin]

MCT for sure. Probably my copies of Dorothy Mills history books. :)

[apCrazy4Jesus]

MY BIBLE. I have had it since 1990 and I could never replace the notes or the visual image I have of the pages. I am good at knowing where to go in my Bible, but bad at remembering the reference to passages.

 

My laptop

 

A recipe book, created for me by a spiritual mother as a wedding gift.

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

The computer/back up hard drive. Maybe my planner. Books can be replaced. {Ok-I hated typing that but it is true.}

[Aurelia]

Assuming plenty of time:

 

Math: the abacus from RS (because I can reprint MEP, which I currently like a lot)

 

LA: it's a toss up between the rest of Dancing Bears or Apples & Pears spelling, since I've bought both full sets and they were kind of expensive.

 

History: The Indian Book, because it's got some great info on native Americans and is OOP

 

Science: not sure. Ariel would probably cry if she knew her Sid the Science Kid videos were lost. She also really likes the Usborne First Encyclopedia of the Human Body

 

Art: my Atelier stuff.

 

Ultimately there's nothing curriculum-wise I would absolutely weep over the loss of. (Plus I'd have the excuse to try new stuff :lol:) I would be a little upset that I put together all the materials for OM2 and never got to use them, though. :tongue_smilie:

[patchfire]

I'd grab our boxes of work from past years, and the current year's binders. I would hate, hate, hate to lose all of our books, but with few exceptions, they are all replaceable. All of our pictures that are digital are Carbonite backed up, so I wouldn't waste time grabbing picture CDs. I would grab the negatives, and the scrapbooks.

 

I'd also probably try to grab some of the storage bins of clothes - I have each of the kids' first outfits in there, etc.

[christine in al]

this is of course after all the " grown-up" things like living things and records, photo albums, car keys and wallet.. ( oh yeah , like I could FIND either wallet or keys in 15 minutes in a rush)

now to the real question:

 

the two Teddy bears.

musical instruments

giant professional protrait of children in their birth-culture clothes ( I could replace this, but I'd grab it anyway)

wooden bowls from Africa

antique family mantle clock

 

curriculum I'd pack if space were limited:

 

Kingfisher Enclyclopedia

MCT ( funny we are using FLL and WWE and trying to fit MCT in... hmm)

Latin Prep and Exercises

Story of the World cds. ( the ones with the chick narrator)

complete works of Shakespeare ( it's one volume)

 

Chalkdust DVDs and books

 

kid's binders, ( I have thier work for each quater in a zipper binder with a shoulder strap)

 

helpful exercise, thanks

~christine in al

[sbgrace]

Would walking through the house with a video camera (slowly) be just as good as a photo inventory? I'm thinking you watch the video and make a list of all that you see and something that would be a lot easier to update as you acquire new stuff. That seems much more doable to me than pictures of everything.

 

I would want my computer. Everything except my plans are replaceable. I need to make back ups. Much less and more likely than a fire could wipe that out.

[Ravin]

In case of a 20 min. evacuation, I'd grab:

 

--The folder with our birth certificates, marriage certificate, car titles, etc. in it

--Out of print books we couldn't easily replace: My copy of Teutonic Religion, some of DH's Tolkien books.

--My laptop and the hard drives of our PC's.

 

That's about it.

[femke]

I was in this situation 2 weeks ago. We had a chimney fire...to be honest: I couldn't come up with anything to go back into the house for. I even forgot all about baby photos! In the end nothing got burned, except for part of the chimney.

 

Ehm...I'd like to take my children's books collection. That's worth soooo much more than any curriculum. Can you picture me hauling all those books out of the house? :lol: no way!

Edited October 30, 2010 by femke

[Jayne J]

(Assuming that all other things were safely cared for, etc.)

;)

I'd grab my All-in-one printer/copier and my laptop, and then all of our Fairy Tale collections, our D'Aulaires books, our poetry collection, our memory work binders, our nature journals and field guides, my OPGTR, and my button jar. Oh and our Bibles. I figure with those things I could complete the next year if I needed to. Heck, if the insurance company never paid up, I could probably make those things work until middle school.

[cjbeach]

In a hurry, it would be MY binder which has our memory work, reading lists, schedule, etc... It's personal. Mom-made, and would be really difficult to replicate.

 

And my "S Family Home Management Binder" which has all of our important info (birth certificates, my work licensure, every account number for everything, financial and medical info). I once misplaced it for a day and I was frantic.

[lionfamily1999]

First, The Well-Trained Mind (the most important of our school books, hands down)

Math... I would grab middle ds' Singapore books

Reading... OPGtTR (sorry ETC :( )

Writing... WWE handbook (sorry workbooks!)

Spelling... Webster's Dictionary :lol: SWO works, but isn't worth wasting time for ;)

Grammar... FLL 1&2 (because I don't know if they sell the old version, but I know I can replace 3 and 4)

Science... How Science Works (I payed the most for it ;) )

History... SOTW 1-4 the books (I know that's more than one, but I've leaving the activity books and student pages)... And if I can the Kingfisher History Encyclopedia.

Latin... Ecce Romani, we aren't using it, but we will ;)

French... Merde! The French You Weren't Taught in High School (hard to replace and more fun than First Start *snort*)

[Mandy in TN]

Honestly? No way, no how would I go back in the burning house to get books. They can be re-purchased or re-downloaded.

:iagree:After my family was out, there is nothing that could coerce me to go back into my burning home. Seriously, all I can think to do after calling the fire dept. is to ask the neighbor for some marshmallows. I'm sure I would be bummed, perhaps even devastated, but really there are no material possessions worth risking my life to retrieve.

 

Mandy

[newbie]

I have evacuated twice and the only thing grabbed were kids, cats clothes and supplies to live off for the next couple weeks.

 

I didnt grab pics or anything. You are basically running for your life.

[Guest momk2000]

Assuming all family members are safe outside, I would not go back into the house to retrieve anything. It's not worth it.

[iona]

i think this is about priority skool books, and not wether or not we would risk our skins for things. like a desert island question

 

to play along

.

1. opg

2. singapore

3. wwe handbook

4. bible

5. what your kindergartner needs to know

[lionfamily1999]

It's supposed to be a hypothetical/never gonna happen/joke sort of thread.

:rolleyes:

[RootAnn]

We use Carbonite, so I don't have to even think about grabbing the computer.

I keep a spreadsheet of my curriculum (and my next few year's thoughts on curriculum), so that's in my backed-up files & can be used for my records of what I have (for insurance purposes).

 

I wouldn't grab any of my curriculum. I can't say I even have any favorite real books that I would grab. My husband would want me to grab his journals which have memories captured in them (like written pictures). Most pictures are saved via Carbonite or on a photo service already (like Shutterfly).

 

My kids would try to get back in for their snugglies. We had an unannounced fire drill the other night. (DH stood downstairs out of site & hit the smoke alarm testing button.) I was so proud of the kids. They grabbed their shoes & coats and ran to our meeting place away from the house. I grabbed the baby. One minute, 14 seconds from start to finish. (They thought it was real. One was crying because one of her snugglies was still inside and they thought the cat would burn up.) Good to have those fire drills sometimes & to do the mental "what would I grab" question.

 

What a depressing thread.

[Night Elf]

Honestly? There isn't a single homeschooling item I would even think about. I've homeschooled for 10 years and I can think of only one curriculum that was super great. My favorite curriculum was Hooked on Phonics when my dd12 was 4 years old. That was the best $300 I ever spent in my life. It brought joy to her days, 7 days a week. Yes, the child woke me up even on weekend mornings asking if it was time to read yet. But everything else throughout the years? Some bad, some adequate, and some really good. But nothing stellar. My attitude and priorities have changed a great deal in the past 10 years. :)