How do you afford Mr. Q?

[Jay3fer]

(spun off from this thread)

I didn't realize that this curriculum is ONLY downloadable as a PDF - I thought the price included an actual book. There's a January sale coming up that cuts the price to $25 from $50, but it looks like Earth Science - which looks PERFECT for my newly-minted space-cadet dd - is 400-something pages.

The last time I printed at Kinko's (now FedexOffice), it cost $20 for about 125 pages... which means it'd probably be $80 for 400-something.

Is everybody REALLY paying $100-150 a year for this curriculum?

Sorry, but to me, that's expensive.

The author says he's working on getting the books ready for Lulu, which would be convenient, but the price would likely be $170-200 for both parent/student copies. :eek:

Is there another way to do this that I'm missing here? Other than printing at home and running through $15-20 worth of ink, the same in paper, and possibly killing my decrepit old printer???

[jplain]

Invest in an iPad. You can use an app like Notability to view and mark up pages, just as you could with a paper copy.

 

Yes, the start up cost is high, but you'd be able to use it for other curricula as well.

 

Apple periodically restocks their website with refurbished items. The 64GB model has been listed in the past for $399. Check there, daily if possible, if you decide you want an iPad but need to save money.

[Julie Smith]

My husband made the first book into a audio recording. So we just listened while eating lunch. Then we would talk about the chapter we listened to. We would listen to the same chapter several times in a row before moving on.

[AimeeM]

I actually corresponded with him about this very thing. I loved his first book, but cannot recommend it to my co-ops because of the price involved. Some of us have no desire to read off the computer or have our children read from iPads; we (our family) value the traditional way of learning far too much. We limit the amount of computer time our child has.

Frankly, while I very much enjoy the series, it's nothing so special or different that I'm willing to shell out far, far more than I would for comparable programs. Besides that, it's labor intensive for me to print, hole punch, insert into a binder, etc. It may seem like small potatoes to some, but homeschooling Moms know what I mean when I say that EVERY MINUTE COUNTS. Lol.

For that reason alone, we aren't using his books this semester. I also will not recommend them for use in a co-op class. Most of the Moms in one of my co-ops (the one I own) are on an INCREDIBLY tight budget, and it would seem very insensitive to recommend possibly the priciest program available.

Edited December 12, 2011 by AimeeM

[southernm]

I ditto the iPad. Of course, I went to dh's office and printed it all before I got the iPad. Also, you don't have to print the whole thing at once. Just do a little at a time. You could also make up your own worksheets. I find the vocab matching and crosswords a little difficult for dh's 6 who doesn't read on that level.

[DragonFaerie]

I had DD read on the computer and then print the worksheets. I didn't print any of the parent copy at all. But I agree with the PP in that I prefer traditional books rather than reading pdfs on the computer.

[jennynd]

I found the font are huge. so i put 2 pages in 1. you probably can print both side. that will cut down the paper usage

[delaney]

Wow I never really thought about it since DH prints at his office(his business). It is a really nice curriculum and easy to read for those that don't love science-like my kids.

[mycalling]

I also printed 2pgs per sheet and it was alright, but killed my ink on 4 chapters in. I switched to having the kids read it on the computer, but that got old.

 

We switched to Building Foundations in Scientific Understanding. I'd switch back if he had a printed version. He could easily shrink the font and pics to lessen the number of pages.

[Matryoshka]

I didn't print the instructor guide at all.

 

I printed double-sided, and the second year (did the free one, then Earth Science) I didn't print the chapter header pages - that was 99% of the ink usage (what is he thinking with a full-page color gradient??!!)

 

The second year I also printed the worksheet pages that are the last 3 or so pages of every chapter separately and in black and white only and put them in a separate 3-ring binder. The main book I had spiral bound at Kinko's.

 

Those tricks (double-sided, no chapter header pages, and b&w worksheets) saved lots of ink and paper.

 

It still would've been better on an iPad or other tablet. I'm starting to think I need one...

[redsquirrel]

I didn't print the instructor guide at all.

 

I printed double-sided, and the second year (did the free one, then Earth Science) I didn't print the chapter header pages - that was 99% of the ink usage (what is he thinking with a full-page color gradient??!!)

 

That.

 

And I almost never print in colour. And I use every single page of copier paper twice. It all goes back in for a print on the other side.

[TCB]

I can't believe it's that expensive! Are the units for sale a lot better than the free one? I used a little of the free one and I am completely surprised that it is an expensive curriculum.