Can you homeschool elementary without curriculum?

[Slipper]

I'm posting for a friend. I use curriculum because I'm not comfortable without it, but my friend cannot afford curriculum. She can buy school supplies such as paper, pens and such, but curriculum and extra-curricular activities are not possible.

 

Her daughter is entering 3rd grade and is behind in reading and a bit ahead in math. She pulled her out of school last February when it became apparent that her child was going to fail 2nd grade and had issues with being bullied.

 

We're in the same homeschool cover group and our daughters are friends. I've offered to help her pull a plan together, but I want to make sure it's possible. My friend freely admits that she's disorganized herself but wants to change.

 

She uses Khan Academy for math and they have been using early readers for reading. I believe her plan for math and reading this year will be the same. I told her that she needed to include English but thought that could be done through worksheets. Science (at this age) could be done through videos and books on plants/animals/planets. I'm faltering about history but maybe books and videos again? (She also needs art/music, PE/health and Bible study but those seemed not so difficult).

 

It just seemed like a lot of computer/tv time.

 

Most of our cover group (which is very small) will be starting school next Monday (it's not mandatory for a start date, just coincidence). She really needs a plan soon and is starting to panic a bit. I think she just doesn't know how to start and organize it and would like to give her a boost.

 

Our state is not very demanding. We have to keep attendance. Our cover school also requires that we keep a lesson plan log in case it's ever questioned.

 

Thanks for your thoughts and suggestions. We start on Monday so I told her that we'd work on it Saturday.

[Mandy in TN]

Sure, of course, you can. :)

 

There is a massive free curriculum thread on the k-8 board and many smaller threads. I am on my phone, but I'll see if I can find it.

Mandy

[Mandy in TN]

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/109114-free-curriculum-list/?hl=free

This one.

 

If you search for free in the title on the k-8 board there is a ton of stuff. Also, Easy Peasy has been mentioned numerous times. Just google it.

HTH-

Mandy

[mrs.m]

Maybe direct her to http://allinonehomeschool.com or Ambleside online which are free. I suggest you allow her to decide if it is too much computer time for her child.

[fairfarmhand]

yes, but it takes a ton of work for mom. Also, if mom has other small children, it can be really hard to pull it all together.

 

I'd advise her to get a book called What your 3rd grader needs to know.... and use it as a framework to study.

[Arcadia]

There are plenty of free curriculum out there.  However if printing cost is going to be a factor, I'll ask her to check out what is in the library and make use of the resources.

 

The libraries near me have full set of textbooks for K to 5th grade for language arts and math.   For history she could use "The Magic Tree House Research Guide 18-Book Set (American Revolution, Ancient Greece and the Olympic)" as a backup. For science "The Magic School Bus Chapter Book (20 Book Set)" can be a backup. Both sets are at her child's reading level. Libraries usually have copies of both sets.

 

ETA:

Also check if her daughter can get into any of the reading programs where a trained volunteer would tutor her in reading. Libraries would have information on those local to your area. e.g. http://readingpartners.org/what-we-do/our-program/

[Soror]

Of course there is a lot of great free curriculum out there, especially for mom, however, it is more work. I would give the mom resources but also encourage her be honest with herself about her commitment to the task at hand. If she is already behind she really needs to get her butt in gear. If she is not able to school her well w/ what she has then, well, personally I think she needs to figure out something else.

[Ravin]

Between free curricula and a public library's offerings, it's no problem to homeschool elementary on a severely strapped budget. We've had years where I had less than $100 to spend on homeschooling curricula and supplies and I was able to put things together. It does take some research, though.

[Mandy in TN]

I don't think that free curriculum is any more difficult to put together than purchased curriculum.

Here is a short list of free curriculum that isn't any more difficult to use than the products that I used for my children in third grade.

 

http://www.sfreading.com/resources/ghb.html
Scott Foresman Grammar and Writing

http://www.donpotter.net/education_pages/spelling_books.html
Tons of spelling on Don Potter's site

http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/projects/mep/
MEP math

http://www.booksshouldbefree.com/search?cx=partner-pub-5879764092668092%3Awdqcfbe9xi9&cof=FORID%3A10&ie=UTF-8&q=Haaren+famous+men&siteurl=www.booksshouldbefree.com%2Fgenre%2FHistory%3Fpage%3D3&ref=www.booksshouldbefree.com%2Fgenre%2FHistory%3Fpage%3D2&ss=9365j7058291j18
Famous Men of Greece
Famous Men of Rome
Famous Men of the Middle Ages
Famous men of Modern Times
These are all free on audio. Pick a title and listen to a selection. Then, look at further info on the Mr. Donn website or flesh it out with library books.

http://www.mrdonn.org/
Mr. Donn's history pages
Mr. Donn has lots of free clip art that is nice if you want to create lapbooks, mini-books, or narration pages.

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/472872-mcgraw-hill-science-textbook-workbook-lab-book-free-grade-1-6/?hl=%2Bfree+%2Bscience
Links to Free McGraw Hill Science

http://archive.org/details/childshistoryofa009354mbp
Child's History of Art

http://www.classicsforkids.com/shows/past.asp
Composer studies with activity sheets

 

HTH-

Mandy

[Mandy in TN]

Oh, and Easy Peasy All in One Homeschool is laid out by day. How much easier can you get?

Here is third grade. However, if she needs different grade levels for different subjects, you can look up the individual subjects that are also already laid out by day.

 

Mandy

[ocelotmom]

I think some of these responses are a little harsh. We're talking about a traumatized child who was pulled from school half a year ago, at an age where many kids are still not reading particularly well. I don't see any reason to assume that the mother isn't doing a perfectly good job of meeting her child's individual educational and emotional needs thus far. The public school was failing her, not the mother.

 

Focusing on reading, writing, and math is going to be most important at this age. 

 

I personally see absolutely nothing wrong with science and history/social studies being addressed informally through books, videos, nature study, informal field trips to local historical sites, and things like that at this age. Public school early elementary coverage of these subjects is, IMO, basically exposure and disconnected factoids. While obviously it's possible to provide a much more systematic, in-depth, quality coverage with homeschooling, one year of going light/disorganized is not going to put a kid "behind" in these subjects any more than using a curriculum that has a different focus than the public school's.

 

If she does want to make it less haphazard, there are plenty of subject-specific/chronological booklists out there.

 

Khan Academy - Why are they using it? Because it is free and easy to implement, or because it's truly working well for them currently? I personally don't think it's great as a primary teaching source in elementary school (I feel like the concepts progress way too fast without enough explanation of in-between steps - at least that was the case last time I looked at it), but if she's thriving with it, then why not? If it isn't really working well and is just being used because it is free and easy, then Math Mammoth would probably be a good use of limited funds if she can manage at all - it's 25% off until the 19th, so less than $30 for the full year. Saxon 5/4 might also be appropriate if she's far enough ahead, and you can find it used online for barely more than the cost of shipping. Both are intended to be relatively self-teaching (which is why I'm not suggesting MEP - free, but very teacher intensive if used properly), though someone who isn't reading well would need some help with that part.

 

A complete curriculum workbook might also be an option. These generally aren't the most rigorous, or the most exciting, but it's an inexpensive and easy way to help ensure the basics get covered, and can easily be supplemented with literature and so forth.

[happymomofboys]

You can easily homeschool elementary without a curriculum, especially with access to the internet and a library.  I have organized links to a lot of free curriculum materials and options here.

[2_girls_mommy]

I would need something daily for math and language arts/advanced phonics at the least.  Those sites and books that give frameworks don't provide the daily work to practice the skills.  That would be the most difficult (or impossible for me) to do on my own.  It wouldn't be worth the time. 

 

But something like What Your 3rd Grader Needs to Know lays out a framework that is easy to follow for everything else: poetry, literature, science, history, art, and music.  All you need is a library card to do more with these.  I have used those books in the past for a subject or two.  I printed out worksheets and free unit studies online.  I checked out books of art and crafts that went with the subjects.  We watched library videos of ballets and operas when we got there in music.  We played the music games and kept rhythm.  We learned the songs using C.Ds from the library and internet etc.  She could find many science books with lots of experiment ideas to go with the topics and videos. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

Sure.  If her library has these books it will be easier:

 

The Life of Fred books.  My library has them all.

Phonetic readers - my library has some by DK and also by Modern Curriculum Press

As someone else mentioned - the "What your X Grader Needs to Know" books not only has good reading selections but gives a good idea of what concepts to cover.

We have liked reading the "Woe Is I, Jr." book for grammar and usage rules and explanations.

NaNoWriMo has lesson plans online for even elementary grade levels.

My library has The Story of the World books too.  

For that matter, my library has The Well Trained Mind with it's book lists for history and science for each grade level.  

[Ellie]

You betcha. And you can do it without worksheets of any kind, too. :-)

 

Easy Peasy is free, and it looks pretty darn good.

 

Don Potter's arithmetics are on-line (you print out the pages; once that's done, you don't even need the Internet), and what's that one that Hunter posted? That's free.

 

I wouldn't even bother with What Your X-grader Needs to Know.

[Hunter]

Yes, it can be done. It's more work for mom though.

 

Has she tried any of the free vintage math and English books? Is she capable of filtering out any outdated information? Are youn interested in my favorite vintage links?

 

How is her library? Is she capable of getting any curriculum titles through interlibrary loan?

[KrissiK]

Is she against joining some sort of charter? Some are more stringent than others and she may like the independent aspect of not being involved in one, but if you join a charter, they provide all the curriculum. I am a former school teacher, so I kind of know what I'm doing, but I just wouldn't feel like I could give my kids a quality education without some sort of curriculum in certain subjects, esp. math and grammar.

[Slipper]

We're in a small area so the library is not so good. No inter-library loan either - it went away with budget cuts. Personally, I plan to drive to the next largest city (about 30 minutes) and use their library. I'll probably ask her if she wants to ride with me.

 

I think she truly doesn't know what to do, so she will probably decide on something that is completely laid out for her. I like her a lot, but I don't think any of the responses here are particularly harsh. She hasn't started planning for the school year and our public schools start a week from Monday. Her paperwork to the cover school hasn't even been started. Her daughter will be visiting relatives after next week and won't return until early September. Our end cut-off day is the last of May. It will be hard to fit in the required days. I do think, with a bit of help, she can quickly catch up and start school heavily when her daughter returns.

 

She likes the Easy Peasy site so I think she will use it. I did suggest the "What Your 3rd Grader Should Know" as I use that myself to make sure I've covered everything at the end of the year. I think a lot of her focus should be on helping her daughter's self-esteem.

 

She uses Khan Academy because it was free and her daughter enjoys computer based learning. I believe that will be the only math (other than Easy Peasy) that her daughter will use. She really enjoys it.

 

There are no local charters. There are some nearby but she will have transportation issues and the cost will be a problem.

 

Hunter, I would be interested in the links, personally. :) I don't know if she is able to filter through and sort it out. I think she's still trying to sort out actually homeschooling. She has said that she has problems organizing and being disciplined, so at this point, the simpler, the better. I think too much at once would be overwhelming.

 

I think I answered everything. Thanks for all the information. I can't wait to pass this on to her. :)

[Crimson Wife]

I would recommend asking around the local support group to see what she might be able to borrow. I have lent out materials that I had stored waiting for a younger student to get to the right stage.

[sewingmama]

Make sure she signs up to the Easy peasy facebook page....its a great help for those just starting out. I think it is a good match for someone who doesnt know what to do and needs everything laid out. If her DD is behind in reading then she can start with an earlier level for English help her catch up.

 

Www.lessonpathways.com is free and has tons of ideas to make concepts fun.

[kwickimom]

I also agree with using Easy Peasy. Its all there and its good and its free. Just need to print some pages and that's it.  The facebook pages are excellent support. We are using some of it and my kids love it. 

[Hunter]

I think it's hard to help families like this. I do think it's okay to homeschool when providing a mediocre education, when the education provided is socially superior and educationally equivalent to the REALITY of what is taking place at the local PS. I find it hard to counsel such families though, especially when they are not willing to spend a cent. No one, no matter how broke is not capable of spending a cent, ever.

 

You could burn yourself out pretty quickly with this family.

 

I'll post you some links throughout the day.

[MotherOfBoys]

I was thinking the same thing as hunter. Sometimes spending so money is what keeps you going. Especially if she disorganized and unsure if she wants to even do it. I would make sure she really is motivated to do it. HSing at least costs some printing fees and library trips. I think what one pp meant was that some free curriculum isn't open and go which, it sounds like, is what this lady needs if she's not organized and running out of time.

 

I'm not for charter schools but a k12 like school might be a good choice because I think it gives you a hs like approach with a person to check up on you.

[Hunter]

Ambleside has a nice geography plan using vintage texts. Instead of spreading it out over years, it could be condensed to a one year plan, for a family wanting to plan a gepgraphy focused year.

http://www.amblesideonline.org/geographysch.shtml

 

"Home geography" courses are less out of date than the "elementary goegraphies", as they focus on topics that don't get out of date. I use both though.

 

I have begun teaching "out of date" geography, by inserting the word "historically..." before outdated information, and stressing that the world is increasingly becoming more homogenized and urban, but that the original cultures and traditional occupations are still present and important to know about, even if rarer and shoved to the background. The old occupations and ways of life were based on the geography of the area. They illustrate geography in general.

 

There are an increasing number of wonderful geography narratives available for free online. They make great read alouds as an alternative to fiction. They make later readings of literature written during the same period so much more understandable.

[Hunter]

Early math

 

Free. Grube's Method is the basis of many vintage and modern methods. It's a must read.

http://books.google.com/books/about/Grube_s_method_of_teaching_arithmetic.html?id=BOYs3478WaQC

 

Free. Franklin Primary Arithmetic is based off of Grube's Method

http://books.google.com/books/about/Franklin_Primary_Arithmetic.html?id=ynEMMjNOg9gC

 

Free. The Eclectic Manual of Methods contains a section teaching math that applies Grube's Method to Ray's Arithmetic.

http://books.google.com/books?id=FMkKAQAAIAAJ&dq=manual+of+methods&source=gbs_navlinks_s

 

Free. Waldorf is based off of Grube's. There are free pdfs from Africa here. These are Christian and low income friendly.

http://www.entwicklungshilfe3.de/?id=786

 

How to Tutor is readily available at many libraries and is complementary to the above free resources. Here is the $10.00 Kindle version. http://www.amazon.com/How-To-Tutor-ebook/dp/B006OF6D7O/ref=sr_1_9?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1376052946&sr=1-9&keywords=blumenfeld

 

Simply Charlotte Mason has a $10.95 download that is very helpful in learning to teach vintage style math. http://simplycharlottemason.com/store/mathematics-an-instrument-for-living-teaching/

[Hunter]

I don't use a printer at all for anything, but I have invested in an iPad Mini; I charged it and am now struggling to pay it off, and don't care if I miss meals, it's that worth it to ME.

 

I have taught free maths off of nothing but a desktop, but I really really really don't like doing it. My son and I sat in front of the computer with clipboards to write on. I'm using Ray's on the iPad mini right now and like it just fine, though. I can sit at a table and use it just like a textbook.

 

Printing can make a "free" curriculum more expensive than books. For math, the Strayer-Upton books are quite cheap, and used older versions of Saxon can be found cheaply. They are worth it for most families.

 

Just a little money can go a long way. Back in the 90's the typical homeschool budget was $100.00 a year, for so many of us. And often the $100.00 was mom's birthday and Christmas money, and pennies squeezed out of the grocery budget. Even $50.00 can make such a big difference.

[Wabi Sabi]

She sounds like an ideal candidate for a free virtual K12 program, IMO. Is that available in your state?

[Hunter]

Progressive Composition Lessons. The 3 books span grades 3-8, and really do a good job of teaching how to write across the curriculum. Instructions are very explicit and teach students to hand write on regular paper. This is a low-income friendly resource, even beyond that the books themselves are free. Also it's a complete series, and published after 1900.

 

http://books.google.com/books?id=Ws8AAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

http://books.google.com/books?id=w6ACAAAAYAAJ&pg=PR1&dq=progressive+composition+lessons+book+2&ei=TgqMS-SiFpXsygT3rK2DDg&cd=2#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

http://books.google.com/books?id=2d4AAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

[Hunter]

These vintage ebook sellers are not free, but are a good place to learn the titles of books that are likely to be found at the usual free places.

 

Dollar Homeschool Eclectic Education Series

http://www.dollarhomeschool.com/

 

Yesterday's Classics

http://www.yesterdaysclassics.com/

 

Heritage History

http://www.heritage-history.com/www/heritage.php

[Slipper]

She sounds like an ideal candidate for a free virtual K12 program, IMO. Is that available in your state?

No, not available in our state. She's already checked. :(

[Hunter]

Ambleside Online not only provided free booklists to mostly free books, but has an online forum where people are mostly discussing free books, and vintage methods that don't require printers.

 

http://www.amblesideonline.org/curriculum.shtml

 

The Rosegate Harbour booklists which are based off of the RC lists, are a nice complement to AO, as there really isn't a lot of overlap, surprisingly. You can also find RC forums, where again people are talking about older resources that do not require printing, if you have an ereader.

http://users.gobigwest.com/rosegate/

 

The added benefit to vintage free is that it is often totally free to implement.

[Hunter]

This vintage science thread has awesome links.

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/398721-vintage-science-books-how-useful-your-favorites/page-2?hl=%2Bvintage+%2Bscience&do=findComment&comment=5117953

 

Ausburg drawing is really good. Books 1-3 teach crayon "paintings". I started off using more expensive crayons, but learned that numerous very thin applications of crayon, allows the use of regular Crayola crayons.

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/359033-augsburg-drawing-free-and-awesome-and-complete-1-8/?hl=+augsburg%20+drawing

[Hunter]

Don Potter's handwriting in general page

http://www.donpotter.net/education_pages/handwriting.html

 

Of special note are these 2 pdfs.

 

Shortcut to Cursive

http://www.donpotter.net/pdf/shortcut-to-cursive.pdf

 

Scroll to the last few handwritten pages, where the strokes that are combined into letters are taught.

http://www.donpotter.net/pdf/af_cursive.pdf

 

For lefthanded LD students, I prefer getting the SIXTH edition of WRTR from the library and someway somehow printing out the cursive handwriting pages. At least the student doesn't need to use printed pages, though, and that is where the real savings comes in.

[CupOCoffee]

There's a TON of good stuff in here, so I will only add my vote for Easy Peasy!  My DD is using this and she LOVES it!!  Schooling with her has been a challenge, and since she started EP, she actually enjoys school work -- um, she skipped her allowed video game playing time the other night in order to finish filling out her assignment in science for the day!!  <--- yeah, I was shocked.

 

For a student younger than my DD (who is actually used to working independently) I would be alongside the student, working & learning together rather than plopping her in front of the computer to do it all on her own.

 

~coffee~

[cmac]

Is there Connections Academy (similar to k-12) in your state? 

 

How about workbooks you can get at Barnes and Noble (free 20% educators discount) /Books a Million etc.? Though not free, they are not as expensive. I plan on mainly using Spectrum Reading for comprehension (along with library books) and  Spectrum  Writing in place of curriculum.  I haven't found a grammar workbook I like yet, though I'm very picky.   There's also the Complete Book of US History and I think something similar for science. (I'm using an inexpensive reference book for history since I didn't like the Complete Book of US History, I'm picky.).

 

ETA:  There's also Spectrum Science. I bought it for their information on the scientific method to supplement BFSU.  I can't say if I/someone could use it in place of a curriculum as I haven't looked it over much.

[FO4UR]

Khan Academy is excellent.

 

Even in a tiny library, I'm sure there is enough to keep a 3rd grader going for a while.

 

 

Add in a free/online English like Sheldon's Language Lessons and she has a good foundation for the year.

 

 

Even if the mom is disorganized, if she is dedicated to her dd and spends t.i.m.e with her, she can HS well...even if it's not as classical or as rigorous as you or I would do.

[Hunter]

All of the Little House on the Prairie ebooks are free here,

 

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/

 

There are a lot of free lesson plans for these books online.

[smfmommy]

I second MEP math, even if she just does the interactive worksheets on the computer, and the Scott Foresman writing and grammar workbooks.  Add in weekly visits to the library and some good videos (you can see a LOT online) and your set.

 

If she need topical ideas you can download the Core Knowledge Sequence series off of their web site.  Core Knowledge put out the What Your X Grader Needs to Know.  Even if she is disorganized if she is willing to discuss a new topic every day with her daughter, they will be learning and will make it through the year in a positve way.  Then if she saves her pennies she can buy a couple of good spines and a math textbook for next year.

 

 

 

 

[Aspasia]

I don't think going without curriculum is necessarily more work. Last year I bought Adventures in America and Elemental Science and never really ended up using them. Instead, for history, we went to the library, got a few books in each period, read them, and made notebook pages. All you really need for history is a list of major periods to cover. The library is awesome because their history books are chronological, so you don't even have to think about them too much. I didn't even bother researching titles and putting them on hold. We just showed up every week or so, went to wherever we were chronologically, and grabbed a few books that looked like a good fit. Now we have a cute little American history book that dd made. She learned a ton and she's proud of her book.

 

For science it was pretty similar. I just wanted to follow her interests. We went to the library and picked out books on our topic (again, no researching books ahead of time--I tend to get caught up in finding the "best" books that way, when really, many, many books are just fine). We did a lot of nature study, watched some videos, did some projects, etc. It was better for me than the hyper-planned stuff I slaved over last summer and never even executed. It was also better for dd because she could learn what she wanted to learn.

 

Math and language arts are obviously a little trickier. I'm abandoning math curriculum for the foreseeable future in favor of a scope and sequence list and a bunch of games and activities (Kitchen Table Math, Education Unboxed, lots and lots of file folder and other printable games that I have assembled, etc). Of course, that is really teacher intensive. But others have already mentioned many free math programs online. For language arts, good literature from the library goes a long way. And there really are a ton of grammar curricula you can find for $10 or less. You can get a lot of great resources during the Scholastic Dollar Deals sales that happen frequently

[Guest]

yes, but it takes a ton of work for mom. Also, if mom has other small children, it can be really hard to pull it all together.

 

I'd advise her to get a book called What your 3rd grader needs to know.... and use it as a framework to study.

I would add have her start with the PreK book and read through each section. Used copies of these are usually easy to find even in the library. B&N has a 20% off educator's discount card for free, too. 

 

KISS Grammar is free. It is also easy to just point out the parts of speech in her other readings. Maybe have the child copy some sentences then color each part of speech a different color.

 

For the reading, she needs to buy curriculum. OPGTR is not a lot of money and will get the job done.

[Soror]

I don't think going without curriculum is necessarily more work. Last year I bought Adventures in America and Elemental Science and never really ended up using them. Instead, for history, we went to the library, got a few books in each period, read them, and made notebook pages. All you really need for history is a list of major periods to cover. The library is awesome because their history books are chronological, so you don't even have to think about them too much. I didn't even bother researching titles and putting them on hold. We just showed up every week or so, went to wherever we were chronologically, and grabbed a few books that looked like a good fit. Now we have a cute little American history book that dd made. She learned a ton and she's proud of her book.

 

For science it was pretty similar. I just wanted to follow her interests. We went to the library and picked out books on our topic (again, no researching books ahead of time--I tend to get caught up in finding the "best" books that way, when really, many, many books are just fine). We did a lot of nature study, watched some videos, did some projects, etc. It was better for me than the hyper-planned stuff I slaved over last summer and never even executed. It was also better for dd because she could learn what she wanted to learn.

 

Math and language arts are obviously a little trickier. I'm abandoning math curriculum for the foreseeable future in favor of a scope and sequence list and a bunch of games and activities (Kitchen Table Math, Education Unboxed, lots and lots of file folder and other printable games that I have assembled, etc). Of course, that is really teacher intensive. But others have already mentioned many free math programs online. For language arts, good literature from the library goes a long way. And there really are a ton of grammar curricula you can find for $10 or less. You can get a lot of great resources during the Scholastic Dollar Deals sales that happen frequently

I actually agree with your post quite a bit. I think library book science and history is a great option for elementary. Our lit *program* consists of reading good books. We are using a curriculum for science this year because I thought he would like it(he does) not because I think it is required. History is designed by me around topics I thought would interest him with lots of books and discussions and no worksheets/busywork.

 

I do however think that skill subjects need a lot more thought, especially Math. I think that is increasingly needed as the child gets to middle and upper elementary. I didn't really use a program for dd last year in k and didn't use a k program for ds at all but I am using/did use a 1st program for ds. I don't think one has to have a curriculum to do Math and LA but if someone is struggling with organization I don't think it is likely that ditching curriculum for these areas is a wise idea.

 

My response higher up is influenced by the fact that I've already seen a pretty good amount of hs'ers slacking in basic skill areas. So I feel leary recommending that other moms just not worry and do skill areas by the seat of their pants as I think it would likely lead to failure for many. I personally am not sweating my child knowing particular content in certain grades but I do find it troublesome when kids are grades behind in skill solely due to lack of teaching, consistency and organization of Mom. I hope that Slipper is able to pass along some info that enables this hs mother to school her dd effectively.

[Holly]

I don't use a printer at all for anything, but I have invested in an iPad Mini; I charged it and am now struggling to pay it off, and don't care if I miss meals, it's that worth it to ME.

 

I have taught free maths off of nothing but a desktop, but I really really really don't like doing it. My son and I sat in front of the computer with clipboards to write on. I'm using Ray's on the iPad mini right now and like it just fine, though. I can sit at a table and use it just like a textbook.

 

 

If an iPad isn't in her budget, you can get inexpensive readers for about $50.  We use ours for several subjects.  The only downside is that it's black & white.  If we need it in color, we just use the desktop.

 

 

We've used quite a bit of free curriculum over the years.  Some I still use because it works well.  You can also buy books on Amazon pretty cheaply.  They have used, older-edition copies of Spelling Power for about $10 (including shipping) which would last through high school.