s/o How do we ... match something like this? What would YOU do with $50K a year?

[Magnolia Rain]

On a recent thread, someone mentioned the opportunities available to students at a $42K per year private school.  Several responses alluded to what the money could be spent on in a homeschool scenario, given the availability.

 

I'm curious, if you had roughly $40K-50K per year to spend on homeschooling, what would you spend it on?  I've seen the threads suggesting a live in maid, or a personal chef, but I'm looking for strictly educational responses.  What curriculum would you use?  What opportunities would you pursue?  What trips would you take? 

 

Dream big.  Ready, set, go!

 

Original topic here: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/484459-how-do-we-as-homeschoolers-match-something-like-this/

[Farrar]

Travel mainly.

 

We buy what we need already for the most part.  Last year, we were lucky to have saved enough money to take a huge month-long trip to southern Africa that was truly incredible and not the sort of thing we can afford to do every year, or even every three or four years, so I'd love to be able to do something like that every other year and do shorter trips as well.  But *even* with an absurd expense like that, and even if I bought every book that caught my eye and got a language tutor and every piece of science equipment we might need, it wouldn't even come close to 50K.

 

The...  annoying?  weird? ...  part of the other thread is that the experience the OP wished she could match isn't something you can buy unless you buy your way into a school with a deal like that.  So the internships, the mentorship programs, the things like that are experiences that companies are usually providing for free and you either have to have to connections, attend a school that has those relationships, or research them and then fairly earn them.  And while there can be money involved, it's about more than money, you know?  So if someone is committed to homeschooling, then it closes some of those doors, no matter how much money you have.

[AK_Mom4]

I'm with FW ... we would travel.  Actually see famous historical sites, attend conferences, go to museums and science centers and programs at major universities.   Look at tropical marine critters in the Great Reef and that sort of thing.....  I would use the money for hands on experiences.

 

The concept of an expensive high school education isn't new - there have been expensive schools around for a long time.  In terms of young people getting to do amazing things like work on space flight - well, that's out there too.  Maybe it costs a bunch of money - maybe it just takes hard work and being willing to put yourself out there to get scholarships and sponsorships.

[regentrude]

Travel. I would match it up with our history cycle; currently DS and I would be in Mesopotamia (not the ideal place to be , obviously, but if I can dream of money, I can dream of world peace, right?)

 I would also spend some time on foreign language immersion in a country where the language is spoken, since I find this to be one subject I can not home school at the level I consider desirable. (DS would be sent to Italy for a few months each year, and DD to France)

The rest would go for some outside classes.

[Upward Journey]

If I had that kind of money to spend on each of my kids for school I would put them in the private school.  I agree with Farrar, you can't duplicate the connections that you make in that setting.  I have a brother that attended that kind of private school, and the friendships he made in high school are still paying dividends 20 years later.  Many opportunities in life come about because of who you know, not because of what you know.

 

If I only had that amount for all of my kids together, we would travel, use tutors when needed, take music lessons, do swim team year round...

[Arcadia]

This is what I would likely do if it is 50k for both kids.

I'll spend a year in China since I have relatives stationed there, backpack as much of the country as I can and my kids will improve by leaps and bounds in their Chinese.  I'll spend the next year in Australia where hubby's aunts and cousins are and backpack as much as we can in between "relatives hopping".  Of course we will want to hop over to New Zealand too if money allows.

The third year we will backpack Europe.  We have no relatives stationed there at the moment so its more of free and easy.

The fourth year we could go on a round the world cruise.

After that my kids will either be sick of travelling or will be too restless to stay in any place for long.

I'll also give my kids the 50k each as seed money to start their own business.

 

If it is 50k each, I'll pack my kids to private school and still have money left over :) Connections matters

[mathnerd]

A homeschooler may get these opportunities if they tried very hard. But, it is impossible to provide all of them. But there are still a great number of such opportunities and resources available to the average Joe.

 

When your child goes to that kind of elite school, it is a whole different ballgame. There are counsellors there who guide your child towards acceptance into specific colleges (these counsellors have connections over there too) and if your child is truly gifted, these schools provide mind boggling opportunities - like college professors teaching special in-house AP courses, industry titans designing subject curriculum for them in their subject of expertise, summer jobs in research labs at Stanford, NASA etc to beef up their resumes, visits to work in charitable organizations in the third world, special coaching for contests like spelling bees, Intel Science Talent Search etc. But the price tag it comes with is just too much for the average Joe.

 

If I had that kind of money, I would put a few years worth of that money in my child's college fund and work hard to make sure that my child got admitted into an elite college and then help pay the tuition fee with it. And if I had an unending supply of this money, I would retire early and spend my time on my child.

[Kathryn]

I agree with everyone else. I'd travel. There is no duplicating an elite private school experience. But, if I had that amount of money to spend on homeschooling, it would be to give them those world experiences.

[elegantlion]

Travel - we would make goals to visit many educational sites each year, plus just some fun ones. 

 

I'd send ds to Space Camp and I'd go hang out for a week around the area. We'd make a trip to Japan our summer school. I would find a few private tutors or mentors for his interests. I'd also find him a great desk and a new office chair - we have issues with those right now. 

[8filltheheart]

At this point, I'd destress about college applications and scholarship $$.   ;)

[KrissiK]

I'd put them in the private school. I wouldn't travel. The few field trips we took while studying California history showed me that my kids couldn't care less about missions or old churches or anything like that. It was a nightmare. I think a cross-cultural experience, like living in another country for 6 months to a year would be beneficial, but I wouldn't travel with my children.

[go_go_gadget]

I would probably do a combination: use the money for the most amazing unfettered homeschooling experience ever for K-10, and then consider putting them in the private school for the last two years of high school. That way they'd get all the benefits of homeschooling, and then all the opportunities and connections available in the private school. 

[Rebel Yell]

$50K/year for EACH kid? I'll pretend Diamond isn;t in college, OK?

 

Travel, included in that expense is 3 new cars, one for each driver. Travel would include a decnt hotel, not ultra-crappy budget dump. Reasonable meals- both local restaurant and packed picnic lunches. Any necessary clothign and equipment- good walking shoes, high-tech outdoor clothing that doesn't make you clammy when you sweat, etc.

 

Private weekly voice lessons for all, full load of dance classes plus a weekly private lesson for 1 hour (older two) Private music lessons- guitar & Banjo for younger two.

 

Group and private art classes for middle child.

 

Robotics equipment for youngest/team.

 

In-home dance studio/dance floor.

 

Addition to the home allowing for better use of space and more efficient homeschooling, at the very least new furniture- especially sturdy storage units- that are also pretty. A professional organizer to get me started with a plan that will work for *me.*

 

Money to for middle to play volleyball on a club team. Priavet weekly sessions with youngests' Karate teacher.

 

So really, mostly, I would continue to do what we're doing, but at a higher, more personalized in-depth level. 

 

I would love to be free of the restrictions of money... even just for one year.

[Magnolia Rain]

Travel mainly.

 

We buy what we need already for the most part.  Last year, we were lucky to have saved enough money to take a huge month-long trip to southern Africa that was truly incredible and not the sort of thing we can afford to do every year, or even every three or four years, so I'd love to be able to do something like that every other year and do shorter trips as well.  But *even* with an absurd expense like that, and even if I bought every book that caught my eye and got a language tutor and every piece of science equipment we might need, it wouldn't even come close to 50K.

 

The...  annoying?  weird? ...  part of the other thread is that the experience the OP wished she could match isn't something you can buy unless you buy your way into a school with a deal like that.  So the internships, the mentorship programs, the things like that are experiences that companies are usually providing for free and you either have to have to connections, attend a school that has those relationships, or research them and then fairly earn them.  And while there can be money involved, it's about more than money, you know?  So if someone is committed to homeschooling, then it closes some of those doors, no matter how much money you have.

 

I 100% agree.  I also think that the homeschool community is expanding in such a way that connections are becoming easier to make within that limited sphere. 

 

And, wow!  What an amazing experience to spend a month in South Africa!  Did you blog about it?  I'd love to read it :) 

 

 

 

Travel. I would match it up with our history cycle; currently DS and I would be in Mesopotamia (not the ideal place to be , obviously, but if I can dream of money, I can dream of world peace, right?)

 I would also spend some time on foreign language immersion in a country where the language is spoken, since I find this to be one subject I can not home school at the level I consider desirable. (DS would be sent to Italy for a few months each year, and DD to France)

The rest would go for some outside classes.

 

This is absolutely what we would do as well :thumbup1:   - Travel to match up with our studies.  We try to select one country/place to visit that we've studied each year, but it would be so amazing to learn about Mesopotamia while IN Mesopotamia! 

[Magnolia Rain]

If I had that kind of money to spend on each of my kids for school I would put them in the private school.  I agree with Farrar, you can't duplicate the connections that you make in that setting.  I have a brother that attended that kind of private school, and the friendships he made in high school are still paying dividends 20 years later.  Many opportunities in life come about because of who you know, not because of what you know.

 

If I only had that amount for all of my kids together, we would travel, use tutors when needed, take music lessons, do swim team year round...

 

Interesting.  I agree with your assertion about "who you know".  I guess I hadn't thought much about it in relation to my kids' education in the elementary years.  Up to this point, we've homeschooled because we felt strongly about it for a myriad of reasons, and we could certainly afford to send them to a private school.  Hmmmmm ... food for thought .... 

[abba12]

I would actually spend it on being able to get my kids into specialized programs (which would probably involve moving somewhere expensive). When I was a kid (here in Australia) I saw robotics clubs doing contests and writing circles that resulted in actual published work. I was the only person in my state to receive a perfect score on a programming aptitude test, but because I didn't go to a fancy private school I couldn't do anything with it, there was nowhere further to pursue it unless I was in a private school connected with, say, the Olympiad team or something. There was a camp but it was by invite only. So I would find out how to get those opportunities for my kids.

 

I would also buy all the curriculum I can't decide on so I could figure out what I want to use! With a lack of curriculum fairs in Australia I never get to see books in person before I buy them.

 

So basically I would spend it on things many american homeschoolers already have available. You guys have no idea how jealous I am when I see the opportunities available in the high school board, or simply being able to attend a curriculum fair and look at the books you want to use before spending money on them. Heck, even the idea of an astronomy club is awesome, and impossible, for me and my kids. When I was a homeschooled child I often wished we lived in America so I could do all that stuff, and my parents certainly couldn't afford a fancy private school who could get me involved in it all.

 

Don't take what you have for granted, many of us would do anything for the opportunities that some of you expect to have.

[Magnolia Rain]

I'll also give my kids the 50k each as seed money to start their own business.

 

If it is 50k each, I'll pack my kids to private school and still have money left over :) Connections matters

 

:thumbup1: This.  Encouraging entrepreneurship at an early age is absolutely an advantage that I think most publicly schooled kids just don't have time for. 

 

Interesting ... another vote for connections ... I'm really flabbergasted that I haven't thought of that before. 

 

[Magnolia Rain]

I would probably do a combination: use the money for the most amazing unfettered homeschooling experience ever for K-10, and then consider putting them in the private school for the last two years of high school. That way they'd get all the benefits of homeschooling, and then all the opportunities and connections available in the private school. 

 

Brilliant.  In the event we ever decide "connections" are high on our docket list, and if the kids would like to attend a private high school for a few years, I think this is a genius idea. 

[Jackie]

I'd save the money for the first few years to bulk up the travel budget. Well, most of it. We would travel somewhere Spanish- or French-speaking for a couple months a year to work on fluency. Then I'm thinking five years that include extensive traveling, maybe 5th-9th grade. One year each for Asia, Europe, Africa, South America, and North America. Then back to home for the last three years of school in a town with good colleges so that DD could pursue internships, mentorships, and college classes as she finishes high school. I'm sure we'd spend the money on cool stuff then, too, but I can't even fantasize that far into the future.

[Mommy22alyns]

Travel, but a little, not forever.  It's very important to us to keep Rebecca on the gymnastics track.  She'd get privates and we'd probably move to put her in an elite gym.  Private music and art lessons for both girls, plus a piano in our house.  A school room and awesome lab.

[LMD]

I'd probably build up a magnificent school room on our block (I'm thinking bluestone, open fire, floor to ceiling bookshelves, music room... aaaaaah only $50k?? ), hire specialist live-in tutors to give us all an amazing experience (art, music, science), ooooh maybe build up some science stuff - can I build my own observatory?  The night sky is spectacular over our 20 acres!  A bus so that I can facilitate lots of other kids who may be interested to come along...

 

 

Ahem, see, I don't think $50k per student would cut it!

[Parrothead]

Travel. We would be gone a lot.

[FO4UR]

Travel.

 

Private lessons in one physical, one musical, and one other skill (carpentry, drawing, some sort of craft/art).

 

If I had 50K per kid, I could buy a new home...so I'd go shopping for the perfect HS set-up. A duplex with one side for living and the other side for school sounds like a dream right now.

[Mergath]

Hmm.  We'd do some traveling, and I'd pay for private music lessons- vocal, and whatever instrument dd wanted to try- and a Spanish tutor to work with dd for at least an hour a day.  Oh, and if there was enough left over, I'd buy dd a horse, pay to have it boarded at a local stable, and let her take riding lessons every day. :D  I have no idea what all that would cost, so just let me have my dream, please.

[PeterPan]

Move, buy horses, spend part of the school year on a ship, and buy all our books as ebooks so we could travel and still have everything with us.  That would take care of it.  :D

 

Would there be enough left over for massage while we're on the ship?   :D

[kiwik]

Quit my job and home school. If I had $50 per kid we would be able to spend 3/4 of it on travel, courses etc.

[reign]

Hire language tutors and travel. More extracurricular activities.

[lewelma]

Honestly, I would use the money to help *me*. I'd hire someone to cook and clean dinner every night, and do all the household cleaning. 

[sewingmama]

I'm a little suprised ..considering this is a homeschool board...that so many people think you can only get connections via going to a fancy school. I thought the point of homeschooling was so your kids had access to making a wider web of connections ....

 

Sure connections are important...all the jobs DH and I have gotten have been through connections but none of them were from friendships formed through high school. In fact I detested high school so much that the second I graduated I never spoke to a single person from there again and deliberately skipped all the silly reunions.

 

I'm happy with the way we are homeschooling. If I had that money I'd save it for the kids university fees so they wouldn't have to worry about that debt in their adult life. I'm just practical like that.

 

The kids can travel later when they are old enough to appreciate it. Right now they complain if we have to drive further then 20 minutes and the only new thing they like to visit is the park LOL.

[fraidycat]

#31 spam reported

[Hoot]

Well, if I had $50,000 per year to school through college, we would definitely start off by traveling a bit every year.  I would send him out on SeaTrek voyages to encourage his love of Marine Biology.  I would have him take flying lessons (either plane or helicopter... or both).  Then, I would hire a private baseball coach for him. 

[Plink]

I'd hire a private trainer to show up every morning and insist that we go out kayaking, do pilates, etc. Then I'd buy lots of musical instruments and hire someone to come daily, not just once a week.

 

I'd sock the rest away in the market and teach my kids about investing while they watch their own portfolio.

[Alice]

We would also travel. 

 

It’s interesting to me how many people would choose the elite private school. My nieces and nephew all went to that kind of school with all the connections and opportunities. I saw a lot of negative things from their experiences. Some positive, but mostly the positive things were those you could have had anywhere. Partially for us it’s that that particular kind of school environment seems to value and reward one particular model of life success, which is not necessarily what we desire for our kids. It would be lovely to be independently wealthy, however, I want them to know that there are more things to value in the world than money, power, name-prestige, etc. And that’s what I saw as valued in those kinds of places. 

[tabinfl]

1. If you have the money and connections required for your children to attend a school like that, it's likely that you also have the type of connections you're thinking they could get only from that type of school.

 

2. If a large sum of money dropped out of the sky, there are many ways one could use it to begin making those connections -- philanthropy, starting a business, getting involved in local (and not-so-local) politics, travel, etc.

 

Personally, I would (and do) spend a chunk on a nanny / household help, giving me the chance to work PT at our business and stay involved in the community, which helps keep the money coming in and continues to develops those connections. We have looked at several private schools (not _quite_ in that price range), and I really didn't see much there that I couldn't pull off myself with appropriate application of time and resources (including talking to people I know from doing some of #2 myself).

[duckens]

I would:

 

1) Buy a house with a homeschooling room, and bedrooms for each girl.  (We are one promotion away from affording a home, but it just doesn't look like it will happen, even with Loverboy's over-education and a schedule full of tasks that were formerly done by managers).

 

2) Travel: I'd be overjoyed with a timeshare so we could visit a different state every year.

 

3  ) College funds.  I don't want my kids to have to work 2-3 jobs while trying to go to school.  I don't want them to have to quit school for financial reasons, then be penalized (by financial aid) for taking a year to work two jobs at $8/hour with no benefits to save money for another year at a state school.  I don't want them to work jobs with high levels of sexual harassment.  I don't want them to work jobs where the boss stiffs them on pay because they can.  I don't want them to work jobs with dangerous supervisors who don't let them have their legal breaks.  I want them to be able to take summer internships in their field rather than working jobs like listed above.

[lewelma]

Virginia actually has 3 elite *public* schools --  The Governor's Schools. They are free. My nephew goes to one of them and has all sorts of amazing opportunities.  And I am SO VERY pleased for him because he *loves* it and really pushes him to be everything that he can be.  But, in the end he is still a kid in a school doing the work assigned.  Yes, it is at his level. Yes, he does have great peers and teachers.  Yes, he does have all sorts of special stuff that he gets to do.  BUT, no, I don't actually think that he is getting a better education than my kids. 

 

1) He does not have *time* because his schedule is very full.  My kids do as many activities as he does,  but he has to add on travel to school, mucking around time in class, and yes even some busy work. I think he definitely struggles with balance.

 

2) He does not magically get motivation just by attending the school.  Now he is very motivated which is why he is in the school, but so is my kid.  They both have drive and passion.

 

3) He does not get one-on-one with all famous people that school works with - these connections that everyone is talking about.  Yes, the connections are better than what I can provide; but when I find a special mentor/tutor, my kid gets one-on-one typically over an entire year, not just a single weekend workshop or week-long class trip.

 

4) He still has to do work at the pace of the class.  Unlike my kids, for him the pace of the work is not dictated by his needs.

 

5) There still is peer pressure.  Yes, there is lots of positive peer pressure, but there is also negative peer pressure.  I won't go into the details, but it is there.

 

Overall, a very very positive experience for him.  But there is no utopia in this world, and I really think that people should stop looking for it.  Find what works for your family, and don't look back.

 

Ruth in NZ

 

 

[Arcadia]

 

5) There still is peer pressure.  Yes, there is lots of positive peer pressure, but there is also negative peer pressure.  I won't go into the details, but it is there.

 

That is basically the problem hubby and I have regarding our kids. Both hubby and I have been through the pressure cooker process.  I have a bored underperforming kid complaining next to me right now :(

 

ETA:

if someone were to sponsor 50k per kid though, that would be more than my hubby's take home pay so he can stay home and do the teaching :)

 

[KarenNC]

$50K per year that *had* to be spent on homeschooling/education? College fund, a tablet and new TV and printer that work with wi-fi, lots of Great Courses lectures, art museum membership, buy new texts if needed rather than scrounging used copies of several year old texts, outfit the garage to finish the partial dojo for aikido practice (currently have one mat), send her to some of the Duke TIP activities that she qualifies for but we can't afford even with financial aid, in-person Spanish class, hopefully find a series of high school science classes with good lab opportunities that are about science not theology (everyone around here, affordable or not, uses Apologia :( ), look at additional art classes/camps, PA Homeschoolers or Lukeion Project online classes (or maybe be able to find some in the area that again are not about theology first), one nice trip a year and be able to do more extensive travel when my husband has his month-long sabbatical in a couple of years.

 

If we weren't limited to education, but to something that would improve our overall family and therefore homeschool experience, pay off bills, and, with that level of funding per year might be able to afford for my husband to take a different job with better hours that he enjoys more.

 

[KathyJo]

I know this is going to come across as all sanctimonious and priggish  :biggrinjester:, but in all honesty, money would not change the way we do things. We might travel some, but unless we gave up the farm, we couldn't much. I'd never give up homeschooling just so my children could make contacts for future opportunities of questionable and arguable value. But then, our goals for homeschooling don't include an absolute desire for college, and we don't define "success" as "a really good job." I believe we're providing an education that can lead to those things if they are important to my children. However, I will be happy if they're all well-educated plumbers, electricians, and farmers. Even when the economy tanks, people's toilets still need work.

[Murphy101]

I'd pay for my son's pilot license and training.

 

Foreign language tutors

 

Travel

[8filltheheart]

Virginia actually has 3 elite *public* schools -- The Governor's Schools. They are free.

Ds is actually friends with a couple young men that attend one of the Gov Schools. They are completely unhappy, burnt out, overburdened with busy work output, and definitely have zero time to pursue individual interests. It's sad to see. I wouldn't have sent my kids there, ever. ;) Seriously. And I honestly believe that what my kids are receiving at home is superior to what they are receiving at that school. (Actually, I know it based on conversations with one of the mothers.)

 

I agree with the posts where it wouldn't really change how we do school and that I do not see school attendance as necessary for connections. I think academic summer camps can open those doors, and even w/o them, they can shine in college and make their own way. :) The $$ definitely would open up more opportunities, though, for engaging in their interests more seriously and would lower our stress about college. It would also take yrs off my dh b/c he wouldn't feel so stressed about finances and providing for everyone and being able to retire one day. :)

[lewelma]

My nephew has only finished his freshman year at governer's school.  Hopefully it will not end up the same as your ds's friends' experiences.

 

 

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

Travel, without a doubt.

[Upward Journey]

 

3) He does not get one-on-one with all famous people that school works with - these connections that everyone is talking about.  Yes, the connections are better than what I can provide; but when I find a special mentor/tutor, my kid gets one-on-one typically over an entire year, not just a single weekend workshop or week-long class trip.

 

 

These aren't exactly the kind of connections that I was talking about.  I'm talking about the family connections that get made with the other kids that attend that caliber of a private school.  I'm not so sure that they would be replicated at a public governors school, but I could be wrong.

[kubiac]

Well, I would definitely build us a backyard planetarium with that kind of money. ;)

[Hedgehogs4]

Travel. Stay, Observe. Move to a small house in the country with some chickens and a great view of the mountains and a creek. Hire a cook 2 or 3 days a week. 50 K would make a HUGE difference in our lifestyle.

[Sahamamama]

I've been thinking about this thread for a bit. At first, my thought was, "I'm happy with the way things are now, except for feeling like I clean and do laundry continually." That's life, I think.

 

But then, outside pulling weeds yesterday, I started to dream about what we could do, if we could. KWIM? ;) I think it's a good thing to understand what our dreams would be, if we could achieve every possible thing we could dream. You never know what might happen, either way. So, here's my dream line-up for $50,000 per year per student, times three students (that's how I understood the parameters):

 

Expenditures to Take Household Work Off My Plate

• Housekeeper for a few hours each week, to get through the bathrooms, vacuuming/mopping, and perhaps changing sheets. The rest we can do ourselves.
• Chinese take-out every week. We love it, and it's healthy! :)
• Handyman Jeff, to come a few hours a week and fix all the things that we spend our weekends doing, instead of getting out as a family. He's affordable and does good work, so he could take care of all the big and little nagging things that we never seem to get to, no matter how hard we try to keep up with it all.
• Weed Patrol. I'd hire a neighbor boy (who lives on a farm, he's used to work) to come and manage the yard work, EXCEPT for mowing the lawn (husband does that on a rider). Over time, we could tame this place, but we've only been here four months, and it's a "wilderness."
• Shop-at-Home. I'd pay the $10 occasionally for Shop & Click (Shop at Home) for groceries, and just pull up and get my order.

Expenditures to Teach Subjects or Skills that Are Not My Strengths

• Music tutor, in-home. Not "just" piano lessons, but also music theory and perhaps voice. What are intervals? What are chords? I never learned that. In all my years of taking piano lessons, singing in choir, and playing in the band -- no one taught us explicit music theory. 
• Art tutor, in-home. I could provide materials and some ideas, not skill or knowledge. I'd like to learn to draw, paint, and sculpt alongside my children. We all have an interest in "doing art," just not the know-how. I wish we could have a non-judgmental, encouraging instructor. When I was in school, the art teachers ignored the kids they thought didn't have innate "talent." I was never an Art Star. :blushing:
• French tutor, in-home. Weekly or twice weekly language immersion & instruction in French conversation, vocabulary, grammar, literature, and culture.
• Handicrafts classes. My eight year old taught herself to crochet by reading a book, then taught her six year old twin sisters how to crochet, too. I can chain, so they don't get it from me. They looked at a pair of knitted slippers once, and came home and figured out how to crochet a pair. It was a bit lopsided, but you could tell what it was meant to be. So... I would love to find crochet, knitting, sewing, spinning classes for these children. They would be over the moon.
• Math tutor, in-home. We don't need this now, but I could see how in upcoming years it would be lovely to hire an in-home, twice-a-week tutor to move them along in math.

Expenditures as One-Time Investments in Our Learning Environment

• Observatory in our backyard. This was my husband's vote. ;) If we had the money, he would like to get a backyard observatory. He's been interested in astronomy since he was a kid, and we finally live in a place far enough away from city lights to make it worth doing. 
• Encyclopedia Set, with bookcases. Yes, I know, everything is digital. BUT, my kids enjoy pulling real books from the shelves. They would read through a set in a few years, with the way they read. So, I think a print set would be worth getting. Are these still around?
• Piano/Electronic Keyboard. Most likely, my husband would insist on getting an electronic keyboard with a headphone jack. LOL. Easy to figure that out.
• New Computer/Electronics. Our main family computer died. It is in the computer morgue, and I'm using hubby's laptop. Tiny keys, driving me nuts. I'd like a new computer, at least one. :) Perhaps another for the schoolroom, and one (laptop, with an external keyboard?) JUST for me, and a new printer. A laser printer. We also have never had a television. Perhaps it's time? My husband wants to put something on the wall. Don't get me started on electronics. I know nothing, except how to turn them on and type. :)

Expenditures to Promote Health & Well-Being

• Fitness classes, at the local YMCA. Weekly or twice weekly classes, year-round, in gymnastics, swimming, martial arts, or something. Currently, our girls don't participate in any fitness classes, though they do have plenty of activity. It's not the same, though, as learning how to do a sport or activity. And, I really would like them to become strong swimmers (not competitive), stay in shape, and have a healthy body-image as they move into the pre-teen and teen years.
• Sports Equipment. We might possibly purchase a good-quality, enclosed trampoline. We'd certainly buy a slackline, a rack for our bikes (and bikes for hubby and I), better sports balls (basketball, soccer balls), and better jump ropes. Also, any fitness videos and/or Wii equipment (not sure) that we thought would be utilized. Exercise bike for oldest daughter, plus hiring Mr. Jeff to convert our garage into that Workout Room that we've talked about.
• Local Travel. We would (at this point) limit our travel to our county, state, and local area. There are so many things right here to explore, and the girls are still young now. Later (11+), we could travel within the US and Canada. Beyond that (15+), we could look into "safe enough" options for overseas travel as a family.
• Date Nights with Husband. We haven't done this enough, we both work so hard. It would be more than a matter of money (sitter, going out) to fit these in, though, but I'd like to work towards this, money or no money. :001_wub:
• Teacher Development. I'd like to block out at least 4 days per year to attend a conference, a homeschool workshop, a private retreat ("me and my books"), or something that would provide bona fide training. I don't really need a motivational speech, most of the time. I'd look for a workshop on "Teaching Math in the Middle Grades" or "Science Labs for People Afraid of Baking Soda."

 

That's my Dream Big List. :)

[itsheresomewhere]

I have two ideas for this.

 

1- I would put DS in the special private school that costs half that for high school when he gets old enough.  It would meet all of his special needs and I could put the rest away for college/trade school.  The school is very good and would be a great fit.

 

2- If it was for now I would- travel to certain places both kids would like.  We would own all the special robotics courses that make DS so happy and DD would be in heaven with all the art classes she could take.  I would buy a top of the line telescope. We could join the aquatics place.  I also would have my land in this dream and build a school room that could house everything and have the proper lab.

[Hannah]

 

Don't take what you have for granted, many of us would do anything for the opportunities that some of you expect to have.

 

This is so true!  

I just felt extravagant for ordering two textbooks each for maths, physics and chemistry for the IGCSE program my daughter is going to do next year (imagine the postage costs and import duties on that!), but at the same time we have things that are on other people's dream lists. 

We have a twice-weekly cleaner and gardener as do most middle class people here. 

We live rurally, so my daughters get to ride horses a few times per week and my elder dd is doing extremely well and will be competing in national competition next month.  If we had emigrated as our families and friends did and as we had hoped to a few years ago we would not be able to afford that for them - heck, even if we lived in the city they wouldn't be able to do what they have now.

For many people here moving to the USA or Australia is a dream.

[Sobeknofret]

With $50K? Find something like Semester at Sea for young folks, or do our own version of it!