quietchapel Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Does anyone know how to do this? We were all set to keep going with Memoria Press when 'life happened' (a variety of things related to this winter in Michigan) and our school budget is now really tiny. I am not sure what to do now, so hope that maybe someone can point me in the right direction. How do you provide a rigorous education in an economical way? We have elementary-aged children currently, but I would appreciate thoughts on education strategies for a range of ages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lang Syne Boardie Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Do you have a library within a reasonable distance? If so, is it any good? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susie in MS Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 I don't know one thing about MP so I really don't know what would be a good match, but one way to get rigorous on a budget would be with Ambleside Online. If you already have an e-reader you can download many of the books for free. If you prefer hard copies (that would be me) and have an economical laser printer you can print up the same books from Google Books for a fraction of the price of professionally printed copies. Other of the books can be bought second hand or found at your library. That would cover science, lit, history, Bible and geography. Economical maths: Rod and Staff, Modern Curriculum Press (get a used TM at amazon), Strayor Uptom (each book last 2 years, includes test, and answers--there is none cheaper) Wheelers Elem Speller if free on Google Books, or you can just use your children's misspelled words and copy work from their books. Grammar Land is also a free down load and a mom here made 1 wksht per chapter if you want to use those as well. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 -KISS Grammar -See if your library has a copy of SWB's "Writing with Ease: Strong Fundamentals" book, then select copywork, dictation, and narration from your read-alouds -Older editions of Spelling Power are available fairly inexpensively if you feel like you need to do a formal spelling program. -MEP Math -Mr. Q Life Science plus library resources -The original Famous Men books are in the public domain. I do like the MP study guides but if they're not in your budget, they're not in your budget. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quietchapel Posted March 11, 2014 Author Share Posted March 11, 2014 Do you have a library within a reasonable distance? If so, is it any good? No. :sad: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 No. :sad: Even if it's not, most libraries offer digital loans. You can often get a bunch of Ebooks from your library without having to travel. :) What is your budget? For math, CLE is relatively cheap. You can buy one light unit at a time ($3), which helps as well. You could also look into Miquon which would cover a few years of elementary math. Easy Peasy is well liked and free http://allinonehomeschool.com My kids have loved A Child's History of the World. WE got it for about $6 on Nook. (We read it with a Nook application on an iPad). It's wonderful for world history for kids…and could be gone into in more depth for older kids. Just have them narrate back to you what they read/listen to. For handwriting, you can print out free worksheets on the Zaner-Bloser site. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 I second the idea of digital loans from a library. Find out if the capital city offers free cards to anyone in the state. If you have relatives in other states willing to share their card number with you, take advantage. Collect as many cards as you can. Most of the libraries in my state give free cards to anyone in the state. I have quite a few cards. Do you have any type of smart phone, tablet, eReader, or other type of device? I'll write more tomorrow, but, yes, absolutely, rigorous CAN be done on a budget. Personally, I only use the word rigorous to describe Hebrew slaves trying to make bricks with no straw in Ancient Egypt, but... :) we can help you do rigorous on a small budget. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abba12 Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 It depends on your definition of rigorous. For us, rigor in the elementary years is primarily skill subjects, but if you also want full science/history it can be a little trickier. It also depends how much work you can handle. You can homeschool for free, but it requires a lot of time from you planning, organizing, printing and researching. We tend to spend more than average because I have multiple kids, little ones, and can't afford to spend the time on prep (if we had a budget constraint, like unemployment, though, we could cut right back cost-wise, it would just require more from me and giving up some of our other, time hungry, pursuits). Elementary is fairly easy to handle though, it's middle and high where budgets really get hard. MEP math and Khan Academy for math, both are very indepth, conceptual, challenging and FREE. Also there are plenty of math game sites for facts etc. Alpha-phonics if you still have pre-readers There are some online spelling websites which will do lists and tests and games and things. I suspect you'll find some of the same for basic grammar. Startwrite software for handwriting, buy the program and print off your own handwriting work with multiple styles and lines etc, whatever you want to use, including handwriting guides, numbering the letter lines etc. If you have a good library, for everything else I think unit studies are the cheapest way to do the subjects rigorously. Lets say you picked... Seasons and Weather. Well there's lots of science books about weather and even a few experiments. Find our what different societies believed about the weather, from farmers folklore to ancient raindances, there's picture books for all that kind of thing. Get some poetry about the weather, I'm sure there's a compilation book on season poetry somewhere or find some online. Look online or in the library for artwork depicting weather and consider seasonal folksongs, especially winter music as related to christmas. If you do latin you can look at where the root words for many of our seasonal and meteorological terms come from. Write your own poem about each season in a specific poetic form. Write a short opinion essay on your favourite season (You should be able to find resources online for critiquing and improving this level of creative writing). Read a few season specific books, the immediate one which comes to mind is the long winter, Laura ingalls wilder. It's much harder for older kids, but in the younger years you can do a lot with a library card, a computer, a printer, and a good imagination. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebbyribs Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 For science, BFSU (and its sequel Elementary Science Education) is available as a $5 ebook from Outskirts Press. Each volume covers a couple of years worth of science. http://outskirtspress.com/webpage.php?ISBN=9781432706104 If you need something for learning to read, Progressive Phonics is free. I've been using printables from this site for teaching my daughter cursive: http://www.kidzone.ws/cursive/index.htm 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndOfOrdinary Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 We took going to the library to a whole new level. Each family member got a card, then gave them to me. I got a secondary educators card that double the check out time and eliminates fines (many libraries offer these, you just have to ask). When we found a resource we were interested in, I would put it on hold with each card. That way when the book was returned for one member of the family, another member would then get it. You can rotate holds for quite awhile. InterLibrary Loan has given us access to just about any Great Course we could ask for. Many libraries have free databases linked off their website. You log in with your card number and can openly use the software. iTunesU has provided so many lectures and audio courses for free. It still amazes me what people are generous enough to allow open access to. We do a lot with apps as well. Free apps for kids is a great website. Amazon/kindle free classics. I kicked up the amount we read aloud and stopped worrying that my son was too young (barring, of course content that was graphic or terrifying). He has gotten so very much out of it. We read and read and read. Then we listen and listen and listen to audiobooks or classics on YouTube. YouTube is a gold mine of scholastic topics. Between them and TED talks I would have us plugged in way more if I didn't have to document more carefully. Amazon can also have many curricula at really low prices if you just search once a day for the few you are interested in. I try to keep an eye out and purchase them only when they pop up super cheap. Ebay and half.com are good for that as well. ETA: I forgot about Netflix and PBS. Though you have to pay 8 dollars for streaming Netflix, they have some wonderful documentaries that can make discussions as well as interests come alive. PBS is free and their website is fantastic. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quietchapel Posted March 11, 2014 Author Share Posted March 11, 2014 I second the idea of digital loans from a library. Find out if the capital city offers free cards to anyone in the state. If you have relatives in other states willing to share their card number with you, take advantage. Collect as many cards as you can. Most of the libraries in my state give free cards to anyone in the state. I have quite a few cards. Do you have any type of smart phone, tablet, eReader, or other type of device? I'll write more tomorrow, but, yes, absolutely, rigorous CAN be done on a budget. Personally, I only use the word rigorous to describe Hebrew slaves trying to make bricks with no straw in Ancient Egypt, but... :) we can help you do rigorous on a small budget. I can't stop laughing! Making bricks without straw would certainly be rigorous! : ) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quietchapel Posted March 11, 2014 Author Share Posted March 11, 2014 I am thrilled with the many responses to this question. Thank you, all, so much. I am thinking inter- library loan may be the way to go. We do not have typical internet access, so using that for school is not an option. We are in a very rural area and pay lots each month for a tiny amount of data. However, I think with the many other suggestions I can find something that will work. I just love this forum! There is never a question that can't be answered! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Any chance you have supportive family members who would pitch in to help buy things for you? Do you have a local homeschool support group? We share stuff around ours all the time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 What ages do you have to cover? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walking-Iris Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Use what you already have with your younger children. And search for used curriculum. Amazon used is helpful. Search the classifieds here or even post there what you're looking for. You may even be able to find that MP you wanted really cheap. Dig around in the book sections of various consignment shops or Goodwill stores etc. Use free online resources. Look into ebook pdf curriculum, which oftentimes can be cheaper than buying print. Use Pinterest to find ideas about various topics. Use facebook to find local homeschoolers or used curriculum sales/swaps. I don't know what you mean by rigorous, exactly, but I do know that the education you want to give your children doesn't have to cost a fortune. This is why i rarely ever sell anything my oldest is done with. Insurance for my younger children in case life throws me a curve ball. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahW Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 I am thrilled with the many responses to this question. Thank you, all, so much. I am thinking inter- library loan may be the way to go. We do not have typical internet access, so using that for school is not an option. We are in a very rural area and pay lots each month for a tiny amount of data. However, I think with the many other suggestions I can find something that will work. I just love this forum! There is never a question that can't be answered! Without good broadband it's even tougher, for sure. I know there's tons of free stuff on the internet. But the quality is sometimes a bit spotty. And the good stuff takes legwork to implement. I've solved that by going "hybrid," I buy good stuff, and save the money for those purchases by using "free" things from the internet or library for other subjects. Handwriting, for instance, can be easily done using any number of free online resources and http://www.handwritingworksheets.com/, so I resist my temptation to buy those pretty MP copywork books! But you have some budget, yes? Maybe you could purchase a good curriculum that can be used for multiple years. I'm done paying for my kid blowing through AAS, so I'm going to buy How to Teach Spelling, for example. I'm sure there are other good solid curricula that can used for a good long time for the other subjects as well. BFSU for science has already been mentioned - I think the hard copy is only $25? They won't be pretty or open-and-go, sure, but if the main priority is that they cover everything they could work out well. Maybe others could share more curriculum purchases that can be used for multiple years/grades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momma2three Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 There is a great social group here called "Free Curriculum (for the price of printing)." http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/groups/119-free-curriculum-for-the-price-of-printing/ It has lots and lots of free programs in just about every subject. I've gotten lots of great budget-friendly ideas from there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 The hardest thing NOW–compared to in the 1990s– about being a low budget, is the overwhelming number of equally good, but not great "free" resources. If it needs to be printed, I don't call it "free". And there is SO much to wade through! And how do you choose? As for the ILL, try ordering a few books and see how reliable it is. I ordered 4 ILL books 3 months ago. After a month I received a notice that 3 books were coming, and not told which ones they were. After another month one arrived. A month later I was informed that 2 more have arrived. I don't need them anymore, though, and no longer even know what the 4th one was. I'm keeping better records now of what I order, and am going to try being a bit more aggressive, and find out what phone numbers to use to follow up. But I cannot rely on ILL to supply books in general. You can often get some good deals when buying multiple books from Thriftbooks.com by combining shipping. They are having a sale right now of buy 5 books and get a 6th free. Use "SPRING" at checkout. http://www.thriftbooks.com Here are a few threads that involve homeschooling with a very limited number of books. Many of these can be purchased from Thriftbooks.com for very little money. Footlocker thread http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/504548-k-8-in-a-footlocker/?p=5479103 Underground Bunker thread http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/487962-10-books-in-an-underground-bunker/?p=5192069 Just 3 Literature Books a year thread http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/357116-just-three-literature-books-a-year-what-would-you-pick/?p=3700986 Oldschool curricula to supplement a Bible and a library card http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/451295-oldschool-curricula-to-supplement-a-bible-and-a-library-card/?p=4643506 Stick in the Dirt Curricula http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/423513-stick-in-the-dirt-curricula-your-teaching-breakthroughs-and-oldschool-methods/?p=4293389 Perennialism http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/507132-education-philosophiesespecially-perennialism/?p=5521274 What Your Grader Needs to Know and some other links http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/505282-what-your-grader-needs-to-know/?hl=%2Boldschool&do=findComment&comment=5492841 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Oldschool Latin http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/421732-oldschool-latin/?p=4272196 Latin Without a Curriculum http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/140299-latin-without-a-curriculum-from-previous-post/?p=1336084 Oldschooling http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/419375-oldschool-homeschool-so-of-another-thread/?p=4243045 Six Best Books Ever http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/506207-6-best-books-ever-so-3-books-a-year/?p=5506419 Complete Classical Scope and Sequence K-8, designed to be used with living books. http://www.judsonschool.org/our-approach/the-international-christian-curriculum 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Most of these are repeats, but this is what I'd use for free/cheap elementary: Math - MEP math (free), K-6 program. You do need to pay for printing it or use a tablet perhaps. History- a good spine or two, like A Little History of the World and the Usborne World History Encyclopedia, plus a few mini in-depth units (homemade) each year using library books Science- BFSU I, II, and III Reading- McGuffey (kindle versions are free, print is not expensive) + possibly a phonics program if necessary, library books Writing: Charlotte Mason or WWE Teacher's Book ideas, using homemade copywork, narration, and dictation Spelling- I would ignore this subject, or look at the many available free lists online. Using studied dictation may be all you need for spelling, and you can get a relatively cheap studied dictation book from Simply Charlotte Mason Grammar- KISS grammar (free + printing costs) Literature- library books, especially the children's classics, lots of lists online. Use these to create copywork and dictation as well. Journeys Through Book Land is a freebie for kindle that I've been hearing about around here lately as well. Lang's Fairy books are all free for kindle, ... lots of free oldies! Add in some Bravewriter ideas like Poetry Tea and Free Writes, and you're all set! For middle and high school, look at what is being offered on Coursera- university style lectures on many different topics, all free. Also, look at intro uniiversity textbooks for high school science, history, and math, and look at older editions. Not much really changes from edition to edition, and everyone sells their gently used ones at very good prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Do your libraries or some other place offer decent internet, even if the book selection isn't great? (Even a grocery store or gas station or McD's that offers free internet?) If so, I might highly recommend seeing about some sort of mobile device, even the base Kindle model. Then you could go to one of those places periodically and use their internet to download a bunch of free books. Also, if your income level has changed a lot, you might look into whether or not you qualify for any services that might ease your budget a bit. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pollo_la Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Robinson Curriculum. Definitely rigorous and absolutely cheap (or even free if you just implement the free recourses online). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Regarding the spotty interwebs, that can be place to again use your library. It isn't unreasonable to assume that a public library has wireless access. If there are things to download, research etc then you bring a laptop to your library and download and save to your hardrive. There are other public places that often have wireless access, such as cafes and schools. My friend would bring her kids to the PS playground after school and use her laptop with the school's guest wireless. It was slow (very) but available to anyone on school grounds. You can download a year of MEP onto your hardrive in about 10 mins. You can also take a 'library day' and be in the library with your kids and let them watch Kahn academy etc. via your laptop. Just bring headphones, lol. Some videos on Youtube are downloadable to your hardrive. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 If you can download this book, it has great literature teaching ideas starting in chpt 8. http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24857 All of the volumes are downloadable. Just google Journeys through Bookland volume (and volume number. There are 9 in edition to the one I linked) gutenberg. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Another idea is to ask around your local support group to see if anyone can lend you materials. I've lent out materials in the past that were gathering dust on my shelves waiting for a younger child to get to the right stage for it. Might as well have another family use it in the interim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MommytoFour Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Here are tons of free resources: http://www.livebinders.com/play/play_or_edit?id=9506 Flip through the tabs at the top to see them by subject. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Random Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 We are in a similar situation as you with limited/expensive internet (no streaming anything, limited downloading, etc.), a tiny local library that is rarely open and a rural area without a large group of people/resources to draw from. My library doesn't even do ILL or digital lending. It has a card catalog. For real. If you have a laptop or tablet, I second the idea of taking it with you and using the wifi at a coffee shop (or somewhere else?) to download what you'll be using when possible. Most of my suggestions would be repeats from above, but beyond that, I would (and have) pay special attention to the resources you do have available in your area. For instance, we live in an area with one of the largest national forests in the nation. The USGS and Game & Fish Department employees around here are very friendly and let me borrow materials, come teach my kids about animal adaptations, take volunteers out into the field to track/monitor environmental health and animal population health, take volunteers into the field to remove invasive plant and animal species, etc. This has been a great foundation for studying birds & trees in MP science (we use MP, as well). I could go on and tell you about the unique resources we have for language studies, art, music, math, etc. but I'm sure you get the general idea. What is available in your area? Maybe there are some cool things you have access to, that most of us don't? I spent a lot of time feeling sorry for myself because of the 'limited opportunities' my local area offers for 'education' and a lack of good internet and a lack of (home)school funding. There is not an Apple store within 300 miles. Not really an art museum to speak of, and no engineer to run a FLL club. But, recently, I've been seeking out the resources I do have available. (I'm not saying you have the same attitude problem as I did!) My hope is that you have fantastic, unusual local assets that you can turn into serious and rigorous studies for your children. Best wishes! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quietchapel Posted March 11, 2014 Author Share Posted March 11, 2014 What ages do you have to cover? Aimee- I have dd 10, ds 8, and ds 5 DS 5 is all set through at least June. DD 10 is the one for whom I need history, grammar, writing, science, and math. I am going to read back through all of the wonderful suggestions in the thread. I LOVED the thread about 'oldschooling' and the footlocker! Those threads started me thinking, and I am feeling quite ridiculous right now. Once I stepped back and really looked, we have more materials than I could ever hope to use. I just have to figure out how to implement a teaching plan. In our home library, most of which was inherited, we own a full set of encyclopedias, a set of science encyclopedias, fourth through eighth grade readers from the 1900's, Ray's arithmetic, all the Great Books, the TImetables of History, The Record of America, Audobon Nature Encyclopedias, The Elements of Style....the longer the list becomes, the more ridiculous I feel. I simply need to figure out how to teach with what I have and with what I can find at our library. I think I can use MEP, though printing it all off seems daunting. Do you think the SWB Writing With Ease text would be enough help in implementing writing with books we own? I don't know anything about that program, honestly. Also, how difficult is BFSU to use? Thanks, again. I am feeling encouraged! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Oh awesome, that you have encyclopedias! You have one of those Great Books sets? With a guide? Which one? I've always always wanted one of those sets! There is NOTHING to feel silly about! The current culture makes it REALLY hard to know how to put together your own thing, without dipping into OOP books, that you might never have heard of. I'm glad those links helped! :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 If you don't like MEP, check out this thread in Grube's Method and the books based on the method. http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/409801-grubes-method-of-teaching-arithmetic-why-havent-i-heard-of-this/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 And you might like Augsburg Drawing. http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/359033-augsburg-drawing-free-and-awesome-and-complete-1-8/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Ok, for 10, 8 and 5, and looking at what you think your year is looking like, I am going to go out on a limb and say that you need to do some board searching on threads with BFSU before you commit. I am using it and I don't find it to be real user friendly. The most common complaint is that the idea is good, but the plan isn't the most reassuring thing you are going to see. One year I had to prioritize more than usual when it came to school spending. We weren't broke, but I wasn't looking to spend where we didn't have to. I decided to go with TWTM method for science with my grammar stage kid. I kept saying it wouldn't be enough, that it would be lame etc. It really wasn't. It ended up being a good year and it got done. We read on a topic in an science encyclopedia, I had him write down a three sentence narration and then he illustrated his narration. I should add that he loves to draw and he begged to do that part. It wasn't even my idea. Later in the week, I would read him a second book during the week on the topic. We also did a super easy demonstration or watched a video on the subject. That was it. It was perfectly sufficient for grammar stage science. My demonstrations were with whatever we had around the house. I went out of my way not to spend $$. FOr the 5 and 8 year old I honestly think that would be fine. For the 10 year old maybe have her/him do some reading on her/his own? Oh, and write down definitions of words in the encyclopedia. I think BFSU is great, but really look into it before you spend the $ on the books. I know I pull my books out every year and think that THIS will be the year I manage to implement it, and it never happens and I feel guilty. It seems like it should work so well, but it eludes me. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 Some people have been finding that using the general TWTM science instructions with this scope and sequence is easier when using very small libraries, as small libraries often have more life science than physical science books. http://www.judsonschool.org/our-approach/the-international-christian-curriculum Click on "English" at this link. There are some living science books and lots of books on science experiments. Also picture books and all sorts of treasures. http://www.arvindguptatoys.com Which brand of encyclopedias do you have? For middle school the encyclopedias were our main science texts. We have several broken but overlapping sets. World Book, Comptons, New Book of Knowledge, and Britannica. And a set of the 1980s Golden Book Children's Encyclopedia. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 A thread on using older science books from the 1950s through 1980s http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/473692-science-books-from-the-1950s-60s-70s-and-80s/ Vintage Science Books http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/398721-vintage-science-books-how-useful-your-favorites/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 Vintage math thread http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/268649-nowfor-vintage-math/?p=2667076 Homeschooling without Library Access http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/473967-advice-on-homeschooling-without-library-access-please/?p=4977786 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 Aimee- I have dd 10, ds 8, and ds 5 DS 5 is all set through at least June. DD 10 is the one for whom I need history, grammar, writing, science, and math. I am going to read back through all of the wonderful suggestions in the thread. I LOVED the thread about 'oldschooling' and the footlocker! Those threads started me thinking, and I am feeling quite ridiculous right now. Once I stepped back and really looked, we have more materials than I could ever hope to use. I just have to figure out how to implement a teaching plan. In our home library, most of which was inherited, we own a full set of encyclopedias, a set of science encyclopedias, fourth through eighth grade readers from the 1900's, Ray's arithmetic, all the Great Books, the TImetables of History, The Record of America, Audobon Nature Encyclopedias, The Elements of Style....the longer the list becomes, the more ridiculous I feel. I simply need to figure out how to teach with what I have and with what I can find at our library. I think I can use MEP, though printing it all off seems daunting. Do you think the SWB Writing With Ease text would be enough help in implementing writing with books we own? I don't know anything about that program, honestly. Also, how difficult is BFSU to use? Thanks, again. I am feeling encouraged! You have a great start! Shop around at library sales. It's spring...there should be some good ones popping up. Buy books for .25-1.00 a piece. Pull out all of your resources and lay them out in the living room floor. Imagine what you can use for what. Start writing these things down. Use what you have for a good while before buying anything or you might find that you've wasted $ on something you didn't need and now can't buy something you did need. After actually *using* what you have, you'll see what you need. Make writing & grammar lessons from history and science and literature books. This old thread might give some inspiration. http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/173293-interest-driven-education-and-real-tea-time/ ETA: It's worth a drive to visit the big city for the library sale! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 20 books to prepare for the Great Books http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/93913-which-20-books-help-prepare-for-reading-the-great-books/?p=891146 I especially liked this post by nmoira. http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/93913-which-20-books-help-prepare-for-reading-the-great-books/?p=1197639 According to Michael Dirda (book critic at The Washington Post), these are the works which have most influenced "the diction and imagery of English prose":The Bible (Old and New Testament)Bullfinch's Mythology (or other account of Greek, Roman, and Norse mythology)Homer, Iliad and OdysseyPlutarch, Lives of the Noble Grecians and RomansDante, InfernoArabian NightsMalory, Le Morte d'ArthurShakespeare's major plays, especially Hamlet; Henry IV, Part One; King Lear; A Midsummer Night's Dream; and, The TempestCervantes, Don QuixoteDaniel Defoe, Robinson CrusoeJonathan Swift, Gulliver's TravelsThe fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian AndersenAny substantial collection of the world's major folktalesJane Austen, Pride and PrejudiceLewis Carroll, Alice in WonderlandArthur Conan Doyle, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walking-Iris Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 Pull out all of your resources and lay them out in the living room floor. Imagine what you can use for what. Start writing these things down. Use what you have for a good while before buying anything or you might find that you've wasted $ on something you didn't need and now can't buy something you did need. After actually *using* what you have, you'll see what you need. I have decided to streamline purchases by quite a bit this year. This in bold is important. I've really sat down the past week and I've gotten rid of any book that was just not ever getting done. When I looked at what was left I realize that I have MORE THAN enough to homeschool next year without buying a lot (other than some very slim consumables for my youngest). I've always kept anything for the just in case times. I'm glad I did, because even after getting rid of books, I still find I have plenty. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quietchapel Posted March 12, 2014 Author Share Posted March 12, 2014 When I first posted, I was feeling discouraged. After reading back through all your replies, I am, somehow, kind of excited! The specific tips about spreading everything out on the floor are fabulous. Hunter, I cannot thank you enough for all the links. Once I have a plan worked out I will post it. :hurray: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quietchapel Posted March 12, 2014 Author Share Posted March 12, 2014 Oh- my encyclopedia set is a 1993 World Book. I found it in a second hand store. It was being used to support some shelves. When I asked for it, the clerk looked confused and said, "I thought only the Amish used those now". AHHHH!!!!! Has anyone seen Wall- E? I always think of that movie during such exchanges! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PollyOR Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 sending you a PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 I would contend that the less you spend, the more rigorous the education will be. ;) That was the case for us, up until we hit high school and it flipped around. :D As a general rule: Spend your budget on solid math and English materials, and use the library and the resources you listed at home for everything else. Whenever possible, spend your money on something that teaches you to teach for many years rather than something that is consumable. And invest more time than money. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 I really like the outlines at the end of the major articles World Book. Look up "American Literature" and see what you find. You will sometimes find an article and outline that can serve as a scope and sequence. I am really excited to hear that you own a full set of World Book. When you don't have much, a set of World Book can fill in just about any hole. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 I found that doing high school on a VERY strict budget did not make it less rigorous, but it did make it a LOT less like PS. The definition of "rigorous" seems to be narrowing to meaning internationally competitive, and starting AP courses in 9th grade. In my opinion, rigorous and competitive are different terms. I have seen some amazingly rigorous curricula that are not anything like PS or AP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quietchapel Posted March 13, 2014 Author Share Posted March 13, 2014 I would contend that the less you spend, the more rigorous the education will be. ;) That was the case for us, up until we hit high school and it flipped around. :D As a general rule: Spend your budget on solid math and English materials, and use the library and the resources you listed at home for everything else. Whenever possible, spend your money on something that teaches you to teach for many years rather than something that is consumable. And invest more time than money. Angela, I may copy that and post it on my fridge. Thank you! If you have any specific suggestions of materials that accomplish what you've described, I would love to hear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quietchapel Posted March 13, 2014 Author Share Posted March 13, 2014 I found that doing high school on a VERY strict budget did not make it less rigorous, but it did make it a LOT less like PS. The definition of "rigorous" seems to be narrowing to meaning internationally competitive, and starting AP courses in 9th grade. In my opinion, rigorous and competitive are different terms. I have seen some amazingly rigorous curricula that are not anything like PS or AP. How did you accomplish HS on a strict budget? I hear from many that high school is where there is no choice but to spend significant amounts of money. I've always thought there must be another way. For us, rigorous means our children have solid basic skills and an excellent command of the language, both verbally and written. It also means they must employ discipline, initiative, and make their best effort at whatever they are doing, so the materials must be rich enough to require such characteristics. We also hope that we educate in such a way that we are raising life- long learners and critical thinkers. Whether that ever correlates to AP anything does not matter much. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetpea3829 Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 In 2012, we went through a surprise loss of income when DH broke his leg and missed 7 full months of work. Needless to say, our schooling budget was blown out of the water. I'm not sure what's been recommended to you, but: 1) Book Samaritan was so helpful to us. I felt bad asking for too much, but they helped with what they could. 2) There came a point where, I had to just start asking curriculum providers for help. It was extremely humbling/embarrassing, but it needed to be done. So I started making phone calls and emailing providers of curriculum I was interested in. I explained our situation and many of them were wonderful. Some donated curriculum free of charge, others sent us curriculum at deep discount. I won't soon forget the kindness we experienced during that time. It was a difficult period for our family, but God blessed us richly. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momma2three Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Oh, I also wanted to say that if you like having a schedule, and a more "okay, this is what to do this week," check out the Baltimore Curriculum Project Lesson Plans. They have monthly plans for K-5th grade, in everything you need except math. It's based on the Core Knowledge Foundation's curriculum, so IMO it is very content-rich and rigorous in expecting kids to learn about a wide range of topics in depth. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 How did you accomplish HS on a strict budget? I hear from many that high school is where there is no choice but to spend significant amounts of money. I've always thought there must be another way. For us, rigorous means our children have solid basic skills and an excellent command of the language, both verbally and written. It also means they must employ discipline, initiative, and make their best effort at whatever they are doing, so the materials must be rich enough to require such characteristics. We also hope that we educate in such a way that we are raising life- long learners and critical thinkers. Whether that ever correlates to AP anything does not matter much. :001_smile: I splurged on Saxon math (just the texts and keys and no DVDs or solution manuals), and we did a lot of Latin, Greek, Hebrew, KJV Bible, and our library had a set of Great Books of the Western World. Science was DVDs, encyclopedias, library books, the paperback book "Science Matters". And we READ several older editions of AP environmental science and AP geography texts bought for pennies, and gleaned some ideas and experiments off of highschool AP websites and other places. We didn't take the AP seriously and never planned to test. I just liked the scope and sequences. We never officially did high school science texts. We bred a lot of sea monkeys that we bought at Walmart. History/Geography was covered mostly during morning worship for church history and prayer for the world. We watched DVDs and read some historical fiction. We learned history during classical language study. And art. And music and hymn study. We got into a local living history museum for free and went there a LOT. We did our nature study there, as well as learned history and a lot about gardening and trades. Climbing Parnassus was my favorite book back then. I just reordered a used copy for pretty cheap. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arliemaria Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 Some people have been finding that using the general TWTM science instructions with this scope and sequence is easier when using very small libraries, as small libraries often have more life science than physical science books. http://www.judsonschool.org/our-approach/the-international-christian-curriculum Click on "English" at this link. There are some living science books and lots of books on science experiments. Also picture books and all sorts of treasures. http://www.arvindguptatoys.com Which brand of encyclopedias do you have? For middle school the encyclopedias were our main science texts. We have several broken but overlapping sets. World Book, Comptons, New Book of Knowledge, and Britannica. And a set of the 1980s Golden Book Children's Encyclopedia. If we were to invest in a set and only one set for a younger set of children what would you recommend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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