bnwhitaker Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 If someone only has around $500 total for children ages 6th, 5th, 4th, 2nd grades what would you do with it? They have done Abeka in the past but can not afford it anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Virtual charter for a couple of them? You could do a k12 charter for the fifth grader and use most of the curriculum for the 4th and 6th graders. You'd really only need separate math and maybe LA skills. Or maybe not, depending. Then you'd only have to worry about work samples, standardized tests etc for the one child, or two if you use it for the 2nd grader. At any rate, I would figure out how to combine all of the content for the oldest three. Skills will likely need to be leveled out. Is this a permanent budged/change or just something you need to deal with for one school year? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paula in MS Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 This is what I would do and still stay fairly rigorous. CLE math, one set per grade student books $138 Rod and staff English set grade 5 (use this for 4th, 5th, and 6th) $50 First Language Lessons I for 2nd grader $15 Science Bob Jones Science 5, entire set $126 (4th, 5th, 6th grade) Apologia Elementary Science, any course (2nd grader) (This could also be used for the other 3 as well.) $25 Spelling -lists from Spelling City Mystery of History, any level for all grades $45 (If you haven't used Story of the World yet, I would use it instead. The price is similar) I think that brings our total to $400. You can use the library for reading, literature, and supplemental history reading. The prices listed are for new books. You can save even more by buying used. Good luck! 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyontheFarm Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Tell us what you have in the house. Could you replace workbooks that the 6th grade student so the 5th grade could use them. Then don't write in them and use them for the 4th and 2nd? I was able to pick up a workbook really cheap on Amazon perhaps you could also. You might also look at http://allinonehomeschool.com/ It's a free online curriculum. Check out http://www.virtualhomeschoolgroup.com/course/category.php?id=120 They have some work at your own pace courses for math and science. Again textbooks can be purchased cheap. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
go_go_gadget Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 A laser printer and a stack of toner replacements, MM Blue series 4-7 plus Khan Academy (print worksheets from wherever for extra practice for the second grader, if needed), WWE all-in-one text (not workbooks), WWS for the sixth grader (don't write in the workbook itself, and everyone else can use it later), and YouTube and library books for everything else. That's just about exactly $300, assuming you buy paper and pencils in bulk. So you have plenty of wiggle room for wherever you'd like to invest more. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 I think by using Abeka for four different levels you've gotten used to a large outlay of cash each year, but there are many creative ways to homeschool on a budget, particularly in elementary school. I used the library, bought used textbooks (some public school textbooks are wonderful and so easy to pick up cheaply), limited consumables and chose a math program that I only needed to buy one part at s time. For me it was Singapore but there are many others now. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Well, if they've been doing Abeka all along, the little two probably only need workbook reloads for math and such. I'd focus on math and language arts for the older two, a history spine they can share, and do science and the rest of history with books from the library our used book stores. Rod and Staff English and spelling would certainly keep up the rigor they are used to, and they are inexpensive. I'd try to keep them in the same math they're used to though. My rising second grader is my fifth DC. Workbooks in the next level for math and spelling is all I *need* to get her. My rising 5th grader wouldn't really *need* much more than that, but she also takes two languages. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 The Core Knowledge program has literature, history, science and more (but not basic LA or math). I just looked on Amazon and saw many of the books (What Your First Grader Needs to Know, etc) for $0.01 each, used. You might want to check out Rod & Staff for solid, value-priced curricula. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momto4inSoCal Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 I like MM and its cheap for multiple grades. There's also MEP (free) Living Math (free)http://www.mathlessonsforalivingeducation.com/ Miquon Math is really inexpensive Kiss grammar (free) Climbing to good english is really cheap and its really good They could use SoTW and Apologia science Then you just have writing and spelling and they could use ambleside online and the library for reading 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventuresinHomeschooling Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 What do you already have? If there is any Abeka you want to stick with, you can often pick up cheap on eBay or just get the workbook if you already have the teachers guide. I'd combine grades for science and history. Story of the world is a good organizing spine that you could fill in with library books. Some use Streams of Civilization in the upper grades. You can get ideas for additional reading from the TOG, Sonlight and MFW websites. Look into elemental science as it is very affordable, but you will need additional encyclopedias for the program too. You can do all grades together. Jay Wile's new science books are $39, and it would work for all 4 too. I'd focus most of your funds on math and language arts. You CAN do science and history without curriculum. A good library card or encyclopedia will give you a lot of mileage. Also consider readings from AmblesideOnline. It follows more of the Charlotte Mason approach. Their entire curriculum is free, and all the books listed are available online for free, I believe. It is well laid out and especially doable for history and literature. You will need to select a math curriculum though, For language arts, I'd consider Rod and Staff or FLL or WWE for youngers. You can pick up the teachers guide for $10 for WWE used and do not need the workbooks. You could work through WWS for the older ones who are ready for it and something affordable like Winston Grammar they could do together. Another option for your second and fourth grader is The Sentence Family for only $12 that many seem to enjoy. You could also do your own copy work and narration from literature. If you appreciate more of a Charlotte Mason approach, Emma Serl's books are relatively inexpensive for grammar, and you could combine grades. I would get Spelling Power as a spelling book for all of them at $20 for 1-8 grades. Or you could use the McGuffey Speller online for free. I did this our first year by doing a spelling bee the first day of the week, and ones they had trouble with that weren't antiquated list became their spelling list. The speller follows a phonetic pattern. Donna Young's website has free penmanship worksheets. Math is probably your priciest part and very important. I hear good things about CLE, but I am unfamiliar. Math Mammoth is also very affordable, especially if you purchase all the years together and have a good printer. But I think printing can get expensive too. MEP is a free math curriculum. I don't know much about it, but others on these forums have discussed it. http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/projects/mep/default.htm You can often pick up second edition upper level Saxon books off of eBay or at used sales very inexpensively if that is your cup of tea. A combination of Khan Academy and Kumon workbooks might be enough for some students for a year, but I would personally prioritize math most and want a little more. If you like some vintage books, Ray's arithmetic is also very affordable. If you are still working with reading with your second grader, that is also a consideration, but if reading is already happening, I would just incorporate phonics into spelling and have him do lots of read alouds. If there are any subjects you really love in A Beka, see if you can make it work. Perhaps you can just get the workbooks and do without the teachers manuals, etc. I know they have lots of moving parts that can add up, but they are not all necessary. Do try to get as much used as you can. That can really help. HTH! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventuresinHomeschooling Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Actually, CAP writing is cheaper than WWS (but shorter...if you do 2 texts in a year, about the same.). You can get by with just the TE and have them write their answers on notebook paper. I like CAP more than WWS personally, but we do like WWE. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kolamum Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 What do you have that you can reuse? What can you use TOGETHER that will reduce your costs. For instance, can you use Volume 1 of SOTW & access your library for all those additional books that will help make it "More" for the olders. The test booklet & activity guide would give you some copywork, dictation, & retention questions for all. Tests for the olders, & a variety of activities. If you picked it up during one of their major sales you might save a lot.. unless they still have the scratch & dent sale & you could score something through there? Man, there are a lot of ideas out there but it would help to know your preferences.. For instance you could easily use something like The Word Snoop to cover grammar, but it wouldn't have a workbook & thus it might not appeal to you. Brookdale house just released a Grammar workbook that might cover your eldest three. It's available in PDF format & is all of $19. That would be pretty economical. Workbook wise you could also look over at Currclick as they often have sales {in fact they are having one now} & you might find things that would help you over there at discounted prices.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrammarGirl Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 This isn't what I'd recommend in an ideal situation, but I'd buy used A Beka for math and language arts and Christian Liberty for the content subjects. I feel like ABB and CLP are pretty similar, but CLP is cheaper. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Science in the beginning or the other sciences by Jay Wile - $35. Story of the world with activity book - $45 (?), library books on level for the two olders. Would $400 cover the rest of the subjects with Abeka (I'm assuming you already have the textbooks for the youngers). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 I would switch to MM or MEP for math since you could get an MM bundle for all of them for pretty cheap and MEP is free. This is assuming you have a laser printer already though... I'd do SOTW for history. You really only need the book though you could get the AG as well for not too much. I'd let science be Netflix documentaries and library books and nature studies or experiments with household materials. If you need a book for nature studies, I'd do The Nature Connection. It's harder to say for language arts since people have such different approaches in the elementary years. If you still need phonics practice, I'd check out a copy of OPGTR or Reading Reflex from the library. Definitely reading real books for literature. Beyond that... we do a routine a la Brave Writer. It doesn't really cost us anything per se as long as I use library books for copywork. I also have the BW project supplements, but I also come up with our own projects for writing, though I get that not everyone can do that. We don't do formal grammar but I'll second that if we did and I wanted to keep it up I'd probably do KISS or I'd wait for a Dollar Deals and get a few things from Teacher Express at Scholastic. We do All About Spelling for spelling, but I also have How to Teach Spelling and if you want a spelling program, I'd recommend that highly because it's inexpensive but excellent and can cover all the kids. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 If someone only has around $500 total for children ages 6th, 5th, 4th, 2nd grades what would you do with it? They have done Abeka in the past but can not afford it anymore. R&S math for all. If you are more comfortable with textbooks, R&S is very economical, and is every bit as academically strong as ABeka. But this could be an opportunity to be adventuresome and try a different methodology altogether. You could do AmblesideOnline--Charlotte Mason. Or you could buy everything from Queen Homeschool Supply--also Charlotte Mason. Or you could do KONOS, Vol. 2--a unit study--which would be Bible, history, geography, science, arts and crafts, drama, literature, for all your children in one fell swoop. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 As the others have said, definitely check out the used market for textbooks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaraby Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 WWS for the sixth grader (don't write in the workbook itself, and everyone else can use it later), and YouTube and library books for everything else. That's just about exactly $300, assuming you buy paper and pencils in bulk. So you have plenty of wiggle room for wherever you'd like to invest more. Better yet, if you have the printer and toner, get the ebook. It's slightly cheaper and you can reprint for future students so everyone has their own copy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 That sounds like plenty! I have $450 on my RR wishlist for next year for grades 8, 5, 3, and K...and there is quite a bit there that I can (and likely will) get from our library system. That will lower my total considerably. There are tons of options out there that would work for you and stay under budget. Some years we've only spent $100 or less on multiple kids! I would go through what you already own and see how much you can cross off your list from there. I think most HSers have curriculum sitting on their shelves that they haven't gotten around to! Are there subjects you only need a new workbook for with the younger ones? I'd be hesitant to switch their math at this point and that would be a priority for me. We use LLATL for language arts. I imagine it's very different from Abeka, but it covers all their LA and costs less than $40 (plus a few books you can likely find at your library). Another option could be some vintage books like Primary Language lessons, McGuffey readers, or Grammarland. This option would be free. As far as history and science, I'd try to combine them to save money. Apologia or AIG would combine them for science (as would several other programs). For history, MOH is fairly inexpensive. We've used it as well as SCM's history guides, which are also inexpensive (as long as you can find most of the books at your library). If you want to stick with text books, CLP is much less expensive than Abeka. We've used many of their materials over the years and some can be combined with multiple grades (like their history readers). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 If you had all the money in the world, would you stick with Abeka? Do you want to stay as close to what you have been doing as possible, or are you looking at this as permission to do something radical? With Abeka gone are you excited or scared? Are you wanting to reuse any Abeka you have for the younger children? Do you have a printer that prints cheaply? Do you need your hand held all the way, or do you feel confident about winging things a bit? LLATL was mentioned above. You can get the students workbooks as eBooks and reprint for each child. This is very economical for levels Yellow-Gold. Yellow is 3rd grade. Red and Blue are the earlier levels but pricier and with more pieces. I have not used them. EBooks http://www.commonsensepress.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=CSP&Category_Code=LA Rainbow Resource LLATL Yellow. I was able to get all the literature books except the George Washington book at the library. http://www.rainbowresource.com/prodlist.php?subject=4&category=679. My TM's are used and were only about $5.00 each including shipping. Experienced teachers with a bit more time to teach can just use the TM's and skip the student pages altogether. That is what I have done. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 No one has said it clearly, but if you don't already have a laser printer, spend part of the budget on that. You can get a decent one for less than $100 and the money it will save you in the long run over the next couple of years if you can access free resources and print them is pretty high. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Strayer-Upton is the most economical math, but it sounds like you can afford more. Each books is only $14.95 and last 2-3 years. http://www.rainbowresource.com/product/sku/022834 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 One idea for science is Evan Moore Daily Science. http://www.currclick.com/product/28566/Daily-Science-Grade-1-Enhanced-eBook?it=1&filters=0_0_0_0_30493_0_0_0&manufacturers_id=127&free=3 If it were ME, I'd place each child a year "behind" in Evan Moore Daily Science. I really like the grade 1 book as a foundation for the rest of the series, and I'd make sure to include the olders in the younger lessons as review. And that would give the older child 2 years in the series, and the chance to review all the lower levels, too. The workbooks can look a little cheesy at first glance, but many people here have been happy with them when supplemented with library books and videos. Ebook versions is you can afford to print them. http://www.currclick.com/product/28566/Daily-Science-Grade-1-Enhanced-eBook?it=1&filters=0_0_0_0_30493_0_0_0&manufacturers_id=127&free=3 I have used grade 1 with adult remedial students. I didn't give them the workbook pages, but just used the TM pages as an outline of what I wanted to teach. I really do like this series. :-) I have yet to have a a student that had mastered all the grade 1 topics. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 I would purchase a good math curriculum and join the library. Any money that's left, I'd spend on some used books and field trips. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 If you live anywhere near me, I have a ton of books you could have for free. But if not, along those lines, you could ask on freecycle and on local homeschool message boards for anything anyone has that they'd like to pass on. When people have asked this locally I gave them tons of stuff. I could not be bothered to sell my books. I agree with good math books and the library. If there is a subject you are not comfortable with maybe books for that one as well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaraby Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 No one has said it clearly, but if you don't already have a laser printer, spend part of the budget on that. You can get a decent one for less than $100 and the money it will save you in the long run over the next couple of years if you can access free resources and print them is pretty high. And you should definitely get one that duplexes and you'll save on paper. If you have a Staples near you, subscribe to their deals email. Just recently they were offering a case of paper for $27. They do this periodically so it pays to subscribe and time your paper purchase accordingly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 This is my printer I got last year, after not having any real ability to print for about 2 years. I was REALLY slow to invest in a printer. This has been worth it, especially the duplex printing. http://www.amazon.com/Brother-HL-L2340DW-Printing-Wireless-Networking/dp/B00LZS5EEI 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 If this is going to be an ongoing thing, I'd look for materials I could easily reuse for future years. This is how I'm able to homeschool for less than that amount, because I pretty much only buy for my oldest child and a little for everyone else. By the time my third and fourth children need expensive stuff, I should be well stocked (although a few things may need to be replaced by children four and five), but I also buy in PDF where I can, and also, I watch for huge sales. If you can print cheaply or can use a tablet, I'd look at MEP for the younger ones. Not sure about the big ones for math. Singapore for my second child is the biggest chunk of my homeschool budget yearly, but it's worth the investment because someone else will likely use it. My oldest uses Saxon, and older editions are super cheap, so maybe that will work, and/or maybe MEP for the older ones too. If you can put off science, you could wait until Mr. Q has his January half price sale. Or use his free life science. But you could just pick some topics and read about them using library books or Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia too. (Tbh, I think this is plenty; I just use Mr. Q because science is my least favorite subject, and paying for it and having it right there means that science gets done.). I think you could do the same for history and geography, although SOTW for the youngers and Kingfisher History for the olders, plus the maps from SOTW, would make it easy for you. (The History Odyssey ebooks, bought during their big sales, have been really helpful to me and will save me a ton of money in the long run because I'll just reprint for each successive child, and they have mapwork included, plus literature.) CurrClick had a really good bird study a few years ago, and it was really inexpensive, especially for the large amount of info it provided, and it would be easy to build a study around that for free or cheap. For literature, I would just read library books. Google "discussion questions X book" and you'll likely find ideas for discussion topics, maybe even projects or writing topics if you want those. For art and music, I'd look for free stuff online and use the library. I want to say that the Dick Blick site had free art project ideas. Honestly, there is so much good free stuff out there, but it costs in time to find and organize it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Spelling Plus is one book for K-6 spelling for $20. I agree with the laser printer and printing suggestions, there are a lot of cheap things out there. I use Webster's Speller printed for reading and love it, better than anything you can buy. our laser Printer has been going for 10 years, we buy remanufactured toner with good Amazon ratings for $30, they last over a year, making the cost in ink less than 1 cent per page. Math Mammoth and MEP are both good math programs to print. Does your homeschool association have a yearly book sale? I have seen good deals at those and can generally find a few good items, if miney was tight I would buy more there. Also, ask around to see what people could sell for cheap or lend out for a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByGrace3 Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Spelling: How to Teach Spelling --1 book for all Phonics if anyone still needed: OPGTR Grammar&Writing: R&S Or GWG or Hake for grammar and WWE text for all for writing MM light blue download Science and history together: SOTW with activity book or MOH as a spine with library book for readers and read alouds Science either science in the beginning or an apologia text with library books $500 is actually a good budget if you use the library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetpea3829 Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 1) You should check and see if Book Samaritan can help in anyway. But NOW is the time to ask, as they get quite busy. 2) You can always call Abeka directly and see if they offer scholarships for financial need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MommytoFour Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Math: MEP (Free)Science: http://www.thunderboltkids.co.za/or http://sbsciencematters.com (both free for 4-6th) History: SOTW (cheap)Language Arts: Rod & Staff (cheap)Add library books and Netflix documentaries. You'd have a lot of money left over that you could pick up cheap science kits, art supplies, educational games, field trips, and other resources for a rich learning environment. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiara.I Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Or for science, Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding, either Volume 2 or Volume 3. Probably Volume 2, which is for grades 3-5, but is solid science, so wouldn't hamper the grade 6 much! Used for as little as $25, and should cover three years of material, roughly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FawnsFunnyFarm Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 I am going to disagree with the laser printer, I would buy a Brother injet, you can get generic ink in bulk for them on Amazon and print in full color for under $20 a year. I print at least a case of paper with $15 in ink for mine. You can get one for about $100. http://www.amazon.com/Brother-MFC-J870DW-Wireless-All-In-One-Scanner/dp/B00DHJ8QLQ/ref=pd_sim_sbs_e_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=17BM58EAGAKACHWF4KYG Then I would take advantage of free and cheap downloadable resources. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My3girls Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Math Mammoth (all) WWE- not workbooks (2) FLL (2,4,5) CAP Writing & Rhetoric (4&5) WWS (6) AG (6) Story of the World (2,4,5) OUP World in Ancient Times- library (6) Usborne Encyclopedia of Science (all) Supplement everything with the library and Netflix or Amazon. You can get spelling and vocabulary from books you're reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarreymere Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 There are websites where people have collected lists of free curriculum that are available online. You can scroll through the pages and check out the links to any curriculum that interests you. http://trickycatsfreek12.weebly.com http://www.onlypassionatecuriosity.com/the-free-list-our-newest-free-homeschooling-finds/ http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/109114-free-curriculum-list/ http://thegoodgoatmomma.com/page/2/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Oh, seconding Thunderbolt Kids and BFSU as free and inexpensive options as well for science. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 I am going to disagree with the laser printer, I would buy a Brother injet, you can get generic ink in bulk for them on Amazon and print in full color for under $20 a year. I print at least a case of paper with $15 in ink for mine. You can get one for about $100. http://www.amazon.com/Brother-MFC-J870DW-Wireless-All-In-One-Scanner/dp/B00DHJ8QLQ/ref=pd_sim_sbs_e_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=17BM58EAGAKACHWF4KYG Then I would take advantage of free and cheap downloadable resources. That's still not as much as my laser printer will print. I can't imagine there's actually an inkjet that is cheaper for just sheer volume. And I'm not sure why color is necessary when you're trying to stick to a budget. We need color printing a few times a year for printing a page or two for a special project or a digital art thing the kids want to go in their portfolios or something. It's never something we actually need so why pay so much more for it. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Laser printer! :iagree: Strayer-Upton Math and Singapore Challenging Word Problems. Use these with a math journal instead of consuming workbooks. Spelling & Dictation 2nd-4th 5th & 6th If you have any questions on how to use these, feel free to pm me. Primary Language Lessons Advanced Language Lessons I would purchase SOTW with the Activity Guide and use the library. That covers history and geography. For science, I would purchase 2-3 Delta Science in a Nutshell Kits and utilize the library to round those out along with a year of intensive Nature Study. Then I would scavenge used book stores and the library for classic literature and poetry. You can often find very nice books at library sales, and sadly the classics are first to go. I've collected quite a library at 50c-$1 per book. I have some free printables on my blog that might help. I'm working hard this spring/summer to get the things I'm using uploaded for free/inexpensive download or for purchase (printed and spiral bound) from lulu.com My nature journal is already up on lulu, but I'm still working on the downloadable. I have a few more things coming soon. www.donnayoung.org is a treasure trove of planning pages. You'll need an inexpensive way to organize the work too. 3 ring binders are the cheapest way to go, especially if you are printing several things. Go with the one touch click open binders. If you are going to be using them all day x 4 kids, you need decent binders! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetpea3829 Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 That's still not as much as my laser printer will print. I can't imagine there's actually an inkjet that is cheaper for just sheer volume. And I'm not sure why color is necessary when you're trying to stick to a budget. We need color printing a few times a year for printing a page or two for a special project or a digital art thing the kids want to go in their portfolios or something. It's never something we actually need so why pay so much more for it. Totally agree... But then...I did just drop $25 on color prints for my four kids' oceanography lapbooks. Certain items just really needed to be in color. And boy oh boy, did I wish my Brother was color. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Totally agree... But then...I did just drop $25 on color prints for my four kids' oceanography lapbooks. Certain items just really needed to be in color. And boy oh boy, did I wish my Brother was color. Yeah, that's maybe a reason to get color if you're going to do that! We have maybe spent about $10 in the last year printing a few special things in color at the Staples up the street. Most of them weren't even school things per se. I know what a hassle it is to have two printers and how often the last inkjet we had ran out of the color ink or just printed the colors all wonky. Seems not worth it to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FawnsFunnyFarm Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 That's still not as much as my laser printer will print. I can't imagine there's actually an inkjet that is cheaper for just sheer volume. And I'm not sure why color is necessary when you're trying to stick to a budget. We need color printing a few times a year for printing a page or two for a special project or a digital art thing the kids want to go in their portfolios or something. It's never something we actually need so why pay so much more for it.Well, considering my kids are kids and they like fun and color, if its available in color, we take full advantage of it. I just looked at the laser that Hunter linked. A generic toner is $15 and says it will print 2,600 pages. I pay about $13 for 2 of these sets http://www.amazon.com/Pack-MFC-J5910DW-MFC-J6510DW-MFC-J6710DW-MFC-J6910DW/dp/B00QIZLZ96/ref=sr_1_14?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1428101032&sr=1-14&keywords=lc71 and it will last me more than a year. I usually have to buy paper twice a year by the case. My kids do use it for a billion other things but well over one full case gets run trough the printer. To each their own, I just know that we prefer color. Eta, I just found the 20 pack together for mine for $11, even cheaper. I know a few years ago I figured it to be less than a penny a page to print in full color, duplex on my machine, paper included. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 If someone only has around $500 total for children ages 6th, 5th, 4th, 2nd grades what would you do with it? They have done Abeka in the past but can not afford it anymore. i would get a math program for each child according to level. If I had levels from previous kids where I only had to get workbooks, I would go with that. Otherwise I would probably go with something effective but not too expensive, maybe Singapore or an online program. For the second grader i would try and buy as little as possible. I would use real books for practice reading and borrow from the library. For literature and history and poetry I would use books like 50 famous stories, or just children's collections, again raiding the library as much as possible. I would take daily copywork from those, and memory work from poems and the Bible. I would also use the library for books on composers, CDs, and science topics. I would plan to go on a number of outings to natural areas. For the others, i would group them and double things up as much as possible. I think I would look at using Writing From History, one program which is I think under $30 would provide writing and a lot of history for all three kids, and be flexible to their writing levels. I would add a narrative history spine to correspond, something like SOTW - depending on which time period I chose. I would use library books to supplement and a wall timeline that I made. Georgraphy would largely be mapwork from history and any other classes it came up in. If I did not have an atlas I would get one, or use online maps that i could print out. It is hard to suggest grammar, language, and spelling without knowing where they are - I would try and use no more than two levels though for the three kids. I've used Sequential Spelling and found it quite good, and all kids start on level 1 no matter what the age, so that might be what I would go with. You would only have to buy the teacher book and it would be very cheap. For literature, art, and music I would raid the library and used book store. For Bible study I would just read the Bible and discuss. For science I would pick a theme and do lots of reading, some feild trips, and documentaries. I would pick the theme based in part on what was available to me locally. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetpea3829 Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Yeah, that's maybe a reason to get color if you're going to do that! We have maybe spent about $10 in the last year printing a few special things in color at the Staples up the street. Most of them weren't even school things per se. I know what a hassle it is to have two printers and how often the last inkjet we had ran out of the color ink or just printed the colors all wonky. Seems not worth it to me. To be fair, it was the first time in...3? years that I absolutely needed to print in color. And....on top of that, after I had finished all of my printing at the library, the librarian turned around and tells me, "You can print in color for half of our cost, if you go to XYZ store in the village." Thaaaaaanks for telling me now. If I could afford a color laser printer...I would so do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamajag Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 I am going to disagree with the laser printer, I would buy a Brother injet, you can get generic ink in bulk for them on Amazon and print in full color for under $20 a year. I print at least a case of paper with $15 in ink for mine. You can get one for about $100. http://www.amazon.com/Brother-MFC-J870DW-Wireless-All-In-One-Scanner/dp/B00DHJ8QLQ/ref=pd_sim_sbs_e_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=17BM58EAGAKACHWF4KYG Then I would take advantage of free and cheap downloadable resources. If you *have to have* color, they do make inexpensive color lasers that again will outperform any inkjet as far as cost per page, but at $400 for 4 kids, color is simply not in the budget. Inkjets are not designed for high-volume printing and simply will not last the way a laser will. This investment has to last and last. I do agree with the suggestion of a Brother. They are tough as nails. My color laser behemoth is a Brother. :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TX Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 I'd use Christian Light for Reading, Math, and Language Arts and the library for science and history. Susan in TX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetpea3829 Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 If you *have to have* color, they do make inexpensive color lasers that again will outperform any inkjet as far as cost per page, but at $400 for 4 kids, color is simply not in the budget. Inkjets are not designed for high-volume printing and simply will not last the way a laser will. This investment has to last and last. I do agree with the suggestion of a Brother. They are tough as nails. My color laser behemoth is a Brother. :) Just out of curiosity...how much do the color cartridges cost, on average, for a color laser printer? I know I spend a fair amount as it is for the OEM Brother High-Yield black cartridges. But I only need to buy a toner maybe once every year or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaughingCat Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 IMO don't buy the very bottom of the line printer either -- the one's that are super cheap 'on special' -- they have only lasted about a year each here (although that might be worth it if it is temporary circumstance). And be aware that the cartridge that comes with a printer is a much smaller than usual cartridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FawnsFunnyFarm Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 IMO don't buy the very bottom of the line printer either -- the one's that are super cheap 'on special' -- they have only lasted about a year each here (although that might be worth it if it is temporary circumstance). And be aware that the cartridge that comes with a printer is a much smaller than usual cartridge. Totally agree with this! I will only buy Brother, my last one was still going strong after 8 years of hard use when I replaced it with one that duplexes. It once "coded", but I found an easy walk through on how to fix it. I had had it at least 6 years at that point and the code meant some ink pad was supposedly full, I never found a part that needed replaced, just some programming work to do on the touch screen of the machine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 Brother printer, automatic duplex. The extra $ for duplexing will pay off in time and paper big time! I have a nice, reliable printer that cost less that the replacement toner. I bought it a couple of years ago though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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