Is homeschooling for free, or almost free, wishful thinking?

[pinkmint]

This is sort of a spin off from the "What do you wish new homeschoolers could know" thread. 

 

I found some of the comments encouraging, and some not at all. One of the less encouraging remarks had to do with the idea that "you can homeschool for free or almost free" is not realistic unless you spend massive amounts time and effort to do so (enough to be prohibitive to most people). Do you think that people are just trying to make homeschool seem accessible to lower income, or even downright poor families when it's really not?

[JustEm]

I'm a low income family and do homeschooling for probably less than $100 a year. I use the library religiously, don't waste time with workbooks, and do most of my teaching with games found at the thrift store. It takes far less time and effort to teach my children this way then it would to spend time researching curriculum, bouncing around curriculum, and doing formal lessons. Now as they get older it will take more effort but I find the effort valuable. School isn't a chore for them, we spend lots of time together enjoying learning through simply living, and I've learned a lot myself while trying to learn how to homeschooling inexpensively.

[Garga]

nga.gov has art lesson plans. We've done 5 of them this year and so far they haven't required a ton of money on supplies, yet the lessons have been very good. We could afford a paid for program, but this free one is just perfect for us.

 

I don't know the answer to your questions exactly, but just thought I'd throw that free resource out there. Then again, I take the time to go to the library to get color copies ($.25 each) of the art work, and I create little worksheets to go with each lesson from scratch on Word. I've found in the past that if we don't fill in some sort of paper to refer to later, the kids forget what they've learned. So, now I have 5 lovely worksheets about 5 different artists with information about each artist on them. It does take time to create those. And I also searched for library books to beef up some of the info provided on the website.

 

Hmmmm....so I see what people mean. If it's free, it can require more work. :) If I'd have paid for the art program, it probably would have included copies of the art work and some worksheets to fill out. I saved in money, but lost in time.

 

http://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/education/teachers/lessons-activities.html

[Carol in Cal.]

I think that if it's free, it's because there is already some other capital invested in some way.

 

For instance, the Colfaxes homeschooled before there was a whole lot of curriculum out there, and they more or less unschooled I believe.  But the parents had awesome educations (educational, personal capital) and I seem to recall that they relied heavily on sending kids to encyclopedias (not cheap, but they already owned them.)  And, they invested a lot of time into educational conversations using teachable moments.  That has to be done fairly intentionally, and it is time consuming (personal capital).

[EKS]

I'm guessing that with a library card, a computer, and good organizational skills, you could do it.  You'd still have to buy things like paper and pencils, but I'm assuming that you'd have to do that if they went to school too.

 

You could probably get math books used for very little online.  But you wouldn't be able to be too choosy about what you use.

[Carrie12345]

I do think it's entirely possible for some people, but certainly not for all.  And definitely not something all people would be *willing to do.

 

For me to use the big library regularly, I'd be spending a ton on gas.  Since we don't use it regularly, I spend a ton on fines.  In the end, it often makes more sense for me to buy most books.

A lot of the freebies I do use involve printing.  Printing gets pricey!  Though I'm looking into a more cost effective printer, but the printer won't be anywhere near free.

 

Apps and websites are great.  We run two laptops and two iPads plus the occasional Kindle when multiple kids and adults are researching/playing/using.  Free access can be expensive!

 

We have a nice variety of free and cheap activities but, again, gas. And small fees for multiple kids add up.

 

(For what it's worth, gas isn't terribly expensive right now, but we homeschooled through the $4+ period, and it was rough!)

 

I don't think it's pandering to say it can be done.  I'm sure a lot of financially strapped parents who feel homeschooling is their only option appreciate all the suggestions for free or cheap resources.  But I, personally, don't find it easy to take that route.  Which isn't to say I spend a ton (I spend a lot less on all the kids together than private school tuition would be for just one... not that I have an accessible private school available.)  I do spend a hefty chunk, though.

 

[JumpyTheFrog]

Like anything, there is always an opportunity cost: lost wages if the parent would otherwise be working, maybe more money spent on convenience foods if the parent has less time or energy to cook than if the kids were in school, more money spent on gas driving to the library, etc. Sending kids to school also has various opportunity costs.

 

Can you tell I spent the last few weeks reading a behavioral economics book?

[Carol in Cal.]

Curricula really help compensate for parents who have holes in their own educations though.

 

For instance, I'm terrible at biology.  Chemistry and physics make beautiful sense to me, and I could teach them without a curriculum, but even though I took biology in high school and did OK, I never resolved it into an organized body of material in my own head, and so trying to teach it without a curriculum would get pretty ugly.

 

The Colfaxes were not particularly well to do, but they were extremely well-educated.  So they could convey material really well and also model the competence of having a good education themselves.  Lacking that advantage, I don't see how they could have homeschooled well without a bunch of curricula.

[kewb]

Everything is a cost/benefit analysis. My time is worth something. For many things, the amount of legwork do find the resources is not worth my time.

When $$ are tight I am willing to make the time investment.

 

I do think the older they get the more difficult it is to do for free/low cost. I outsource quite a few science classes.

[kewb]

dp

[elegantlion]

This is sort of a spin off from the "What do you wish new homeschoolers could know" thread. 

 

I found some of the comments encouraging, and some not at all. One of the less encouraging remarks had to do with the idea that "you can homeschool for free or almost free" is not realistic unless you spend massive amounts time and effort to do so (enough to be prohibitive to most people). Do you think that people are just trying to make homeschool seem accessible to lower income, or even downright poor families when it's really not?

 

I homeschooled my son from first grade through high school, most of the time our budget was not large. We've done everything from less then $100 for the year to over $1000. The $1000 year was more fun, just being honest. 

 

There are a plethora of free products out there now, way more than when I started, and it's easy to pick too many free things that kind of work,when spending a bit of money would have helped you get the exact product you wanted. 

 

I never bought packaged materials, like Sonlight, partially because an all-in-one type program would not have worked for ds, partially because of finances. 

 

It also depends upon your expertise and grade level. The thing is, you do have to have the time to research and find freebies/cheap materials if you don't have the money to buy something all planned out. I always had more time than money in homeschooling, so that is what I did. I researched these boards and frequented thrift stores and found a few third party sellers on Amazon. 

 

Doing free or low-cost homeschooling forces you to really define how you want to homeschool, just so you don't get pulled in 47 different directions. It can be done. 

 

We even did high school on a tiny budget, part of it was successful because I'd bought books at thrift stores in previous years. We didn't get to everything I had hoped, we couldn't outsource classes for one thing. He's currently in his 4th week of college at a school that seems like a good fit for him. He's doing fine. 

 

Coming from a working background, I always treated homeschooling as my full-time job. It was. I devoted as much time out of the classroom as we did in the classroom. 

[k10coon]

I have been using DiscoveryK12 for two years now.  It assumes one has access to the internet.  Completely free. 

[LucyStoner]

If a family is low income there are often (but not always) class scholarships and such available for enrichment classes and activities. We spend more on classes, sports and music lessons than we spend on curriculum.

 

With the rise of online schools and homeschool charter or other programs, there is some publicly funded assistance available in some states.

 

Rainbow Resources has an assistance program as well.

 

The biggest cost is definitely my lost wages. That makes homeschooling more expensive than the most pricey non-therapeutic private schools.

[pehp]

I think it depends on the parent in some ways.  For me, it's easy to homeschool for free/close to free for the earliest years.  We are using an inexpensive math curriculum, one phonics book (re-used for every child), cheap handwriting pages.  We read lots of books.  

 

As my son has gotten older homeschooling has gotten more expensive (and he's still YOUNG).  Some of this is enrichment (art lessons, piano lessons) that would be part of our budget even if he were in normal school.  But the outsourced science class at a science/math school--expensive.  Our language arts this year was not cheap.  etc.  But for me, these expenditures are worth it at this time.  We definitely cut back in other ways--we drive old (but reliable) cars, kids wear used clothes ALWAYS, we don't have cable or pricey cell phones, etc.  

 

And it is cheaper than the only private school in our area that would work for us, which would be our only reasonable option for my son.  (My daughter would go to public school easily, but our son would need a different environment, I think).  

 

I really try to be a laid-back homeschooler and value a happy family life.  One thing that is helping me stay relaxed is doing a bit of outsourcing right now!

 

 

[happypamama]

I homeschooled using a lot of free resources when my children were younger. I made a lot of my own unit studies, by collecting ideas from books, websites, etc. It takes a lot of time. I still use free resources and put things together myself when I can, but sometimes, especially now that I have five children, several of whom are still small, I have more money than time. IMO, you pay for something with a currency somehow, whether it's time or money. Sometimes money is well spent for someone else's time or expertise. I do think it's possible to homeschool for free or cheap, but it really helps to have time, access to cheap printing, and/or a tablet or e-reader.

[Carol in Cal.]

One thing that is great about using the WTM approach to humanities is that a lot of the stuff you buy builds your library rather than being used up and rendered useless.  This is particularly true of living books.

[Katy]

You'd absolutely need access to a decent library, daily access to a computer or tablet, a printer, paper, and pencils.  None of those are free.  But after that, yes, you could do it for free, at least until high school.  At that point I like to back up my grades with exams (AP, CLEP, DSST, etc), which with testing fees cost about $120/each most of the time.  In some states I suppose community college would be cheaper at that point.

 

There are also some things in preschool and grade school where it is simply cheaper and easier to buy a workbook (handwriting) than it is to print out your own pages every day.  But I don't see why that couldn't be cheaper than school supplies for a public school. 

 

And there is the added cost that if things are that tight at home, chances are your kids would be given free breakfasts and lunches at public school. 

 

There are plenty of free textbooks online these days, lots of classic books that are online for free too. It would take some organization and the desire to research them, but it's definitely possible at least until high school.

[Carol in Cal.]

 

 

And there is the added cost that if things are that tight at home, chances are your kids would be given free breakfasts and lunches at public school. 

 

Around here they are changing the regs on that, so that kids who are not in the public schools are still supposed to be able to eat there.  It would be difficult to arrange logistically though.

[Mrs. B]

I would say homeschooling is practical low cost. I would consider it impractical, but doable to do nearly free. If you have a good Internet access, a laptop or tablet, and a laser printer it Helps tremendously. But then again you need to pay for the monthly Internet fee. Also, if you live somewhere with a good library selections and free community programs it is an added bonus. But likely, communities that offer that have higher real estate taxes to pay for those programs. If I add up internet cost, umbrella school fee (we could report to the LEA for free if we wanted to do their testing schedule), books, supplies and a couple himeschool extracurricular programs (not necessary) we spend about $1000-$1500/year combined for 2 kids. Only about $200 is for books (used when possible), supplies, and printer ink. Internet is something we would have regardless of homeschooling unless the budget didn't allow for it, so that cost is would be the same even if we sent them to school. Most of the free resources we use come from the Internet. Without Internet access I could easily spend an afternoon on a library computer and do a whole year's planning from websites offering free curriculum suggestions. Then I would just to buy the books not offered through the library or needed longer than the usual library check out time, pay for any printing and copies, and supplies.

[elegantlion]

Yes, I agree with Katy about printing worksheets vs. buying workbooks. At one point, I knew exactly how much each page cost to print and there was a break point where buying a workbook would have been more cost effective. This also applied when buying PDFs vs printed copies. 

[JFSinIL]

Depends if you have access to a decent public library or homeschool group that shares materials, and/or a good internet speed.

[Farrar]

I think getting into homeschooling thinking that you'll be able to do it for free or very cheap is a bit naive, honestly. Don't get me wrong, I think many people can... but certainly not all. It's mostly true that the less expensive and free curricula require more of you - that you make your own manipulatives, that you gather your own library books, that you set up your own science experiments. That's something some people can do effortlessly and others struggle to do at all. Most people will be somewhere in the middle, but that means that you are spending more time and effort, which has a different sort of cost, as everyone is pointing out.

 

And you don't know what curveballs your kids will throw you. If your kid ends up with dyslexia, then teaching with a used copy of Ordinary Parents Guide and a pile of library books may just not cut it. And you may end up going through a number of more expensive options before realizing you just have to suck it up and buy Barton, which would really be an expense. And that's true in a number of levels. Not everything is that dire, but if you had planned to use MEP or Math Mammoth because they're free and cheap and you spend two years with a child who doesn't seem to get it, you may just need to buy something more expensive.

 

I also think it's much easier to spend less the younger they are. It's much easier to homeschool kindergarten for free than fourth grade, easier to homeschool fourth grade for free than eighth and easier to do eighth for free than any grade in high school.

[HomeAgain]

Our plans this year were thrown for a loop.  My budget and savings for homeschooling went out the window.  It is totally possible to do it for cheap/free, moreso if you have a good support system in place.   This year my kid is using:

MEP - mostly free.  I print the workbooks.

Wee Folk Art/Art Express - mostly free.  I get the books at the library, spend a few cents on art supplies.

Copywork/memorization - free.

Spelling - $.05 for the textbook at the thrift store.

Reading Comprehension - free copy of Reading Detective I found at our annual curriculum sale (free table)

Reading - free

Mystery Science - nearly free.  I print lab sheets and spend a little bit on supplies that we don't already have.

Art/Music study - free, thanks to youtube and Google.

 

I have a really good community.  We have that free table at the curriculum sale, we have thrift stores with $.05 books once a week, and we share resources. We're allowed and encouraged to get free school supplies for our kids annually.  It's a nice place to be.  Alone, we could still do it, but we'd have to really define our philosophy.  Charlotte Mason works well, Classical works well, using Gutenberg textbooks work well, making task cards works well.  I can get unit studies from Homeschool Share. I can get workbooks free online to go through in different manners (etext, orally, copy text)  The fancy stuff is nice, and can be helpful, but yes, it can be done for free easily now.

[yucabird]

Obviously, one can homeschool for free….People do.  But the quality of free HS educations varies.  I’ve met HSers who give the impression that their child will learn everything he/she needs to know without any effort—on the part of anyone—at all.  I think they are kidding themselves.  I’ve met HSers who teach in a relaxed way, but it is obvious they (the parents and the child/children) are highly intelligent and are involved in “learning as life,†obtaining skills and cultivating interests as they make their way through the world.  I wish I could be a child in their household.  I haven’t met HSers who completely avail themselves of the local library (We don’t really have a library in our area….), but I can see how it might be a great fit for some families.

[SarahW]

Lots of the "free" (plus cost of printing) curriculum options do not meet my quality standards. I homeschool to get my kid away from things like Treasures workbooks. But those are free, and FLL is not. I know SWB is not McGraw-Hill, but I still find it frustrating when I have to weigh between quality and money.

 

Personal knowledge goes a long way...I don't see a need for me to plunk down $$$ for a history curriculum, I can do better on my own, tyvm. But I'm about to buy BA4 even though the cost freaks me out - my kid needs the quality of it, and I don't know how to provide it any other way.

 

I hit up plenty of FOL sales, BYB, and websites for deals, steals, and giveaways for quality materials. Even when I score great finds, it's a hodgepodge (I got one level of CW for $2, but only one level). How can I provide consistency and skill development when I'm skipping between things I've happened to chance upon?

 

And I have a quirky kid, who needs more than just some library books and worksheets, and the "more" usually = $$$.

 

It's frustrating. And yes, the "oh, you can totally homeschool for practically nothing" message is really starting to grate on my nerves.

[Guest]

Homeschooling has become a "target market" for products in recent years. People seem to have a very different attitude towards these consumer goods than they did when my now-26yo was a kindergartener, much less when the Colfax boys were.

 

Here are some digitized magazines that might help you to understand how we educated our kids without all the products in the flashing banner ads:

 

http://issuu.com/patfarenga/stacks/bb179dac91264c10bb183f89bf955935

 

http://homeedmag.com/HEM/issueindex.php

 

The proliferation of products is related to public charter school homestudy programs, which is a hot button issue among homeschooling circles and not something any of us have time to debate and rehash yet again. You're going to have to do your own research and make up your own mind about that one.

 

This: https://archive.org/details/TheUndergroundHistoryOfAmericanEducation_758

 

might also be helpful to you.

 

I wouldn't call homeschooling for free or almost free "wishful thinking" but it may be far more radical and revolutionary than you realize.

 

Internet forums that are funded by curriculum providers (Peace Hill Press, Time4Learning, Mary Pride, etc.) probably aren't the best place for finding like minded people.

[Amira]

We homeschooled with very little money for years.  The library helped a lot, we didn't use much in the way of formal curricula, we used the internet a lot, and I was consistent.  I think it's very possible to homeschool on a small budget if that works for your kids.  The extracurriculars were always a challenge though and it's definitely harder to do things inexpensively when your children are in high school.  I still think it's possible, but you cannot just hand your kid a stack of books and tell them to work in the garden and call it good.  You have to put in some of your own time if you can't put in much money.

 

What I have a problem with is people who are out there looking for free, complete curricula. If you're not willing to put the time in, then you get what you pay for.  There were times when I had no library, almost no internet, and very little time and it was, quite simply, impossible for me to homeschool well.  We were able to do it for a few months but it was not sustainable long term. 

 

If homeschooling is free and easy, you're probably not really homeschooling.

[lailasmum]

I've found it hard to do it for free, you can certainly do some areas on a tight budget, but other things are more of a hassle  or a huge time sap to research and pull together for your family than just buying something. Our library system is not great so books have always been my main expense. I have fast internet which helps massively and is worth the cost.

[Guest]

In addition to what everyone else has said, schooling for nearly-free (nope. You can't do it for actually free. If nothing else, internet access costs money. Transport to the library costs money. Paper costs money.) also means having the type of constitution that can put up with less than ideal stuff. You have to be able to use the books you can get your hands on (this will usually entail capably evaluating out-of-date materials). You have to be able to wring meaning out of the videos your library or youtube has for free. You have to know, in advance, how to talk to your kids to get them thinking along certain lines (by which I mean, Socratic discussions, etc). You have to know, if you aren't relying on curricula and other books, how to get another person to go from knowing nothing, to writing capable essays, competently evaluating science, history and current events. So on and so forth.

 

 

IOW, you have to be a certain kind of person, AND, you have to have certain kinds of kids.

 

Any parent who loves their children will do whatever they need to do when they need to do it. But part of that includes knowing where to draw the line between what one can do, and what one ought to do. If you are the type that believes that every child deserves the best education, for that specific child (so it takes knowledge of the individual), then you do kind of need to know what you're talking about when you make educational decisions, ykwim? Sometimes even sub-par homeschooling will be the BEST! option for a child. Many times it won't be.

[LucyStoner]

We are really lucky on the cost of printing here. Each library card can print 75 pages a week free. That's 300 pages if push came to shove since we have a 4 person household but rarely have I printed more than my 75 pages a week. We also live walking distance to a branch library. We could probably do it for less than we do. We are on a tight budget but we do what we can to make sure the boys have what we want them to. I am pretty fortunate. For example, I was able to get all of the Oak Meadow materials for 1st grade from the library at the homeschool center and they will let me keep them all year. If I didn't have access to stuff like that, we'd spend a lot more.

[Guest]

We are really lucky on the cost of printing here. Each library card can print 75 pages a week free. That's 300 pages if push came to shove since we have a 4 person household but rarely have I printed more than my 75 pages a week. We also live walking distance to a branch library. We could probably do it for less than we do. We are on a tight budget but we do what we can to make sure the boys have what we want them to. I am pretty fortunate. For example, I was able to get all of the Oak Meadow materials for 1st grade from the library at the homeschool center and they will let me keep them all year. If I didn't have access to stuff like that, we'd spend a lot more.

 

LOL There was one year that I had my bottom in the seat in front of the computer every Monday morning for my weekly free prints in Washington! I used NCERT math (kindergarten) and a McGuffey copywork file I paid for on PDF and...gosh. Oh! Connect The Thoughts history and science. It was cheap for sure.

[Amira]

 "If homeschooling is free and easy, you're probably not really homeschooling."

 

I have to say that just because something has not worked for your family and kids does not mean that others homeschooling for "free" and say its "easy" does not mean that they are not educating their kids properly. Don't be demeaning about homeschooling on a budget of nothing just because your experience didn't go so well. Reading the classics and biographies of great and educated people have proven through the test of time that more money does not mean more education. 

 

I homeschooled on a small budget for nearly 10 years and it went very well.  But it wasn't completely free and it wasn't easy, particularly when our living conditions were difficult. It takes a certain standard of living to have access to a public library, internet access at home, and a parent with enough time and energy to devote to homeschooling her or his children well. Low income families can do it, unquestionably, but that doesn't mean that it's truly an accessible option for all families.

 

I am extremely skeptical of homeschooling philosophies that advocate giving children a stack of books and letting them read themselves into educated people.  I am fully aware that some people say this worked for their children.  Even if it does work for a select few, I don't think it's a generally acceptable option, even within one family. Children nearly always need more guidance than that.  That guidance doesn't necessarily have to cost a lot of money, but if it doesn't, it requires that someone devote some time to educating those children.

[Mergath]

 "If homeschooling is free and easy, you're probably not really homeschooling."

 

I have to say that just because something has not worked for your family and kids does not mean that others homeschooling for "free" and say its "easy" does not mean that they are not educating their kids properly. Don't be demeaning about homeschooling on a budget of nothing just because your experience didn't go so well. Reading the classics and biographies of great and educated people have proven through the test of time that more money does not mean more education. 

 

And those great and educated people had educations that were neither free nor easy.

 

I do agree that it's possible to homeschool very cheaply, but from what I've seen it's only possible if the parent is reasonably well educated (because you have to know what you need to teach instead of having it all laid out for you in a curriculum) and puts a lot of work into it to find resources and change those resources to fit their child's learning style. 

 

Even people who unschool and don't use any curricula say it's a ton of work to pull together resources for and guide their kids' interests.

[pinkmint]

Thanks for the varying perspectives, everyone. I think the word "free" is probably pretty misleading anyway. There's the cost of lost wages to spend time homeschooling, etc etc etc. I think the idea is more specifically that you can homeschool without buying curriculum. I think that's what is meant by "you can homeschool for free/ almost free". 

 

I appreciate the honesty. I don't want to be pandered to. And it makes a lot of sense that it probably does depend on the circumstances, needs and abilities of parents and each child. I'm sure there are people out there though whose circumstances prevent them from homeschooling the way they really need to, which is not fair, so for them it's nice to believe that if there's a will there's a way. It's pretty discouraging to feel that you have no good options because of money. 

 

I am wondering, hypothetically, say there's a family whose not exactly dirt poor, but definitely living a lower than average income. For example, if they need things like a bed for one of their children who sleeps on the floor, but they also want/ need a set of curriculum, which do they chose? How much of a priority should curriculum and homeschool expenses be when a family is in a position where they don't have enough money to both live comfortably AND homeschool the way they really want to? 

[kroe1]

I know several who homeschool for the gas it costs to get to the library. They bike most days. I think all have Internet, too, which might be considered a cost to some or a family necessity to others.

[texasmama]

In the elementary years, with an able parent and kids with no learning disabilities, I think homeschooling can be done very cheaply.  By high school, if one wants to provide a college-prep educational experience, cheap becomes very difficult.  Lab sciences replicating typical high school courses are expensive.  Not everyone can teach their kids a foreign language well.  Not all can teach writing at a high school level.  Or Geometry or Algebra 2.  Most of us are not fluently bilingual with equal abilities to teach (and teach well) advanced math, lab sciences, foreign language, and writing.  Not everyone has equal access to a good library system.  Some students can self-teach quite well given good materials.  Others cannot.  There is such a range of needs, experiences, and situations of people in the homeschooling world.  

 

But yes, I think in elementary levels, homeschooling can be done well very cheaply.  Beyond that, it becomes a bit more challenging to downright impossible, depending on all the factors.

[Mergath]

I am wondering, hypothetically, say there's a family whose not exactly dirt poor, but definitely living a lower than average income. For example, if they need things like a bed for one of their children who sleeps on the floor, but they also want/ need a set of curriculum, which do they chose? How much of a priority should curriculum and homeschool expenses be when a family is in a position where they don't have enough money to both live comfortably AND homeschool the way they really want to? 

 

If I was at the point where I had to choose between a bed for my child and the materials to homeschool her, I would do an online academy through the public school system. We wouldn't technically be homeschoolers then according to some people, but she would get an education, get to stay home, and I could buy her a bed.

[Carrie12345]

 

 

I am wondering, hypothetically, say there's a family whose not exactly dirt poor, but definitely living a lower than average income. For example, if they need things like a bed for one of their children who sleeps on the floor, but they also want/ need a set of curriculum, which do they chose? How much of a priority should curriculum and homeschool expenses be when a family is in a position where they don't have enough money to both live comfortably AND homeschool the way they really want to? 

 

Even that is going to vary by family.  Ours has an above average income and my 4yo has ruined his mattress.   I just bought some new books and not a mattress.  :tongue_smilie:

(Okay, so he can use his brother's, who's rarely here, for now.  But still.  I chose books and I'm not poor.)

[BooksandBoys]

And those great and educated people had educations that were neither free nor easy.

 

I do agree that it's possible to homeschool very cheaply, but from what I've seen it's only possible if the parent is reasonably well educated (because you have to know what you need to teach instead of having it all laid out for you in a curriculum) and puts a lot of work into it to find resources and change those resources to fit their child's learning style.

 

Even people who unschool and don't use any curricula say it's a ton of work to pull together resources for and guide their kids' interests.

This.

Currently, I spend very little money on homeschooling. This year, I bought math curricula ($50), a few books that I didn't already have ($25), and paper, pencils and art supplies ($20). If we had to, I could have spent nothing on math or books this year. In later years, I would be fine with using very inexpensive used copies of college textbooks to teach math, science, and history if necessary. Not ideal, but I would do it if I had to.

 

However, the invested capital is there. My husband and I are highly educated, I read extensively and have a strangely powerful memory (or soon says everyone who knows me...it seems normal to me), we own a ridulous number of books including enough math curricula to educate through grade 6, we own computers, we have an excellent library system (where I could use the Internet for free once or twice a month if I could no longer afford my own connection), and, to that point, we can afford an Internet connection and gas to drive to the library. If we didn't have these things, it would be very difficult to provide an excellent education I expensively, at least beyond the lower elementary years.

 

And once one begins to consider special needs, learning disabilities, and therapies, homeschooling inexpensively is likely no longer possible. This is quickly becoming our reality.

[Guest]

You buy the bed.

 

But you can't go on "buying the bed" and never sinking neither time nor money into your children's educations forever, see?

 

 

[pinkmint]

You buy the bed.

 

But you can't go on "buying the bed" and never sinking neither time nor money into your children's educations forever, see?

 

Who said anything about not investing time? 

[Guest]

Who said anything about not investing time? 

 

 

No one. Several people have pointed out in several different ways that to get the most out of low-cost options, more time is required.

 

Good luck.

[MrsBasil]

I can tell you that I'm doing 1st grade cheaply, but not free. Many things I'm using are free resources from the Internet, but I do have to print some of them out to use them. Most free resources still require something else, ink, pencils, papers, manipulatives, science equipment of some kind or another, and/or time. I also have at home internet and a tablet to use readers and watch videos. I have picked up board games and manipulatives at garage sales and thrift stores over the years, but I had the place to store them. Also, it's 1st grade. ;). I assume later grades will require more money or time to put together a decent year.

 

OTOH, I enrolled my son in a PS run one day a week enrichment program and the trade off is that he gets classes and we get access to a curriculum library, so there's yet another resource I have in my back pocket,

 

There are Facebook groups which are handy to discuss low cost/free resources and they are very helpful and supportive. This board is awesome, but when I was at a very low income I found the magazines Ethel Flint shared and FB groups to be better resources for me.

[AK_Mom4]

I think you can trade time for money to bring your costs down to very minimal. Used math books, a library card and discount office supplies can get you through the early years.

 

This year is Dd14s first year of high school. Total cost for books etc so far is $250, $150 of which was a microscope and lab kit for biology. I bought used texts and teacher manuals off Amazon and we use the library a lot. No compromise on academics here, but the trade off is time writing my own syllabi and doing the leg work.

 

It can be done.

[JustEm]

Why are so many printing things out? What do you print out? I haven't had a printer in years andvits worked out fine. I homeschooled a first grader and third grader last year without a printer.

[LucyStoner]

Why are so many printing things out? What do you print out? I haven't had a printer in years andvits worked out fine. I homeschooled a first grader and third grader last year without a printer.

I've printed out crafts, maps, quizzes, discussion guides for books, some math practice, calendar sheets, things my kids wrote or made (like a book with pictures from our hikes or my son's reports), spelling bee prep stuff and more. We don't print a ton, but we do like to be able to print.

[Guest]

One more one more thing: I'm not a personal friend of Micki Colfax, but we do have friends in common.

 

You might want to read her and David's second and lesser known book after you finish Homeschooling for Excellence:

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0446514896?*Version*=1&*entries*=0

 

I'm not knocking SWB or Peace Hill Press but the reality is that Susan told us that this forum costs $2,000 every month to maintain before she made some changes to the advertisements that are displayed, so its intended audience may not be the kind of people who have the background that you are looking for, OP.

[Farrar]

Why are so many printing things out? What do you print out? I haven't had a printer in years andvits worked out fine. I homeschooled a first grader and third grader last year without a printer.

 

Free = downloadable in most cases. Most kids who are young aren't adept at copying their math into a notebook from a computer screen so printing it seems necessary much of the time. And many families who are struggling aren't going to have great tablets to put pdfs on Notability or the like. So I think any discussion of using the cheaper curricula has to include thinking about downside of printing it out.

 

We print a lot of stuff. I print MEP pages for one kid, I find and print pages of math problems to help both kids review things they seem to have forgotten, I print their writing once it's typed up and finished, I print short stories for them to read, I print the digital art they liked best so it can go into their portfolios or up on their walls, I print graphic organizers for writing or other subjects...  In the past, I had grammar worksheets I printed and logic pages from Tin Man Press... We have printed a lot over the years. Not everyone is going to school the same way, but I think going without a printer would make me a little crazy.

[LucyStoner]

Actually, I just printed the election guide off of Farrar's blog. ;) Thanks Mr. Farrar!

[catz]

I haven't read all the responses.  I very much homeschooled on the cheap through about 5th grade using libraries, lots of free materials, etc.  That said, we do spend money on extracurriculars and field trips, etc. 

 

Anyway - now that I have a middle schooler and a high schooler, I spend a bunch on curriculum.  I think it is a much harder prospect for ages 12+.