scrapbookbuzz Posted May 21, 2016 Posted May 21, 2016 Today, as I have many days, I've been thinking that I really don't NEED any new curricula for my kids. As of right now, I have enough to probably even take my 11 yo all the way through high school! Anyone else feel this way? 2 Quote
MerryAtHope Posted May 21, 2016 Posted May 21, 2016 Enough to hold your interest and theirs! Not so much you can't eat :-). 6 Quote
OlgaLA Posted May 21, 2016 Posted May 21, 2016 Guilty. I think I have enough to get my kids through half of the college :) Not in math though. I still need all math starting from algebra II. And maybe some more writing... But definitely more than enough science and history. 1 Quote
Carrie12345 Posted May 21, 2016 Posted May 21, 2016 Judging from my bookshelves and boxes, ALL OF IT!!! Judging by my kids and our actual days, not much, lol. 8 Quote
HomeAgain Posted May 21, 2016 Posted May 21, 2016 It's at the point where very few new things out there intrigue me enough to want to use them. Quote
happypamama Posted May 21, 2016 Posted May 21, 2016 ALL of it, LOL! I wanted everything at the convention last week; it all looks so pretty and exciting, all lined up! If I just buy the perfect materials and make the perfect plans, I'll have the perfect year. Right? In reality, less than you think. I looked at a lot of shiny stuff last week and talked myself out of almost all of it. (I couldn't resist a 20% off sale on the next level of Latin, and I did later order a couple of things I perused at the convention.) I looked at a lot of language arts stuff and some science stuff for elementary school, and I thought, "This looks nice. Kid might enjoy it." And then I realized that I still couldn't see myself using it, and on the shelves it stayed. Otoh, I bought (not at convention) an elementary science program for the first time this year, for my third second grader. Not because I think he needs it (books and outdoor exploration and "let's look up that question you have" are certainly plenty) but because I think he will enjoy it, and because having spent money on it and having tidy, easy to follow plans, will help ensure that *I* make time for him in my day. (Plus, it's for my middle child, and he is a happy, adaptable little guy; it'll be nice for him to have something where my older children haven't btdt already.) And there have been a few things that I thought I'd really like and that would fit in easily, and somehow, they just didn't end up being the important things and didn't get used. It happens. I think it's going to happen to most of us at some point, that we buy something with good intentions, and then it doesn't end up happening, especially if it's not for a core subject. Oh, well. And then I have three children who learn in different ways, so I have a math program for each of them. LOL! 1 Quote
Garga Posted May 21, 2016 Posted May 21, 2016 (edited) I do need curric. I stopped pre-buying interesting things about 4 years ago. I found that I never, ever used what I had pre-bought. We only ever actually use the materials that I buy in the spring/summer immediately before the next school year. My kids change too much to pre-buy. All (all!) of the stuff I pre-bought to use "later" is ignored and not used. I've tried using it, but it has always been a flop and I've had to ditch it. Urgh! My son is going into 9th, and I only have 1/2 of what I need for 9th because I don't have anything above an 8th grade level in my home. For example I need a high school level biology text, a geometry text, etc. Now, the youngest son has a few things that are passed down to him from my oldest, but he has different strength/weaknesses, so I can't pass everything down. I had to get a few things for the 6th grader that were not in my home. It does make me scramble each spring/summer, but I save a lot of money by not pre-buying. Edited May 21, 2016 by Garga 3 Quote
almondbutterandjelly Posted May 21, 2016 Posted May 21, 2016 How MUCH curricula do we need, anyway? I don't understand the question. Slinking away to curriculum shop... 6 Quote
Guest Posted May 21, 2016 Posted May 21, 2016 (edited) I am so over shopping. My boys are sixteen years apart. When littler was preschool-first gradeish, I had some scarcity issues left over from bigger and also some issues with seeing yesteryear's "newest, hottest, most expensive dream curriculum" in the dollar discount bin or my friends' recycling bins. He's going into third in the autumn. I just flat out don't want more STUFF at this point, am disgusted with the commercialization of homeschooling, disappointed in yesteryear's "newest hottest' and unimpressed with the ads and reviews for today's, and would rather have help with the housekeeping and a week or two to hand copy relevant pages of third grade consumables I liked than $5 or $500 to buy new, shiny, "improved" versions. Normal. Let's hope it translates into other areas of our lives too, and that we think twice about shiny new latest and greatest computers, cars, blenders, clothes, and other consumer products. Edited May 21, 2016 by Guest 2 Quote
HomeAgain Posted May 21, 2016 Posted May 21, 2016 You know, I think I am actually very lucky here. We have a thrift shop that has a curriculum section. I treat it like a rental place. For anywhere from $.50-$20.00, I can take home a set of books, look through them thoroughly, and decide whether or not they will work for us. If not, off they go again! :) It's a lot more information and helps me figure out what I *do* want and how our year should look than the small sample I could get online or paging through at a sale. 3 Quote
Farrar Posted May 21, 2016 Posted May 21, 2016 I thought I was mostly done buying curricula. We've been doing a lot more with books and projects. But then I had to switch ds over to some really basic workbooks to help him get his anxiety under control. We'll see how that goes. But I had to place a RR order for the first time in awhile. Sigh. Quote
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted May 21, 2016 Posted May 21, 2016 Judging from my bookshelves and boxes, ALL OF IT!!! Judging by my kids and our actual days, not much, lol. Yep, that's me! I've found I've learned HOW to teach from some specific, well-done curricula. And once I know HOW, I can throw out the curricula and just... teach. lol. So, less and less each year for my youngers, but still getting some fresh stuff for oldest as we break new ground. 1 Quote
Renai Posted May 21, 2016 Posted May 21, 2016 How much room is left in the bookcase? ;) But, what if all the bookcases are full, and the boxes, and crates, but you still have enough money leftover to eat? Is that ok, or should we cut back, or...? 2 Quote
Guest Posted May 21, 2016 Posted May 21, 2016 But, what if all the bookcases are full, and the boxes, and crates, but you still have enough money leftover to eat? Is that ok, or should we cut back, or...? That's when you head over to Ikea for more bookcases! Quote
Arcadia Posted May 21, 2016 Posted May 21, 2016 But, what if all the bookcases are full, and the boxes, and crates, but you still have enough money leftover to eat? Is that ok, or should we cut back, or...? That is when it is time to splurge on a weekend getaway :) 1 Quote
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