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I don't know how I'd homeschool without my....


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I thought this might be fun. I'll go first.

 

I don't know how I'd homeschool without my laser printer/copier. What did I do before I had that thing? I might call it bad names, gripe about the cost of toner and give it the evil eye when it jams up on me, but I would be a seriously unhappy Mama if that thing died on me. 

 

What about y'all? What things can you not imagine trying to do without when it comes to school, school planning, and so forth?

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Two day Amazon shipping.

 

A stack of white boards.

 

ETA: And, hey you can order the latter from the former with Prime shipping...

https://www.amazon.com/Norwood-Commercial-Furniture-NOR-CID1045-24-Lapboards/dp/B01C35K79I/ref=sr_1_1?m=A2L77EE7U53NWQ&s=warehouse-deals&ie=UTF8&qid=1479057224&sr=8-1&keywords=whiteboard+lapboard

Edited by Farrar
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Two day Amazon shipping.

 

A stack of white boards.

 

ETA: And, hey you can order the latter from the former with Prime shipping...

https://www.amazon.com/Norwood-Commercial-Furniture-NOR-CID1045-24-Lapboards/dp/B01C35K79I/ref=sr_1_1?m=A2L77EE7U53NWQ&s=warehouse-deals&ie=UTF8&qid=1479057224&sr=8-1&keywords=whiteboard+lapboard

What do you use a whole stack for? I'm curious. And yes. Amazon prime is awesome!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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What do you use a whole stack for? I'm curious. And yes. Amazon prime is awesome!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

We only have a dozen (I didn't see the specific set we have, but they were basically just like the ones I linked), but they just travel around the house. Or we leave something on one of them for awhile. They get used as lap desks. They go outside for art. They get pulled out during co-op. I like having plenty handy. At one point we had one per kid and it was so not enough!

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my husband (who takes younger ones out when they are being rowdy, does laundry & cooks lunch when he's home, watches the kids so I can have a night out with my friends or alone, supports me in everything & pays for all the stuff I "need" (want))

 

And yeah, the internet, Amazon, WTM boards, my computer, and books!

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my husband (who takes younger ones out when they are being rowdy, does laundry & cooks lunch when he's home, watches the kids so I can have a night out with my friends or alone, supports me in everything & pays for all the stuff I "need" (want))

 

And yeah, the internet, Amazon, WTM boards, my computer, and books!

I was going to say "husband" also.

 

So many times I've been frustrated, ready to give up, lost without a plan, etc, and he pulls me through.

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binders. (I have eleven binders in use right now for organizing various aspects of our homeschooling, and only two kids who are actually school-aged.)

 

my copier/printer. (With which to fill up said binders.)

 

my homeschool friend and her kids. (The only homeschoolers in the area who will associate with my family, as we are a minority religious denomination.)

 

this forum. With only one homeschool friend whose educational philosophies and kids' levels are very different from mine, the folks here are my only place to turn when dealing with education-related decisions or struggles.

 

ETA: and quiet time. I would be insane without quiet time.

Edited by La Condessa
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Kids...

 

Lol. Just stating the obvious.

Actually it could be kinda fun I could homeschool myself.

 

I think this forum would possibly be up on the list for me.

Haha. You beat me to it. I was so going to answer 'kids'.

 

Us Aussies must think alike...😉😉

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The library.

 

We started hsing in 1982, when "computers" were Commodore Vic 20s and "printers" were 9-pin dot matrix. No such things as scanners, and I don't remember photocopying being commonly done, either.

 

All I need is the library and I'm good to go.

 

Well, also children. :hat:

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The internet, white boards, and web based book sellers are top of my list but I'll add a couple others..

 

Proper Dixon-Ticonderoga pencils and big pink erasers.

Embossed handwriting paper.

Heavy duty sheet protectors (and obviously all the makers, colored binders and divider tabs to go with them.)

An abacus.

 

Boy that list makes us sound really school-at-homey.

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Embossed handwriting paper. 

:drool5: I think I have to have me some of this. 

In the paper department, I'm very fond of notebook paper with reinforced binder holes. That kind of paper has saved me many a headache over the years. I'm also thankful for my wide array of Sharpies, particularly my silver ones. They are my go-to for Latin vocabulary and grammar cards. 

 

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Not much that hasn't been said, but I will say my IRL homeschool community as well. The women (my mentors! my children's mentors and co-op teachers and scout leaders and field trip guides) have been our constants after the library, my copy of the WTM, my R&S catalog, my MP catalog, my online friends and WTM forums, awesome homeschool mom blogs, etc. etc.) But our RL friends and support have kept us going many times.

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At one time or the other, I have schooled/tutored with the loss of everything possible to lose.

 

I just look at what I do have and use it.

 

Humans are designed to learn. No matter what we learn. Some of us are hardwired to have a greater desire and ability to learn than others. Depending on our environment, what is readily available to learn might or might not be currently valued by the mainstream and those in power. That doesn't mean we are not learning though, and doesn't mean that what we are learning is not important.

 

During the times of greatest poverty and exclusion, I have seen people learn things that were of great benefit to themselves and others later on.

 

I am at peace with loss of resources. Exclusion is harder, even though I know it often leads to usefulness later on. Exclusion makes me sad. And sometimes confused in general and particularly confused about human value and all sorts of things like that. I cannot claim to weather exclusion as gracefully as lack of resources.

 

I have never had to teach with a total lack of paper. Often we have not been able to store paper, but did have access to a limited amount of scrap paper. We talked about severe paper rationing in the underground bunker thread. That was interesting. I think I could adapt.

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In my 5th year of homeschooling...and sitting here trying to remember ever using contact paper.  Nope.  Don't think it ever occurred to me to buy any.  What do you use it for that you wouldn't be able to homeschool without it?

 

Contact paper is how I take my library sale finds and turn them into Books With Slightly More Presence TM that might just make it through more than one child.  ;)

 

My kids are hard on books. 

 

I pass lots of books down the line to save costs. 

 

For example, child # 5 is using my contact paper covered set of Miquon workbooks (used with a sleeve and dry erase markers) that all his older siblings have used.

 

I'm *that* cheap, and contact paper helps make it happen. :)

Edited by Zoo Keeper
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Well we have all the "Usborne Encyclopedia of"s, and she really likes them. As well as the lift the flap Egypt book and a bunch of Bille B. Brown early chapter books. I'll have to see what else I can add now that she's so into it. We've used them since we started homeschooling, but now she's grabbing them on her own! 

 

Oh, and she loves spooky and mystery stories, but she's too young for a lot of the really good ones. We just found the old Usborne Spinechillers series. And they're perfect. I turned to my husband and said, whenever I'm looking for something specific, Usborne always seems to have the answer!

I should sell it, but that would be So so dangerous.

Edited by Sk8ermaiden
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