mumto2 Posted April 13, 2019 Share Posted April 13, 2019 (edited) On the High School Board there is currently a thread regarding cleaning out our masses of curriculum clutter which got me thinking...... Because of a huge clear out when we moved I gave away many things for early elementary especially that I now regret. My kids are college students so no grandkids yet but Dd definitely plans to homeschool. I have been talking to a friend who is preparing to start the journey in a couple of years and discovered some of my favorites are no longer easy to obtain, probably no longer published. but can still be found used. I have actually started rebuying a few of my favorites so I can put together a box of the best. I have room for 1 more box......... What would you put in the box? My eventual plan is an elementary, middle, and high school box so all grades are fair game here. Things that are special and unique. What are you planning to keep just in case? eta.......I just posted this by accident so let’s start! Edited April 13, 2019 by mumto2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted April 13, 2019 Author Share Posted April 13, 2019 So far I have managed to find a set of Considering God’s Creation with the workbook. We loved assembling the solar system model that is in this book. Honestly I wanted it just for that but there are other fun hands on projects too. This book is what started me on my project. Professor B is not your typical elementary math program. The books are scripted and rather hands on 😉 including using your fingers instead of a manipulative. Dd loved these. I bought a set of the first three books on the used market so we have them. These with a white board and printing some worksheets could be an entire math curriculum. The first books title is Mathematics Power Learning for Children. I need to put together a complete set of the original 9 Magic School Bus books. Some have been loaned and never returned. A series of books by Linda Bailey called The Good Times Travel Agency were a huge favorite. The Viking one seems to be out of print so I plan to buy these soon. Murderous Maths ours were from the library. I will buy these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted April 13, 2019 Share Posted April 13, 2019 Probably story of the world. It’s been our only real love. If my kids homeschool there will be new stuff available by then so I think I’ll only keep what brings me joy for its own sake. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted April 13, 2019 Share Posted April 13, 2019 RightStart Math is a hit for us here. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted April 13, 2019 Share Posted April 13, 2019 Um, everything? 😊 Seriously though, I have thought about this and I pretty much plan to keep everything I don’t hate. Of course with a 16yo and a 3yo, I hope to have grandkids before my youngest graduates in 15 years. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted April 13, 2019 Share Posted April 13, 2019 I have a box of things I have put away that were very well loved: 100 Easy Lessons SchoolRite handwriting guides BambinoLuk and FunThinkers Various logic and thinking games SOTW and specific, hard to find readers Later, Oxford University Press will be added, along with ELTL Life Of Fred Gattegno Anno's Math Games (these were actually put away and I had to take them out again) Cambridge Latin 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted April 14, 2019 Author Share Posted April 14, 2019 1 hour ago, HomeAgain said: I have a box of things I have put away that were very well loved: 100 Easy Lessons SchoolRite handwriting guides BambinoLuk and FunThinkers Various logic and thinking games SOTW and specific, hard to find readers Later, Oxford University Press will be added, along with ELTL Life Of Fred Gattegno Anno's Math Games (these were actually put away and I had to take them out again) Cambridge Latin Life of Fred is definitely being saved. We only have the books starting with Fractions. I also have a box with logic games like ThinkFun that has already been saved......it actually comes out occasionally....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdj2027 Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 AOPS math books, Giancoli for physics, Chang and Zumdahl for chemistry, Genki for Japanese, Campbell&Reece, Miller Levine for biology, not sure about others yet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theelfqueen Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 Most of the books my kids have read (they started homeschool in 6th/9th grade) have been kindle. I have kept a couple of textbooks I might use again for DS3 from DS2 but mostly I have gotten rid of things as we have been done with them. There's very little that was suitable for DS2 that is suitable for DS3 (very different learners) .... I will keep all the Horrible History and Horrible Geography books for probably forever lol 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 Mathematics: A Human Endeavor. I also couldn’t bear to part with the c-rods. Unless you count literature used, I’m sure I’ll eventually part with everything else. I can’t imagine keeping it. I already have very little left from before 7th grade. I mostly kept math books for reference and to loan. Even those I’ll ditch eventually. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 Probably very little, though SOTW is pretty much a given. My hs junior had one of the books out the other day, lol. For a good decade, I got rid of next to nothing b/c of my kids’ age span. I found that I reused very little, in terms of actual curricula. There was always something new and interesting coming out. I could have recouped a lot more money if I had resold as we went through, and saved a ton of space! I strongly suspect I won’t be having grandkids for a very long time and no real idea if they’d be homeschooled. I’m positive I’ll have plenty of “regular” books in my house for visits, but that’s about it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 2 hours ago, Carrie12345 said: Probably very little, though SOTW is pretty much a given. My hs junior had one of the books out the other day, lol. For a good decade, I got rid of next to nothing b/c of my kids’ age span. I found that I reused very little, in terms of actual curricula. There was always something new and interesting coming out. I could have recouped a lot more money if I had resold as we went through, and saved a ton of space! I strongly suspect I won’t be having grandkids for a very long time and no real idea if they’d be homeschooled. I’m positive I’ll have plenty of “regular” books in my house for visits, but that’s about it. Because of my kids’ age span (9 years from top to bottom), I have kept almost everything. I’ve just about decided what you decided: keep the books, sell most of the curriculum. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 I kept SOTW (all 4 and all 4 Activity Guides), and some Saxon . I also want to keep the little red reader from ds' first grade, First Steps. I have other curricula but don't know if I will keep or give away. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 All I have kept are special, well-loved books - picture books, encyclopedia-type books (DK, Usborne), classic novels. I gave most curriculum away to other homeschoolers who happened to need it when I was done with it. Since I have no idea if my kids will even have kids, let alone homeschool them, I don't see any reason to take up space with stuff no one may ever use. That is not a slam against people who save stuff! For one thing, I have little extra space. :-) If I have anything to give my kids if they start homeschooling, it'll be a love of learning, enthusiasm for the methods/materials they choose, and maybe a few dollars to throw toward books and other curriculum. The saved favorite books I'll give them anyway, homeschooling or not. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted April 15, 2019 Share Posted April 15, 2019 I always have an extra copy of Little Stories for Little Folks bc it’s my favorite phonics program and I live in fear of it being discontinued or the company going out or or what all has happened to other companies over the 19 years I’ve been home schooling. MCP math and Life of Fred Our favorite reading books will be kept for grand babies. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted April 15, 2019 Share Posted April 15, 2019 I got rid of everything but Art of Problem Solving. And actual literature. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted April 15, 2019 Share Posted April 15, 2019 (edited) I know the reasonable thing to do is to get rid of things and I did away with elementary school things, but I grew up in a house where every room (including bedrooms) had bookshelves in addition to a study that had an entire wall covered with shelves, and often it wasn’t enough . I have decided bookshelves exit for a reason (to hold my books) and while I will gladly give my books away to somebody who may use something I have, if nobody inquires, I am keeping everything other than workbooks. We have 5 big bookcases and the rule is in the house, to not expand our collection, so if they begin to overflow, I will get rid of something to make room. I want to add that most of what I own is literature and high school textbooks. Edited April 15, 2019 by Roadrunner 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted April 15, 2019 Share Posted April 15, 2019 52 minutes ago, Roadrunner said: I want to add that most of what I own is literature and high school textbooks. And french books 😉 these are actually the end of me. I know, of course, no chance will DS sit and read all these french books if he sits down now and doesn’t stop until he packs for college. But alas, the local uni has a 50 cent sale every year 😬 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 I saved all of Singapore math and math manipulatives--I consider those tools of my trade as a math teacher. I was a sub last year in kindergarten classes, I'm an Educational Assistant this year in high school classes, and I actually pull stuff from my shelves to help kids learn. I saved a large portion of the history books we read over the years, as well as SOTW, History Odyssey, and Usborne and Kingfisher books of world history. Pretty sure at least my history-loving dd will want these. I have lots of kid lit too. Still have Latin for Children and Art of Argument (which I might use if I ever teach geometry just for fun logic of another sort). I could teach a grandkid to read with Phonics Pathways. And I'll probably always keep TWTM. I also have many Classical Kids CDs, Jim Weiss CDs, The Story of US, Magic School Bus DVDs, and Liberty's Kids DVDs. They don't take up much room and we loved them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 I kept too much and I plan to go through it all in the next year or so, probably once I finish grad school. I kept a lot of high school level material, mainly because someday I want to teach myself some of the math and science and finish reading the literature I never got to. I kept a lot on the teaching of writing, Writing with Skill, Classical Writing Aesop and Homer, misc grammars. I find myself referencing some of it as I make assignments and am not discounting teaching writing, so that stays. Everything Latin stays, well anything foreign language related. Most history books, LOF math, AOPS, Dolciani 1960s math books. I have room for the books and I'm not moving anytime soon - although I did move them all in 2016. I plan to have a library room, so my plan after grad school is to finalize the "permanent bookcases" and set up the room as I'd like it to stay long-term. Right now it's a mis-matched bookcases, a punching bag (that will hopefully go to the garage), a bar area, and a TV. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 Thinks I'm keeping: Math Chalkdust Foerster's Jacob's AoPS Life of Fred Equate Game Hands On Equations Integers Game English Mosdos Press (grades 5-8) Textword Press (grades 9-12) 100 EZ Lessons Writing with Skill 1-3 MCT Literature Series Story Cubes Story Starters Killgallon Books Science Magic School Bus Picture Readers Science "Encyclopedias" (mostly just a bit more in depth picture books) I'm not keeping any middle/high school or college level textbooks, unless someone can give me a good reason why -- I feel like the more in depth areas of science are changing a lot, while the general knowledge lower elementary is staying mostly the same) History History of US Story of the World K12 Middle/High School Series Spielvolgel Western Civ (and study guides) US History by Paul Johnson (and study guides) Match Games I have other books related to these subject areas (not curriculum), that I intend to keep. A LOT of classic literature (most of which I'm hoping to replace with nicer, hard-bound editions). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 Keep as in keep forever? Nothing. Well, except some favorite literature books that we've read over the years. (That may or may not have been part of homeschooling!) If my kids decide to homeschool their own children someday, I'm sure they'll enjoying choosing their own materials. I've given away most of it already (and sold some of the pricier stuff). Hopefully I won't regret it someday! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 I wouldn't save anything for my daughters to homeschool their own kids. Each homeschooling parent, child, and family dynamic is unique, so each homeschooling parent should choose their own based on those factors. I saved the children's books I loved to read to my own kids so that I can read them to my future grandkids, if I have any. I make no assumptions. I saved some lapbooks and notebooks we made from completed assignments for my own sentimental reasons, not for someone else to use. I let people leaf through them we when I do workshops on planning the year out ahead of time or designing your own unit studies. I have a couple of years left and I'm sure some of what I still have will be culled again when I retire. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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