Welcome to Day 3 of 5 Days of Homeschooling Essentials! If you’ve missed any of the other days you can find links to them below:
Day 1: Our 2013-2014 Homeschool Curriculum Choices
Day 2: 12 Must-Have Books for Homeschool Moms
Day 3: 5 Homeschool Supplies I Can’t Live Without
Day 4: Books Every Family Should Own
Day 5: A HUGE List of Christian Resources for the Whole Family
There are several essential supplies in our homeschool that I just can’t live without. Supplies that if we run out of, or they cease to work, I might get a wee-bit frazzled and won’t be able to function normally until said supplies are replenished or fixed. Certain things are within my control and I try my hardest to always have our essential supplies ‘in stock,’ but sometimes we will run out of things before I even realize it. And the things that are out of my control – I’m just thankful that my husband is patient with my continuous run-ins with electronics.
So, here are the top 5 homeschool supplies that I would be lost without:
1. My laptop
I use my laptop for so many things when it comes to homeschooling. From online curriculum and downloadable curriculum, to online homeschool support groups and Pinterest homeschooling boards, the laptop is a major lifeline in our homeschool. Plus, using my laptop is much easier than using my PC since it’s portable and I can use it anywhere in the house.
If you are looking for some online homeschooling groups, I suggest checking out Facebook and Google+. Here are some of the groups I am part of:
Christian Homeschooling Moms – FB Group
Affording the Homeschool Life – FB Group
Homeschooling Mom’s Hangout – FB Group
The Joy of Homeschooling – FB Group
Homeschool Deals and Freebies – FB Group
Frugal Homeschooling Moms – FB Group
Apologia Chemistry and Physics Group – FB Group (plus there is a group for each elementary science level of Apologia)
Christian Homeschool – Google+ Community
Homeschooling – Google+ Community
Frugal Homeschooling – Google+ Community
2. Printer/Copier
Oh how I love uv flatbed printers and copiers! If I had to go to the local office supply store to make all my copies, I might just reconsider this whole homeschooling thing (okay, not really); that’s how much I love the convenience of being able to make copies right at home. With 7 children, I often try to find non-consumable curriculum/resources that allow you to make copies for your whole family or curriculum that is a PDF that I can print out whenever needed. Therefore, purchasing printers for sale is essential for parents who are homeschooling their kids.
Here are some resources we use often:
A Journey Through Learning Lapbooks
Homeschool Share
Scholastic Digital Downloads
Teachers Pay Teachers
Mystery of History supplements
3. Paper
After mentioning the printer/copier, it’s only logical to put paper next on my list. If I don’t have paper, I can’t make all those wonderful copies or print from my computer. We usually buy a big ‘ole supply at the beginning of the year, so I don’t have to keep replenishing throughout the year.
There are so many great {FREE} printables available online today for homeschoolers – check out my FREE homeschool printables Pinterest board for some great resources.
Speaking of Pinterest (I love Pinterest! Do you follow me? You should!), there are so many great teaching ideas, tips, and advice just on Pinterest alone! When I’m looking for an idea for a project, craft, or book, the first place I look is Pinterest. Check out some of my homeschooling boards –
Homeschool Encouragement & Inspiration
Teaching the ABCs
Busy Bags
Storytime Activities
Lego Learning
Homeschool Room Ideas
Anatomy & Physiology – Homeschool Science
World History – Homeschool
4. Binders
To organize all those papers, we use binders – A LOT. I use them to organize all my school planning pages; we use them to organize the kids’ schedules, plans, and assignments; we use them in each subject area to organize their work. With binders in the top five, I guess I’d have to add tabbed dividers and a 3-hole punch as numbers 6 and 7.
5. Laminator
I think this is probably on every homeschool mom’s must-have list. With 7 kids, it makes sense to me to laminate a lot of our reusable paper manipulatives, games, and activities. This is the laminator that I have and it works great, plus it’s cheap. I’ve also seen it for a similar price at Wal-Mart and BJs Wholesale.
What are some homeschool supplies that you can’t live without?
shiloh says
Thanks for sharing these tips. I have not found a need for a printer yet, as I can use the public library. So far I feel like that has helped save me money on ink etc.
Britty says
I plan on printing a lot when we start homeschooling this fall. What kind of printer do you use? My hogs ink and takes forever, so I’m looking for recommendations.
Sarah says
I’ll ask my husband and let you know! 😉
Janice says
I ditched my Lexmark inkjet printer and scanner at the beginning of the school year. I was spending a small fortune in ink, the printer and scanner were slow, and to be quite honest, the print quality was crummy. After a lot of research, I purchased a Brother laser printer. Most of their printers have very high ratings. Because they use the same toner cartridge for most of their printers, they are easy to find and economical. I get many more copies for each dollar spent. The scanner andcopier features, as well as the print speed, is much faster than my old one.Oh, and the print quality is superb. wish I would have made the leap long ago.
Sarah says
Our printer is a Brother printer as well! I’m just not sure which model! Love it!
Laurie says
I have to wholeheartedly agree with all of your must haves! 🙂