The curriculum and resources available for homeschool are ENDLESS. There are so many good options and there is so little time! Money is also a big factor for many families deciding on the materials they will use each school year.
You want to be a wise mama who provides her young students with the very best.. but you also want to be a frugal and good steward of your limited resources.
This was my first year of official homeschooling… and I bounced through several different books and curriculum options in both math and phonics before spending a little more on the curriculum I *think* we are going to stick with. When I decided to invest in the Math-U-See program, I wanted to be sure that 1) we would love it, and 2) that I could really get a good bang for my buck. I feel like we are accomplishing these goals, and I want to share with you how we’ve done it.
1. Before you buy anything, check it out in person. Find another homeschool family in your area that has it and doesn’t mind giving you a peek, or go to a homeschool conference or convention. A friend of mine had Math-U-See already, and was more than happy to let me see the manipulatives, worksheets, and DVD. Her daughter is very happy with it, and when I let my daughter watch the sample online video, and she engaged with the material and enjoyed it. Discovering that a few of the homeschooling bloggers I look up to and trust most also used the program sealed the deal for me.
2. Invest in some dry erase markers and write and wipe pockets. I wish I was brilliant enough to think of this on my own, but I’m totally stealing it from the friend who showed me her Math-U-See set. This frugal gal removes the workbook pages and saves them in a binder. As her daughter works through them, she completes them in a write and wipe pocket with a dry erase marker. Then the pages go back in the binder for her two little sisters to use eventually.
We’ve done this with our math, as well as our phonics Explode the Code books. I have a binder for each workbook, and they are all being saved on my shelf for the future scholars in our home. I love that I am saving money and only having to buy the books once {as opposed to four or more times!}.
The only issue I can see with this is for collecting work samples. Because we live in a state with fairly loose homeschool laws and my kids are so young, its not a bridge I have to cross yet. As long as my kids understand the concepts and can demonstrate the skill, I’m ok with not having the records.
My oldest is a bit of a perfectionist, and sometimes when a particular assignment frustrates her, she scribbles over the entire page. That used to be frustrating when we were writing directly on workbooks. Now it is no big deal, because we can wipe it clean and try again when she is calmer and more focused.
Both kids love the Math-U-See manipulatives, and play with them constantly {only about 2% of our use actually accompanies a math lesson}. I’m thankful that the initial investment is paying out, and hope to get lots of use from this resource with each of my younger kids!
How do you keep your elementary kid’s homeschool costs down?
Rachel
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