How to homeschool for little to no money.

Hi everyone! I hope you all are having a fantastic weekend thus far. We certainly have! Taking on the task to homeschool as a first time homeschooling can be daunting, especially if you are starting out on your own and do not currently know any other homeschoolers. The questions that flew through my mind were: "What curriculum do I need?", "Which is the right one?", "They want how much?", "Lord, did I hear you right when you called me to do this?", "Do I even need a curriculum at all?" These questions and so many others really kept me awake many nights because, I honestly had no idea where to begin. Thankfully, I did have knowledge of other homeschoolers in my area and one of my best friends (who is godmother to both Mr. B and Miss E), is homeschooling with me, as our children were born back to back between 2009-2011. I asked each person what curriculum they used, what made them decide on that specific one, and the pros and cons. The overall answer I was given that no one curriculum is right, it all depends on your child's learning style. 

Now, for the main purpose of this post how to homeschool for little to no money at all. Let's start with FREE resources first:

1. Your local public library is a definite go to! We have  really relied on ours, mainly for educational videos. Our local library also has in the Children's Library, an Educational resource section. This is pretty much a fancy way of saying homeschool section. I have found several great books in that section to help guide me and really change things up. 

2. Pinterest is another amazing free resource. I love Pinterest because, I can find cool projects and techniques that I never would have dreamed of! 

Here are ways that are both free and/or a minimal cost:

1. Homeschoolgiveways.com they have several resources that are either free or amazingly discounted. 

2. teacherspayteachers.com Some of these are free and some are paid. 

3. abcmouse.com Some activities are free but, they also have memberships. 

4. zoodles.com Some activities are free but, they also have memberships. We have a yearly membership which is around $26/yr. With the membership, there are great parental controls and you can even set up the activities to focus on the areas your child needs to work on. 

Here are resources that have a minimal to expensive cost. 

1. Our favorite resources are Usborne and Kane Miller books!!! If you haven't heard of them, you should check them out on this link z3164.myubam.com

Usborne has so many encyclopedias, homework helpers, etc. We use a wide variety of Usborne books and they really keep Mr. B and Miss E engaged. 

2. Look for local homeschool book fairs/sales. Generally, homeschool groups will meet up once or twice a year and do book sales to sell gently used curriculums. This helps other families as well as those selling the books. 

3.  eBay. 

4. christianbook.com

5. Amazon.com

I hope this list has been helpful and informative. There are many, many other resources aside from what I have listed here. My next post, will focus on curriculum types and how as the teacher, you need to think of your presentation style as well as, how your children learn. 

Until next time, 

Leslie LeAnne 

Society says "Why?" I say, "Why not?"

Last Wednesday, a lady who helps teach ages 2-5 at our church, and I were talking. She was saying how impressed she was with how smart Mr. B was and that for being 4.5 and used such a big word (she couldn't remember the word). She asked, "Why?" I said, "Why not?" She then said, "I mean how. How do you get your kids to love learning?" I told her that my philosophy for learning is that, every opportunity in life is a learning experience. Who and what decided that learning had to be ABC. Why can't learning be all over? At an early age, children are eager to learn. They actually love it. Adults often become selfish and instead of taking the time to explain and engage their little sponges, they shut them up with a flashy screen baby sitter. Through homeschooling, at age 4, Mr. B has learned beginning Spanish, early reading, how to write all of the Alphabet (both capital and lower case), write #s 1-20, he knows and even taught Miss E the difference between deciduous and evergreen trees. How many 2 year olds do you know that can name the difference? Through homeschooling, my children have the freedom to be involved in their own education, start on some school work independently, meet kids of all ages and even have full conversations with adults.

Now, I am not saying that homeschooling is the right choice for everyone. There is a lot that goes into it but, if you are feeling a calling to homeschool, then, give it a chance. Summer is the perfect time to try. We have found so much freedom and a stronger bond with our children through homeschooling.

This is all for now. My next blog post will discuss how to homeschool for little to no money at all. Until next time, ~Leslie

What's this all about?

Hi everyone! My name is Leslie and I am a Homeschooling momma to a wonderful 4 and a half year old son, Mr. B, and a sweet 2 and a half year old daughter, Miss E. My children are 21 months and 1 day apart! We have been homeschooling since Mr. B was about 2.5. Our original thought was possibly private school but, after much prayer and consideration, we decided to homeschool. This is not a decision to go into lightly nor is it a decision that is right for everyone. We believe it is our God-given responsibility to train up our children and raise them with God's love and homeschool them in His image.

A few rules regarding this blog are:

1). My children's real names will not be used, only their initials (Mr. B and Miss E).
2). I will not show any pictures of my children's faces because, as their mother, God has entrusted me with their care, love, and protection. You can never be too careful with all of the weirdos and perverts out there.
3). Any inappropriate comments will be removed.