Saturday, May 05, 2012

Homeschooling on a Budget pt. 1

Fact: I am a cheapskate

Fact: I love scouring the internet

Fact: Next school year I'll have a 6th grader, a 5th grader, a kindergartner, a toddler, and a newborn all under my roof at the same time, so I need some pre-made lesson plans like I'm gonna need extra dark coffee.

Conclusion: Time for some budget homeschool wranglin', y'all!

See, this year I homeschooled for free, paying for just the cost of printer ink and paper by using the subject guidelines and links on Lesson Pathways (click it.  It's awesome, and free) keeping the grade level expectations from the state of Michigan's Department of Education website in mind.  The girls also had free piano lessons, a theater class, and a ceramics class as well as multiple field trips through our local homeschool partnership.  Combine all of that with a library card and lots of free books contributed by friends, and we were good to go.

I swear this photo wasn't staged.  Look at me all skinny!  And my kids all obedient! And my floor all clean!


Except that it required a lot of planning on my part.  I couldn't just pull out a workbook or a lesson plan and say "do this".  I had to find the workbook and decide if it was useful, and if so which pages we should do.  I had to write my own lesson plans and make my own schedules, printing off what needed to be printed off, gathering supplies that needed to be gathered, coordinating field trips with history projects for a sort of unit-studies approach at times.  It was good and fun.  And very time consuming.

So next year, to increase my potential for semi-full nights of sleep, I'm gonna take the pressure off a bit.  I'm gonna let someone else do the lesson plans for me!  At first I thought the easiest thing to do would be to purchase a fully pre-planned curriculum.  As in schedules and lesson plans and all the textbooks and workbooks and every single manipulative all in one neat little box.  But after some research I realized that those plans are a) fairly expensive and b) fairly inflexible.

Those are my two least favorite things.

I needed to find the right balance of cost and flexibility, providing my kids with what they need while paying attention to what *I* need.  (And before we go any further, let me assure you that sending them back to school is not what any of us needs.   So far, we LOVE homeschooling.  Every one of us.  And as long as it stays that way, we're gonna stick with it.)

After hours of research using all the thoughtful amazing recommendations in the combox of this curriculum call for help , I realized that through Angelicum Academy, I could choose individual lesson plans by subject. So if I like the 5th grade books list and study materials for language arts but I like the 6th grade art textbook and syllabus,  I can purchase them separately.  If I don't want to do their religion program but I do like their science program, I can just buy the latter and skip the former.  Flexibility + premade lessons = WINNING!

Also, and here's where the cheapskate comes in- you don't have to buy the actual books from them.  You can buy them from wherever you want.  They just tell you the titles and make a suggestion as to where you can purchase them.  Hello, used book fairy!  Time to pay us a visit!

Now for some people, the selections from Angelicum are too secular.  For me, that was actually a selling point.  I don't especially think I need a Catholic science text book or for my kids to learn to read using Genesis.  It might turn them off to the Church and school at the very same time.  It's like a futon- not a good couch and not a good bed.  I'm not into futons, ya know?

So for my 5th and 6th graders, I've chosen lesson plans primarily from Angelicum.  Once the materials get here, I'll do a run down of the awesome low prices I paid, how I found the best deals, and which modifications I did depending on learning styles, but I'll tell you right now that used books from amazon.com and alibris.com and new books from christianbook.com (not just Christian books, I promise) are the most reasonably priced I've been able to find online.

For my kindergartner, because I didn't really like the kinder book suggestions from Angelicum (check me out with all my flexibility!  I'm like a gymnast or something!), I've decided to get the syllabus from Mother of Divine Grace instead, and do the math and reading lessons as per their schedule for him.  Again, you buy the books from the book list wherever you want, and you can choose to skip entire subjects altogether and do your own thing, but the syllabus is there for when you need it.  I also chose some other stuff, which I'll tell you all about later once it arrives.

You guys, I am so excited.  I really think that what I've been able to put together is going to be a great combination of just what each child needs.  Plus, I love a bargain high (finding a $70 book for $4?  Yes please.) and I've been able to keep that going for at least a week now.  It's just TOO much fun for me and actually useful to my family.

25 mom points for me!

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29 comments :

  1. Sounds perfect! And I like your point about the futon. Too true, too true.

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  2. For religion studies, you might want to check out the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. It is a Montessori based Catholic religious education program.

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    1. Thanks Paula! Our church actually uses Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for their weekly faith formation classes that all our children attend, so I definitely feel good about continuing with that next year.

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    2. Montessori-based Catholic religious education program? Woah! I'm a lapsed Catholic who would love to introduce the faith I was raised in to my kids, but don't know how to do that when I myself remain unsure about it. But as an early childhood educator, I LOVE Montessori. Combining the two might give me exactly the space I need to explore these tensions. And I'm planning to homeschool, and regularly torment myself about how to teach religion. Thank you!

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    3. OOOH Montessori and Catholicism have tons in common! Check out Sophia Cavaletti's book on the religious potential of the child or even some of MOntessori's writings. There are Catholic MOntessori schools in VA, Chicago, CA and other places!

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    4. Thanks for the suggestions! I googled the book you recommended and stumbled upon a whole wealth of potential resources! And she focuses on kids 6-12, which makes me feel a lot better about the fact that my almost 4 year old has only ever learned that there are "please prayers" and "thank you prayers". I'm not sure what else to tell him, honestly, and had no idea there were resources like this out there. I appreciate it.

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  3. Sounds awesome! I am knee deep in planning for next year - I'll have a second grader and a kindy. I think I'm in a similar place in terms of wanting some structure and planning done for me, but definitely not something too rigid. I have also spent a lot of time this year making things up as I go, using resources I bought or borrowed or found online. I have gravitated toward resources that are much like what you describe - offer some planning, but flexibility as well. I've learned a lot this year about what works well for me, and what works well for my oldest; it makes it easier to figure out what resources and curricula options will work for us. And adding my second little guy to the mix is going to be fun!

    I'm excited to hear more about what you guys are doing!

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  4. How about 25 mom points times five kids? That seems more appropriate!

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  5. I read your Angelicum/futon simile out loud to my husband, who has no clue who you are, where you live, what you do etc.

    . We both were laughing. You are brilliant my dear.

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  6. Dang, I hate futons. ;) Checking out your links.

    HOW DID I JUST NOW DISCOVER YOUR BLOG?! You are hilarious!! :)

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  7. Best money saving thing I EVER did...read The Three R's by Ruth Beechik...

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  8. Score! This totally means I get some points for being one of the Angelicum referrers, right? It's been working out really well for us. And I love getting all our books used as well. I'll try not to start bidding against you on ebay now :) I don't even use the lesson plans much any more since we just do whatever lesson is next in whatever subject it is and some subjects we've dropped altogether but still love having their spine to use. Don't know if we'll ever enroll but we'll see... You are SO like a gymnast. A radiant pregnant gymnast. I want to see a split.

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    1. Yes! 10 point minimum for the suggestion :) I have a feeling this is the only year we'll do the lesson plans, too. I just want to get a feel for their recommendations, but if it's really self explanatory (and your comment makes it seem like it is) I'll probably drop most of them for future years.

      p.s. I am doing the splits while writing this. You're impressed, yes?

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  9. Love it, Dwija! We are using the lessons from Mater Amabilis (free) and found most of their books. On CathSwap. It's a Catholic Curriculum swap Yahoo group. Highly recommended if you haven't already found it. I am curious about "lesson plans" too, as I was a teacher (in-school) for many years. Teaching at home doesn't seem to require those for me, at least not yet. But I know I could always use a bit more structure. Anyway, keep us updated. Oh, and I am SO jealous of the CGS program at your parish. I found one 45 mi utes away from us in CA ans was ready to sign the kids up, but then we got all crazy and moved to South Korea. Oh well, maybe when we move back. :)

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    1. P.S. please ignore the typos. IPads give me a headache when it comes to comboxes.

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  10. Your plans sound wonderful! I tend to agree about the not needing/wanting a fully Catholic in every subject sort of curriculum. I never really got that.

    My oldest is starting MODG Kingergarten this Fall as well. And so far I have gotten everything used (including the syllabus!!). Someone handed me a copy of Teach Your Child To Read a year ago..so got that and most of the rest of what I need I got from Cathswap. Have you ever checked them out? They are an e mail list used to buy/sell used books and curriculum. I have gotten great deals for stuff that way.

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  11. Points awarded!! Great post - I still have homeschooling in the back of my mind.... Your first 2 facts are facts for me too and I TOTALLY agree with you about futons!!

    Jamie

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  12. Sounds perfect! I will be doing MODG with a kindergartner next year, too!

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  13. I love that picture. It really is so beautiful.

    I did MODG for K and 1 and liked it a lot! I ditched it for 2, but was like you and needed a bit of help with a new baby. I'll have to check out your links, with the move, I'm not sure what we're going to do next year. But, I had better decide soon because I love the planning phase!

    And, I agree about futons, both the furniture and the curriculum. No need for over the top Catholic everything! (I particularly disliked the Catholic theme handwriting...but that's just me.)

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  14. Um, yeah, futons stink. Thank you for sharing that, I've gotten weird looks from some Christian homeschoolers when I recommend a secular science program or admit that I'd prefer to NOT use a Christian math program. I agree that sharing our Catholic faith needs to be forced that way. And I need to look into Angelicum again, as if I need more curricular indecision. ;0)

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  15. Yay! I am so glad that homeschooling is working out for all of you! Isn't it the most awesome thing ever?!?! And you are definitely a woman of my own heart when it comes to being "frugal". In the 8 years that I have been homeschooling, I think I have purchased only 2 books new. It really seems pointless to me to break the bank to educate my kids. Lately we haven't even been using books except to just read, but the kids are still doing great!!

    And congratulations on the upcoming addition (yeah, I have been gone a while, :p) - Rancher Mom-

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  16. Oh, you are supposed to clean off the dining room table before doing school work on it? We just use the shove over method.

    Have to agree on the futon. When I was homeschooled we had a spelling curriculum that we had used for years and loved. Then one year the program we were using changed it. Because they wanted to use a Catholic spelling book. Really? What does that even mean? How can my spelling be more Catholic? It was awful. We had to just go with it. So, that was also one of my considerations when I decided to go with Angelicum.

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  17. We use CLAA (Classical Liberal Arts Academy) for some core like Latin, Catechism and History and then add in other stuff (when I feel like it, lol) We added in some Saxon math, reading (basically me assigning them to read things I want them to read)and a little Seton English grammar. I haven't heard of Angelicum so I am excited to check out your link. We are pretty happy with the basics at CLAA though. In the fall, my oldest will be in 8th grade, then I'll have a 7th, two 4ths, a 1st, a 3yr old and a 1yr old.

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  18. Hey, I homeschool my son, and I get a lot of things second-hand from other homeschoolers. There is an online forum where you can list things for sale, and also things you want to buy in case someone might have it. I have bought and sold there and had wonderful luck, and it's a great way to save a few dollars. Check it out if you get a chance, and good luck!
    http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/index.php

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  19. Dwija! Have you heard of Cathswap?? groups.yahoo.com/cathswap (I think..) It's a yahoo forum for buying and selling catholic homeschool books. You'll love it!

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    1. I have heard of Cathswap and I think I'm even a member...but I totally suck at Yahoo groups! Isn't that sad? I kind of haven't figured out how to use them, which I know sounds unbelievable and pathetic :)

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  20. I homeschool my kids (ages 9,7,2) and use the Sonlight reading suggestions. Other than the really Christian book suggestions, about missionaries and what-not (which I've found to not be well written), Sonlight has some great books on their lists, books I wouldn't have known about otherwise. We start with Miquon Math (grades 1-3), and then go with Saxon Math - the textbooks are great, can be found used, and teach my son each lesson. I've gotten almost all my homeschool books from paperbackswap.com (for the cost of shipping) and Better World Books (used books - their Bargain Bin books are 4 for $12, including shipping). With the 2yo I've found I can't read aloud as much this year, so I spent my birthday money on Susan Wise Bauer's Story of the World audio-CD's. We don't drive often, but we can get in a chapter or two even on short trips. Anyway, I thought I'd share, since I didn't see any of these in the comments yet. Hope it helps.

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  21. I really like Catholic Heritage Curriculum (next year I'll have a 4th, 2nd, kindergartner, preschool (with my basic approach, not an actual curriculum), a toddler and a newborn- =). It's super flexible and well rounded. I purchased the lesson plans for the first kid for two years, but have found that I do better if I just get the books and follow what I have already done, adding in stuff that is related to lessons. It is very Catholic centered, but in a way that teaches virtue and the principles of our faith easily. My kids respond well to the lessons within the lessons, and I love that it opens up dialogue about our Church and our Lord specifically. I LOVE the science program, we just started this year but it's so dearly set up. And I can't praise the Little Stories for Little Folks stuff enough- so easy to implement and my kids are great readers. A lot of the upper grades are similar subjects (i.e. Saxon Math) found within many other curriculums, so it would be easy to buy books used. The lower grades have a lot of expendables but they are really affordable (and it makes it seem a little less stressful to know that they don't have to be so "careful" because the book has to last for six more kids). Anyway, thought I would throw my two cents in... I love your blog, and it's nice to know I'm not the only crazy mom out there. And, obviously, I talk too much (probably because I am around small people a lot...)

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