After thinking about our very loose budget for homeschooling, yeah we have one....but it's usually monthly expense of some sort since we do not purchase box curriculum. I count all of our project expenses as homeschool also. But anyway...back to this blog post.
Some of our favorite items that I do not think we could live without in our homeschool....
1. Amazon.com----I am addicted. We have a Prime membership, and it's so easy to get items quickly and we are talking overnight if I need them for only $3.99...or two day for free. I love this!!! There is also usually some really good deals on books. This is my go-to place for items that I need and the library doesn't have. Or last minute science experiment items that can wait a day or two. Paying for overnight shipping is cheaper than me driving somewhere with the price of gas.
2. Glue sticks---yes glue sticks. Our kids are working on glue bottle control, but man the mess that I clean up can sometimes be too much. So always on the lookout for glue sticks. Plus they work better with lapbooks (at least with our family).
3. Netflix---I know it is awful about the price increase. Really irritated me too. Everything seems to be going up in cost, but the salaries are not meeting the increases quick enough. But anyway....we use this a lot for science and history topics. I love the ability to start a program if someone is not feeling well or I am not feeling well, and we can chill/relax and learn some really interesting stuff!
4. Mailbox Magazine---I tried to get away from using these, but the kids seem to really love doing the worksheets. So I guess these are going to stay part of home for a while longer.
5. Enchanted Learning.com---I love this site. It's one of the few that I keep the subscription up on. There has only been a handful of times that I could not get information from this site. Well worth the $20.00 a year subscription fee.
6. The library---I cannot say enough nice stuff about the library branch that we use. Not only does the whole system have such an awesome selection of books, but the staff at the branch we frequent are so wonderful and extremely nice. They are patient with the kids, even when they get a little noisy. They are super awesome!!! I cannot even grasp how much money we have saved by the convenience of being able to borrow the books for our lessons. (We won't discuss my late fees though..lol)
7. The Blogging World---Through the blogging world, I have found some awesome resources. There are some great blogs out there. I bow to the creativity that homeschool moms out there have. I feel bad "borrowing" ideas. But I always try to give credit to those that I "borrow" from. And I you are reading this and I missed you...I'm sorry.
8. Workboxes---I love this concept. They really do help to show the kids an organized way to complete their work. I throw fun things in with their work. And now we have 10-minute sensory breaks added into their schedules after they finish a box. We have an app on their iPads called Time Timer (watch for the review) that they can start. Even though we are very ecclectic and I am trying to educate more with the Charlotte Mason style, I want them to learn the steps in finishing a day. Workboxes really helps them to see what needs to be completed. They can also see what they have completed.
9. Penny Can---No I am not talking about an episode of Cougar Town...although some days I really need that laugh. No each child earns a penny for each workbox they complete without an argument with me. They can save up and buy extra privileges or prizes from the treasure box. So far it is a work in progress. Each child has a muffin cup that holds their money. I even through in extra change if they are doing well or even go above and beyond on a project. So it's crosses between homeschool and daily life skills.
10. My printer---I have fallen in love with our printer. It's a Lexmark 901 Pinnacle. I just love the cost....it's so cheap to get ink cartridges for this thing!!! I can print, and print, and print, and print some more. I pay $4.99 for black cartridges at Staples. One XL cartridge can print almost 600 pages!! With four kids and the amount I print, I have saved tons of money with this printer.
I'm sure I'll add to this list.......because there's always something that much cooler out there. My brain has already started thinking about 11-20. Maybe next week..lol
What are some of your fave homeschool items?
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