View Full Version : Resources, and How Do You Homeschool?
CBasie2856
Oct 10, 2007, 01:38 PM
We get most of our resources for homeschooling from our local homeschool store (it's a small little store).
I thought maybe that we could get a couple of books from Borders book store. We bought
The Idiot's Guide on How To Write Well.
Some of the homeschool textbooks that we buy are not even in book stores. Most of the homeschool textbooks are only found at a local homeschool store.
Which do you think is a better homeschool source?
Getting a textbook from a local homeschool store or buying a book from Borders or a local book store (reference section maybe or any section with a load of information)?
How do you homeschool? Where do you get all your resources from?
niteowlgirl72
Nov 9, 2007, 02:07 PM
We get most of our resources for homeschooling from our local homeschool store (it's a small little store).
I thought maybe that we could get a couple of books from Borders book store. We bought
the Idiot's Guide on How To Write Well.
Some of the homeschool textbooks that we buy are not even in book stores. Most of the homeschool textbooks are only found at a local homeschool store.
Which do you think is a better homeschool source?
Getting a textbook from a local homeschool store or buying a book from Borders or a local book store (reference section maybe or any section with a load of information)?
How do you homeschool? Where do you get all your resources from?
I buy all my books used on eBay.. As I don't have a local homeschool store. I also bought the robinson curriculum. Which is hundreds of books on cd. I use different curriculum with each of my children. I have 7. I use parts of Rod and Staff, Parts of Abeka,Parts of BJU, and several others. If you still want an answer to that question.
mldubose
Jan 26, 2008, 02:35 PM
We have a local teaching store in my town, but I haven't found a whole bunch of things that I need there. For one, I couldn't find anything on evolution, and the owner said she couldn't even find anything through their suppliers either. I live in Georgia if that explains anything. So we use the internet and our paltry library.
I started using the same textbooks the kids had been using in school. I just bought them on eBay and on Barnes and Noble. They have a used book section, and the prices are really good.
I never found a curriculum I liked. The "one size fits all" approach doesn't work for me, so I designed my own. I started with the state standards for each subject and would purchase whatever I needed to meet them. Of course, we go above and beyond the state standards, but almost every curriculum I saw was religious in nature or was not as advanced as I would like.
Edhelper.com has been invaluable for me. They have literature units that allow you to print tests for the books your kid reads. There are also so many other subjects and materials for each that you can use. It only costs about $20 per year for the subscription, and you have unlimited access. I did order the full subscription since my younger kids read the high school-level books. That was only about $30 for the year. They constantly add new materials, and you can add writing prompts to tests or customize them however you want. Or you can just print the one they make for you.
Here is a list of a few websites we use. Some of them have online tests and tutorials:
Math.com, NCES Kids' Zone Home Page (http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/index.asp), Education 4 Kids, Inc. (http://www.edu4kids.com/), funbrain.com Grammar Gorillas (http://www.funbrain.com/grammar/)
I couldn't homeschool without the internet!!
I also use interactive Cds and DVDs, including multimedia algebra, the human body, etc.
I also encourage my kids to do independent research. For example if we are talking about Pre-historic man, and they ask a question, I get them to find the information and to write it up, with sources, and present it to the rest of us. They are 9, 11, and 13, and this helps them in many other areas as well.
De Maria
Jan 29, 2008, 10:02 AM
We get most of our resources for homeschooling from our local homeschool store (it's a small little store).
I thought maybe that we could get a couple of books from Borders book store. We bought
The Idiot's Guide on How To Write Well.
Some of the homeschool textbooks that we buy are not even in book stores. Most of the homeschool textbooks are only found at a local homeschool store.
Which do you think is a better homeschool source?
Getting a textbook from a local homeschool store or buying a book from Borders or a local book store (reference section maybe or any section with a load of information)?
How do you homeschool?
We have a schedule. It is quite flexible though. The children study from 8 - 12. Normally, my wife lectures the first part of the lesson. Then they read the lesson and work on the problems. My wife (or I, if I'm home) are available for questions. After all lessons have been completed or after lunch, they are permitted to continue reading or play educational games until 3 pm, which is the time that Public School lets out. At that point, they may go out and play if they so desire.
Where do you get all your resources from?
We get most of our books from used book stores, Catholic school sales and other pre owned sources. When we first started, we would buy new everything, but we found that the old books were just as good and some were better than the new.
What we don't get from those sources, we get from other homeschoolers who have completed that part of their curriculum and recommend them. Basically, hand me downs from friends. Sometimes free, sometimes cheap. Usually tried and true.
Thanks for the tip on eBay, niteowl, I never thought about getting any from that source.
I guess Amazon might be a good source also then.
We don't use the Public Library as much as we used to, since we've accumulated so many books during the years.
Sincerely,
De Maria