Digests from the KALEIDOSCAPES MONTHLY TOPIC
(HOMESCHOOLING) DISCUSSION BOARD
These are the original digests from Kaleidoscapes' MONTHLY TOPIC discussion boards.
They were hosted by two amazing gals: Giovanna Gomez and Cerelle Woods Simmons.
The boards are no longer available (thus, links to them won't work); you can, however, still
find many of the same wonderful folks who posted on the boards at Network 54.
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Frugal Homeschooler Digest (part 1)
MESSAGE: HS Budget Planning AUTHOR: Debra DATE: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 6:46 a.m. I just LOVE this topic! I guess since I worked in management in banking for 12 years I became a devoted bean counted! Anyway, I have had a thought/idea now for some time and I think next year I am going to try it (my twins are in Kindergarten now and they aren't ready for this idea yet). My idea is this: -Set up a seperate checking account just for your HS expenses (if you belong to a credit union this may be free, see if you can find free checking somewhere). -Set a determined about of money to be put into the HS fund monthly. Just consider it a bill, maybe even put a slip of paper in your with your bills to remind you to put this money in. -Then have the kids help set a budget and plan expenses. Everything for the HS should come from this budget. Run it just like a business. -Have the kids help find good buys on things, and see how far you can stretch those dollars! -This will help them in understanding budgets, planning, and cost control. -If there is something "big" they want to do, have them submit a financial analysis report to the board (which would be made up of all family members with Mom (or Dad) as the Chairman of the board). The board could discuss and vote on the proposals. I have more thoughts on this, but you get the idea. One big advantage is this plan will also help the family control their HS expenses. Mom (and Dad) would also have to learn money control. Of course, depending on the children's ages and math skills, the involvement would change. I would suggest for older kids having them balance the checking account every month and give a report to the monthly board meeting! Debra ======================================== MESSAGE: WELCOME EVERYONE! AUTHOR: Giovanna DATE: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 7:01 a.m. This is going to be a great topic. I just know it! We will be discussing how to give our children a rich education without spending our savings. We will also discuss budgeting as well. Cerelle has some wonderful ideas to share and I have a few of my own as well. :-) I'm looking forward to everyone's participation! Giovanna ======================================== MESSAGE: What a cool idea! AUTHOR: Cerelle DATE: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 7:51 a.m. Response To: HS Budget Planning Author: Debra Date: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 6:46 a.m. Hi, Debra! I love your idea of having a separate checking account for homeschooling funds. When we started homeschooling, our oldest had been going to a private school, and my plan at the time was to earmark the money I'd been spending on her school tuition for things like dance and music lessons, day trips to interesting places, educational games...that sort of thing. A separate educational fund might have made it easier to dedicate those funds accordingly. Unfortunately, the tuition money had already been coming out of our savings at that point, and not long after we started homeschooling, our financial fortunes suffered another change for the worse. *sigh* It's ever thus, isn't it? For years, our main focus was on keeping the electric company from shutting us off every month, and a separate checking account would have been out of the question. We didn't have enough money to put in the ONE checking account we had! ;-) Seriously, though, I love the idea of running the homeschooling fund like a business, with the kids participating in the decisions. GREAT idea! This is so much better than some of the lesson plans I've seen for elementary education in money management. (These things tend to be attended by a whole lot of hype, and then the "lesson" is that 10 dimes make a dollar. Duh.) Thanks for kicking off our new topic, Debra. Hope you stick around! Cerelle ======================================== MESSAGE: Freebies always help! AUTHOR: Belinda DATE: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 8:00 a.m. One way I have found to cut costs is with the use of the net. Of course the vast information is a plus, but one can also find free materials that will be sent directly to your home. Intel has a kit along with many governement agencies. I have a page where I have collected some freebies that are available just to give an idea of what one can receive just for the asking. :) Home School Freebies http://www.infinet.com/~baugust/freeoct.htm Hope you find something there you can use. :) Belinda ======================================== MESSAGE: I'm excited about this topic because... AUTHOR: Cerelle DATE: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 8:08 a.m. ...Well, let's just say I'm excited about it for a lot of reasons. One thing is that I believe homeschoolers sometimes get targeted by companies (and individuals, in some cases) who hope to profit from our doubts and insecurities. I guess that's OK -- you could say the same thing about burglar alarm salesmen -- but what upsets me is when I see product advertising that tries to undermine the homeschooling mother's confidence. Now THAT just makes my blood boil. Another thing is that many beginning homeschoolers believe they must plunk down a huge wad of cash for a fancy curriculum. It just isn't so! And I hope to demonstrate that fact this month. Yet another reason I've been looking forward to this topic is that I have a wealth of experience (and believe me, that's just about the only "wealth" I've got going for me) to draw on, here. We've stretched the old shoestring until it nearly broke, any number of times. If you want to know how to do something on the cheap, there's a good chance I've done it before and can offer some suggestions. And finally, I'm ready to start putting the holidays behind me! Ha! Boy, that topic went on forever... Welcome to the New Year! Let's start talking! Cerelle ======================================== MESSAGE: Some of my favorite freebies (old and new) AUTHOR: Cerelle DATE: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 8:40 a.m. Response To: Freebies always help! Author: Belinda Date: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 8:00 a.m. Belinda, do you know if Smithonian still publishes their free curriculum guide, "A to Zoo"? I used to LOVE this, and it came free in the mail on a regular basis. Free stuff is always great, but what's really wonderful is free stuff that keeps on coming. For the price of one stamp (if that), you can get on a subscription list and then sit back and enjoy several years' worth of free ideas and information. I used to subscribe to a free educational research publication put out by Michigan State University, called INT Communication Quarterly. (INT stands for The Institute for Research on Teaching.) I always enjoyed reading the articles in it. (Sample titles: "An Ideal Literature Curriculum," "Improving Students' Ideas About History," "Experts' View of Math Curricula," etc.) Here's the address: Michigan State University/Institute for Research on Teaching/College of Education/East Lansing, Michigan 48824-1034 Back before I had Internet access, my all-time favorite free-in-the-mail thing had to be TOPS Ideas. I guess it was really a catalog, but every issue had wonderful science activities to do with the kids. (TOPS Learning Systems, 10970 S. Mulino Rd., Canby, OR 97013 -- I hope that's still current.) You're right, though. The Internet has opened up a whole new world of "free stuff" to all of us. (Granted, you have to pay for Internet service -- although ours was free for a couple of years, while one of my kids worked for our ISP!) I love Krampf's Science Experiment of the Week, and it pops into my e-mail list like clockwork, once a week. Or how about A.Word.A.Day? We subscribe to a new word-of-the-day service now, which is generated by a 12-year-old homeschooled girl. It's great! To see the archives, go to: http://www.onelist.com/archives.cgi/alisonwords Cerelle ======================================== MESSAGE: Free events in the community AUTHOR: Ann ZS DATE: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 10:19 a.m. I like to take advantage of the free events scheduled by different organizations in the community. For instance: **Occasional open poetry meetings held at the local library. **Book discussions **Story hour or other "read to me" programs at the library. **Monthly meetings of the Historical Society - mostly when they are featuring a speaker or demonstration. **Local art exhibits, check for area galleries. **Free concerts and recitals **Our local Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) has an annual meeting on Flag Day with patriotic readings, a bit of history and the award for the local essay contest winners. **Collectors shows, or even more personally, contact collectors (stamps, coins, trains, really anything)They love to share their collections. Of course, not everything mentioned is for every age, but there are lots of people out there who want to share their expertise and interests - seek them out! One-on-one "encounter with people who have varied experiences is always interesting. Keep your ears and eyes open for who these might be, a veteran, a retired horse trainer, a farmer, doctor, baker or indian chief! then give them a call. These activities also keep away that old threat of homeschool kids not having enough "socialization" . Here they are out in the real world acting civil and meeting people :-) Peace in Christ, Ann ======================================== MESSAGE: I like this topic AUTHOR: Rie DATE: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 11:52 a.m. We just don't have the extra money to spend on a fancy curriculum. I am so scared that I am going to short change my 13 year old. I worry about high school. He is an eager learner. We seem to be going well but I really need to get organized. I have all these great lessons that he is interested in but no consistancy. Oh well I will keep reading a hopefully will learn something. Rie ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: Free events in the community AUTHOR: Alva DATE: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 12:55 p.m. Response To: Free events in the community Author: Ann ZS Date: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 10:19 a.m. > I like to take advantage of the > free events scheduled by different organizations > in the community. I like checking our newspaper for events such as these also. They can be really fun. My children also like museums. Some museums, such as the ones in our area, often have one night out of the week designated as "Family Night" where they give discount prices. This really helps to cut down on the cost. ======================================== MESSAGE: Yard Sales AUTHOR: Alva DATE: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 1:09 p.m. Hi! I have found so many great deals at yard sales such as a brand new (one set of flashcards had been opened) Hooked on Phonics for $5.00!! I have bought an almost new set of Bob Books for $3.00. I love buying books for my children just to add to their libraries at yard sales because they are usually just .25 to $1.00. I have checked ads in my local paper ahead of time and have seen "homeschool materials" listed at a particular sale and you can bet I'm one of the first people there! LOL One more thing, I have bought some materials at curriculum fairs because of the discounts and not having to pay for the shipping and handling. ======================================== MESSAGE: An important topic! AUTHOR: Sis DATE: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 1:13 p.m. There have been a couple of years (in my 11 years of homeschooling) that I simply could not buy materials. Somehow things always worked out. First, I VERY seldom let my kids write in a book- even if it's a workbook. It's just as easy to write the answers on paper, usually. That kept the paces we used clean for the next one. A few times we've used the white board for math when we were short on paper. My best, most helpful thing I found one year - was that WE could use the college library! We have a good "education" department at 2 of our "local" colleges. (One is 30 min away, and one is 1 hr away.) They have full curriculums for each subject! Tapes, overheads, maps, teacher's books, textbooks, tests, etc etc! The only drawback is that it's *possible* that someone else will want them before you are thru with them. *I* never had a problem and ended up checking them out over and over again til we were thru with them. Sometimes they are good to just flip thru and get ideas or comfort yourself by knowing that "yes, we've covered all the important stuff". Now, my "dream" idea would be to have local homeschool libraries where people bro't their used curriculum in order to borrow others. We have begun this on a small scale in our town. So many times something sounds so good, yet it doesn't work for your family and : ( NOW you're out of money! This way, you can use it until you know you like it, or until you're DONE with it if you want. There are enuf new things to try that most of us have tons of things lying around we aren't using. This would be great on a large scale, too, but I understand it has been a problem since there's no way to MAKE someone return things.... EVER. One other suggestion that I've used the last couple of years... buy only what you can find used (on the swaps), use the libraries, see what your local school might let you borrow, and sell the stuff you're not using. ======================================== MESSAGE: Museum freebies AUTHOR: Cerelle DATE: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 1:22 p.m. Response To: Re: Free events in the community Author: Alva Date: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 12:55 p.m. Our museum of science and history has teaching kits that they'll loan to educators (including homeschoolers) at no charge. Some of them are REALLY neat, and you can keep them for two weeks. They also GIVE AWAY binders full of educational handouts on every subject under the sun. All you have to do is ask. The museums here in Fort Worth have also been offering all-day workshops to educators, and the homeschoolers have been reaping the benefits. One of our art museums has special activities for children at various times throughout the year. All you have to do is get on their mailing list -- when you receive the announcement, you just call up and register your child(ren) to attend...and it's absolutely free! Cerelle ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: Yard Sales AUTHOR: Cerelle DATE: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 1:41 p.m. Response To: Yard Sales Author: Alva Date: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 1:09 p.m. Yard sales are my lifeline. We've found good microscopes, electronics sets, books by the hundreds, back issues of children's magazines, tape recorders...I could go on forever. There's just no reason to bankrupt yourself when such wonderful things can be found for practically nothing. I don't ever hold yard sales myself -- when I'm through with something, I either give it to friends or donate it to charities (I usually haven't paid much, if anything, for the item in the first place, and I never want to devote that much time to setting up the sale, advertising, etc.) -- but boy oh boy, I sure enjoy GOING to them! Annual booksales are another thing we couldn't do without. There are three big ones in our area that we try to hit every year. I rarely pay more than $1 for any book I buy, unless there's something in particular I must have right away (and then I always check with the used bookstores first to see if they have it). Of course, the library has always been our home away from home. Our library has a bookcase in the foyer where they display donated books they aren't planning to add to their collection, or old books they've recently culled from the stacks. You can take any of these books home with you for the price of a donation to library (which can be as much or as little as the patron desires). Many times I've found something we had all been wanting and taken it home for a quarter. Treasure! Cerelle ======================================== MESSAGE: Libraries and how I use the Sonlight catalog as curriculum AUTHOR: Giovanna DATE: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 2:30 p.m. Response To: An important topic! Author: Sis Date: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 1:13 p.m. > My best, most helpful thing I found > one year - was that WE could use the > college library! I have not checked out our college library (University of Central Florida) as of yet but I've been told they have an excellent education dept as well. Let me tell you something I've been doing which has worked well in our home. Has anyone seen the Sonlight catalog? That is a curriculum based on good literature. Their program is too structured for my taste. However, their catalog is very well done. I follow their catalog as a guide of sorts. The catalog is divided into grades and each grade has a list of books for science, read alouds, history, etc. The books are described very well in their catalog. You know what I do? I use the catalog as a book list! I go to our local library and check out the books they recommend and read them. My public library is very well stocked so I'm blessed in that sense. If I can't find the book and I know it is a good book I will buy it from Sonlight. This has worked well and we are learning a lot. And it's FREE. So far so good! Giovanna ======================================== MESSAGE: Don't forget used bookstores AUTHOR: Donna in CA DATE: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 3:41 p.m. You can buy books CHEAP in used book stores! The bargains there are not as good as you can get at yard sales or Friends of the Library book sales, but they are still a good place to look. I've found used Saxon Math books there for $8.00, Tarzan books (which are not available in the library) for $1- $2 a piece. My best buy was a big 800-page Guide to Science by Isaac Asimov for only $8.00 (which would cost at least $25.00 retail). It contains everything you ever wanted to know about science. My miniature Einstein son, Carl, requested (or, rather PLEADED)that I buy the book. He has read 2/3 of it and now he knows everything (or, at least it seems like it! :-) I'm going to have my younger son and daughter read it when Carl is done reading it. The used book stores usually will buy back the books when you are done with them, too! My local used book store will buy back any used book that they can resell. They pay more for books that you have bought at their store, and more if you get a credit to buy more books in their store. So, if I buy school books at this store and then sell them back, I'm actually *renting* the books! ======================================== MESSAGE: Newspaper Want to buy ads... AUTHOR: Joy DATE: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 3:51 p.m. I have found that I get great results by posting ads in the local and other area newspapers. they are usually free for the want to buy section of the classified. Don't forget those small classified papers at the local gas station. People often have books and things that they are going to discard or just sit in an attic. I usually put in the ad that I am looking for homeschool supplies, science supplies, used school supplies, and books for free or nearly free. I get a good response. ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: An important topic! AUTHOR: Laura in SC DATE: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 4:20 p.m. Response To: An important topic! Author: Sis Date: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 1:13 p.m. I firmly believe that all you really NEED to homeschool effectively is access to the Internet and a good library. A university with an education department is great --- we are blessed to be close enough to BJU to use their library. I prefer to use a set math curriculum, but you could wing it with texts borrowed from a library. And there are plenty of phonics programs available from the public library as well, including several videos. Laura ======================================== MESSAGE: Not writing in workbooks AUTHOR: Laura in SC DATE: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 4:24 p.m. If you don't need a paper trail for accountability purposes, you can invest in a box of sheet protectors (from Sam's or Office Max). Slip a workbook page inside, have the student write on the sheet protector with a wipe-off marker. When you're done checking the work, just wipe off. HTH, Laura ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: Libraries and how I use the Sonlight catalog as curriculum AUTHOR: MaryN DATE: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 4:37 p.m. Response To: Libraries and how I use the Sonlight catalog as curriculum Author: Giovanna Date: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 2:30 p.m. Hi Everyone, I do love this topic. I also use the Sonlight Cataglogue and our local library. At our library you can receive a Homeschooling Library card which is similar to a teachers. It allows you to renew your books at least three times which I think totals six weeks. This is really helpful when we are studying something in depth. I agree that it has really saved us a lot of money that we may have spent on books. Mary > > I have not checked out our college > library (University of Central Florida) > as of yet but I've been told they have > an excellent education dept as well. > > Let me tell you something I've > been doing which has worked well in > our home. > Has anyone seen the Sonlight catalog? > That is a curriculum based on good literature. > Their program is too structured for > my taste. However, their catalog is > very well done. I follow their catalog > as a guide of sorts. The catalog is > divided into grades and each grade has > a list of books for science, read alouds, > history, etc. The books are described > very well in their catalog. You know > what I do? I use the catalog as a book > list! I go to our local library and > check out the books they recommend and > read them. My public library is very > well stocked so I'm blessed in that > sense. If I can't find the book and > I know it is a good book I will buy > it from Sonlight. > This has worked well and we are > learning a lot. And it's FREE. So far > so good! > Giovanna ======================================== MESSAGE: One Car Family... AUTHOR: MaryN DATE: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 4:41 p.m. We used to have two cars until the one was breaking way to often. Rather than replace it we decided to do without. My dh works five minutes away so when I need the van I can simply arrange to drive him ahead of time. I do this for Dr. appt. and field trips. I save money not only on the car and car insurance. I don't stop by the grocery store as often and I adhere to my list more when I do go. We do live in a very small town where we can walk to the drug store, park and library so it is an easy lifestyle for us. Mary ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: Libraries and how I use the Sonlight catalog as curriculum AUTHOR: MaryN DATE: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 4:43 p.m. Response To: Re: Libraries and how I use the Sonlight catalog as curriculum Author: MaryN Date: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 4:37 p.m. > Hi Everyone, I do love this topic. > > I also use the Sonlight Cataglogue > and our local library. At our library > you can receive a Homeschooling Library > card which is similar to a teachers. > It allows you to renew your books at > least three times which I think totals > six weeks. This is really helpful when > we are studying something in depth. > I agree that it has really saved us > a lot of money that we may have spent > on books. I also use the Elijah catalogue the same way! > Mary ======================================== MESSAGE: State & Nat'l Parks AUTHOR: Juliet DATE: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 5:35 p.m. We've found park programs great resources for sciences (and the park rangers are also very helpful and informative!), and they're free! ======================================== MESSAGE: High School idea AUTHOR: Debra Jones DATE: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 5:41 p.m. Response To: I like this topic Author: Rie Date: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 11:52 a.m. If you live near a college you could always see if he could audit a class or two there (or if you don't want to pay for audit fees ask the prof if he could sit in and just listen to the class, I know I wouldn't have cared when I was teaching college). Also colleges offer a lot of free lectures. But if you aren't near a college this isn't going to help . Just a thought. Debra ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: State & Nat'l Parks AUTHOR: Debra DATE: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 5:45 p.m. Response To: State & Nat'l Parks Author: Juliet Date: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 5:35 p.m. I agree, the parks offer wonderful programs. We use to live near the Cleveland area and the CVNRA had so many neat programs! I really miss it. ======================================== MESSAGE: Get the word out!!! AUTHOR: Melanie DATE: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 5:47 p.m. I am blessed with wonderful family & friends who give stuff to us all the time. And for birthdays & holidays, the kids get fun educational stuff we couldn't otherwise get for them. I just got a stack of books & tons of scrap paper from a neighbor earlier today. I have received gifts of everything you can think of! I haven't bought pens, pencils, paper, ect. in 3 years. If you know people in your local school district, talk to them. The districts throw out things you wouldn't believe. Get the word out you are willing to accept others castoffs, you might be surprised at what you get! Something else we do is I have given my boys an old sewing box filled with scraps of fabric, lace, yarn, paper, buttons, glue, markers, etc. This is their craft box that they can get into anytime as long as they clean it up. They have made some great things. Keep that in mind next time you want to throw away that scrap of "junk" you think is useless. Just throwing out ideas ;-) Melanie ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: One Car Family...-Good For You! AUTHOR: Debra DATE: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 5:48 p.m. Response To: One Car Family... Author: MaryN Date: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 4:41 p.m. Boy, I am impressed with anyone who does this. We have talked about it, and in the summer it sounds really good! But in the winter I just can't accept the idea . I think that perhaps if my kids were older (they are 5yo twins) it may be different. Like if we could ride our bikes places more or if I could get them ready to take Dad to work in the morning. So we could have the car. Actually this is still on my mind, but it would probably take something like your situation (a car breaking down and not replacing it) to get me to do it. As long as I have these 2 working cars I will probably not make any changes. BUT that doesn't rule it out for the future. ======================================== MESSAGE: We are a one car family too! Great way to reduce costs and it's emotionally healthy too....(for me, anyhow) AUTHOR: Giovanna DATE: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 6:29 p.m. Response To: One Car Family... Author: MaryN Date: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 4:41 p.m. We used to have two cars until one broke down so badly it had to be replaced. Well, it broke down at the precise time! It was during my last week of working outside the home. I finished my last week and then I stayed home with NO CAR while hubby took the only car we have to work (he works 40 min. away. We decided not to replace our 2nd car not as a matter of choice but because we had no choice. Now I was homeschooling, not working and we wouldn't be able to afford a second one. It has been great so far.... in fact, it's been wonderful! One less gas bill, one less car insurance payment, one less car to keep up with. Other pluses: I'm home more No one asks me for favors. I don't have a car to so I can't take anyone to the airport or show up at this meeting or that function. It's way more relaxing. We don't have a car so things are kept more simple. Our outings are more meaningful and we lead a much more home-centered lifestyle. My parents live close by so if there is a true emergency then I borrow their car. Giovanna ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: Museum freebies AUTHOR: Lesley DATE: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 8:25 p.m. Response To: Museum freebies Author: Cerelle Date: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 1:22 p.m. Another thing to add about museum freebies- Many museums (and zoos, etc..) have times when admission is free or a voluntary donation. In Philadelphia, I think the art museum is free if you enter before a certain time on Sunday, and during the winter the zoo is free on Monday. These may have changed but I have taken advantage of both in the past. Call your local museums, zoos, aquariums, and find out if and when they have similar programs. Lesley > Our museum of science and history > has teaching kits that they'll loan > to educators (including homeschoolers) > at no charge. Some of them are REALLY > neat, and you can keep them for two > weeks. They also GIVE AWAY binders full > of educational handouts on every subject > under the sun. All you have to do is > ask. > The museums here in Fort Worth > have also been offering all-day workshops > to educators, and the homeschoolers > have been reaping the benefits. One > of our art museums has special activities > for children at various times throughout > the year. All you have to do is get > on their mailing list -- when you receive > the announcement, you just call up and > register your child(ren) to attend...and > it's absolutely free! > Cerelle ======================================== MESSAGE: Question-Re: One Car Family... AUTHOR: Lesley DATE: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 8:44 p.m. Response To: One Car Family... Author: MaryN Date: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 4:41 p.m. We've only been a 2 car family for about a year now, but I have a question for those of you who prefer one car. What do you do when your only car breaks down, needs a repair, inspection, whatever? At this point our second car costs us very little- our insurance is an extra $20 every six months, and not counting gas our entire expense is under $100 a year. In the event that one car is in the garage, we have one we can use rather than having to rent one. Right now we need both cars since we both work outside the home- different places, overlapping hours- but I think it would best for us to keep car#2 when I quit working in a few months. Any input? Lesley PS- even though we have 2 cars, I try to go by foot for local stuff whenever I can. Saves gas, pollution, wear and tear on the car, and it's good for us! > We used to have two cars until > the one was breaking way to often. Rather > than replace it we decided to do without. > My dh works five minutes away so when > I need the van I can simply arrange > to drive him ahead of time. I do this > for Dr. appt. and field trips. I save > money not only on the car and car insurance. > I don't stop by the grocery store as > often and I adhere to my list more when > I do go. > We do live in a very small town > where we can walk to the drug store, > park and library so it is an easy lifestyle > for us. > Mary ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: Question-Re: One Car Family... AUTHOR: Giovanna DATE: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 8:57 p.m. Response To: Question-Re: One Car Family... Author: Lesley Date: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 8:44 p.m. > What do you do when your only car > breaks down, needs a repair, inspection, > whatever? Rent one! Actually, my parents live very close so they would help us out. > At this point our second car costs > us very little- our insurance is an > extra $20 every six months, and not > counting gas our entire expense is under > $100 a year. In the event that one car > is in the garage, we have one we can > use rather than having to rent one. > Right now we need both cars since we > both work outside the home- different > places, overlapping hours- but I think > it would best for us to keep car#2 when > I quit working in a few months. Any > input? Each situation is very different. If I didn't have my parents so close (and my sister too I might add) there would be NO WAY we could be a one car family simply because we live very out of the way, in the country. Not even the county bus comes out our way. If I lived in the city within walking distance of things then I would probably go with one car even if my family were not around. It just depends on a lot of factors. If your 2nd vehicle is costing you $20 a month extra every six months then personally I would keep it. Our second vehicle would have cost us a lot more than that. The arrangement we have now is working so well that we may not ever get a second car (provided everything stays the same). I remember someone posting on the main board a while ago that they did not own ANY cars. They walked, rode bicycles and used public transporation as well if I'm not mistaken. For outings and on the weekends they rented a car and it came out a lot cheaper in the long run. This is a great situation but I imagine that many factors would have to fit in just so. The job would have to be close, shopping and other things within easy access as well. Giovanna ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: Question-Re: One Car Family... AUTHOR: Debra DATE: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 10:19 p.m. Response To: Re: Question-Re: One Car Family... Author: Giovanna Date: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 8:57 p.m. > I remember someone posting on the > main board a while ago that they did > not own ANY cars. They walked, rode > bicycles and used public transporation > as well if I'm not mistaken. For outings > and on the weekends they rented a car > and it came out a lot cheaper in the > long run. This is a great situation > but I imagine that many factors would > have to fit in just so. The job would > have to be close, shopping and other > things within easy access as well. > Giovanna I saw a special on PBS that showed a family like this. They had a "tag along" that turned the father's bike into a tandem and the 6yo rode that and the mother had a baby carrier on it. They rode their bikes everywhere or took the bus. If I lived where you do Giovanna (I mean Florida, not in the country far from town) I would consider it if we could fairly quickly get to everything. But here in Indiana, biking weather is only about half the time. Right now we are having an ice storm! No biking around here at this time! Debra ======================================== MESSAGE: Be more relaxed! AUTHOR: Debra DATE: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 10:26 p.m. Actually, as a new homeschooler (first year with 5yo twin girls) I find that I spend a lot of money on things just because I don't know what I am doing and I get worried that I "need" something more for the girls. I think if I were more relaxed and more confident, I would find myself spending less. The best investment I made was for the family passes at the 2 local museums. One of the museums has one of those "exchange" programs where you can get into other museums with that same pass. I have been able to visit 3 other museums with that pass! I also use to subscribe to a lot of magazines. I thought I "needed" them. But then I started just checking them out of the library. The same with movies, I don't rent them, I get them from the library and that and a bowl of microwave popcorn becomes a nice family treat on Saturdays. (But I have to be "relaxed" enough to just go and pick out a movie from the library or get on a waiting list for one I want, instead of running to the video store to get the "must see" video that just came out). Someone one suggested that you should write down whatever you are wanting and put it on a 3 month list. After 3 months has passed think about it and if you still really want it then get it, but most of the time the "moment" will have passed and you will be on to something else. And if you do still want it, well 3 months isn't that long to wait. ======================================== MESSAGE: Homeschooling on a shoestring web site AUTHOR: Melanie DATE: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 11:42 p.m. Here is a good website for our topic. It's called Homeschooling on a shoestring. www.geocities.com/Athens/4663/ ======================================== MESSAGE: Used Books AUTHOR: Kas DATE: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 1:08 a.m. At our public library they always have a little section where they sell used books that people bring in and donate. I have found tons of text books that I can utilize. I always get excited when I look on the shelves and see the books there that I can use! The cost is so cheap also. Only like 25 cent per book! Everyone should check with your local library and see if they have a section like this! Good luck and Good Schooling! Kas ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: Question-Re: One Car Family... AUTHOR: MaryN DATE: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 4:11 a.m. Response To: Question-Re: One Car Family... Author: Lesley Date: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 8:44 p.m. We are like Giovanna in that we live close by my folks so if we had to we can borrow theirs but not for long cause they only have one too!! We would have to rent one. We certainly don't think everyone should choose to do this. We chose to after looking at other vehicles and figuring it would be pretty pricey for us. We do have four really nice bikes but this time of year they usually sit in the garage. Mary > We've only been a 2 car family > for about a year now, but I have a question > for those of you who prefer one car. > > What do you do when your only car > breaks down, needs a repair, inspection, > whatever? > At this point our second car costs > us very little- our insurance is an > extra $20 every six months, and not > counting gas our entire expense is under > $100 a year. In the event that one car > is in the garage, we have one we can > use rather than having to rent one. > Right now we need both cars since we > both work outside the home- different > places, overlapping hours- but I think > it would best for us to keep car#2 when > I quit working in a few months. Any > input? > Lesley > PS- even though we have 2 cars, > I try to go by foot for local stuff > whenever I can. Saves gas, pollution, > wear and tear on the car, and it's good > for us! ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: State & Nat'l Parks AUTHOR: MaryN DATE: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 4:22 a.m. Response To: Re: State & Nat'l Parks Author: Debra Date: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 5:45 p.m. > I agree, the parks offer wonderful > programs. We use to live near the Cleveland > area and the CVNRA had so many neat > programs! I really miss it. I also agree. We live near Cleveland still and just last year visited the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area. What a great place. The Metroparks here (closer to me) also do Homeschool programs throughout the year that are free. Our zoo is a part of the system and we are members. THis way the boys and I can go for short trips and focus on animal families, etc. and not have to rush through. Mary ======================================== MESSAGE: The curse of a first time homeschooler and how to get out of the curriculum trap! AUTHOR: Giovanna DATE: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 5:54 a.m. Response To: Be more relaxed! Author: Debra Date: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 10:26 p.m. > Actually, as a new homeschooler > (first year with 5yo twin girls) I find > that I spend a lot of money on things > just because I don't know what I am > doing and I get worried that I "need" > something more for the girls. Debra, Everyone starts out like this. EVERYONE! The "relaxation" comes with time. You should have seen my closet when I first started homeschooling. It was full of STUFF! Then I got it thru my head that what I really needed was not curriculum but rather good resources, books, and games. I finally cleaned out my closet last year and sold almost everything I had and kept the RESOURCES. And I tell you.... what a relief! I'm the type that gets depressed when I see curriculum not being used. It's like it stares at me and tells me I'm a failure for not using it, not completing it, not using it the exact way it says. So I decided to stop being a slave to it. I got rid of it! This is what I do now: **I do not buy things on impulse.... this is important to know when going to homeschool conventions. Once you see all those vendors your head starts to spin. You start believing you need it all. I go with a list or wait to buy on the second day. **I do purchase things that both of my children will be able to use. **I do purchase things for ME. I read books to help me and inspire me. Amazing how cost effective your purchases become when you are educated and you have a sense of direction in your home school. Because I have taken the time out to educate myself on what TRUE education should really be I can no longer be swayed to buy the "latest and best" phonics or math program. I know better now! Knowledge empowers you and the best advice I can give to a new homeschooler is to use most of their budget on themselves instead of curriculum. In the long run it saves you tons of money. There are some incredibly inspiring and informative homeschool books out there. Reading as much as you can about homeschooling is the first and best step. **When it comes to actually getting curriculum I look for things that are easily adaptable. And try to actually see it before purchasing it. I do follow a math program and to be honest that's about the only thing I follow systematically day by day. We do also work on a phonics workbook. The rest revolves around my children's interests and good books. It has worked out great and there is very little cost involved especially when our library is so well stocked. As far as Resources.... I have: Family Math--great math for ALL ages DK Books--what can I say? The reason I sell these books is because I can get them wholesale. I love them. I am my best customer. :-) A timeline--We have a "Book of the Centuries" and my children LOVE it. KONOS--yes it is a curriculum but this is just one of those curriculums that is so extremely flexible. I only have Volume 1 as of yet (and it was given to me by an extremely generous homeschooler whom I cannot seem to thank enough). I plan on getting Volume 2 and 3. My Library Card--I have an awesome library. I can even call them book and they will send me books thru the mail! Great for someone with no car most of the time. **The Sonlight Catalog--I use this catalog as a book list. We read all the books they recommend. **THe Handbook of Nature Study--This book is great for nature study **An encyclopedia and dictionary. **Lots of good educational cd-roms. The way I'm set up now I will not need to buy anything (as far as curriculum) for quite some time. The only thing I would need to replace would be the phonics workbooks and the workbooks that come with our math program (Miquon Math) that are very inexpensive anyway. Giovanna ======================================== MESSAGE: College bookstore---old editions room AUTHOR: Judy DATE: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 6:06 a.m. One of the bookstores for a university in our area has an old editions room. That doesn't mean the books are really old. It just means the book isn't being used for classes at the university any longer, or there is a newer edition of the book. Some are only a year or two old. The store charges ten dollars for all you can carry out, or dollar a pound for individual books. In practice, they've charged ten dollars for all my son and I could carry, plus a few. These books went for probably an average of thirty to fifty dollars each, used. We've scored a whole lot of U.S. history and literature books. He likes the history books better than the eighth grade level he "should" be using, because these give enough detail to actually be interesting. Check your area to see what the local college bookstores do with the old editions. It's been a gold mine for us. ======================================== MESSAGE: And your school system's used text book room...... AUTHOR: Karen C. DATE: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 6:10 a.m. Response To: Don't forget used bookstores Author: Donna in CA Date: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 3:41 p.m. I haven't checked lately, but our local school board used to have a huge room with stacks of used text books. You were allowed to cart away as many as you could carry. I think they later organized it and started charging a minimal fee for the books--but it was still a bargain. ======================================== MESSAGE: Dover Books is a goldmine of inexpensive materials... AUTHOR: Ann ZS DATE: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 6:38 a.m. Dover Publications**31 East 2nd Street**Mineola, NY**11501-3582 This company, which has no e-mail, web site, phone number nor does it take credit cards, has lots of glossy, high quality post cards of many types of art. You can get 6 for $1.00 in a booklet or larger quantites for the same per-card price. They also have model castles, colonial towns, indian villages, etc. to put together, based on historical detail. They also have a catalog featuring specfically math and science. Then another with crafts, etc. The Dover Thrift Editions sell for 1.00-2.00 and have lots of classics. Dover also sells detailed historically accurate and scientifically accurate coloring books with detailed captions. Just can't say enough about Dover! (Too bad I didn't get a commissions :-) Catalog is free. Your bookstore can order them for you at the same price, so you save postage. If you get a catalog you will know what to ask for. ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: And your school system's used text book room...... AUTHOR: Lisa Torres DATE: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 6:41 a.m. Response To: And your school system's used text book room...... Author: Karen C. Date: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 6:10 a.m. Our local schools will loan us texts (on an availability basis) for the year. And, remember that someone gets copies of many texts for review whenever they change texts. Often, these examination copies sit on a shelf afterward. If you can make friends with the people who make textbook decisions (department heads at our high school) they may let you have your pick! These are usually the teacher's guides, with all the answers, and perhaps supplemental materials as well. It works best for us to do this on as friendly and unofficial a basis as possible. > I haven't checked lately, but our > local school board used to have a huge > room with stacks of used text books. > You were allowed to cart away as many > as you could carry. I think they later > organized it and started charging a > minimal fee for the books--but it was > still a bargain. ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: HS Budget Planning AUTHOR: Lisa Torres DATE: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 6:48 a.m. Response To: HS Budget Planning Author: Debra Date: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 6:46 a.m. Older high school kids can also make a regular contribution to the fund. They should be taking responsibility for their own education. (Not the whole thing, of course, but something!) My son pays half his Clonlara tuition. We have an "education" fund that he contributes to, for tuition and for college savings, too. > I just LOVE this topic! I guess > since I worked in management in banking > for 12 years I became a devoted bean > counted! > Anyway, I have had a thought/idea > now for some time and I think next year > I am going to try it (my twins are in > Kindergarten now and they aren't ready > for this idea yet). > My idea is this: > -Set up a seperate checking account > just for your HS expenses (if you belong > to a credit union this may be free, > see if you can find free checking somewhere). > > -Set a determined about of money > to be put into the HS fund monthly. > Just consider it a bill, maybe even > put a slip of paper in your with your > bills to remind you to put this money > in. > -Then have the kids help set a > budget and plan expenses. Everything > for the HS should come from this budget. > Run it just like a business. > -Have the kids help find good buys > on things, and see how far you can stretch > those dollars! > -This will help them in understanding > budgets, planning, and cost control. > > -If there is something "big" > they want to do, have them submit a > financial analysis report to the board > (which would be made up of all family > members with Mom (or Dad) as the Chairman > of the board). The board could discuss > and vote on the proposals. > I have more thoughts on this, but > you get the idea. > One big advantage is this plan > will also help the family control their > HS expenses. Mom (and Dad) would also > have to learn money control. > Of course, depending on the children's > ages and math skills, the involvement > would change. I would suggest for older > kids having them balance the checking > account every month and give a report > to the monthly board meeting! Debra > ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: Get the word out!!! AUTHOR: Carol Sue DATE: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 6:49 a.m. Response To: Get the word out!!! Author: Melanie Date: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 5:47 p.m. Sometimes printing places have paper or ends of paper that they will give away or sell for a little bit. I bought some paper that had adhesive on the back from our local printers for a quarter a pack. It is small. I use it for labels or whatever. I needed some cardstock for flashcards and I asked at the printers. They just gave me some ends they had cut. My cutting was already done and all I had to do was write the words on the cards. And it was FREE! I have had people give me boxes of envelopes. Evidently someone worked as a card stocker and they end up with extra envelopes. (hmmmm...I could use some of those again.) Carol ======================================== MESSAGE: Now you are talking my language ! AUTHOR: Kim DATE: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 7:14 a.m. Well... I do get money from the government- but I have to SPEND it first and be re-imbursed... SO- I buy ALL the little golden type workbooks and activity colouring books (the ones I got for the boys for Christmas were $3.00 each and THICK with ABC colouring, dot to dots, etc. etc.) Oh- I don't buy them anywhere but the dollar stores, though cuz they are about a dollar less each than the grocery store/bookstore. FREE stuff off the Internet ! I can't get lots of the FREE stuff because I am out of the country, but printable worksheets, unit studies, activities, games, imagination, creativity...:-) I choke everytime I see $200.00 for a math curriculum or $800.00 for pre-school ! =8-0 NO WAY. You can search preschool, cross reference printable and wham- free preschool ! :-) Oh- my dh is an accountant and brings home paper from the office, though. It is VERY important to have a source of FREE paper before you start wildly printing... ======================================== MESSAGE: Exactly! (more) AUTHOR: Cerelle DATE: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 7:34 a.m. Response To: The curse of a first time homeschooler and how to get out of the curriculum trap! Author: Giovanna Date: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 5:54 a.m. > Then I got it thru my head that > what I really needed was not curriculum > but rather good resources, books, and > games. Hear, hear! Couldn't have said it better, myself. It distresses me no end to see homeschoolers with very limited financial resources spending everything they've got on a curriculum -- with nothing left over to get the things they really NEED to create a good learning environment. > **I do not buy things on impulse.... > this is important to know when going > to homeschool conventions. Once you > see all those vendors your head starts > to spin. You start believing you need > it all. I go with a list or wait to > buy on the second day. Do you know that in all these years of homeschooling, I've never once attended a curriculum fair or homeschooling convention? > Because I have taken > the time out to educate myself on what > TRUE education should really be I can > no longer be swayed to buy the "latest > and best" phonics or math program. > I know better now! Knowledge empowers > you and the best advice I can give to > a new homeschooler is to use most of > their budget on themselves instead of > curriculum. Oh, Giovanna, you've hit the nail on the head. And I have to say...self-education doesn't stop there (with education theory, that is). Since I became a homeschooler, I've educated myself on an amazing range of topics -- things I never knew or cared about before. I've spent much more time LEARNING than I have TEACHING. And I believe this is essential. If we're too lazy to learn new stuff, how can we expect our children to put forth the effort to learn? Let's take phonics as an example. I learned to read so early in life that I never had a formal phonics lesson. I skipped both 1st and 2nd grade, so I never heard all the things that children are taught to help them decode words. When it came time to teach my kids to read, I didn't buy a phonics curriculum -- I went to the library and read books about phonics! I read those first few pages in the dictionary (the ones everyone skips over) that talk about English phonics. I learned the terminology so I could pass it along to my kids. I think this made me a better teacher. Anyone can sit down with a child and do Lesson #14 in the curriculum, but if you've really learned and internalized the concepts being taught, you can talk about it in the car on the way to a piano lesson. (And of course, you have a better chance of being able to afford the piano lessons if you haven't spend all your money on Hooked on Phonics!) Cerelle ======================================== MESSAGE: FREE The Smithsonian Magazine e-newsletter AUTHOR: Belinda DATE: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 7:42 a.m. FYI: Smithsonian emag. & newsletter The online edition of the magazine contains beautiful photographs and many features not included here. So you don't miss a thing, be sure tobookmark the Smithsonian Magazine home page: http://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu THE E-NEWSLETTER The Smithsonian Magazine e-newsletter is distributed free of charge. In this newsletter, you will receive monthly updates about Smithsonian Magazine Online, as well as occasional special email-only offers and notification of major additions to the web site (including contests!). You are welcome to share the contents of this message with your friends and family. Please email smjds@aol.comto change your email address, or to add or delete your name from the mailing list. Comments and suggestions for this e-newsletter are always welcome. ======================================== MESSAGE: Historic Sites AUTHOR: Rhonda DATE: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 7:46 a.m. We live in Minnesota, and our netork of State Historic Sites is wonderful here! Admittance is cheap (some are free!) and you can learn so much! Some of them have costumed interpreters that make it even more interesting for the kids. Here's a link to the Minnesota Historical Society's web page - you can browse around for the Historic Sites. Have fun! ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: Exactly! (more) AUTHOR: Laurie DATE: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 7:48 a.m. Response To: Exactly! (more) Author: Cerelle Date: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 7:34 a.m. So Are Curriculum fairs a waste of time and money? I have been home schooling since September and have heard so much about them, I would like to attend one. ======================================== MESSAGE: Are curriculum fairs a waste of time and money? Maybe not, but "buyer beware." AUTHOR: Cerelle DATE: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 8:31 a.m. Response To: Re: Exactly! (more) Author: Laurie Date: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 7:48 a.m. For someone who is planning to purchase a curriculum anyway, going to a curriculum fair is probably a good idea, especially if it's a big one and there'll be wide range of materials to look at. That way, you'll get a feel for what's available and can choose more wisely. BUT -- keep in mind that all the vendors are trying to sell a product. A product you may not even need! If you really want to know what a given curriculum is like, find someone who has been using it for a while with her own children, and then ask lots of questions. What does she like about it? What does she not like? If she could change something about it, what would it be? How excited are her children about learning? Does she have to keep after them to get them to do their school work? These are the things I would want to know before I spent a bunch of money, but you don't learn any of this just from stopping by a vendor's booth at a curriculum fair. It's easy to be dazzled by shiny pages, bright pictures, and a salesperson's charm. Caveat emptor! For the cost of a typical curriculum, you can buy an excellent microscope, a good used set of encyclopedias, a current dictionary, a box of tools, art supplies...AND make hundreds of trips to the public library (and even pay off some overdue charges along the way). Now of course, if you have plenty of money, you don't have to choose between one and the other -- you could do all of these. It's just that many of us are really strapped for cash most of the time, and we need to make careful choices about where our money goes. By all means, go to the curriculum fair if you've been looking forward to it. Look around, pick up brochures, talk to other homeschoolers about what they've been doing. But don't let a fast-talking salesperson pull the wool over your eyes, and keep in mind that many, many successful and happy homeschoolers have managed to do without all that fancy stuff. Cerelle ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: Curriculum Fairs AUTHOR: Susan M DATE: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 9:00 a.m. Response To: Re: Exactly! (more) Author: Laurie Date: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 7:48 a.m. > So Are Curriculum fairs a waste > of time and money? I love going to curriculum fairs to browse and get a first hand look at what's out there. Also, there is a lot more than just canned curriculum at these fairs--lots of good RESOURCES also. However, I, too, always go with a list in hand--not only of what I want to buy, but of what I want to look at. If it is too expensive for me to buy there, but looks useful, I will then start searching for it on used book sites. Also the curriculum fair I attend HAS a used curriculum sale onsite, and I have been able to get some good buys there. So don't give up on curriculum fairs, if you like that kind of thing. Just shop wisely! Susan M ======================================== MESSAGE: Book Market AUTHOR: Donna DATE: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 11:15 a.m. We have around here a Book Market store. It sets up for 4 to 6 months at a time and moves around a lot. Usually setting up in vacant stores until they find a new leasee--I think they get it cheap that way. I've gotten many good books there for anywhere from $1 to $5. They are a distribution source for discontinued college books, but also have picture books, workbooks, cookbooks, novels, etc. After your first purchase, you get a discount ticket for 10% off all future purchases. ======================================== MESSAGE: Curriculum fairs are not a waste of time but.... AUTHOR: Giovanna DATE: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 1:58 p.m. Response To: Re: Exactly! (more) Author: Laurie Date: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 7:48 a.m. I would just be very careful! If you've never been to one go with CAUTION. :-) People get so wrapped up with buying--it's unbelievable. I attended the Florida Homeschool Convention last year and it was a real treat. I got to hear some wonderful speakers and it was a tremendous inspiration for me. We will be having our next convention next May and CAFI WILL BE THERE! :-) The vendor hall was full of people. I MEAN FULL! And in all honesty, I felt sorry for some of the moms there because as I was looking around and browsing I overheard their conversations with one another. "I just heard so and so's conference and after hearing him speak I just have to buy his art curriculum." "I just heard so and so said she used xx math program. She seems to have it so together so I'm going to buy the same program." "Will this phonics program teach my child to read?" These are the voices of people who lack direction. You do not go to a curriculum fair without a list or without some type of idea of what you are looking for. If you do you are going to come out very BROKE and with a lot more curriculum than you know what to do with! What is a curriculum fair good for: To see first hand what a curriculum looks like. To compare prices To save yourself shipping costs by buying on the spot To talk to the publisher or the representative of the curriculum and ask questions. Keep in mind they are there to SELL and will tell you their product is the best in the market. So no.... they are not a waste of time. You just need to go in INFORMED and PREPARED. Please go to the following website and read this article. It cracks me up every time I read it and it will explain a lot better what I mean regarding this curriculum dependence that many homeschoolers have. http://www.greenleafpress.com/articles/a_curdep.htm ======================================== MESSAGE: Setting a budget... AUTHOR: Cheri H. DATE: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 6:00 p.m. Hi Everyone, I am trying something new that I would like to pass along in case it helps someone else. I finally forced myself to sit down and create a budget for my family, with a realistic amount planned for each category, including schooling supplies and materials. You would not believe how many unnecessary purchases I have avoided because I have that $ figure in my mind when I am shopping, especially in a teacher's store. It really makes me stop and consider if I really need/want that item enough to use up part of my funds, or if I just want to buy it because it would be neat to have. I realize that this is not a new concept for most people, but it sure has changed the way I buy materials. Hope it helps! Cheri H. ======================================== MESSAGE: BUDGET????? Did someone say BUDGET??? AUTHOR: Giovanna DATE: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 6:20 p.m. Response To: Setting a budget... Author: Cheri H. Date: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 6:00 p.m. > Hi Everyone, > I am trying something new that > I would like to pass along in case it > helps someone else. I finally forced > myself to sit down and create a budget > for my family, with a realistic amount > planned for each category, including > schooling supplies and materials. You > would not believe how many unnecessary > purchases I have avoided because I have > that $ figure in my mind when I am shopping, > especially in a teacher's store. This is what hubby and I are doing now. On a post below Cerelle said that people tend to do things when they are "inspired". Well, let's just say we got INSPIRED. :-) We both sense an urgency to get out of debt. My husband has several student loans and we would like to get rid of them and live a little more comfortably. We are developing a long range goal and then short term goals as well. My problem seems to be that I sometimes do not really *see* where the money goes. Too many miscellaneous things! To stop this we are going to try the "envelope system". We assign categories such as gasoline, groceries, etc to each envelope. We give each category a dollar amount (which falls in line with our budget) and when the money is gone from that specific envelope then it's gone! Right now we are doing this week by week. I imagine later on it will be more on a monthly basis. This is helping us see where the money we have is actually going. Giovanna ======================================== MESSAGE: You know what really bugs me? AUTHOR: Cerelle DATE: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 6:24 p.m. Response To: Setting a budget... Author: Cheri H. Date: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 6:00 p.m. You know those little plastic math manipulatives that come in different colors and are shaped like teddy bears or dinosaurs or whatever? I always see those in catalogs and teacher stores, and I'll admit -- they're just as cute and adorable as they can be. But WHY would anyone need to buy these? If you want to give your kids something to count and sort, how about SOCKS?! Or leaves. Or pebbles. Or acorns. Or forks and spoons and butter knives. Good grief, everyone's house and yard is already bursting with things to count. Why would we think we needed to buy a bunch of little plastic teddy bears to teach our kids math? Nevertheless, these things seem to sell like hotcakes, and to me, this means that people just aren't thinking very hard about what's worth spending money on and what isn't. (Not that I haven't made some goofy purchases in my time!) Cheri, I really like what you said about THINKING before you buy. Good job on the budget! Cerelle ======================================== MESSAGE: Teddy bear counters and other worthless items! AUTHOR: Giovanna DATE: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 6:54 p.m. Response To: You know what really bugs me? Author: Cerelle Date: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 6:24 p.m. > If you want to give your kids something > to count and sort, how about SOCKS?! Did you know that BOTH of my children learned the difference between odd and even using a pair of socks as a manipulative? YES! Even my daughter Rachel, who is only 4, knows the distinction between odd and even! > Or leaves. Or pebbles. Or acorns. Or > forks and spoons and butter knives. > Good grief, everyone's house and yard > is already bursting with things to count. > Why would we think we needed to buy > a bunch of little plastic teddy bears > to teach our kids math? These things sell like hotcakes because there are "experts" trying to convince home educators that they must be equipped like a "school" in order for their children to learn. Homeschoolers are believing this because they don't take time out to educate themselves. They think all this stuff is NEEDED. They fall hook, line and sinker. (Is that how that saying goes?) "Well, it's just that Johnny won't think math is fun if he doesn't have these little counters. They are sclorful and keep his attention. We don't want him to get bored now, do we?" OOPS! Hope no one takes offense in that! :-) You know what else I consider a waste of money? Workbooks that have something for your child to copy in order to practice handwriting!!! Instead of wasting money on a workbook go to the library and get a classic children's book and have your child copy lines from that instead. And read it aloud to him while you are at it! OK. WHAT OTHER WORTHLESS "SCHOOL" ITEMS CAN ANYONE ELSE COME UP WITH??? :-) Giovanna ======================================== MESSAGE: Buying out of fear AUTHOR: Debra DATE: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 7:38 p.m. Response To: Teddy bear counters and other worthless items! Author: Giovanna Date: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 6:54 p.m. > These things sell like hotcakes > because there are "experts" > trying to convince home educators that > they must be equipped like a "school" > in order for their children to learn. > Homeschoolers are believing this because > they don't take time out to educate > themselves. They think all this stuff > is NEEDED. They fall hook, line and > sinker. (Is that how that saying goes?) > Giovanna I know I did this a bit (especially at my first convention 2 years ago). But it was out of "fear" I did not want to fail and I thought I was buying insurance . If I had the perfect teaching tools then I could not fail and my kids would learn, right???? I have learned now that what I want to spend my money on is "experience based education". I use the library a lot (but we are adding to our own home library....slowly....with Scholastics Books) and I use my money to "do stuff". Like piano lessons or museum passes or vacations. That is where our hearts are so that is what I have decided to use my money for, instead of a bunch of curriculum I probably will never use. Of course some people would probably look at all the stuff we do and think I am wasting my money on all these "intangle" things (like monthly roller skating trips), but we are having fun! And really that is probably the MAIN reason I decided to homeschool. I wanted to have fun with my kids while they are here with me. ======================================== MESSAGE: I crack up when I see homeschoolers buying 'fake money'! AUTHOR: Ann in NC DATE: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 7:46 p.m. Response To: Teddy bear counters and other worthless items! Author: Giovanna Date: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 6:54 p.m. I understand that a 2nd grade teacher can't hand out real nickels to her 28 students. But WHY would a homeschooler need that? Don't they let their kids count money at home, or pay for their own candy bar? Sheesh... But...can I puh-leeze keep my teddy bear counters? I just adore them, and they are very useful when it comes to teaching math-phobic kids about ratios! Ann > ======================================== MESSAGE: Why I go to the fairs. . . AUTHOR: Belinda DATE: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 8:26 p.m. Response To: Curriculum fairs are not a waste of time but.... Author: Giovanna Date: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 1:58 p.m. I go with full intentions to buy not one piece of "curriculum" but rather to stock up on all those cool science items one would have to order. The Fair here in Columbus has a science vendor from Texas that cators to Christian HS'ers. I get owl pellets, frogs, hearts, eyes and that kind of stuff for CHEAP. I'm on the quest for the unusual when I get there. Belinda ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: I crack up when I see homeschoolers buying 'fake money'! AUTHOR: Cerelle DATE: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 8:42 p.m. Response To: I crack up when I see homeschoolers buying 'fake money'! Author: Ann in NC Date: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 7:46 p.m. Ann, You're so right about fake money, and that brings up the whole issue of school activities that try to imitate or simulate real-life situations. As you said, it's often understandable in the classroom -- but when you have homeschoolers copying the classroom, which is copying real-life...well, you wind up with a copy of a copy. Each remove just gets us farther away from the real thing. How about those worksheets that have little pictures of clocks, all set to different times, and the kids are supposed to write down what time is shown on each clock? How crazy is it for a homeschooled child to be sitting at the kitchen table, filling out one of those worksheets, when the house is already full of clocks? I used to play a money game with my kids. I'd count out about $1.75 to each of us (using a dollar bill and lots of small change). On each turn, the player would roll a die twice. If you rolled a 6 first and then a 4, you'd have to give .64 to the other player. If you didn't have the right coins to reach the exact amount, the other player would have to make change. Then we'd count up to see who had the most money after about 5 turns each. It was fun. Kids always love handling real money! > But...can I puh-leeze keep my teddy > bear counters? I just adore them, and > they are very useful when it comes to > teaching math-phobic kids about ratios! Ha ha! Of course you keep them. :-D But wouldn't old buttons work just as well? Cerelle ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: Setting a budget... AUTHOR: Susan M DATE: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 9:17 p.m. Response To: Setting a budget... Author: Cheri H. Date: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 6:00 p.m. I finally forced > myself to sit down and create a budget > for my family, with a realistic amount > planned for each category, including > schooling supplies and materials. I used to keep a good budget when I was single. I have tried since we have been married, but I can not get my husband to cooperate. And, since he spends over half of the money, there is no way I can keep track of spending without his help. Somehow he feels--even though he knows it is irrational--that keeping a budget is an insult to his ability to make enough money to support his family. And so he does not write down what he spends, and the budget is sabotaged. He always says,"I am really trying to spend less." But that doesn't help us see where the money is going. Any ideas on how to get a reluctant dh to help make and keep a budget??? Susan M ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: Setting a budget... AUTHOR: Melanie DATE: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 10:07 p.m. Response To: Re: Setting a budget... Author: Susan M Date: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 9:17 p.m. How about agreeing on an amount he can spend without any accountability? It's always nice to be able to spend something without explaining on what or why. Just an idea, Melanie ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: Why I go to the fairs. . . AUTHOR: Melanie DATE: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 10:10 p.m. Response To: Why I go to the fairs. . . Author: Belinda Date: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 8:26 p.m. Belinda, any idea when the next one in Columbus is? I never been to one, & I'm curious. Melanie ======================================== MESSAGE: Learn from my mistakes... AUTHOR: charissa DATE: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 10:41 p.m. I am an impulse buyer and when it came to homeschooling ( this is my first year ) I had NO information at all. I knew one other person who homeschooled. She swore by Abeka. So being the rebel that I was I went out and bought ALL BJU cirriculum ( yep the whole set) for three different grades. All the little extras too. My kids HATED BJU. I now am stuck with so much BJU y=that I cannot give it away. So since my kids hated it I have bought and bought and bought trying to find something that would work. Then I discovered a thing called Scope and Sequence. Wow I can do my own cirriculum. Who would have ever thought that? Surely not me. I just wish I had prepared more for the financial aspects. I learned a VERY expensive lesson. ======================================== MESSAGE: Different money personalities AUTHOR: Ann in NC DATE: Thursday, 31 December 1998, at 5:37 a.m. Response To: Re: Setting a budget... Author: Susan M Date: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 9:17 p.m. I've done a lot of reading in this topic, because my husband and I have VERY different ideas and feelings about money. And it has been rather difficult at times. (What an understatement! ) It is a complex topic, and what works for one spouse may just NOT WORK for the other. And you can spend years beating your head against the wall trying to make them behave the way YOU think is logical/responsible/whatever. The library is chock-full of books about this subject. One of them had a suggestion I liked. It talked about different money personalities, and then asked each person to 'take on' their spouse's personality for a day. In our case, that would mean that I would have to be like my husband -- every dime I wanted to spend that day, I'd have to consider whether that was the BEST way to spend that dime...I'd have to consider what else I could do with that dime if I didn't spend it now, etc. And he would have to go out for lunch and just buy what he was hungry for, without considering if it was the cheapest thing on the menu! What a hoot! Neither one of us could do it!!!! I felt TERRIBLE after 10 minutes of trying to be him. Really! And he couldn't even THINK about actually going out to the restaurant! The point of all this rambling is that trying to put your style on your spouse will only work if you are already the same kind of spender only to different degrees. If you are as different as my husband and I are, you need to do something radically different. Some suggestions from the books are to divide up who is in charge of what bills, or to each have their own account of 'fun money'. I know there were a lot of other suggestions... I'm anxious to hear how others resolved these issues. I do think that we often marry someone unlike ourselves because it provides a balance. I enjoy the financial advantages of marrying a saver, and he woudln't have half as much fun in life if he hadn't married me. It would kill him to spend money on a vacation if I didn't insist on it! I guess it balances out! Ann ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: Why I go to the fairs. . . AUTHOR: Belinda DATE: Thursday, 31 December 1998, at 5:49 a.m. Response To: Re: Why I go to the fairs. . . Author: Melanie Date: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 10:10 p.m. > Belinda, any idea when the next > one in Columbus is? I never been to > one, & I'm curious. Melanie I believe in June. Unfortunately, this year they will be charging one price for the speakers and all. No Vendor ONLY passes this next year. Try http://www.cheohome.org for more info. Belinda ======================================== MESSAGE: Where to sell your used curriculum AUTHOR: Giovanna DATE: Thursday, 31 December 1998, at 6:05 a.m. Response To: Learn from my mistakes... Author: charissa Date: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 10:41 p.m. Have you tried selling it through the used curriculum sites on the internet? If you go to: http://www.theswap.com/ or http://www.vegsource.com/wwwboard/curriculum/wwwboard.html or http://www.antlion.com/floridafootsteps/floridafootsteps.htm and post your items there I'm sure they will sell quickly. Giovanna ======================================== MESSAGE: I've collected *hundreds* of bread tabs (used to close bread bags) for my daughter's counters. Different colors, too! (nt) AUTHOR: Ann ZS DATE: Thursday, 31 December 1998, at 6:34 a.m. Response To: Teddy bear counters and other worthless items! Author: Giovanna Date: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 6:54 p.m. ----- ======================================== MESSAGE: People Resources AUTHOR: Beth DATE: Thursday, 31 December 1998, at 7:22 a.m. Don't forget about the people around you...talk, talk, talk about your homeschooling and you will find experts in some surprising and helpful places! And most people who have deep interests (hobbies or work) are really responsive to kids who want to know more about what they do. So far we've found engineers, a physicist, farmers, pilots, woodcarvers, apple growers, wildlife biologists, archaeologists, writers, journalists...in our midst! Some have become paid tutors for our kids (still less expensive than private school!) and others just share informally when the kids have questions, projects, etc. My favorite encounter was when I met someone at church for the first time & I mentioned that my son wished to learn Russian; she said, "Oh, I speak Russian! Let me talk to him!" Serendipity at its finest! ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: I crack up when I see homeschoolers buying 'fake money'! AUTHOR: Clare DATE: Thursday, 31 December 1998, at 7:54 a.m. Response To: I crack up when I see homeschoolers buying 'fake money'! Author: Ann in NC Date: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 7:46 p.m. At my near-by parent & teacher's store, the plastic coins cost more than the real thing. For example, $2.50 in fake coins cost $3.69 of my real money! ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: Teddy bear counters and other worthless items! AUTHOR: VickiC DATE: Thursday, 31 December 1998, at 9:08 a.m. Response To: Teddy bear counters and other worthless items! Author: Giovanna Date: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 6:54 p.m. > OK. WHAT OTHER WORTHLESS "SCHOOL" > ITEMS CAN ANYONE ELSE COME UP WITH??? > Last time I was in a school (a week before Christmas) I caught kids creating "100 item" art projects. I saw Cheerios, toothpicks, beans, rice grains, pop tabs, buttons, marshmallows, cotton balls, chocolate chips, thumbprints, eyes cut from magazines, paper hole punches, raisins, safety pins, peanuts, birthday candles, sugar cubes, paper cups, pennies, soup can labels.... Not a teddy bear counter in the bunch. ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: I crack up when I see homeschoolers buying 'fake money'! AUTHOR: Julie DATE: Thursday, 31 December 1998, at 9:09 a.m. Response To: Re: I crack up when I see homeschoolers buying 'fake money'! Author: Clare Date: Thursday, 31 December 1998, at 7:54 a.m. We use the "fake money" (not to sound defensive here) cause We never have any real Cash lying around though change has been known to turn up. I use my checks and debit card for almost everything and cash just hardly never makes it into my pocket. Hence my need for the fake money when we are talking "dollars". But I would perfer to use real stuff. The thing with those counters though kids like 'em. In my more "schoolish" days of trying to teach a preschooler (ha) I bought a load of transportation and farm animal counters. Josh loved playing with them and made up very complicated scenarios. He still (almost 7) pulls them out at times and lines them all up. Anyway if i said lets count the socks while we fold Josh would just tell me "that's silly, you're trying to do school again mom." ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: Curriculum Fairs AUTHOR: Julie DATE: Thursday, 31 December 1998, at 9:19 a.m. Response To: Re: Curriculum Fairs Author: Susan M Date: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 9:00 a.m. I will then > start searching for it on used book > sites. Also the curriculum fair I attend > HAS a used curriculum sale onsite, and > I have been able to get some good buys > there. That is the reason I go to out curric. fair. The rest of it is a waste of time. But the used sale is wonderful. I never buy the curric. I head to the misc. tables for all the cool books and fun stuff that is just sitting there while everyone else trys to find their curric. for next year. The other thing about the conferences is getting to see so many home educators in one place and seeing folks you only get to see once a year. ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: We are a one car family too! Great way to reduce costs and it's emotionally healthy too....(for me, anyhow) AUTHOR: Amy DATE: Thursday, 31 December 1998, at 11:43 a.m. Response To: We are a one car family too! Great way to reduce costs and it's emotionally healthy too....(for me, anyhow) Author: Giovanna Date: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 6:29 p.m. We used to have only one car. Worked great when we lived in town. But we are now hours from familiy and way out in the country. The times that we have been down to one car (last winter it took 3 mths to save enough money to get my elderly van back on the road! ) we seemed to stuff so much into my husbands one day off. All doctors, dentists appointments (4 kids and us), vet visits, library, shopping, banking, field trips, play dates ect. got stuffed into my husbands time off. Relaxation was not possible and we never saw each other. I really wish we could go with one car, I'd love to make it work for all sorts of reasons, but how do you get around this problem? Amy > We used to have two cars until > one broke down so badly it had to be > replaced. Well, it broke down at the > precise time! It was during my last > week of working outside the home. I > finished my last week and then I stayed > home with NO CAR while hubby took the > only car we have to work (he works 40 > min. away. We decided not to replace > our 2nd car not as a matter of choice > but because we had no choice. Now I > was homeschooling, not working and we > wouldn't be able to afford a second > one. > It has been great so far.... in > fact, it's been wonderful! > One less gas bill, one less car > insurance payment, one less car to keep > up with. > Other pluses: > I'm home more > No one asks me for favors. I don't > have a car to so I can't take anyone > to the airport or show up at this meeting > or that function. > It's way more relaxing. We don't > have a car so things are kept more simple. > Our outings are more meaningful and > we lead a much more home-centered lifestyle. > > My parents live close by so if > there is a true emergency then I borrow > their car. > Giovanna ======================================== MESSAGE: I give mine an allowance! AUTHOR: Lee DATE: Thursday, 31 December 1998, at 12:52 p.m. Response To: Re: Setting a budget... Author: Susan M Date: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 9:17 p.m. When it's gone, he's done until next paycheck. I made the mistake of letting him have control of our money several years ago and we wound up bankrupt. Never again! Whoever can control their spending should handle the money. > I finally forced > I used to keep a good budget when > I was single. I have tried since we > have been married, but I can not get > my husband to cooperate. And, since > he spends over half of the money, there > is no way I can keep track of spending > without his help. Somehow he feels--even > though he knows it is irrational--that > keeping a budget is an insult to his > ability to make enough money to support > his family. And so he does not write > down what he spends, and the budget > is sabotaged. He always says,"I > am really trying to spend less." > But that doesn't help us see where the > money is going. > Any ideas on how to get a reluctant > dh to help make and keep a budget??? > > Susan M ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: I crack up when I see homeschoolers buying 'fake money'! AUTHOR: Kim DATE: Thursday, 31 December 1998, at 2:11 p.m. Response To: Re: I crack up when I see homeschoolers buying 'fake money'! Author: Julie Date: Thursday, 31 December 1998, at 9:09 a.m. > We use the "fake money" > (not to sound defensive here Okay- I'll sound defensive. I love my fake money and I don't care who knows ! (Teddy bear counters ... uhhhh... no) It was $1.00 for a pack of dollars and coins (our ones and twos are coins)at the dollar store. As for counters- I have used buttons, beans, pennies (rough on both sides ;-) Other manipulatives- legos, building sticks that I got for a buck or two at the dollar store. Cheap workbooks that I got at the dollar store. Be open to the possibilities... Maybe you don't want to pay $?? for teddy counters- but when you see a zipper bag full of nice buttons at a garage sale for pennies- maybe that would work at your house ! I hardly ever pay cash for ANYTHING. I either put it on my card (double Z points !!) or use the debit card. The only place my children can BUY anything is at a garage sale. They usually get a quarter when we go. They can haggle to get it into their "price range" or combine quarters... or wait for the next sale :-) Cuz they are so little and cute- most people will give away that educational item to one so eager to learn ;-) Oh- they can usually persuade me to buy books- especially the classics that my bookstore doesn't sell :-) ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: Libraries sometimes have book sales too ! nt AUTHOR: Kim DATE: Thursday, 31 December 1998, at 2:14 p.m. Response To: Book Market Author: Donna Date: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 11:15 a.m. > We have around here a Book Market > store. It sets up for 4 to 6 months > at a time and moves around a lot. Usually > setting up in vacant stores until they > find a new leasee--I think they get > it cheap that way. I've gotten many > good books there for anywhere from $1 > to $5. They are a distribution source > for discontinued college books, but > also have picture books, workbooks, > cookbooks, novels, etc. After your first > purchase, you get a discount ticket > for 10% off all future purchases. ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: I've collected *hundreds* of bread tabs (used to close bread bags) for my daughter's counters. Different colors, too! (nt) AUTHOR: Jody C. DATE: Thursday, 31 December 1998, at 2:15 p.m. Response To: I've collected *hundreds* of bread tabs (used to close bread bags) for my daughter's counters. Different colors, too! (nt) Author: Ann ZS Date: Thursday, 31 December 1998, at 6:34 a.m. We use real money to learn to count by ones, twos, threes, ...5s, 10s, 25s, 50s and 100s. We also use colored dry beans for counters, crayons, milk jug lids, legos, rocks, seashells and the list goes on! I also allow our kids to get their own checking account when they are 10-11 years old, after they can prove to me they can write clear checks (photocopied), add, subtract and balance their Pretend checkbooks. This is a great "carrot" to hold in front of them for a reason to be good at math. They might as well know what happens if the bounce a check while they're still at home! Jody > ----- > ======================================== MESSAGE: Phone book study! AUTHOR: Jody C. DATE: Thursday, 31 December 1998, at 2:22 p.m. Dear all, I have used the phone book as a study...there's so much to do and many people don't even know what's available in a phone book: Government offices and voting info alphabetizing work historical attractions of your area maps of cities emergency instuctions zipcodes for your state time zones and area codes state abbreviations telephones safety tips troubleshooting your phone calling services available Have them do a search for something you want...where can I get the best deal on a new washer/dryer? Practical You bet! Jody ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: I crack up when I see homeschoolers buying 'fake money'! AUTHOR: Giovanna DATE: Thursday, 31 December 1998, at 2:38 p.m. Response To: Re: I crack up when I see homeschoolers buying 'fake money'! Author: Kim Date: Thursday, 31 December 1998, at 2:11 p.m. > Okay- I'll sound defensive. I love > my fake money and I don't care who knows > ! ROTFL! > Other manipulatives- legos, building > sticks that I got for a buck or two > at the dollar store. Cheap workbooks > that I got at the dollar store. Lego's are wonderful. This is what I used to teach my son to add. > Be open to the possibilities... > Maybe you don't want to pay $?? for > teddy counters- but when you see a zipper > bag full of nice buttons at a garage > sale for pennies- maybe that would work > at your house ! Yes. The thing here is to be open to ideas and to be inventive. Be ready and willing to adapt and make substitutions. If it says to buy xx manipulative find out why. There are some very good manipulatives out there that are probably hard to duplicate or substitute (take cuisenaire rods for example) but I bet most of the time something else works just as well and you probably have it laying around the house somewhere. ======================================== MESSAGE: A visit to a financial planner really helped us out. AUTHOR: Gina DATE: Thursday, 31 December 1998, at 4:46 p.m. Response To: Setting a budget... Author: Cheri H. Date: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 6:00 p.m. Quick background: Me - worked at high $$ job for 12 years untill kids then quit and drove dh nuts with my spend, spend, spending habits. DH - Always worried about where $$ went but I wouldn't give him control of my money (while I was working). Solution at that time was to divvy up the bills and then each handle our own money. Now after 5 years of me at home, homeschooling. DH has always been troubled by how much I spend and I have always felt I was not spending much, at least compared to what I used to spend and what I see our neighbors and friends spending. OTOH I felt we were not where we should be even with his good job (Director of Electronic Design). About a year ago I started reading financial literature (Tightwad Gazette, Once a Month Cooking, Your Money or Your Life) and began to see how unsatisfied all the overconsumption was leaving me. In that time I have made a big turn around in my spending habits. It didn't come all at once but each incrimental realization that I didn't need such and such or that I really could wash zip lock baggies and not feel like I was drowning in poverty has helped. The biggie for us came when we were approached by an American Express broker about taking over our account. She also offered a financial planning service for $750. $750 is a lot of money and DH hates parting with money but her supervisor 'guranteed' we would see that back within four years so we went for it. We have been working with her for about three months and have alread recovered the $750. Not that she found any money but that the whole process makes you take a real hard look at where your money is going. We have ======================================== MESSAGE: What a good idea!! AUTHOR: Karen C. DATE: Thursday, 31 December 1998, at 4:51 p.m. Response To: Phone book study! Author: Jody C. Date: Thursday, 31 December 1998, at 2:22 p.m. Don't know why I've never thought of it. I used to get a lot of mileage out of a newspaper. One enlightening experience for my teen son was last year when I had him look in the classifieds, find a job he was qualified for (including salary), then find an apartment he could afford, then plan a week's menu, then price what grocery items he could find. (I don't know if I would recommend this, because he decided he could never move out of MY house!) ======================================== MESSAGE: Do you have any quick pointers on what to watch out for...... AUTHOR: Karen C. DATE: Thursday, 31 December 1998, at 5:06 p.m. Response To: Where to sell your used curriculum Author: Giovanna Date: Thursday, 31 December 1998, at 6:05 a.m. I've got lots of stuff, too. What about pricing-- 1/2 price or less depending on condition? Do you send materials or wait until you've received payment before sending? Anything else I've forgotton? I guess I could advertise in our local paper first. Glad you brought it up-- ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: Setting a budget... AUTHOR: SuzieL DATE: Thursday, 31 December 1998, at 5:39 p.m. Response To: Setting a budget... Author: Cheri H. Date: Wednesday, 30 December 1998, at 6:00 p.m. I just finished facilitating a class based on Ron Blue's book "Managing Your Money". I had started it about 6 months before I started to facilitate the class and many of the items mentioned in posts were things that he suggested. Things like the envelope system were very suggested as one way to budget and stick to it. It is all biblically based and really taught me a lot. One thing he says is that budgets need to be worked on as a couple. The first step in any budget is to set up goals. If you don't have goals you won't stay with the budget. He also goes through all the steps to figure out exactly where you are. We were not as bad off as I thought when we started really looking at all the assets we had. One important point that he states is it will probably take 2 years to figure out a good budget and that your budget needs to be revised along the way. Btw, I love this topic this month. ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: Homeschooling on a shoestring web site AUTHOR: Lisa DATE: Thursday, 31 December 1998, at 6:16 p.m. Response To: Homeschooling on a shoestring web site Author: Melanie Date: Tuesday, 29 December 1998, at 11:42 p.m. I am a member of hoas mailing list. I highly recommend this to all homeschoolers. I am in my first year of homeschooling my 10 year old and this list has been a lifesaver! :o) ======================================== MESSAGE: "Homeschooling From Scratch " AUTHOR: Patti Muma DATE: Friday, 1 January 1999, at 6:29 a.m. Mary kenyon has wrote the book "Homeschooling From Scratch" and it's chock full(!) of neat money saving ideas! This was the last book sent to me by Great Christian Books! LOL! ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: "Homeschooling From Scratch " AUTHOR: Clare DATE: Friday, 1 January 1999, at 8:00 a.m. Response To: "Homeschooling From Scratch " Author: Patti Muma Date: Friday, 1 January 1999, at 6:29 a.m. Do you know if this book is available from other sources? I ask because I was thinking that the company you mention is the one I had heard was still accepting people's money even though they are not sending what people have ordered. For us frugal homeschoolers, it would not be a good move to send money to a company that does not come through with the goods. PLEASE, please correct me if I am mistaken. I definitely do not want to cast a good company in bad light! ======================================== MESSAGE: Re: "Homeschooling From Scratch " AUTHOR: SuzieL DATE: Friday, 1 January 1999, at 10:25 a.m. Response To: "Homeschooling From Scratch " Author: Patti Muma Date: Friday, 1 January 1999, at 6:29 a.m. You can order it from amazon.com. > Mary kenyon has wrote the book > "Homeschooling From Scratch" > and it's chock full(!) of neat money > saving ideas! This was the last book > sent to me by Great Christian Books! > LOL! ======================================== MESSAGE: I let my ds open a checking acct. when he was ten, too.... AUTHOR: Judy DATE: Friday, 1 January 1999, at 11:37 a.m. Response To: Re: I've collected *hundreds* of bread tabs (used to close bread bags) for my daughter's counters. Different colors, too! (nt) Author: Jody C. Date: Thursday, 31 December 1998, at 2:15 p.m. I took him to the driver's license bureau to get a photo ID. He's done just fine, and the bank doesn't even charge him a monthly service charge. He was thrilled, and with the ID, nobody refused his check. I called a few banks to find one that would do it, and one bank employee was ready to have me committed. I told him that I knew my kid better than he did!! He knows how to balance his statement. It's been a real positive thing. > We use real money to learn to count > by ones, twos, threes, ...5s, 10s, 25s, > 50s and 100s. > We also use colored dry beans for > counters, crayons, milk jug lids, legos, > rocks, seashells and the list goes on! > > I also allow our kids to get their > own checking account when they are 10-11 > years old, after they can prove to me > they can write clear checks (photocopied), > add, subtract and balance their Pretend > checkbooks. > This is a great "carrot" > to hold in front of them for a reason > to be good at math. They might as well > know what happens if the bounce a check > while they're still at home! > Jody ========================================Back to the TopBack to the Digest Index