Homeschooling While Living on One Income

In the majority of homeschool families, one parent stays at home to teach the children. This can make saving money on your children’s curriculum without sacrificing the quality of their education of the uppermost importance. Homeschooling can be an expensive adventure but it doesn’t have to be. If one does their research and is willing to take some time to plan and put together a curriculum it can be very cheap compared to purchasing a “packaged” curriculum. Putting together an eclectic curriculum in this manner can also benefit your child as each child has their own unique learning style. You may find when you purchase a ready made curriculum that the language arts works well with your child and the math does not.

Where To Start?
The first question a parent usually has when deciding to put a curriculum together on their own is “What should my child be learning for their particular age?“ World Book’s Typical Course of Study has always been a popular resource. Also, try visiting the website for the education department in your state. This can be another great resource. They usually list the state standards in detail. A visit to the library should also yield books on the subject of what your child should know at a particular age.

Where Do I Get The Lesson Plans?
The second question is usually. Where do I get all the curriculum or lesson plans cheap or free? There are many places to get textbooks and lesson plans cheap or even free.

The Internet
One of the best sources for this endeavor is the Internet. Start with a search for “used textbooks” or “used curriculum” and you will find many sites where other homeschool families list the books they no longer use for sale. Another great resource is Ebay and other auction sites like them. Next, try a search for “free lesson plans” and you will find that there are literally thousands of them available. When you’re focusing on a particular subject simply refine your search to include the subject you are interested in. Don’t forget about unit studies. There are several sites that sell unit studies for relatively cheap and some that offer them for free.

The Library
Obviously, it would be a little difficult to find textbooks at the library that one could keep all year long. But, the library is a great source for reference books when you’re studying a particular subject and don’t forget about all the classic novels your child will read throughout the years.

A Little Help From My Friends
Some of your most important resources can be family and friends. Do you know someone else that is homeschooling? Would they be willing to sell or lend you books they no longer use? Encyclopedias, reference books and classic novels your local library doesn’t carry can make great gifts for your children or family.

Support Groups
Local homeschool support groups are great for many reasons and they sometimes have a book swap program.

Other Places
How about your local school district? They sometimes sell textbooks they are no longer using.

Putting It All Together
By now your head should be spinning with all the possibilities. I know your itching to get started but remember, focus and a plan are the keys to doing this successfully. You can become overwhelmed very easily with all the great resources out there.

Make sure there’s ink in your printer and start with a plan. Decide what your child should learn for that particular year. Start with one subject at a time when you do this plan. Write it all down and develop a plan of study. DonnaYoung.org has always been one of my favorite sites for free printable forms that deal with planning and managing your home school. Once you are satisfied with your plan of study, search the Internet for lesson plans and curriculum, work on one subject at a time. Remember, you don’t necessarily have to plan an entire year before the school year starts. You can plan a few months at a time and work on the rest as the school year continues. This can be a preferred method as plans tend to change throughout the year.

The most important thing to remember is that homeschooling should be a fun and rewarding experience for you and your children. So most of all, relax and have fun!