Homeschool is not free. Besides taking up your time, you need to pay for curriculum plans, test preparation documents, and textbooks. After everything is said and done, you can end up paying thousands of dollars out of pocket for homeschooling your children. If you don’t develop a cost-saving plan early on then you can end up paying for things that you might have been able to get for free.
Homeschooling is a wonderful thing, but it doesn’t have to be overly expensive. Here we’ll look at some resources that can help you homeschool on a budget.
Great home education at an affordable price
If you’re considering homeschooling your child then, of course, you care about the quality of their education. Luckily in the homeschooling world, you don’t necessarily have to pay a lot to get a lot from your resources.
It can be difficult to balance the quality of educational materials with the price. You can’t go through an entire online program on your own beforehand either, so you have to rely on the reviews and experiences of other parents. The primary thing that you will have to pay for is the curriculum. You’ll need to follow some type of pre-approved curriculum based on the standards set out by the state that you live in.
You can avoid a lot of the cost of books and the like by buying previous editions, or taking the time to find free online equivalents. Most curriculum packs that you can purchase online will also come with PDF versions of the textbooks. By getting your child an e-reader and downloading online versions of the textbooks right to it you can save even more.
There are tons of resources available online to help you. While it’s by no means a full list, below we have four online resource categories that can make homeschooling less expensive and more fun.
4 homeschooling resource categories (with examples)
1-Online homeschooling forums: Sites like Homeschool.com provide a great place to ask questions related to just about everything homeschooling. Online forums are a great resource because they have real accounts and advice from people just like you. If you ever have problems, your first stop should be a forum for answers.
2-Online learning resources: Sites like khanacademy.org can give you a different angle on learning. While Khan is geared more towards college, many of the lower level courses can give your child some really great help.
3-Homeschooling Blogs: Blogs like the one from simplehomeschool.net can keep you up to date on many of the changes that are happening in the homeschooling world. By keeping yourself informed you can jump on the newest trends and make sure that your children are receiving the best experience possible.
4-Social media communities: Pages like The Homeschool Lounge on Facebook are a wonderful resource if you’re looking for families in your specific area who are homeschooling too. Building relationships with other homeschooling families can make learning fun. Some of these groups even organize activities and field trips. The social element here is really important for your kids too.
Conclusion:
Homeschooling isn’t cheap. The resources above are meant to make your experience homeschooling a little more affordable so you can deliver the highest quality education to your children possible. The tips and tricks that you can learn from staying up to date on these resources will save you money and make you a better educator.