Lately, I’ve enjoyed participating in and listening to a number of conversations surrounding homeschooling on the new social media app Clubhouse. I love these conversations because they bring public school educators, homeschooling parents, and others from various educational paths to the table. It’s been a great learning opportunity, but it has also revealed that there are still a number of misconceptions surrounding homeschooling. One serious misconception is that homeschooling requires a ton of resources and because of this, many families who may be of lower socioeconomic status are unable to homeschool effectively.
News stories of strained school budgets and diminishing resources for public school students are common nowadays. As a former teacher, I am all too familiar with the hundreds of dollars teachers often spend out of their own paychecks just to ensure that their students have the rich learning experiences they planned for in their lessons.
I noticed that in many of these education conversations, homeschooling was viewed through the same lens as public school; that homeschooling effectively is all about having access to resources. While it’s true—resources are important, that doesn’t mean that those resources have to be expensive or budget busting. I want to share a few free or affordable resources that parents can and should consider.
The Library
Libraries are a wealth of resources! Library services far exceed just being able to check out books. Libraries not only offer books, but homeschool curriculum! Yes, that’s right. Homeschool curriculum. So if you’re on a tight budget or you maybe want to try a curriculum out before you commit, check with your local library. Libraries offer classes, story time, even video games. I’ve gone into a deeper discussion of why the local library is a hotspot for homeschoolers here.
Teachers Pay Teachers and Pinterest
These two sites alone are a treasure trove of Free and Affordable resources as well as ideas. These resources are often well designed and easy to simply print and use. Teachers Pay Teachers also offers digital resources that can be used with Google, Boom Cards, and other digital tools.
When my kids were in Kindergarten, I didn’t spend hundreds of dollars on a box curriculum. My entire “curriculum” consisted of Pinterest ideas and resources, worksheets from Teachers Pay Teachers, and Starfalls. By the end of the school year, my kids were ready for first grade material and we didn’t skip a beat when I did purchase curriculum for the first grade. I still utilize Pinterest and Teachers Pay Teachers on a consistent basis to get supplemental materials for my kids. I even have my own store on Teachers Pay Teachers if you’d like to check out my resources here.
Easy Peasy
If you want to homeschool, desire a structured curriculum, but have to maintain a strict budget, you should consider Easy Peasy. Easy Peasy is for grades K-12, includes the traditional subjects and is absolutely FREE! This curriculum contradicts everyone who believes that they are prevented from homeschooling because they don’t have the money. You can begin homeschooling immediately even if you feel as though your budget is non-existent or very tight. There is an old saying that says, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way”. If you have a will and desire to homeschool, you can begin wherever you are financially and trust that it will grow over time.
Homeschool Marketplaces Online
Who says you have to use brand new curriculum or the newest edition in order to homeschool? One of the best places for used curriculum is other homeschoolers! Other homeschool families are constantly getting rid of curriculum for low prices in order to purchase other curriculum they need. The first place I often look for used curriculum is on Facebook. Another brick and mortar place to find used homeschool curriculum is Half Price Books.
Outschool
Outschool has steadily grown in popularity with homeschoolers and parents alike. This online platform offers a broad range of live classes for kids of all ages and grade levels—from more traditional classes like the typical core classes to classes such as entrepreneurship for teens, guitar, and circle time. Families get to review teacher bios, course listings, and choose what they want to enroll in. These classes also vary in their length, some classes last for the semester, others for only a few weeks, and some are one-off classes offered on a specific topic for a day. Outschool is awesome because it helps homeschooling parents off-load teaching every subject or struggling to find classes that fall outside their range of expertise.
Parks and Virtual Field Trips
Museum, Zoo, and Science Center memberships often provide deep discounts that enable homeschool families to visit these places year-round. However, if you are on a really tight budget, field trips may be outside of your price range. This is why parks are sooo welcome!
Local parks provide free opportunities to get out of the house. Different parks have different features that can make it fun for your kids. Some parks have splash pads that can help when you can’t afford a waterpark. Some parks have duck ponds where you and the kids can feed the ducks. Others have really extensive playscapes. Bringing a picnic lunch to the park can extend the amount of time you stay.
During the time of COVID, many museums and theaters have begun to provide a number of free and/or low cost virtual tours of their facilities. This has continued to allow patrons to visit without actually traveling to the location.
Clearing Up The Misconception
There is a misconception that homeschooling is out of reach for many families because its unaffordable, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. While homeschooling costs can be expensive, the cost is really a choice, based upon the needs and desires of your family. If you truly desire to homeschool, don’t let finances deter you. It is possible to homeschool no matter what your budget is.
