Financial Rescue Package for your Homeschool

April 2009

By Lee Binz
The HomeScholar

When your commitment to homeschooling is high, but the economy is low, what is a parent to do? It's time to think creatively, and brainstorm ideas to help your homeschool thrive even in a difficult economy.

The economic meltdown may be too close for comfort in your home, but there are still some drastic cost-cutting strategies that will help you survive.

 

 

Don't Pay to Play

First of all, you can save the most money simply by not paying for the privilege to homeschool. Homeschool at home - don't pay for the joy of homeschooling. You don't have to pay for a co-op class, an accrediting agency, or a homeschool program. They aren't necessary for your success. Whatever you do, don't Google "free homeschool." All you get is a bunch of advertisements for government programs that say they are free, when they really aren't. The cost of these programs was described in my February newsletter article, “Love with Some Strings Attached.” Compare your homeschool costs to the cost of public or private education. What a great value homeschooling is, when you don't pay extra for classes outside the home! So my first suggestion for saving money is huge: Don't pay for the privilege of homeschooling. It is an unnecessary expense.

 

Buy Smart

Have you noticed that curriculum choices are ever-changing, and the grass always seems greener with the "other" choice? Buy smart! Create a new mantra for your shopping. Repeat after me, "I'm looking for tried and true, not latest and greatest." Choosing curriculum that isn't brand new can save a LOT of money.

Invest first in your weaknesses. If you need help with math – that's what you buy first. Invest in your vocation as the teacher, and buy high school helps that will teach you what you need to know. When you shop for your children, buy curriculum made for homeschoolers. Homeschool curriculum assumes you know nothing about the subject matter. If you need help, Cathy Duffy is my favorite curriculum review author. Here is her book: 100 Top Picks For Homeschool Curriculum: Choosing The Right Curriculum And Approach For Your Child's Learning Style

 

Choosy Mothers Choose Math

Math is a priority, but it is extremely frustrating when we sacrifice money on math curriculum that doesn't work for our child. My advice is to encourage your child choose their math. Instead of "guessing" which math curriculum is right for your child, encourage them to help you make the choice. This is especially effective as they approach their teen years and the “style” of the math book or tutorial can start to be very important to them.

Compare math programs, and invest in a good video tutorial if you aren't 100% comfortable. Read my blog post about choosing a high school math program. Each has a helpful video tutorial. Watch the tutorial for Algebra 1 in each program, so you are comparing apples to apples. If you want, narrow it down to two or three good choices, each appropriate for your student. Let your child watch each video clip and decide which one they like. Kids are finicky, and you never know for sure which video presentation will drive them crazy. Let them take "a test drive" and see the video for themselves. It may help you avoid an expensive curriculum failure.

 

Go to the Library

Go to the library for the bulk of your curriculum. You can search for fiction and non-fiction, educational videos, and supplemental materials. Many Teaching Company lectures are available at the library, and they are worth their weight in gold. Before there were curriculum providers and tutorials for everything, homeschool families just went to the library to learn. While in the library, find these books to help you think of other frugal homeschool ideas.

 

• Homeschool Your Child for Free: More Than 1,200 Smart, Effective, and Practical Resources for Home Education on the Internet and Beyond
• Homeschooling on a Shoestring: A Jam-packed Guide

If your personal economy is in the tank, for most subjects you don't have to buy a curriculum if you can do it for almost nothing. One of my favorite writing resources is a small, inexpensive $10 book called "501 Writing Prompt Questions. I recommend it all the time because it's simple, inexpensive, and part of why we got a perfect score on the SAT essay.

Since the book is under $10, this may be a GREAT year to study essay writing. You can dig deeper into essay writing as well. One year I searched for scholarship essays for my children. They spent the year writing scholarship essays for their writing plan.

Learning can take place outside of "curriculum." A lifestyle of learning can be taught this way – it's a good thing, not a weakness.

 

Get a Job

Some families are faced with the necessity of the homeschool parent returning to work. If you are in that position, remember that your goal is for your children to become self-taught. If they learn on their own because you aren't there to teach them, that is a GOOD thing! Use a self teaching, homeschool curriculum that doesn't require your help. Getting a job may force your children into independent learning, but being self-taught is really a valuable skill.

Families with two working parents can find solutions that work. You can share the work with your spouse and take alternate your days or hours working out of the home. This is a great idea if you have an unreliable teenager, a very young child at home, or a large family. You could share your homeschool with a homeschool friend. Single parent homeschoolers often use this strategy, as they partner with another single parent.

Another option is to study entrepreneurship with your high school student, and work from home. Skills and needs vary, of course, but my business got a real boost by using "8 Weeks to Profits," a course on internet marketing written by a Christian homeschool father, Steve Beck. You can read more about his program here.

At the same time, you can have your teenager complete a unit study on entrepreneurship . There is help available to get you started. Occupational education can be included on your homeschool transcript. Meanwhile, adding these business skills to your core subjects can improve your ability to work at home, add income to the family, and teach valuable skills in occupational education.

 

 

 

 

Compensate with Thorough Record Keeping

You can compensate for a lot when you prepare careful documentation of your homeschool. Colleges must have a transcript – and you can make it yourself. Colleges like to have a reading list as well. It helps them evaluate a student during the admission process. Course descriptions are important as well. Although a transcript and reading list are a very good start, many colleges rely on course descriptions to really understand your homeschool. In a simple paragraph, you can describe delight-directed learning, and self-taught courses. Course descriptions can include all the library books you read, every video and audio supplement, and each free museum pass – and demonstrate a quality education without the use of prepared curriculum or outside courses.

Careful course descriptions with carefully chosen high school tests can provide educational jargon for life experience and library learning. It takes effort to research high school tests and write course descriptions, but both can save you a lot of money in the long run. My e-book on transcripts and my book on course descriptions can really help you with those tasks.

 

Think, Don't Panic

Even in a difficult economy, the benefits of homeschooling are clear. There are strategies for getting through financial disasters – strategies that are proven methods that homeschoolers have used for generations. Don't pay for the privilege of homeschooling. Spend your money wisely. Invest in the difficult subjects, and use the library for the rest. Think creatively if you need to work outside the home. Most of all DO NOT PANIC. Take a deep breath, study your options, and act with confidence.