Some folks do. We have several used Abeka science books on our shelf and we don't use Abeka for science at all....but one of my kids loves science and I couldn't pass them up for the used price. We also have LOTS of science-y reference books that we don't use for "school" per se but I have them around so if we have an interest or a need, there they are.
I bought all of Apologia Elementry Books, and all of Story of the World Books w/activity books. They are sitting in a box. Maybe when my 8 year old is older or maybe the younger ones will like them. I don't think they were a too bad of a purchase, I just should have waited or bought one book at a time. I am bad for buying all those workbooks from the wal-mart or dollar store since I have paid for a year at edhelper and enchantedlearning. Thought doing the online thing would keep me from buying workbooks.
I bought R&S English 4 and didn't ask the right questions and ended up with an old version - which is NOT okay with me!! GR! I bought a couple of textbooks at a Goodwill or something. The social studies book did serve its purpose, but we'll never use it again and we've never used the stupid, boring science book. AOP LifePacs were not a good fit for us, and neither was CGC. (Though CGC was given to me, so I'm not out money there. LOL)
The only dumb thing I can claim buying is multiple sets of ASL flashcards. There were 2 different sets & I somehow ended up with 3 of one and 2 of the other. I have bought some things that didn't fit, though. most of them we used some, but there are a few things that have never been used. I won't get rid of them yet, because they might work for ds.We have a workbook (I'm not even sure when or where I got it) on Africa. I think we've used 3 pages out of it. We also have some book that's supposed to teach calculus to young kids. We haven't used that at all. We also have a bunch of educational computer games (most were bought used from the library). I try to have the kids use them all, but there's so many that many of them go months without being used. I've been pretty lucky in curriculum/material choices, though. Almost everything I've bought gets used, and most of it the kids enjoy.
I have about 20 phonics books! Mostly for my remedial reading students, but I have used 3 or 4 of them for homeschooling, although the majority of our work was from a printed out copy of a 1824 Webster's Speller. I'm also supplementing Math-U-See with Singapore math.
Catherine will be doing Life of Fred with Singapore Math so that's two for math. I love using a variety of programs for some subjects.
Yikes! We just got MOH vol. 1. Why did you hate it? Just wondering, because I'm a little disappointed as I look at the book. It's just a glorified outline. I'm going to have to come up with the meat. I wanted to get out of textbooks and more into living books, but I'd like a little more meat to inspire me. This is looking like a lot of work to get ready. At least I've only got one left at home.
With us, it is more I forget I have it than a useless purchase - or I get something else, not realizing I have it at home. I still need a better way to organize our materials, but at least THIS year I have a whole upstairs loft to use as our "schoolroom" and while I know we will spread out over the whole house, knowing I have a place to put all the books in an organized place it promising!
Agree! Make Ebay your friend, both for purchases and sales. I have 19 things on sale there right now and I'll probably pull in over $250 (+ $50 more for shipping) before my auctions end this weekend. I am a curriculum addict too, so it it nice to get something back from all my purchases.
I think the dumb purchases I made was in the begining buying every book and workbook I could find that I thought we would need or use. We had curriculum and textbooks etc etc. Now we use just Time4Learning and have given all those purchases to other homeschoolers who could use them. In hindsight, I shloud have taken my time more getting materials, or at least used online free printables more in the begining and then looked into options. BUT I am glad we changed and our daughter is better for it too now.
Uh oh, what's wrong with "Teach Your Child To Read In 100 Easy Lessons"? I bought it quite awhile ago but still have not used it. I was supposed to use it before my daughter started kindergarten, but got too busy. So now I plan on using it for a summer "refresher". Hopefully, I will. Do you think it was a bad purchase because you bought it and didn't use it (like me so far) or because you tried it and hated it or it didn't work?
I'm goin' with Jackie here! Power Glide French was the worst and did not go over well with my kids at all! And Jackie, my dd is loving Fred too! She has only the very last Bridge in the Fractions book today. I'll give her tomorrow off, and she'll start the decimals and percents book next week! Yesterday she told me that math is now her favorite subject! HALLELUJAH!!!! Thankyou Fred! BTW, for those not sure about whether "Fred" is a whole program, my dd took the Saxon placement test and placed on the borderline of Algebra 1 and 2! She hasn't even done the Algebra book yet! I'm convinced!
100 Easy Lessons tends to be a "Hate it" or "Love it" book. Some people love it and swear by it. Others hate it and think it's a waste of money & time. I fall somewhere between. I don't see it as the 'end-all" reading program, but I don't dislike it either. I use if for ds in conjuction with Starfall.com & ETC. We only read the stories in it. We don't do the planned out conversations or practice the sounds before reading (unless it's a new sound). We just use it to read. We only use it when ds wants to. Sometimes, he'll want to use it everyday. other times, he doesn't want to use it for weeks at a time. That's why we also use Starfall & ETC. That way, there's some variety in his reading lessons & he doesn't get bored.
I have two books to make file folder games for Pre-K thru 4th. All I have to do is cut and put into the folders. They are still siting on top of the case of fild folders that I bought last August. I was hoping to have them all ready last August/September. Now I am hoping to have them ready for this upcomming move. I org. bought them so we could use them during moves and really long trips. Both of which we do a lot of. I also have lego sets for younger and older kids to learn about simple machines. I had this great idea that included DH and they all still sit in their boxes, yet to be used (I bought them over summer) I also bought this felt set that is more for sunday schools than home. I went cheap and didn't order it cut. So it sits on the top shelf in our closet, still waiting to be done cutting so I could use it. My kids love using the felt board. Also at the very begining I bought a whole curriculum w/o really reserching what was out there. I am using a whole curriculum with my younger two but it itsn't workbook base like it was with my oldest.
Wow, there are so many dumb purchases. lol. I once purchased two language books for my dd by accident. Another huge mistake is buying every workbook that looks a tad bit interesting just to make sure I cover it all. lol. Now I hardly purchase workbooks.
I was going to say... the lady who reccommended it to me really liked it. To each his own, I guess. I'm still planning on using it over the summer to improve anything that may need improving! :wink:
:lol:Yep...can relate. Except I didn't buy anything I don't know I have, because it's all displayed. LOL! But I did sell one thing and I'm bummed I sold it. I refuse to rebuy it.
im kinda with you there.... I will start homeschooling when they get out in may here.....(dont ask):evil: but than their mine and so no i havent bought anything dumb as of yet..lol
