What is the one thing you couldn't live without?

Hi,

I am starting to think about supplies and materials I will need to homeschool next year. I was just curious what are some things that you would recommend getting/doing to make life easier or just something your kids have really enjoyed.

 

Chocolate!!!!​

 

Hmmm... a case of paper (I go through about 1 a year sometimes 1 1/2) and lots of bargin ink off of ebay, a printer with a flatbed and sheet feed copier, I use my laminator a lot also.

For the kids.... anything hands on science, truck loads of books on every subject known to man, lots and lots of reference books.. atlas, dictionary, etc., netflix and good cable for educational shows and videos, and a huge list of bookmarked sites.

 

Specifics will depend on various things, including age of the kids, but I would stock up on;
Paper - printer paper & notebook paper
binders, dividers, page protectors, folders, & notebooks
arts & crafts supplies - markers, crayons, paint, colored pencils, air-dry clay, plaster of paris, etc
Basic school/office supplies - pens, pencils, erasers, staples, printer ink, paper clips, etc

My kids are hands-on & really into Science, so we stay stocked on materials for experiments & have many Science kits & tools (microscopes, telescope, slides, dissection tools, magnifying glasses, etc).

Check your library to see just how much you can get from it. Our library sytem is awesome. It has several branches around the city, but we prefer one specific branch. I can place holds on anything I want, from home, & get emails when holds are ready to be picked up. They have a huge selection of books, movies, educational DVDs, CDs, audiobooks, software, magazines, ebooks, workbooks, even some hs curriculum. The library website has free resources for various subjects. They have story time, planned activities, seminars, classes, wi-fi, etc. The branch we prefer to use even has a used bookstore in it. So, get familiar with your local library & all it has to offer.

Also, do some research on local places for field trips - historic monuments, museums, zoos, arboretums, national parks, state parks, etc. Find out how much they normally cost & if/when they have free or discount days. See if they offer any classes or programs.

 

Number 1: library card!!!

Number 2: internet, prefer high speed but will take dial up if nothing else.

In case number 2 fails (due to electric going out) have plenty of resourses from number 1 on hand. Never let your supply of library books, videos or DVD's go below a dozen!!

Marty

 

We got a role of packing paper from my DH's work (they ordered the wrong size and gave it away). 1 m tall and very long! It's been tons of fun for murals and projects. He says they are not expensive, as long as you get them from a packing company, not a craft store.

 

LOL! On several occasions, we have had one or more of our cards maxed out, & at least once have gone over the limit on mine (meaning we had more than 50 items, just on my card, not counting what the kids & dh had out).:lol:

 

Calgon

 

Well, several have been hit on...library card, internet, good cable (with history & science type channels)....

TEACHING TEXTBOOKS!!! It has revolutionized my house!!!

 

I don't really think I could add much of anything to the list just a good supply of everything.

 

Wine And tonight - Bailey's - LOL

Otherwise - computers..... librivox.org...... iPod's .......

 

I love binders. I used to like using spiral notebooks, but then you can't move the papers around to rearrange things. I love using spirals even for teaching helps. For instance, I got the binding cut off of the TT book we are using and I hole punched it. I got permission from the company to copy the tests, since the tests are in the same book as the answers, so having each page separate makes this a lot easier.

I did something similar with Easy Grammar Plus. I took all the pages apart (it was too big for Office Depot) and put it into 2 binders-makes for much easier copying. And again, I did it with some reproducible maps I bought. It keeps things organized and easy to find.

For my son, it makes it much easier to keep certain classes organized. Especially English. He has different sections for grammar, spelling, writing, and reading.

 

Absolutely a library card! And a season pass to at least one place...the zoo, a museum, whatever. And lots of toys that make em think...marble runs, gear sets, knex, etc.

 

My top 5 list for homeschooling necessities:
1. Library card ( I can not tell you how much money this has saved me, and our libraries are fantastic, I'm lucky that I have two different ones to choose from so I almost always can find the books I need)
2. Internet access (again HUGE money saver)
3. My Treasures for Teachers membership (local thing but it's basically a place where members can go and use the copier free, use their library of curricula, use the di cutter, and get hold of supplies on the cheap)
4. My local parks and recreation department (also money saver, I get many classes from them for free and they are fun! We also do lots of projects outside at the parks since we have so many to choose from)
5. This, here at the spot (the members here are so helpful and can answer any question I've ever had)

 

Am I the only person who doesn't use the library? I think it's been about 2 years since i was in there last! I buy books by the truck load... but then we don't live in town and the library here sucks anyway.. so even if it were convienent for me to get there all the time I probably wouldn't go.

 

An open mind.

 

I agree with everthing people have said. I would also include an atlas and a wall world map.

 

I buy books by the truck load, too. In fact, I just went through my books, reorganized them, got rid of several boxes of books, and still have over 1000 (not counting the kids' books). Since our library system has so much to offer, though, I can't pass it up. Plus, sometimes I'll borrow something just to look it over & decide if it's something worth buying. I often save money by doing that (money I can then spend on other books).

 

Not the only one, crazymama. Our libraries are inadequate here also. I really miss the library I used to frequent when I lived in Florida and I rather like having books at hand much more, when possible and I have books on shelves in nearly every room in my house. So, we do go to the library about every four to six weeks, because my daughter just loves to go and pick out books. (I think this is because from the time she was two to the time she was four or so we went there weekly for story time and would take a number of children books home when I would read about two hours collectively each day.) However, this is mostly to keep her inspired to read. Otherwise, as much as I love libraries personally and have since I was a child, I would probably visit ours even less.



As to the OP, first, I am quite serious about the chocolate!

I have always been the kind of person who can make do with whatever I have, the benefit of being from a very poor family, but being that I have been homeschooling formally for nearly six years I have accumulated quite a bit of stuff and I always was a school/office supply junkie even as a child.

At this point I am very reliant on my computer and adore being mobile with a laptop. (Another desk computer for the child only so that she cannot mess up anything on mine or my husband's was a big must-have for us.) A flatbed scanner is absolutely a must!

Good organization of shelves, storage items, filing cabinets, and space for all the supplies, resources, books, and binders for each subject are a must for my own sanity, as clutter wears me down. A label maker is a big plus! I just got one of those mobile (with wheels) folding file carts at the back-to-school sales last year, so now I can pack up our homeschool things to take on trips or just out in the yard without making several trips in and out with all the books, pencils, etc.--very handy! We like having a good picnic quilt so we can do lesson anywhere on a nice day.

Computer programs for me:
Homeschool Tracker Plus (HTP)--I just love it!
MS Excel I use for laying out and organizing my lesson plans in math because I am mesh several resources together (before I input them on HTP).
MS Word I use quite a bit for making index cards and I use index cards in binders for several subjects.
MS One Note is wonderful for creating a unit studies or just keeping/organizing notes, recipes, addresses, to do lists, etc., for myself!
Adobe Acrobat has come in so handy also.

Computer programs for learning:
Quarter Mile Math is hands down the most motivating math software for my daughter.
Foreign Language: I like Tell Me More, but Rosetta Stone is also very good.

As to the consumables, one thing I did not see mentioned, which has helped my daughter a great deal with math with place values and learning to place her equations in neat rows and columns, is grid paper. I bought a good size stack of it at an Office Depot special buy during the back-to-school sales the year before last and we have enough for several years.

Another thing I found we needed to have on hand, that I did not plan on was a good corrective pencil grip. If your children don't need one, that is great, but I have found that children can suddenly change the way they hold their pencils and it is quite difficult to find such under-a-dollar items like that, because we don't have a school supply store anywhere near us so both the gas and shipping costs more than the item!

 

A laminating machine - I laminate a TON of stuff (that grid paper for math ROCKED!)

Dry erase markers.....we write on the laminated or sheet protected paper with these...

Oh - I LOVE Amazon I have their prime membership so I get my books in 1-2 days without paying shipping. We have saved so much because of that program... I had things such as new printers ship...even a table saw for DH.

My Teacher Card at Joann Fabrics... 15% off everything - even sale items. Last time I saved $20 using my coupons and card.

Microsoft Office. I TRIED Open Office which is free - but it never clicked for me. We ordered the Academic version of "Student" & "Professional" for around $200 total so we can have it on up to 6 systems - and we use it on all 6.

I have my laptop - its my main computer now.....also wireless router with a 500Gig USB hard drive attached to it which has all my homeschool downloads on it.

USB Flash drives..... I share info with both kids this way....also both kids have a laptop - Jake a Netbook & Alexis has a very old IBM.... they email me assignments (they just like doing that) through gmail. Not NEEDED - but somedays it makes life easier because they feel they are "hi-tech"