I question how useful the iPad is for HSing. I was tempted to get one too, but there is no keyboard. A kindle fire or nook tablet is half the price. A full size laptop is also considerably cheaper. Is there something specific you want it for?
We actually have one now. My kids LOVE this thing. It's not used exclusively for school. It's more of a reward/incentive to get requirements done in a timely manner. It's great for getting extra practice with our math facts in while being entertaining at the same time=less moaning and groaning about practicing multiplication, etc. We bouht one used from Amazon, so it wasn't as huge an investment as a brand new one was. I really recommend it. It comes in handy when they are working on a study and need the computer at the same time too. One is on the laptop and the other is on the i-pad, so it works well for us
We LOVE our iPad (1st and 3rd grades)! We use it for: a) school video supplements (videos for history, Schoolhouse Rock videos on youtube, etc.) b) supplemental practice (math facts, game apps such as Stack the States, Presidents vs Aliens, help with writing stories with the app Story Builder,"etc.) c) presentations (our 3rd grader "taught" a lesson on Abraham Lincoln to DD and me after researching him - he used the Prezi app to make the presentation) d) fun jump-offs (yesterday we discovered the fun of Ansel's Africa - we learned about the areas of Africa, animals, vocabulary words, etc. The kids and I were enthralled for an hour just having fun while learning) e) reading (great for my mildly dyslexic 3rd grader who hates reading - he is motivated by the e-reader options, as well as a series of biographies of notable people in graphic novel/comic form) f) fun art options (How to Draw app, 123D Sculpt, Robot Tycoon, Air Coaster) We only use it as a supplement or extra practice or even as an incentive - we typically have a "No Screen Time Before 3pm" rule, but if we are at a dr's appt in the waiting room, I let them play a couple of the math fact games then they can play Uno or something together on it).
I have the Kindle Fire and we definitly use it daily for school work. It is used more as a reward then as the main school work, but my daughter really loves it. We haveabout 15 educational apps for math, reading, and geography. It was definanty worth the price.
We have the Kindle Fire too & I recommend it over the ipad. Id say the only downfall it carries is no camera...but I'm thinking I have about 6 other devices and 2 cameras that take photos/videos so I don't really need it. One definite perk is you get one random paid app for free every day. We have little kids and have got several neat apps for them. For us too, of course, but educationally speaking....for them.
Cornopean, you can buy wireless keyboards for IPads. We use a few apps, I searched online for " homeschool" apps and found a lot of them.
We are thinking of getting the ipad3 (the new one) for our 8th and 2nd grader (just one they share). Does anyone know of any curriculum designed for the ipad? I know our local schools are all going paperless with the ipads, so curriculums have to be available... Even without them I think the educational apps are definitely worth it but it would simplify our lives if some of the curriculum were available too. We have the nook which we LOVE for reading, but it doesn't seem as versatile as the ipad.
There are textbooks in the app store. I can't remember the name right now, something like iUniversity or something. Might be worth looking into though.
We just bought a Nook tablet. I must say.....I am impressed. There is a kazillion books available for it. good stuff for the kids too. and it's half the price of an iPad.
