It is easier than ever to homeschool in the age of technology, and so many resources are available for free that I believe it would be possible to get your kids to high school graduation barely spending a penny. If I needed or decided to, I could homeschool for free. To be clear, I don't. I have bought lots of wonderful books and resources that now are littered with underlines and margin notes or have pages torn out for coloring. But I choose very carefully what I will own. I have bought a few resources that have sat barely used on the bookshelf for years, so I generally borrow a book from the library or a friend before I commit to buying. With that, I want to share some of my favorite free resources and how they play into our homeschooling days.
The Library
Of course you knew I'd start there. With the library system the way it is today, you can find almost any book in existence and have it sent to your local library through Inter-Library Loan. But even the local library is packed with resources on nearly any topic. When my kids have an interest in a specific topic, we find that section in the library and go to town! I have yet to be disappointed, though my children's interests are wide and varied. Dinosaurs? Check. Outer space? Check. The Periodic Table? Check. Star Wars? Check, check, check!
YouTube
Used with some common sense, YouTube has become my most frequent go-to for multimedia material. A simple search for children's songs about any topic under the sun gives you a list a mile long! I would recommend previewing first; obviously you want to make sure the video is what it says it is, and is not offensive, but also there are plenty of YouTube videos for kids that are just plain duds. Awful, boring, uninspiring stuff is everywhere. But there are plenty of gems hidden in there if you take the time to look!
The other use I have found for YouTube is listening to free audiobooks. Most audiobooks that can be found on LibriVox (another awesome, free resource) are available on YouTube in one continuous stream. No need to click on the next chapter, the whole book is read for you in one go.
Google Earth
I could use Google Earth as my entire geography curriculum. Plunk the kids down at the computer and explore the world! They even consider it a game, and they are excited to tell Dad that they got to "play" Google Earth. When we read a book set in a different country, we can travel there in an instant. With the added benefits of street view and photographs, we can get a pretty good idea of every place we want to explore. Last spring we took a family road trip to Boston; in preparation for the trip, we checked out our route on the computer, and when we got back we zoomed in on Boston to remind us of all the sites we saw!
The Backyard
It's pretty amazing what the kids can teach themselves when they're simply set free in the backyard. After a day of digging in the dirt, the boys taught me that there are some pretty awesome (read: gross) bugs living beneath our lilac tree. We also have a huge log out back that the kids take turns hammering nails into, learning coordination, turn-taking, concentration, and all sorts of other useful skills. One of the beautiful aspects of homeschooling is the opportunity to take advantage of long hours outside in every type of weather. There have been many weekdays that have found us reading books in the grass in spring, or throwing snowballs in winter, during regular school hours.
Pinterest/Blogs/Internet Searches
I have a few favorite blogs that I follow, but more often than not I turn to Pinterest or a quick Google search to find an activity for a topic we are studying. People are more than willing to share their talents and knowledge online, and I've found that to be especially true with homeschooling moms. Whole units are available free to download in some places! There are lists of science experiements using only common kitchen items, crafts consisting solely of construction paper and glue, countless ideas of how to teach using what you already own. Sure, the packaging may not be as flashy, the outcome not quite as "frame-worthy", but I can tell you that my kids learned just as much from a baking soda and vinegar volcano in an old jelly jar surrounded with play-doh than they would have from a brightly packaged, store-bought version. Maybe even more.
There are many reasons to spend money on good, solid curriculum choices and reference books; I love having our shelves filled with resources and inspiration. But it is just amazing what is available to aid your children in their education journey without having to open your pocketbook!
