Homeschooling on a TIGHT Budget!

HOMESCHOOLING on a TIGHT Budget

*A list of FREE printables, great websites, blogs, and books that I love to use for our homeschooling. 

*Programs I've looked into and used

I can only say what I've used for Pre-K to 1st grade at this point. But most of these resources have Pre-K to 12th grade so it shouldn't be too different.

Try not to get too overwhelmed. There are SO many resources out there (thousands!). Look up what your child needs to learn for their grade level in your particular state and THEN go from there! If they are doing more advanced work than "required", awesome! If not then you know what to work on. Make a list of what YOU want them to learn and what is required. Then make a schedule that works for you. I have little ones (under 1, 2, K and 1st) so nap times, and anytime the baby is sleeping or distracted or when we are traveling is my "School time". Daddy doesn't have a normal 9-5 job (We own our own business. Yes, I'm insane.) so that means sometimes he's home early to help and other times he's not home until after they go to bed. So our "schedule" doesn't always work perfectly. I just kind of wing it and just refer back to my schedule when I need to, making sure we are on track. I'm hoping as the kids get older a schedule will work better for us. The Harmony Education Program really helped with all this. (See below)

THE LIST:

Educents.com --This is a referral link. I get Edubucks,$10, for every person I refer that signs up with my link and makes a purchase of $25 or more on their site. You can also earn Edubucks by making purchases and referring friends!) There are also TONS of FREE printables, resources, and apps on there! Just search "Free" and you'll have 100's of pages! You can search by grade level as well. They also have a gift $10 get $10 program. So ya, awesome!

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Websites&Blogs we LOVE:

https://allinonehomeschool.com/

https://www.education.com/

https://writebonnierose.com/history-timeline/

https://www.superteacherworksheets.com/

https://www.goodandbeautiful.com/
(lots free!)

https://www.learnoutloud.com/

https://jenmerckling.com/homeschool/

https://www.gmajormusictheory.org/index.html

https://www.homeschoolprintablesforfree.com/

http://clarkness.com/index.htm

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Confessions of a Homeschooler Blog --She is absolutely amazing and has helped me be more organized and make more sense of the whole homeschooling world! She has SOOOOOooooo much stuff on there! Free printables and whole curriculum sets and advice on what programs she's used, etc. Hands down she is my go to for any homeschooling questions and answers!

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Reading Resources I Love:
(Ones with '*' by them are my updates!)

*Homer Reading App—have to pay for a subscription, but I is soooo amazing and all my kids love it!

*Lexia Core 5–Absolutely love this program! We get it free through our program. It’s a Rosetta Stone Program and has supporting worksheets!

*www.readingbear.org 
Just discovered this online, easy to follow, lots of visuals and videos (so great for the kids and mom!) And completely FREE! So fantastic! It's a great place to start (Pre-k/beginners-3rd grade reading level)

 Usborne's Very First Reading Library and other Phonics books

*www.sightandsoundreading.com
(This is great for free printables and they also have a learning to read app/videos which isn't super awesome, but it seems to work ok) 

*www.sightwords.com
(Also just descovered. Has some great free printable flash cards and lots of other great stuff for teaching your child to read!)

*www.readingeggs.com
(We get this free through our school, but I have to say, it has been fantastic! My 5 yr old is learning to read and she doesn't even realize that's what she's doing! She just thinks she's playing games! Also has an app)

*I also love Usborne books (s5085.myubam.com) phonics readers,workbooks,beginner reading sets,etc.
once they get the basics down. They also have a great app/site that goes with their "Starting to read pack" (which Im really loving the activity book and poster and duel readers that come with this set!) Anyway the app/site is free here: teachyourmonstertoread.com

*And you can usually snag some great printable's over at education.com
or teacherspayteachers.com

These phonics books are free and have printable worksheets too:

Progressivephonics.com

I LOVE this site! They have free ebook that you can view via pdf or print them out. They also have free printable worksheets to go along with most books. My daughter really likes them. We have used Bob books as well, but for some reason it's like pulling teeth with her on those.

Another great website is

readingeggs.com

I'm not sure what the pricing is now, but it has done a TON to help Allison. They have gaves,books,lessons,etc to help with reading. She seems to like abcmouse.com better though. Prob. because it has more than just reading stuff. And she gets tickets she can buy things with, it has her own little world with pets and stuff she can take care of too. And it has printable! So it's a better value for your money than reading eggs I think, but reading eggs does focus just on the reading so if that's all they really need it's great!

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BookOutlet.com --This has been one of my favorite sites to find new and used books, coloring books, educational books,kids-adult books,sticker books, and even Usborne books, shhh don't tell....OH WAIT! TELL! TELL EVERYONE! Because guess what!? They have a referral program too! How sweet is that!? Just click on the link above! OH! But DO NOT FORGET, after you've signed up, go HERE and sign up for Ebates and get 10% CASH BACK by shopping at Bookoutlet.com (and TONS of other places! I pretty much don't shop online without first going to ebates and checking for deals and seeing if I can get cash back. Christmas time I especially save a LOT!) Um yes, I think we have a awesome winner here! 
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BUT, EVEN BETTER, If you want to get lots of FREE Books (with little effort) you should Host a Usborne Books & More Facebook Party! You can also get tons of 1/2 price books! Now who doesn't want FREE BOOKS!?
Go HERE to book a party or comment below for more details.

The Harmony Ed program also uses mostly Usborne Books for their Elective Kits! I am way excited to get ours this year! 

And if you use Harmony you should just become a Usborne Consultant because you will want to get more books even after you've spent your allowance ;)

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rainbowresource.com
has great prices and some great curriculum choices. I like the Brain Quest full grade curriculum and their cards to go with them. They also have other books that are "Full Grade Curriculum" which is great! (HERE is anotger one we like) And they won't break the bank. If they are color I just tare them out and put them in the page protectors and if they are black and white I like to make copies and let them color/write on the actual pages.

"Map Skills" by Teaching resources is great. They have lots of other books too.

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If you are overwhelmed by the cost of ink to print things off:
Get HP Instant Ink!
It saves me SO MUCH on ink and I don’t have to think about ordering more ink anymore! It auto sends me more ink (free) and plans start at just $2.99 a month! No more ink refill mess!
**Go HERE first and read more about it! BUT make sure you use my code for the friend referral code! Here is my code:
sTtFD
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Target--
When I went to Target about a month ago they had some AWESOME homeschool materials in the "$5 and under section". Workbooks, flashcards, mini dry erase cards,etc. And all only $1 each! Not sure if they still have them out, but it's totally worth looking into!
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The Dollar Tree -- They have a website but you can only order in bulk. I guess if you need stuff in bulk it's pretty awesome! We have a local store so it's fantastic. Some aren't as lucky though. I have gotten educational workbooks, prizes for incentives, tickets, play money, containers to organize things, flashcards, things for our bulletin board, school supplies, craft supplies, etc. there. Be sure and compare pricing at Walmart before ordering though. Some things can be cheaper at Walmart. See my post HERE about my laminated quiet book. I got a lot of things from the Dollar Tree and Walmart for it. 

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Walmart.com--Or just our local Walmart. They have TONS of resources that won't break the bank. Such as school supplies, a Laminator (See Post HERE on how laminating your printable worksheets can save TONS!), clear page protectors (which you can use instead of laminating),etc.

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The Homeschool Mom is also a great blog especially those of you homeschooling in Idaho.

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TeachersPayTeachers.com--you can buy things but there are also tons of free ones.

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Harmony Education---If you live in Idaho, Utah, Hawaii or Minnesota this is pretty much the best program! And guess what!? Not only is it FREE but you also get an educational allowance to purchase school supplies and you have a wide variety of curriculum to choose from (which they purchase for you). You can choose to do all your schooling online or do flex worksheets. I did Flex worksheets with my Kindergartener and she blew through them in the first few months. I was able to focus on more things or broaden upon what the worksheets where teaching, etc. It was VERY nice! We also got readingeggs.com to help with her reading. They have mentors to answer any questions you might have.

The downfall is you still have state tests and it is through a local school district which means you may not be in a school district that offers it. They are currently looking at finding a different school district to take us that are outside the West Ada Meridian) school district so there's a chance I may not be able to do it again in the fall. Which would suck. The other downfall is because it's a state thing you can't choose any religious based curriculum. But I found that I could easily incorporate scripture study, and religion into our school work. I was a distant learner from a private, LDS based school out of Utah all through High School so I already had some books and knowledge to do this.(Liahona Academy is the name of it. It's quite expensive but it was the BEST homeshcooling experience one could ever ask for! Mainly because I didn't feel homeschooled because they filmed their classes and we had Super Trips and Youth Conferences to get together!)

There are also other options like Charter or Montessori schools and there's a Heritage Academy in Rexburg that looks great. But there again, they were either impossible to get into or they are expensive. And I want to teach my kids myself if at all possible.   

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*Update*
I came across several other sites over the last week that you might really like! 
This lady has a great method of learning! It's exactly what I want to do for my kids! Just 3-4 times a week she does a few simple lesson then expounds upon things with everyday lessons and methods of learning like cooking,building,etc. And she uses videos,books and activities to teach history and other subjects to really bring them alive.
Check out her FREE curriculum over at
Plain and Not So Plain

Here are a list of 10+ free sites at
 Passion for Savings
as well a some on
Free Homeschooling Deals

And here are others I found:
Mobymax.com
My kids get bored with this but it's great for testing what they k own and at what level. You can sign up as a Homeschooler.

IXL.com

IXL has everything but you can only do practice things so much per day without a membership. It's not as interactive, but again, good for practice and testing their knowledge.

Here are some great phonics worksheets as well HERE over at Super Teacher Worksheets.

I was also talking to my wonderful umm what is your cousins wife called to you? Adopted cousin (haha)? Cousin by marriage? Anyway, she's awesome! She gave me some advice about teaching my kiddos to read. She starts with site words then works on letter sounds then goes from there. I plan to do that with my others since I totally did it backwards with my oldest and it's really confused her!

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Videos and Shows--
I like to use Youtube.com to help my kids visualize or learn more about a certain subject. If they have a question about a certain animal, how something works, or want to learn about another country I usually hit YouTube.com first!
They also have a lot of popular educational shows on there that are on netflix and such if you don't have the luxury of having netflix,hulu,amazon,etc.

Some things to search for on youtube: 
Sid the Science Kid--on netflix but there's videos on youtube as well
HooplaKidzLab --science experiments
HooplaKidz -- this is the reg. channel. It has great alphabet and number videos. My kids love them!
Signing Time-- It's on Netflix but just search "Signing Time" and it should come up with the sign language videos. These are great for teaching your children sign language. My girls love it!

If you want to learn about a certain animal the Animal Planet channel is great. It's easier just to search for specific things like if you want to learn about blue whales search "All about blue whales for kids" I always add the "for kids" at the end so it doesn't come up with things that are over their head. 

For Traveling Stuff my favorite Channel is Travelwithkids

Music--If you want to learn a instrument there are hundreds of channels for learning instruments. All for free! 

Crafts, DIY's, and just about anything you can think of you can find on youtube for free! You just have to search for it! I even found a video that explained "the birds and the bees" to my 6 year old that was to the point but not weird or over her head. Ya, it made that talk a LOT easier for sure! Then if she had any other questions it was a lot easier to expound upon. 

Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood--
I love this show! It teaches so many good principles! It teaches about going potty, sharing, taking turns, trying new things, getting along, what to do when you're afraid and adds the abc's and 123's on top of everything in such a cute way! And so much more! Check youtube.com

Barney and Friends-- A classic. My young ones also enjoy this show. It teaches lots of good things as well. A lot in song form so that your kids remember things in a fun way!

I hope this all helped! If you have any questions please comment or message me! 

Here's some other resources I've used to buy supplies:

Amazon.com

Orientaltrading.com

and many other sites for supplies!

My best advice is to decide what works best for you and your family, pray about it, and do your research on the type of schooling you want for your child. There are TONS of different ways to homeschool and you have to decide what is best for you and your children. Every child learns differently and may respond to different types of schooling. Some are more disciplined and thrive with just worksheets and reading books. Others need more interactive, hands on approaches. I have a little of both so we do a little of everything. 

Bathroom and Kitchen Remodels with Gel Stain!

General Finishes Java Gel Stain. $30 for a quart on Amazon. (Not an affiliate link) We had just enough to do our downstairs bathroom, upstairs main bathroom, and the kitchen. With a little left for touch ups. A little goes a Loooong way!
It says you don't have to sand (if you don't sand do very thin layers until its the darkness you want.)
Use a old t-shirt, old sock, or something similar and wear rubber gloves (you can get a box of surgical gloves or cheaper ones at Sams club, Costco, probably even Walmart, probably Ace Hardware,etc)
We found it took a lot longer to dry if we used thicker layers and we decided to sand the kitchen ones just until the top finish was off. It cut the drying in half by sanding a little. (80 grit sand paper and a hand sander made it quick work!) It soaks into the wood more when sanded. We did 1 thin layer on the back and on the front we did a thin rubbed in layer then used a foam craft brush for the 2nd layer so it looked more even.  I think if you rub in each layer really well,letting each layer dry completely (not sticky at all) and do very thin layers you can get away with not sanding.

 Kitchen BEFORE

(Boring and dated, yuck!)

AFTER!!

So inviting, modern, and beautiful!

After a couple weeks here is my feedback on the durability:

It's absolutely amazing! 

I'm never using paint again! 

I did not use a top coat because it has a beautiful Satin finish already and it says you don't need a top coat so I decided to test it out in the bathrooms and kitchen. 

So far I have seen 

NO SCRATCHING,

No CHIPPING,

MESSES ARE EASILY WIPED OFF,

NOT AFFECTED BY OIL OR WATER!

I even had two cabinets that scratch against each other every time they open and close and I haven't seen a single chip or scratch yet! Once the paint dries and sets it's extremely durable! 

Note: We took off the pads/rubber things that make it so they don't bang shut and got new black pads for the back once we finished. They were only a few dollars at the hardware store. I'm sure Walmart would be even cheaper. I had enough for everything. 

We also got some pulls on Amazon.

The crystal looking knobs HERE

And kitchen and bathroom pulls HERE

I also got some silver knobs for the bathroom we didn't redo HERE

If you want the more modern look you can do these pulls: HERE

We picked up a updated $10 faucet for the bathroom upstairs as well at Walmart. 

My decor on my shelf was from things I'd collected over the years. The words we got as a wedding present, the shaving stuff we inherited from my husbands grandpa, the glass serving cup I get a 4 packs at the Dollar Tree for $1 (I love them!) And the little cup was an old candle holder I cleaned out. The jar is just a old jam jar.

Any other thing you'd like to know where I got them please let me know! I will be happy to share my secrets!

*UPDATE* I recently found this link about this lady who used milk paint and a top coat on her cabinets and didn't have to sand or prime! Might be a good option for you if you want a lighter color. She used General Finishes Milk Paint and Top Coat. Prob won't save as much as I did but it was still a good option if you're after ease. Here's her blog link here

(NO AFFILIATE LINKS)

Gifts for Less!

Christmas gifts for Cheap! 

My nieces are very artistic and go through a ton of blank paper! So I decided to whip out my laminator and laminate a few "blank" pieces of paper they can use over and over again! Of course I wanted to get them started so I put these phrases on here. I also got them a Doodle Tin from Usborne Books and some dry erase markers from the dollar store to go with them! You could also pair them with some dry erase crayons (which work AWESOME!)

I'm in the process of making a jewelry drop tray for my other nieces. You can use thrift store plates, buy them new (The Dollar Tree is a great place to start--thats where I got the crystal ones. The floral ones are Pioneer Woman from Walmart. They are about $4.80 a piece there). I'll prob paint the under side of the clear ones. Permanent paint pens, spray paint, acylic paint?

The candle holders that separate the plates are from a thrift store. And I'll be using E6000 glue to adhere them to the plates!

I haven't decided on the arrangement of the plates yet.
Another idea is to use those silver trays from the Dollar Tree. 

T-shirt Upcycle

This is such an easy,quick project!

It took me maybe 10 mins. 

I just cut the sleeves and collar off and cut strips on the end and braided/tied the strips together. On the white one I kept the sleeves because they were cute:) 

I used size 12mon for the butterfly one and size 4t for the cat one. And of course they were ones that were stained or something from my recycle box so no cost to me!:) 

Super easy and just right for my little girls!

Pikle copy cat cover

 So have you seen those cool In A Pikle bag things lately? They are super cool! But the cases are just not in my price range :S

I wanted to give a couple as gifts for Christmas so here's what I did.
I bought the pouch inserts and made my own cases! They now have a larger one I'd like to make as well for myself. I've seen where people have made similar things and used zip lock bags and just sewed them in the center. I did that with my test one only I still used the snaps to snap the bags in. I sewed several bags together then cut a hole where the snaps are. It works fine but just didn't look as nice. And the bags aren't as durable. I also thought of using clear zipper pouches and just punching holes in them which would work too. I could even sew I line only both sides of the holes so things don't slip out. I just haven't gathered enough pouches and its much cheaper to just buy the pikle inserts!

 Above: possible pouch option
Below: The Pikle inserts

 Above: My first version of the case (VERY rough!) I had the zip lock bags in there before but I forgot to take a picture!

Below: Another possible insert option for a bigger case

So here are my final, finished ones I did to fit the inserts. I didn't want much bulk and I put a little pocket on the outside,elastic on inside, found some stain remover pens at the dollar tree, put some band aids and such in there and wahla! Of course my idea wouldn't have been reality without my mothers sewing abilities so thanks mom for makingy vision a reality!

The inserts cost about $5 for 4 inserts so I got 2 sets and put 2 inserts in each which gives them at least 4 zipper pouches and I had leftovers to make one for myself :D

Anyway, I didn't sell these (and won't) but you could maybe do the same and have something custom to fit your needs! Enjoy!

Simple Fall Decor

I love Fall! Have I mentioned that before? :)
Here are a few simple Fall Decor ideas for you! Some you may have or can make or find easily.

 One of the easiest Autumn Decor ideas is of course pumpkins and gords! These were like $3 at Walmart and they had all different kinds. You could let your kids draw on them if you want:)

 You could whip up a cute chevron table runner! Or buy one. Here's one here and a bunch here

And I have a tutorial coming soon for these cute bumpkin bags!!

Get some foam gords at the local craft store and put them in a glass cup or jar. A mason jar or a big glass one with a lid would be fun!

Simple decor on a corner shelf. Check after Halloween for great deals on decor!

If you have the talent of being a good seamstress you could try your hand at making a cute applique quilt like this and put on banister, hang on the wall, or put on the back of your couch.

You can make or buy a cute wreath and hang on door,wall or mantel. There are many ideas for simple DIY wreaths on Pinterest!

Make or buy some simple cloth napkins or a table cloth. Again, check for sales!

Window clings can be used all over the house! Not just for windows but doors, the fridge, microwave,etc. If you have a silhouette or cricut machine you could cut some cute ones out of vinyl.