Free Curriculum Resources
Homeschooling can cost as much or as little as you like. Free is always good, right? Here is a list of free resources that I have found to be very valuable.
Curriculums:
Supplements:
- Spelling City
- Education.com
- Kinder Printables
- File Folder Fun
- The Crafty Classroom
- Lapbook Lessons
- Learning Page
What are some of your favorite free curriculum resources?
Step Your Way to Your Dream Budget
Photo Credit: lorimarsha
It’s no secret that I believe most households can feed their family for $50 per person per month. If you can afford more than that, it’s okay to spend more. But many single income families need to be at this level to pay off debt or to avoid taking on debt. For many mothers I speak with, $50 per person is overwhelming to think about. I encourage them to gradually step their way to that level as they fine tune their shopping skills. This way families start saving money early, but have wiggle room so no one has to go hungry while they are learning.
If you would like to step your way to a smaller grocery budget, try this simple plan: Set aside your grocery money in a cash envelope. The first month–keep the same budget you’ve always had. Spend $50 per person per month on food you will consume immediately–this month. Spend the rest of the money on lowest cost items as much as you can afford to put in your pantry.
The next month, reduce your total budget by 20%. Continue to spend the $50 per person on food to consume right away and whatever is left to build up your pantry. Continue shrinking your budget by 20% each month until you are down to $50 per person per month.
Then you can divide that money between buying fresh and restocking your pantry. At this point you will eat some out of your pantry as you replace what you eat when the low prices show up again.
While you are practicing your shopping skills, pay close attention to the sale prices you see in the grocery ads and on the shelves. You will notice that some advertised low prices have been lower in the past and will be again in the future. If you can, hold off buying those items until you see them reach their all time low and then buy all you can afford. Occasionally coupons will match up with these sales, but if coupons are overwhelming to you don’t worry about it. I’ve been able to stay at the $50 per person level without touching a coupon.
I believe in you! Go shrink your grocery bills 
.
Workbox Lesson Planner
Summer has been flying by! We have had so much going on, that I haven’t had much time for the computer. My two oldest girls are at horse camp this week and my 19 year old son has decided to move in with my mom and dad for the time being. So… this week, it’s just me and my husband along with our two youngest girls at home. It’s really been quiet.
So, with all of this quiet time… I have been catching up on all that laundry I got behind on during two weeks at campmeeting/ my two week bout of the flu/ten days in Atlanta/two weeks of company/and 1 week of VBS. I have also been deep cleaning my family room/homeschool room in preparation for the new school year. I have also been planning my curriculum for 2010-2011. I love planning for our school year!
I want to share my new Workbox Planner Form with you. It is simple, nothing fancy, but is what I am using this year. I do only have space for 10 boxes as that is what I am using. I hope you enjoy!
I let you know which books we’ll be using this coming year soon!
Creative Cooking
Penne Frittata and Pepperonia Kale. This meal was a prime example of substituting what I had in my pantry to save a trip to the store and also to save from buying more expensive ingredients. It is meatless (except for the pepperoni) which also saves on costs, but has plenty of protein from the eggs, yogurt and cheese. The kale is from our garden. It was overgrown but still had great flavor.
This Frittata recipe is inspired by Martha Stewart’s. I didn’t have milk, ricotta, or fresh basil so I made a few adjustments. Here’s the recipe as I used it. Next time I would use a little less salt and less basil. Darren and I loved it, but the kids did not.
6 eggs
1 cup plain fat free yogurt
1/4 cup parmesean cheese
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 cups cooked whole wheat penne pasta
Beat eggs, stir in yogurt, cheese and spices. Fold in pasta. Pour into a greased cast iron skillet and bake at 400 degrees until eggs are set, about 30 minutes. (I put mine in a cold oven and let the eggs cook while the oven heated up. I thought this would give the cook first on the stove top and transfer to the oven feel without having to stand over it and burn the bottom.
Pepperoni Kale (What happens when I run out of turkey bacon–it was fantastic!)
6 slices of beef pepperoni, chopped (or use a meatless substitute if you prefer)
1 onion sliced
1 large bunch of kale, washed and sliced
Stir fry the pepperoni and onion together until the onion is clear. Add the kale and cook just until barely wilted. Remove from heat and salt gently.
Our Deck
A few years ago my handy husband built a deck that sits in our front yard made from wood he salvaged from a new neighborhood that was being built down the road from us. An amazing thing happened after the deck was finished. As bizarre as it sounds, it has made being outdoors more interesting. Our BBQ pit (doesn’t every Texas home have one) sits right beside the deck. My homemade (from freecycle remnants) bench sits on the end closest to the BBQ pit (for chillin’ out while your BB-quin’). And, we’ve placed a few potted fruit trees on the corners along with some roses.
It’s absolutely wonderful for laying on your back and watching shooting stars or jumping off of in pursuit of fireflies. My in-laws come up on their way to feed the chickens and sit down for a spell on our deck. It’s the meeting spot for our family. My son and his grandparents use it as the airplane when they play army and it’s base when we play tag. And now our above-ground pool resides on it for the summer. Despite having a porch, which we merely use for relaxing, our deck is the launching pad for our outdoor entertainment.
I hope this summer that your family finds their own “deck’ and happy place outside – the place where you gather to enjoy each other and the nature that surrounds you – whether you’re in the country or in your own backyard in a neighborhood.
Homeschool Freebies – June 15, 2010
Photo Credit: The Ramblings of a Crazy Woman
- Free Worksheets
- Ocean Worksheets from Learning Page
- The Island-below-the-Star Unit Study
- How to Raise Tadpoles
- Frog Lapbook
- Another Frog Lapbook
- God’s Amazing Sea Creatures Unit Study
- Nature Study at the Beach
- Handprint Crabs Craft (scroll down)
- National Geographic Sea Animals Coloring Book
Book Recommendations:
- The Island-below-the-Star by James Rumford
- Frogs by Nic Bishop
- The Frogs and Toads of North America
- Frogs Toads and Turtles by Diane Burns
- Days with Frogs and Toad by Arnold Lobel
How to Have a Money Making Garage Sale
Photo Credit: Morning Toast
We just finished a big garage sale and it was a great success. Not only did I clear out a ton of stuff, but I made nearly $400 to use towards our kitchen remodel. I’ve talked to a lot of people about garage sales. Some people seem to make money while others don’t. I grew up with the best garage sale manager west of the Mississippi (my mom) and thought I would pass on some never fail garage sale tips.
1. Invite a friend or 2 to join you. The more stuff you have the more people will stop. It’s also handy to have someone to take turns watching the sale for bathroom breaks, childcare breaks, and meal preparations.
2. The #1 garage sale day of the week is Wednesday. If you can’t be open 3 days (Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday) then pick at least one of the big days to be open.
3. Get as many tables and clothing racks as possible. In a pinch you can lay a door over 2 saw horses to use as a table. You can make an inexpensive rack from PVC pipe. Borrow tables from family, friends, neighbors or your church.
4. Take the time to clean your items. A little bit of elbow grease will insure you get a better price. Dirty items have a good chance of staying put no matter how cheaply they are priced.
5. Do price every item, or have a flat rate for certain things that are clearly labeled. “All clothes $.50” for example. “Make offer” sales frustrate the buyer because they have to stop and ask about every item and are embarrassed to offend you by offering too low. Most people walk away from a sale like this.
Tip: Cut squares off masking tape rolls and stick them to cookie sheets to make price tags.
6. If more than one person is in the sale, use a 2 initial code for each person and then keep a spiral notebook with a page for each person in the sale. Masking tape tabs on the pages will help you flip to the page quickly. Leave the first few pages in the notebook blank for writing daily totals, and when the sale isn’t busy you can transfer each person’s earnings to their page.
7. Try to organize your sale as well as possible. Put housewares together, office supplies together, group clothing by size and season. We had limited time to do this before the sale opened, but I walked around moving items as things sold until the sale was well organized. Every time a sold item made an empty spot, I shifted items to fill the spot. This spread things out so each item could be seen and kept our sale looking huge even though more than half the original items were gone.
Tip: Move especially appealing items, like a beautiful dress or a super cute swim suit, to a front spot that can be seen from the road. Keep tools and other “man” type items in prominent places too. Men can be some of your biggest customers but most will only shop a few minutes.
8. If the weather is sunny, pull tables and items into the driveway. The more stuff that can be seen from the road the more likely people will stop instead of driving by slowly and moving on.
9. If you see a person driving by slowly, wave a friendly hello. They feel noticed and are more likely to stop and look around now that they realize they’ve been seen.
10. Signs are very important! The simpler and easier to be seen the better. High contrast black writing on white signs is perfect. “Write Yard Sale” or “Garage sale” with a large black arrow in huge thick letters. Cover it with plastic to protect from the elements. Be sure you have a sign at every turn and periodically check through the day to make sure your signs are still there. Good manners require that you remove signs at the end of the day and put them out again when the sale reopens.
Tip: Don’t forget the sign in the yard. You don’t want anyone to think that you are moving or just cleaning out the garage .
11. Advertising your sale on Craigslist is free, easy to do, and will bring extra traffic. Especially do this if you have large or specialty items. Posting photos of your key items and setup will help encourage people to make the trip.
12. For safety, wear your money in a fanny pack, and start the sale with plenty of ones and quarters to make change. Periodically take large amounts of money into the house in a safe place. If someone robs you, calmly hand over the pouch. It will only be a part of your earnings from the sale.
13. Don’t price items too high. Good jeans with no holes are worth $1 or $2. Most kid’s clothes move best at $.50 an item. If you have a lot of name brand great quality items, you should try to sell them at a consignment store like Children’s Orchard first. Pricing things right will earn you a great reputation and get people coming back year after year. On the other hand, a friend of ours in the sale had a lot of new looking purses priced at $.25 each. I could have easily gotten a dollar each for them. When in doubt, get a second opinion from a garage sale buddy. If several people look at the item and put it back you can bet the price is too high. It’s fine to walk around and mark your items down while the sale is going.
Tip: I love buying clothes at garage sales. When we can’t wear them anymore I sell them for the same price I paid for them and use the money to buy at garage sales again. Contrast that with buying clothes new and then selling them at a garage sale taking the money and buying new again. The loss is substantial.
I see having a garage sale as a ministry. We could just take our items to a thrift store where they will bump the price up 6-10 times the garage sale value. (The proceeds usually go to a worthy cause.) Or we can offer our items at low prices for a few days and give people a chance to really save while we recoup some money to help our families. After the sale take what’s left to the thrift store and donate to help them raise funds for their worthy cause. It’s a win-win situation.
A question I’m often asked is: Do you save items from a garage sale for a future sale? I used to and often the items did sell at a later date. Recently I’ve felt the joy of decluttering! The thought of taking any of those things back home was terrible. It felt really good to donate them to a worthy cause.
Homeschool Freebies – May 18, 2010
- Preserve Backyard Flowers
- Holly Bloom’s Garden Unit Study
- Dandelion Lapbook and Unit Study
- Wildflower Crown
- Edible Flower Recipes
- Time of Wonder Lapbook
- WhatBird.com
- Cornell’s Bird Coloring Book
- Create Your Own Field Guide
- Recycled Bird Feeder Craft
Book Recommendations:
- Holly Bloom’s Garden by Sarah Ashman
- Backyard Birds (Peterson Field Guide for Young Naturalists)
- Time of Wonder by Robert McCloskey
- Dandelion by Don Freeman
- National Audubon Society’s Field Guide to Wildflowers
How to Stay on the Frugal Path
You already know what to do. Saving money is just using common sense. Then why is it so hard? The emotions behind it make it hard. It’s the same with weight loss. Eat less, exercise more. It works; it’s not complicated. So why do I struggle with it? It’s how I FEEL about it that makes it hard.
When we started our get out of debt journey I pushed myself through the first pity-party by remembering the pictures the missionaries brought back of how the other part of the world lives. My poverty was riches compared to the daily life of a large part of the world.
Since it felt pretty selfish to feel sorry for myself, I started feeling sorry for my kids. They couldn’t have new clothes or all the latest toys. Surely I was depriving them. Then I saw they were happier not to be overwhelmed with things. Have you ever noticed a young child at a birthday party? All they want to do is play with the gift they just opened, only to be forced to set it aside to open another one. It often ends with tears. After a few years of that, the child learns to open a gift, set it aside and say, “Next.” This child is left with feelings of disappointment when the last gift is opened. When children learn early that there will be just one gift, they are free to enjoy it and appreciate it.
My husband was blessed with a great job last year and though nothing in life is secure, we aren’t afraid for the moment. We are catching up on household repairs and replacing our savings from our previous months of unemployment. It’s harder for me to be frugal when we have an adequate salary, but I push through by keeping my eye on the goal. I imagine what it will feel like to have the house paid off, to walk barefoot through the grass in the yard and know it belongs to me. I imagine taking my children on a vacation that involves an airplane and a boat, a beach, and a mountain. I imagine walking into my kitchen when all the appliances work properly and there’s no hole in the counter. I think about sitting on my porch watching the kids play basketball on a driveway that isn’t crumbling and a freshly painted house. I think about these things and I put the candle back on the shelf at the store. It’s worth it.
When it is hard to stay on the frugal path, I think about others who sacrifice even more just to survive. I think about how good it is for my children, and I think about the future and how much better life will be if I persevere with the plan.
Now if I could get the same discipline when dealing with food. I keep telling myself, “Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels.” But it’s easier to believe it when I’m not hungry. I think we all have different areas of struggle, and we need each other for encouragement, support, and new ideas to make it easier.
Here is a money saving recipe:
Creamed Eggs and Biscuits
Biscuits:
2 cups whole wheat flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup of butter, melted
2 cups cold buttermilk or thin yogurt
Mix flour, salt and soda. Whisk butter into buttermilk for 3 minutes or until the butter starts to form small pieces. Stir buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture just until a soft dough forms. Turn onto a floured surface and pat ¾ of an inch thick. Cut 10 biscuits with a biscuit cutter. Bake at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes.
Eggs:
6 eggs, boiled, peeled and sliced
3 cups of milk
6 Tablespoons of flour
½ teaspoon of salt
¼ teaspoon of pepper
While biscuits are cooking, whisk milk, flour, salt and pepper in a skillet. Cook and stir over medium heat until milk thickens. Drop in egg slices and cook for a few minutes more until the eggs are warmed. Serve the creamed eggs over the biscuits. This is great paired with freshly boiled beets from the garden and steamed lamb’s quarter gathered from the yard.
The Bridge Of Grace
A few years ago, a wise friend of mine posed a simple question that both amused and challenged me at the same time. In the midst of a conflict, she asked, “Is this a bridge you want to die on?” Over time, this inquiry has become my “reality check”, while I prayerfully serve God as a mother.
Imagine you are standing on a bridge that represents the road of life. On one end you see the challenges of today charging towards both you and your children. At the other end is the future, unseen, but full of promise. While spiritual war rages around you, worldly desires and distractions cause the bridge to sway. Therefore, a wise mother must remember to tread prayerfully, walking securely in grace.
Furthermore, we do not walk alone. Marked by motherhood, we have been given the divine task of leading our children as well. Truly, the responsibilities are heavy and much is at stake. For life has two paths. While one bridge leads to life, another leads to death. To be sure, the road we travel with our children deeply matters to God. Noticeably, His path is marked by grace.
Biblically we are advised, “do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” Ephesians 6:4 NIV. In short, we are to shower our children with grace, so they may grow strong in the Lord. As mothers and women of faith, we must guide our children in grace that they might grow to follow His commands. Christ is the bridge that leads to life. And where we lead, our children shall surely follow.
I was reminded of this truth one morning last week. Weary and coffee deprived, I nearly stumbled into a trap set to separate me from my eight year old future fashionista, Lily Grace. Wearing turquoise skinny jeans, a royal blue tunic, and brown sandals, Lily held her head high as she strutted into the kitchen and confidently sat down at the breakfast table. Seeing this mismatched clothing combination as fashion triumph, my daughter looked longingly for my approval.
My first reaction, however, was to order her to find something more suitable to wear. By suitable, I mean something more to MY taste. With God’s help, I kept my pointed criticisms to myself. Rather than go to war over my daughter’s apparel, I overlooked her fashion experiment, and offered grace instead. With a few tweaks and accessories offered in love, Lily stepped out the door beaming. More importantly, I had not allowed my daughter to be separated from me through conflict. Wisely, I had bridged the gap between us with grace.
Though this one battle may seem insignificant now, there are others looming in our future. Persistent and cunning, my enemy (Satan) wishes to isolate my daughter from my wisdom. As she grows, Lily will surely encounter many snares of style. Dutifully, I must faithfully lead her along the bridge of grace. Continuously, I must remember that the steps I take with Lily today shall determine the level of trust she places in me tomorrow.
Armed with truth and love, I must persistently lead my daughter to the One who bridged the gap of sin through Christ. For it is on the bridge of grace that Lily will find her place in God’s Kingdom. Marked by grace, it is the bridge that leads to life. Luke 2:40 NIV.
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