Well, this is timely since I’m going to be going through all my curriculum soon because I am relocating it in my house. These were great tips. I think I’m middle ground as I don’t keep a ton of curriculum on hand but I definitely have resources that I am not currently using with my kids that I can and do share with others when the need arises. I loved the tip on getting rid of resources YOU don’t like as well as books you don’t like to read aloud. I have definitely done that in the past. No sense in keeping those items around!
Yes--because the homeschool mom is a major factor in the homeschool--when you really don't like a resource for whatever reason, you're just not likely to pick it up and use it, and it's probably taking up unnecessary space.
I’m genuinely wondering what your thoughts are on the cost of Sonlight. I love the curriculum from what I’ve seen and heard; however I have a 5, 10 and 17 year old which would cost me nearly $3,000 just to start with that curriculum. Maybe I’m missing something? Are you able to use this because you already had it and it’s been passed on? Do you put it together on your own by buying books separately? I’m so confused on how to use that curriculum and make it cost effective. Any tips?
My mom has homeschooled for 30 years and over the decades gradually built up her collection of Sonlight cores--which she got an excellent cost-per-use out of, with 8 children cycling through them over the course of many years (my teenage sister this past year was reading the exact same Sonlight books that I fondly remember reading 15 or so years ago--and I do mean the exact same copies--they are a little worse for wear these days). But the HBLs alone don't usually cost 1k apiece, at least not until the high school years. My general thoughts on the cost of educating children is that it's a worthwhile investment. Granted, with our family living overseas, that skews my perspective. The cost of curriculum--even expensive curriculum--seems like a steal because "free" government education is not an option since we are foreigners--the only alternative to homeschool is a private school which costs so, so much more. So, when comparing the cost of re-usable curriculum to the cost of private education in a local international school, it feels like a very good deal. Many people who want to use Sonlight do find ways to do it cheaper--borrowing books from the library, from friends, or buying them used instead of buying new HBLs from Sonlight. It's most cost effective when you're able to re-use the same programs from one child to the next (i.e. if you can use the same high school HBL for all three of your children, that cuts down the cost-per-use) For myself, I don't love the K or A-C levels of Sonlight, and I've opted for other options for my boys for the early elementary years. I think their levels for higher grades click better for me.
We keep work we want to remember, sometimes my kids keep stuff!!! Idk what we need in the portfolio but after it’s assessed we don’t need to keep it!!! My work gave us the option to use their state so we switched states!!! We should do the bonfire thing on the beach!!! My 16 year old is planning his wedding and my friends are reminding me grandkids are closer than I think!!! I’m the homeschool go to for my colleague’s who are new to homeschooling!!!
I just had to go through a declutter because my bookshelf was full, and I just got several boxes of books and curriculum for the next year, so I had to let a lot go. I plan to offer it to my homeschool group.
When the bookshelf is full is often that signal that it's time to go through resources and be honest about whether you want and need to keep them or can pass them on.
Thank you for telling me to toss outdated stuff. 😭 The archivist in me is not always friends with reality! We're pre-prepping to move in the next year, and I've had to strip down my huge wall of bookshelves to just one shelf full, for school, personal reading, our family's set of hymnals that get daily use... everything! Guess what. It's such a relief!! Admittedly, partly because I know I'm not permanently pruning, 😅 but also because my "silent to-do list" is not screaming in my face every day! I'm trying to be painfully honest of what all I'll get to in a year, and it still won't be the whole shelf full. I'm hoping and praying this at last teaches me to teach my children, and not the curriculum! That's always the goal, but when you have so many good resources to heap on people... 😇
I have also had to tell my mom to toss outdated things--these maps aren't accurate anymore, we're never going to use them, and we aren't actually a library of historical documents (although sometimes it might feel that way...) And I am cheering your on in the goal of teaching your children, not the curriculum! You can do it!!
I resell old content on Ebay to recoop funds, donate less valuable items, etc. I keep some things from the older kids for my youngest. I definitely enjoy trying different things out. I tend to shop sales, thrift, or purchase on Ebay to save money. I recently decluttered and now need to do it again. 😂
They are typically most attached to the same sorts of things that I want to save--stories or art that they put a lot of effort into. Handwriting worksheets, math worksheets, no, they don't feel any need to keep.
I briefly mentioned it in this video, but my approach definitely tends to be keeping things organized as I go as much as possible vs. having a huge organizing session. And that tends to be my approach to a lot of things--i.e. washing dishes after every meal and snack means I'm only ever washing a few dishes, not a big piles of dishes. I make sure homeschool supplies get put back correctly every day. Now, about once a year I do have to do a major reshuffling, because I will get out the new curriculum and put away books that aren't currently being used so that everything I need to access quickly is now easily accessible. But yes, we all have a lot on our plate with the many tasks of life--we just move from one little task to the next, all the while keeping the baby from chewing on random stuff, right? :)
Dried out markers and used up glue sticks in the art supply bin are still found regularly in my home. My kids are all teens. I've only been homeschooling for 4 years, so still building that library of resources. My kids have expressed a desire to homeschool their kids and have requested certain things be set aside for that future purpose.
That's awesome that they're already requesting you to save some resources for the next generation! I have loved getting to use resources from my mom's collection, and I know that as my boys grow they will benefit from reading so many books that she's saved!
My kids are only 2 and 5 years old and my 5yo daughter already says she wants to homeschool her kids...so I feel "pressure" To save everything for her...18yrs worth of homeschool stuff will be waiting when she becomes a mama 😅😅😅
That's so cute!! My oldest says she will homeschool her kids, but she hasn't asked for supplies to remain for them. Luckily, I have been thinking about it! 😅😂
Workbooks get ceremonially torn up and thrown in the recycling! Most of what I keep is art and stories like you, although a lot of that is saved as a picture or a file. I can't seem to throw away crayons... they keep coloring the whole way down! 😅
"ceremonially torn up" - gotta have our homeschool ceremonies. I do want to re-institute our ceremonial beach bonfires one days but the toddler/preschooler season never feels like the right time. I know I was in high school when my family started that one...
