DIY Homeschool Supplies to Save You Money!

Homeschooling can be really expensive.  We're also a single income family so money can be pretty tight sometimes.  Over the years I've learned a few tricks for making our pennies last.

  My favourite is making things myself.  I loooove the whole DIY movement and with Pinterest, the ideas are endless.  I've pulled together some of my favourite money-saving, homeschool related DIY projects to help YOU save some money!

How to Make Glitter Paint from Simple Fun for Kids
Homemade Self- Hardening Clay from Redfly Creations
Homemade Stamp Pads from Paging Fun Mums
Homemade Glue from Paging Fun Mums
Easy Homemade Water Colours from Growing a Jeweled Rose

DIY Rustic Art Display Hanger from Making It In the Mountains
Pringles Can Turned Paint Brush Holder from Mod Podge Rocks
How to Make a DIY Supply Board from Should I Be Mopping the Floor
DIY File Folder Box from Mothering with Creativity
Goodwill Mirror to Chalkboard Tutorial from Our Southern Home
How to Make a Homemade Globe from Bright Hub Education
Make Your Own Whiteboard from Modern Mrs. Darcy
DIY Bulletin Board from Fun Cheap or Free

DIY Wooden Base Ten Blocks from And Next Comes L
DIY: Number cards, hundred squares, teens and tens from Walk Beside Me
DIY Skip Counting Boards from Classical Conversations at Home
Make Your Own Abacus from education.com

Toddler Fine Motor with Objects Around the Home from Pink Oatmeal
Homemade Light Table from Learn Create Love
The $30, 30-Minute, Do-It-Yourself Sensory Table from A Teaching Mommy
Feed the Alphabet Monster Game from I Can Teach My Child
DIY Salt Tray and Alphabet Cards from This Mummas Life

What projects would you add to the list?

Valentine's Day Writing Prompt {Free Printable}

We've been writing little love letters to all of our favourite Valentines.  It's been great printing and spelling practice for B and she has enjoyed writing letters to mail to her friends.  I've asked W and A dictate what they want to say and I write it down for them.  I have to say, the things that they love about people are downright adorable!  This is why I love Valentine's Day!

They're also including drawing of their loved ones.  Because who doesn't love a hand drawn portrait?

If you would like to write some little love letters with your children, please help yourself to this free Valentine's Day printable by clicking the image below.  

Where I share: Mom's Library, Mommy Club Link Up,Valentine's Day Link Up

Pinterest Boards for Seasonal Crafting

We do a lot of crafting in our house.  I love all kinds of handwork and you will often find me nestled on the couch with a blanket and some knitting.  My kids have grown up surrounded by yarn and felt and all kinds of other mediums.  They have come to enjoy crafting just as much as I do (and sometimes more).

We also enjoy observing the seasons.  We are lucky to live in a part of the world that has four distinct seasons and we often tailor our crafting and homeschool lessons to fit with the season we are in.  Seasonal planning makes my life easier when it comes to choosing our projects for the year and it provides a whole lot of rich subject matter when it comes to learning.

If you are looking for seasonal crafting and learning ideas, please check out my pinboards!  I'm always adding new content.

Winter
Follow Kalista // When We're at Home's board Winter on Pinterest.
Spring
Follow Kalista // When We're at Home's board Spring on Pinterest.
Summer
Follow Kalista // When We're at Home's board Summer on Pinterest.
Autumn
Follow Kalista // When We're at Home's board Autumn on Pinterest.

Click the image below to see what the other blogger from iHomeschool network are pinning.  There's a huge wealth of information being shared and I'm quite sure there will be something for everyone! 

Day 5: Schedule In Some Fun!

Today is our last day of the Simplifying Your Homeschool Series!  I hope you've found some ways to ease stress and add peace to your days. 

The last thing we're going to do is Schedule in Some Fun!  Things are a whole lot simpler when you're actually enjoying doing them.  It seems silly that there would even be a need to schedule fun into our days but it's pretty easy to get into "school" mode and forget to take a break and just have some pointless fun.

 Schedule Fun Breaks Throughout the Day

Break up your school day with fun breaks.  They don't have to be long or complicated.  Just take a few minutes to give your mind a break, let the kids get their wiggles out and have a good laugh together.

Play Simon Says.
Have a five minute dance party.
Do a minute to win it challenge.
Practice you head stands.
Go outside!

Schedule Family Fun Nights

Schedule a weekly family fun night.  We have ours on Friday nights.  It's something that we all look forward to throughout the week.  It's nice to finish up the week by reconnecting with each other...no pressure, nothing that needs to be finished.  Just good old fashioned hangin' out. 

Have pizza and a movie night. 
Go skating or swimming.
Have a picnic supper at the park.
Play board games.
Have a bake off!
Have a crafting night.

Schedule Yourself a Night Off

You also need to make sure that you give yourself a break.  Schedule yourself a night away and go have some fun.  And no, lesson planning does not count.  It's easy to get so wrapped up in your roles as mom and teacher that you start to forget who else you are.  Don't let that happen!  Take good care of yourself so you can take good care of your kids!

Go explore a book store while drinking a fancy coffee.
Go on a date night with your spouse.
Meet up with friends for supper.
Go for a run.
Go dancing!


Things are always simpler when you're enjoying what you're doing.  Since it can be easy to forget, make sure you pencil in some fun. 

What do you and your family like to do for fun?

 

 

Day 4: Reduce the Clutter

It's time for my favourite part of simplifying: purging!!!!!  To me, this part is therapeutic.  It is so much easier to concentrate when the room isn't cluttered.  Our days go more smoothly when we aren't drowning in toys.

Homeschooling often comes with a lot of stuff.  Math manipulatives, books, art projects, science experiments.  It's easy to let it get over run.  But in order to really simplify our homeschool, we need to get control over the things.

It's time to tackle the bookshelves and tame the art cupboard.  Clean out the desk drawers and organize the closets.  It's time to get rid of all that stuff you've been trying to work around this year.

There are three major areas that I think most homeschoolers will need to tackle: projects, books and arts and craft supplies.

Projects
You know all of those pictures and paintings the kids made that you don't want to throw out?  So instead they're just filling up drawers or cluttering up desks?  It's time to go through them.  Let's be realistic here.  You can't keep every little thing that your kids make.  You need to find a system for deciding what you're going to keep and what will go.  Then you need to find a way to store the things you are keeping.

I have a magazine box for art projects.  At the end of every month, I choose one art project or drawing per month per child and  I file them away in their binder for the year.  If they make a particularly large project or something that doesn't go in a binder (like a salt dough map of Africa, for example), I take a picture of the kids holding it and that goes in their binder instead.  Now I've got an organized binder that shows the highlights of their work for the year.  The nice thing about keeping one for each month is that you can really see how their skills progress throughout the year.  And the kids love looking through their binders.  They don't miss the stuff that's gone.  Trust me!

Books
I love books and I do not mind having a bunch of them.  We love to read and I like having a big bookshelf full of books to choose from.  I do not, however, love having to pick up all 1100 books everytime the toddler decides to clean them off the shelf.  Finding a way to organize your books will make life a lot easier. If you've got a lot of books, maybe it would be helpful to clean up and clean out.  Your days will be a lot simpler if you're not having to dig through a giant pile every time you need to find a book.

Start by going through your books.  If there are books that are really damaged, consider getting rid of them.  We've got quite a few that were chewed on and coloured in.  Not to mention the ones with the covers ripped off.  Have I mentioned that my youngest is a lot like a tornado?  Adorable but totally destructive.

I would also consider getting rid of books that you didn't enjoy or that you won't read again.  There's no use taking up space.

After you've whittled down your collection to those you want to keep, find a way of sorting them.  I like to separate mine by age group.  Board books for babies, picture books, early readers, family read alouds and books for mom and dad.

Now put them back on the shelf.  You might want to consider placement if you've got a baby or toddler in the house.  I like to keep everything but board books on a higher shelf, out of reach of those sharp, paper hungry baby teeth.  When we move, I would like to colour code the books with stickers on the spine so that the kids know where to put them back on the shelf (my husband rolled his eyes when I told him this...maybe my type A is showing again?).  If you can get the family on board with keeping things organized, life will be even easier.

Arts and Craft Supplies
We love arts and crafts.  So much so that I have developed a bit of a craft supply addiction.  I love picking up new pom poms and stickers.  We probably have enough water colour paints to paint an entire house.  This is not a good thing.  How is anyone supposed to find what they're looking for in all that stuff?  Kids get so easily overwhelmed that when there are too many options, they'll often give up before they even start.

It's time to clean out the art cupboard.  Throw away tiny pieces of scrap paper that somehow never make it to the garbage bin.  Combine half empty bottles of paint and glue.  Sort those little embellishments into containers instead of letting them roam free in the bottom of a box.

I like to sort my art supplies into labelled boxes.  We've got a box for paint supplies, one for cut and paste, one for stickers and small paper supplies and one for beeswax and playdough, etc.  When the kids want to do a craft, they can just grab the box they want.  When they're done, everything goes back i the box and the box goes back on its shelf. It makes it easier for them to find what they need and easier for them to clean up when they're done. I even hang their aprons right next to the art cupboard so that everything they need is right there.

I really believe that we function better in a clutter free space.  If you take the time to clear out the extra stuff that's kicking around your school space, I bet you'll notice a change in the tone of your days. 


To read the rest of the Simplifying Your Homeschool posts, click the image below. 

 

 

Day 3: Decide What's Working (and What Isn't)

Now that we've set some goals for our homeschool, we know where our priorities lie.  We know which things fall in line with our homeschool mission statement and which things don't.  So today we are going to use that information to decide what is working and what isn't.

There are only so many hours in the day and us moms try to squeeze everything we can out of every last minute.  Our time is precious and we certainly don't want to be wasting it on things that don't line up with our goals.  Taking the time to re-evaluate the things you're investing your time in can be tough but it is oh so worth it!  You might have to make some hard cuts but in the end, you'll be freeing up time.  Just imagine what you can do with an extra 15, 30 or even 60 minutes in your day (Eat, pee, sit down...oh, the possibilities)!

 

So today I want you to take a minute and compare your mission statement and your goals with the stuff that you spend your time doing.  Specifically, let's look at curriculum and activities.  If your goals include exposing your children to great literature but your curriculum is all textbooks and worksheets then maybe it's time to change it up.  If you want your children to have lots of time to explore nature but they never get outside because they have hockey 5 days a week, maybe you need to cut back a little.

It might be a struggle for you to let go of some things.  If that's the case, think about what value it's adding to your life.  If it isn't helping you meet your goals, is their some other benefit to it? Contrast that with the negative impact it has on your life.  If the good out weighs the bad, keep it!  If not...well, it's time to let go.

 

 I know that curriculum can be a little harder than activities to just let go.  It costs money and there may not be more room in the budget to buy something new.  So let's discuss what options you've got.

What to Do When Your Curriculum Just Isn't Working

Tweak It: Just because the curriculum you've chosen isn't helping you meet your goals now, doesn't mean it's a lost cause.  You can take what works and leave what doesn't.  You can add in more hands on projects instead of doing the worksheets or you can read living books that compliment the course material. If you find it too repetitive, don't do all of the lessons.  If you find it not repetitive enough, add in your own practice questions.  With Pinterest and Google on your side, I am confident that you can make most programs can be altered into something that fits your family perfectly!

Replace It: Of course, if you've got the money, you can replace your curriculum with something new.  You can often buy used curriculum at a discounted rate at curriculum sales or online.  Check with your local homeschooling group, maybe someone has something to sell or lend out to you.

Dump It: If you really can't make it work, and you've decided that the cons really do outweigh the pros, it's alright to just stop.  Maybe you take a break from formally teaching that subject this year.  That doesn't mean the learning stops.  You can always find real life situations to use as teaching opportunities.  History can be taught quite easily through living books.  Math can be taught through baking and knitting and a whole lot of games.  Science can be observed for free just by exploring your backyard!  If your curriculum really isn't working, dump it.  Make a list of all the things you want to cover in that subject and start thinking of ways you can teach it with no curriculum at all.  I bet you'll surprise yourself in how simple it can be.


Your days will be so much simpler when you do away with the things that are taking up time without adding value to your homeschool.  I encourage you to take a critical look at the things you choose to fill your time with.  Your time is precious...make sure you spend it wisely!

To read the rest of the Simplifying Your Homeschool series click the image below.

 

Also, check out the series that the other bloggers of iHomeschool Network have going on!

 

 

 

Day 2: Simplify Your Homeschool by Setting Goals

We're on day 2 of our Simplify Your Homeschool series and today we are talking about how setting goals can help you simplify.

January is kind of a popular month for goal setting.  And I know, lots of people love to hate on resolutions.  But when it comes to homeschooling goals can help you with simplifying.

It's so easy to get overwhelmed with the unending curriculum choices out there.  We all want what's best for our kids and we can get bogged down wanting to teach them every subject that every expert says our kids need to know. But we don't need to do it all.  We all have different priorities, different passions, different goals.

 In order to decide what to keep and what to toss (which is coming later this week), you need to know what it is that you're trying to accomplish in your homeschool.  What's important to you?  What do you want your children to learn this year? What do things will you teach them that you feel will best serve them in the future?  Knowing the answer to these questions will help you decide what to include in your days.

Start out by writing a mission statement for your homeschool.  Figure out what you think education should look like.  Think about why you chose to homeschool... about what it is that you most want your children to take from their time in school.  Now translate that into a mission statement that you can check in with when you're wondering what the heck it is that you're doing.

Our mission statement looks something like this:

In home educating our children, we hope to nurture their natural curiosity and cultivate a spirit of wisdom and virtue.  We hope to aid them in developing a love of learning and give them the tools necessary to answer questions for themselves.  We will expose them to great literature, art and music in the hopes that they will learn to love and appreciate the beauty that is all around them. We will give them ample time to explore and learn from nature.  We will help them to develop skills that we feel are necessary for success including good work ethic, self-discipline, initiative and creativity.  Above all, we want our children to learn to love God and serve others joyfully.  

From the mission statement, I can create smaller goals or themes for the year, like:
- read aloud everyday from a variety of quality books
-encourage creativity through various art projects and lessons
- find at least one tangible way to serve others in our community each month

Of course, you can break it down even further and make specific goals for each child.  For example, some of my goals for B include:
-achieve fluency in reading so she is comfortable doing so independently
- work on slowing down and doing her best work instead of rushing just to finish
-expose her to and allow her to experiment with different forms of art

When you've got these goals laid out in front of you, it's easy to see whether or not an activity or project will help you achieve them and it's easy to see what things aren't worth keeping. Things will be much simpler when you aren't filling up your schedule with frilly extras that aren't serving your purpose.

So how about you?  What are your goals for your homeschool?

To see the other posts in the Simplify Your Homeschool Series, click the image below.

This series is part of the iHomeschool Network Hopscotch.  Click the link below to see what series the other bloggers have up.  You'll be glad you did! :)

Day 1: The Importance of Having a Daily Rhythm

This week we are talking about simplifying your homeschool.  Now that we're halfway through the year, you might be feeling a little burnt out (I know I am!).  The beginning of a new year is the perfect time to try something new so why not try simplifying things a little?  We can all use a little less stress and a lot more peace in our days, yes?



So let's get started by talking about the importance of having a daily rhythm. 

Rhythm is the natural flow in your day.  It is the daily routine that both you and your child can rely on for consistency.   It is not the same thing as a schedule, so make sure you don't treat it as such.  Don't put yourself on time constraints or treat it as a check list of things that must be completed.  It should be fluid and flexible.  If it doesn't feel natural or you find yourself fighting against it, you probably need to re-evaluate and change it up.  Think of it as a kind of ongoing thing. 

When we've got a good rhythm to our days, everything is more peaceful.  I'm less stressed because I know that there is time for everything that I want to get done and it takes the guesswork out of my day.  The kids always know what is coming next and we are able to transition from one activity to the next without tears or frustration (well...usually at least.  I've got four kids. Some crying is sort of par for the course).   We can all relax in the comfort of a familiar routine.  

It's not hard to make sure your days have a healthy rhythm.  It takes some time and patience to get it right and you should be willing to make changes along the way but once you get the concept down, you'll notice a difference in your home life.  And it will be so, so worth it.  When you always know what your day is going to look like, things are a lot simpler.

Things to Keep in Mind When Trying to Implement a Daily Rhythm

Don't expect things to fall perfectly into place on the first day.  This isn't like creating a schedule that lays your day out for you in colour coded time blocks (even though the type A in me thinks that sounds divine).  It should feel natural and, in order to get to that peaceful place, its going to take some time.  Once you have your rhythm all figured out, feel free to write it down on a pretty routine chart because hey, who doesn't like a nice looking schedule posted on their fridge (my husband says that's just me).  Just don't start with a written out schedule and try to force it on yourself.  That never works.

Start first by taking the time to observe your days without any meddling. Take note of the general order of events.  Is there consistency or does every day look totally different?  Are there certain activities that set the schedule for the rest of the day?

Notice which  parts of your day are already consistent and then you can start to build on those.  Start by ensuring that the cornerstones of your day (those activities that are absolutely necessary; like eating and sleeping) are happening at similar times each day.  Slowly begin adding activities and observe how and when they fit best into your day. 

Pay special attentions to problem areas.  Watch to see if there are certain activities that usually add stress or cause tension.  Try to figure out what is causing that and experiment with ways to fix it.  For example, maybe your craft time is always a mess because you have a toddler that isn't quite ready to join in with this activity but really, really wants to!  Perhaps it would be better to do crafts while the toddler is having his or her nap. If you are lucky enough to have a toddler that does that sort of thing...

Lastly, keep in mind that your rhythm will change.  If you notice that things aren't as smooth as they normally would be, take a look at what isn't working and make the changes necessary to bring peace back into your day. 

As time goes on, you will begin to notice that things flow more smoothly and that there is less tension and stress.  There will be no need to adhere to a strict timeline or rush children through their activities.   Your children will take comfort in knowing what the day holds and you will be able to relax in the knowledge that things can and will get done.  And while having a good rhythm doesn't ensure that every day will be perfect (no day ever is), it will certainly eliminate unnecessary problems.

Having a good, solid rhythm will make your days a whole lot simpler.

Click the image below to see what the other bloggers of the iHomeschool Network are talking about in their 5 Day Series.  I promise, you'll be glad you did!

5 Days of Simplifying Your Homeschool

As mothers, we all want what's best for our children. We want to give them the best education, the most experiences and the coolest opportunities.  This, of course, is wonderful but it also means that we have a tendency to over complicate things. When you're a homeschooler, there's a whole lot more things for you to complicate.  And let me tell you...no one benefits from over complicated. 

Sometimes it's hard to step back and see exactly how we're making things harder but when we're in the moment, up to our eyeballs in laundry, sleep deprived and trying to teach a math lesson in the car on the way to tai kwon do...well... we start to realize that something needs to change. 

I'm here to tell you that you can simplify your homeschool.  It doesn't have to be chaotic and stressful and messy (well...not all the time anyway).  I am the queen of over complication so I know exactly what its like when things get crazy.  But I also know the peace that comes with simpler days.  I want everyone to know what that feels like. 

For the rest of this week, I will be discussing 5 simple steps that you can take to simplify your homeschool.  Hopefully by the end of the week, things will be a little simpler and a little easier.

Day 1:The Importance of Rhythm

Day 2: Simplify Your Homeschool by Setting Goals

Day 3: Re-evaluate What's Working and What Isn't

Day 4: Reduce the Clutter
Day 5: Schedule in Some Fun!

Click the image below to see the 5 Day Series that the bloggers of iHomeschool Network have written.  You'll be glad you did!