Need suggestions for $5000 homeschool budget

[mamasaurus]

We have a 7yoDD and 5yoDD. Our home school budget for 2010 is $5000. I'd love some suggestions on how to spend it.

TIA!

[DaughterOfKali]

That's a BIG budget! Lucky you! I would try to do a museum membership. Also see if there is a local place that offers some sort of class (art; music; science; foreign language.) and get a membership for that place. Maybe a place that teaches kids yoga.

My mind is still boggled by that amount so I can't think of anything else right now.
Not sure about actual curriculum stuff as I haven't found any one thing that I'm thrilled with.

[MamaMonica]

Piano lessons, or whatever music lessons they are interested in.

[ikesmom]

WoW

I'd pick horseback riding lessons

Ice skating lessons

Science Center membership

a cool summer camp

winter bible retreat

I really want a Kindle but that would be for me

[CariOfOz]

Wow is right! I would definitely look into art/music lessons that would interest the kids... those are the type of things that are a bit more expensive as well as harder to do on your own at home.

Memberships are also a sweet idea... for me I'd be grabbing a science centre as well as Koala sanctuary membership (hehehe ok I realize you don't likely have the latter nearby!)

Do you have a designated hs 'room' or space? If so, maybe put a little of it into organizational stuff.. like the awesome rain gutter shelves.

Always good are things like math manipulatives

[shoefairy3]

We would do memberships to everythign that sparks our interest. The zoo, the space and air museum, the history museum, the art museum, the kids museum, the childrens playhouse, everything

[lach]

I'm a sucker for textbooks. I'd buy a whole bunch, for every subject. Not necessarily to USE as textbooks, but I always liked them when I was a kid: they usually have great pictures and explained things well. Of course, I hated having to read them, but I liked to read them on my own time. Reading a textbook for fun in 8th grade I caught an interesting picture, and I went on to write my thesis about it! I'd probably still have never heard of that specific person otherwise.

Along that same vein, I'd buy a nice set of encyclopedias. I used to love reading my parent's Brittanica set that they had. I'd just flip it open to a random page and read. My sister and I would have contests over who could read the most articles in 5 minutes and then we'd quiz eachother.

(can you tell that I was a REALLY nerdy kid?)

I also like all-inclusive kits, like "complete grade 3 science discovery kit" or something, just because they come with all sorts of slightly weird things that you wouldn't really think to buy, but then it comes in handy.

I'd buy a ton of maps and posters, and have them laminated so that you and the kids can write on them with dry-erase markers.

I'd subscribe to BrainPop. I really like that site.

[CariOfOz]

Originally Posted by lach

Along that same vein, I'd buy a nice set of encyclopedias. I used to love reading my parent's Brittanica set that they had. I'd just flip it open to a random page and read.

(can you tell that I was a REALLY nerdy kid?)

OMG my long lost ..never met, best friend!!!!! I totally did the same with the old (I mean they were a 70something edition, Brittania's that my Mema gave to me. (this was in the early 80s so I guess nto THAT ancient I adored them.

[Lillian J]

I'm not tight at all, but I'd put most of it away for an interesting trip at some later time - it costs very little to homeschool. But a really nice printer for your computer could come in very handy. I'd get in good nontoxic art supplies, maybe even a little kiln for firing clay creations and fusing glass, etc. A good climbing structure, swings, rope ladder - things for building up the body, sandbox or sand table and other things for creative imaginative play - like playstands, would be great. Good board games...

Lillian

[weliveintheforest]

what are your kids into already? does this include stuff like swimming lessons? do you have to include stuff like gas money to get to field trips?

I would get a lot of arts and crafts supplies, and something to organize it. Lots of paper, pencils, felts, rulers etc. Board games and puzzle books for quiet days inside. Really good rain gear (and snow gear if relevant) so you can be outside all through the year. Maybe a telescope or binoculars, or both. Passes to the local kid's museum or aquarium, or into any special programs available that would be of interest. That stuff can add up.

[Jenivere]

Wow, I'd love to have your budget!

Museum memberships
Dance and or music lessons
A small jungle gym. swing/slide set up
Science equipment like a nice microscope http://www.magiscope.com/
Art supplies
Books!
Math manipulatives
Set some aside for field trips

[Willowrose]

I would definitely invest in music and other activities. I find that is my biggest expense. I buy a LOT of curriculums, books, manipulatives, etc....and I don't think I even come close to $5000.

[dawningmama]

Add me to the Budget Envy list!

I'd probably put some of that away for travel. Roadtrips are awesome for homeschooling. Plus, you get to go when everyone else is in school so it's not so crowded.

Other stuff I'd get:
~zoo and museum memberships
~netbooks for my kids who don't have their own laptops yet
~classes (my kids take drama classes, which now that I think about it, top $1k for the year in total, so my budget probably isn't all that much lower)
~I'd put some aside for concerts & theater shows. I wish we could afford to do more of this.

[skueppers]

I would probably spend it something like this:

Year-round swimming pool membership - $500
Swim lessons, 3x per year for each child - $360
Expensive sports classes (gymnastics, dance, horseback riding...), 2x per year for each child - $1200
Museum/zoo memberships - $300
Curriculum materials - $400 (whatever seems needed -- math, science, and history are the things I'd be spending money on)

Then I'd set aside the rest of the money until I had a better idea of what to do with it during the course of the year! I would likely wind up spending it on things like nature center programs, field trips, and books.

[MamaMonica]

Originally Posted by ikesmom

WoW

I'd pick horseback riding lessons

I'd get a horse with the lessons!

[moominmamma]

Does your budget have to be spent during 2010, or can you salt some away for later? If the latter, I would certainly do so. As their interests and aptitudes have developed, homeschooling my kids has got way more expensive than it was when they were primary-school-aged. I'm glad we developed a nice financial cushion by spending relatively frugally when they were younger. As a result my then-14yo was able to spend two months traveling in SE Asia last year, and we bought my 12yo a skookum new viola the same year, and still had money for the advanced summer music programs they wanted to attend.

Miranda

[Lillian J]

Originally Posted by moominmamma

Does your budget have to be spent during 2010, or can you salt some away for later? If the latter, I would certainly do so. As their interests and aptitudes have developed, homeschooling my kids has got way more expensive than it was when they were primary-school-aged. I'm glad we developed a nice financial cushion by spending relatively frugally when they were younger. As a result my then-14yo was able to spend two months traveling in SE Asia last year, and we bought my 12yo a skookum new viola the same year, and still had money for the advanced summer music programs they wanted to attend.

Good points. Some of our best investments were a history tour that took in the recreated Plimouth Plantation, the recreated Mayflower, the recreated Williamsburg colony, the Smithsonian comples, the White House, Little House sites - and later a tour of Great Britain that focused on castles, as well as other trips overseas. And trips to the Grand Canyon, raft trips all over the place, our son's participation in wonderful outdoor adventure trips and ropes courses for teens, etc. All those things are incredibly educational and broadening - you never know what opportunities might come along. Lillian

[mamasaurus]

Thanks everyone, for the replies!

I wish so much we lived on the Mainland for traveling. We live in Hawaii - which of course has it's pluses. However, traveling from here is quite expensive. We could spend the $5000 on plane tickets for four people to the Mainland USA in a heartbeat. So, traveling for us would have to be closer to home - like one of the other islands.

We don't have any big museums here, either. We belong to the ocean center and any other little organization we can find. To see anything bigger, we would have to fly to Oahu. So, maybe a trip over there is in order...

We do have classes - horseback riding, gym, music, languages, art, etc. I am looking into those.

We already have a classroom set up - lots of art supplies.

I'm collecting books and textbooks.

I might get a skeleton. A microscope. My girls are interested in science of all kinds.

[greenthumb3]

Ooooooh, the BOOKS you could buy! (where's the drooling smilie??)

I second (third? fourth?) the travel suggestion. Even one well-planned trip per year could yield so much in real-life experience. ETA: just read your post...I bet there are a few places you haven't been on the islands that could be cool.

How about culinary adventures?
Either buy the ingredients for a meal from a different country/culture to make at home each month and cook together, or take turns picking a restaurant to eat at and take a little time to learn more about the culture where that food originates (books or DVDs from the library). Geography, using manners, calculating tips (math), autonomy of choosing one's meal, menus (reading), trying new foods, having fun together=priceless! The kids might even enjoy playing restaurant and taking orders, calculating change and taking turns serving after you've made the meal together, how fun.

[Bird Girl]

We buy Sonlight curriculum cores, and those are not cheap--about $350 for Core 1, which would probably keep both your 7 and 5 year old happy--or you could spring for Core K and Core 1, for an even larger box full of great books. Sonlight curriculum cores are a literature-based program covering history, literature, geography, and social studies, and all-around fabulous collection of great, classic books.

If you look into music lessons, I would consider renting instruments at first, and perhaps saving some of this year's budget to purchase instruments in the future, if a real interest is developed.

The Lakeshore Learning catalog is always a happy place to spend a chunk of change--they have great furniture pieces there, for storing books and curricula, and many amusing, high quality games and projects.