Homeschooling on a Budget: Part 2 Manipulatives and Craft Supplies

Homeschooling on a Budget: Part 2 Manipulatives and Craft Supplies

by Cynthia Simunovich

Manipulatives are essential for helping a young child grasp math concepts. Creating your own homemade math manipulatives is easy and can save money. We've used wooden beads, small erasers, paper clips, Gummi bears and M&M's to teach a child basic arithmetic skills such as adding and subtracting, grouping, multiplying and dividing.

For a sense of larger numbers make 100-bead strings. String ten strands of 10-beads each for 100's counting. The strands can be laid end to end on the floor or table to show how "big" the number is. A ten strand is easily replaced with ten individual beads for "borrowing" in subtraction. (This is based on the Montessori model of manipulatives for counting. Here's a link to free downloadable Montessori materials http://www.montessorimaterials.org/ .)

Another math manipulative is to use cardboard geometric shapes for fractions. Make a cardboard template and then cut out paper shapes that can be further divided into halves, thirds, fourths and so on and placed over the cardboard as a reference. Use either colored paper or color the shapes yourself for an effective and highly visual manipulative.

Take a look at photos or descriptions of math manipulatives like the one pictured above. You can make your own clocks, geo-boards and 100-count boards. Spend a couple hours and use materials that are readily available to you. If you have a computer you can generate 1-100 sheets and paste them onto cardboard. Make a geo-board with an odd piece of scrap wood and small nails spaced evenly in rows.

For craft projects shop sales, look for coupons and discounts, and limit your purchases. It is tempting to have every color of the rainbow, but purchase only primary paint colors and teach your child how to mix colors using the color wheel. You can also make your own craft/art paper and use free online downloads for greeting cards. I've included a couple links for paper making (using supplies you probably have on hand) and good old play dough. (This link has 6 different recipes including one for Peanut Butter Dough!) Look around your kitchen or in your make-up bag for cutters and shapers to use at no extra cost to your budget.

Trade and barter art supplies and lessons with friends and neighbors. Someone may have tons of leftover beads or fabrics from a former project. Don't be afraid to ask – I've found most folks are very willing to share and maybe even teach your child a new skill. In turn you may be able to bring over dinner, weed a garden, or transport a neighbor to a medical appointment. Making do in difficult economic times can make everyone's life a little richer!

Homeschooling on a Budget: Part One: Textbooks and Free Curriculum

Wondering how to provide homeschooling resources for your children during tight economic times? How do you find low cost or no-cost curriculum? Take a page from Homeschooling in the Olden Days; modernize with today's technology and voila! you can teach your child for as little or as much as your budget allows.

In the early 1970's and 1980's (before PDA's and family computers!) homeschooling parents designed and created their own curriculum.

Libraries were the number one shop till you drop resource center. We combined adult non-fiction books, such as Audubon and National Geographic (the ones filled with those great photographs and sketches of birds, mammals and reptiles!) with children's books on the same subject to teach elementary science. The same principle was applied to history and art. The kids loved checking out giant atlases and poring over the maps of the world as they learned about different countries and cultures, their inventors, scientists and artists.

While we sometimes paraphrased or adjusted the material to the level of the child, reading adult level text certainly expanded our children's vocabularies. Unknown words were promptly looked up in the dictionary (which had been purchased at a second-hand bookstore!) and sometimes became part of a spelling list or spelling game.

The children's resource section of libraries has greatly improved and librarians are usually very helpful to homeschooling families. Most libraries now carry Dorling-Kindersley books on every topic, the History of US, and extensive biographies of adventurers, scientists, musicians, and modern pop icons. DVD's and computer software for educational enrichment are also available in most libraries today. And if your DSL line is no longer affordable, children and parents can sign up for free computer time at the library.

Used bookstores are worth checking out for interesting inexpensive reading material. Using online used bookstores will also save time and gas. Curriculum savings may be 25%-80% through Amazon.com used booksellers or homeschooling web sites. Check your local homeschool group for an annual end of the year curriculum sale where a used algebra textbook may be sold for as little as ten dollars instead of eighty or ninety. Or start your own share/trade co-op.

There are plenty of free worksheet generator websites for math and writing and even complete math courses and unit studies . Free curriculum resources are listed here. A little time on the keypad will bring you a wealth of information to design a low-cost or no-cost curriculum for your child this year!

Next Blog: Part Two: Manipulatives and Craft Supplies