If you’re new to the concept of homeschooling, it can be a bit intimidating at first. You might wonder how you can teach your kids all the things they need to learn without a classroom and traditional textbooks, or even the school supply list. But many resources are available today that make it easy to get started and stay organized. Plus, with some practice, you’ll quickly figure out what works best for your family.
The biggest difference between homeschooling and traditional public or private school is that you must buy all the materials yourself. You’ll need the right tools, books, and other educational materials for your kids’ subjects — everything from social studies and English literature to science lab equipment — but don’t worry: It doesn’t have to be expensive!
When I started teaching my children at home, we didn’t have much money (we still don’t!). But I was determined not to let that stop me from providing them with an excellent education that would give them an edge over their peers when it came time for college applications and scholarships. So what school supplies do kids actually need for homeschool?
Crayola Air Dry Clay is a Must For Every School Supply List
Crayola Air Dry Clay is a must-have for any school supply list. It’s a cheap, fun way to get kids in the art studio and learn how to create.
Crayola Air Dry Clay comes in various colors, but white is great for painting. You can use these colors separately or blend them together to create new hues. You also can add color by mixing it with water as you’re working on your project. The clay dries slowly, which allows you plenty of time to shape it into whatever design or creation you want.
It’s easy to use Crayola Air Dry Clay because it’s moldable and malleable, so you can make changes quickly based on your imagination.
Air dry clay dries slowly. It will take a few days for it to dry, then you will want to paint it if you got the white clay. It is pretty fragile, but good news if your kids break it! No problem! Just put it back together using some glue or craft material that works well with this product.
Do you need some fun project ideas for working with air dry clay in your homeschool art curriculum this year? If so, check out our guide for using air-dry clay!
Get a Bible that is Easy To Read
It is important to have a bible that is easy to read when teaching homeschooling from a Christian worldview or teaching kids about God. Bibles that are easy to read include simplified words and the bible’s main stories but might not include word for word what the actual bible says. If your child is reading through the bible for the first time, this can be less overwhelming for them than just picking up a KJV. Some great options for a bible that is easy to read through with your children include:
- Kids Adventure Bible
- The Biggest Story Bible Story Book by Kevin DeYoung
- The Child’s Story Bible by Cathrin F. Vos
The Kids Adventure Bible is a bible for readers ages 6-10. It has a script for the script from the actual bible, but it is written in a simpler language that kids in this reading range can understand. On the other hand, The Biggest Story Bible Storybook has more pictures and less text. It offers a colorful interpretation of the bible story. You can find the movie on the Christian TV subscription Minnow that goes with this bible.
Finally, The Child’s Story Bible by Catherine F. Vos is an old bible from the 1980s. It reads out more like a story than scripture to the scripture reading. For example, this bible takes parts of Genesis and spreads it out over multiple chapters to tell it in story form. It has each book of the bible this way. Some of the books are combined into different chapters. It doesn’t include the individual scriptures but a story based on them to simplify it for younger readers.
Do you want a deeper curriculum taught from a Christian worldview? Then check out these top five Christian curriculum companies.
Easy Books to Read
If you’re looking for easy books to read, your local library is the first place to start.
Most libraries have a section of books that are appropriate for beginning readers. These books may be in different sections than adult books, and they’re often brightly colored with large illustrations. The text will be large and simple, and the stories will be about familiar things to young children. If you can’t go to a library, don’t have a library card, or don’t have a library near you, there are plenty of other options.
The Open Library is a free library that offers lots of free ebooks kids can check out and read. You will find popular books for young kids, such as The Pigeon series by Mo Willems, in this library, and popular books for older kids like The Hunger Games Series. With the rising cost of everything, sometimes it is not feasible to buy a library card along with your other school supplies. So be sure to check out the Open Library as a free homeschool resource!
If you have the money to spend on books or library memberships but don’t want to go into a library, try Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited program. It is a virtual library that offers over 2 million books and counting for a monthly subscription fee. It is only $9.99 a month, but new subscribers can get some great discounts:
There are many different types of easy readers available today on Kindle Unlimited. Some publishers specialize in publishing easy readers with colorful illustrations, while others publish more traditional versions without pictures. Some publishers only publish one type of easy reader, while others publish both types. Mommy Daughter Love has many colorful pink books on Amazon for younger kids to practice their phonics and beginner reading skills. You can find them by searching for author Brie Wetherby on Amazon! They are all part of the Kindle Unlimited Program too.
If your child loves reading but doesn’t want to sit still long enough to finish a chapter book, consider getting them a Kindle Unlimited subscription service members so they can read as many books as they want! Plus if you don’t like a book, you don’t have to feel guilty about not reading it because you “bought it” with Kindle Unlimited. You just check them out and return them when you are through with them. You can have 20 checked out at any time and as many as you want to in a month!
Traditional School Supplies
Homeschoolers need traditional school supplies, too, like paper, notebooks, pencils, pens, scissors, and more. You can save time shopping and get a bundle of these school supplies on Amazon for the entire year!
It is also very helpful to have a craft kit with pipe cleaners, googly eyes, felt, foam, and a variety of other crafting supplies. You can grab a cheap craft kit from amazon with over 1500 supplies for the year.
Along the lines of traditional school supplies, teaching with a dry erase board and some colorful dry erase markers can be very helpful. You can set up games for your child on the board or show example problems to help your kids work through sticky math equations, spelling words, and more!
Grading Supplies
Homeschooler parents put grades on the papers themselves. So since you will be dishing out the grades or even turning them into an academy to have the papers graded, you might as well have some fun grading stamps or markers to work with. Get a set of grading stamps that will keep your child’s attention if you have them redo problems they get wrong. This Minecraft stamp set is just the thing for kids who love Minecraft.
Curriculum, Text Books, and Worksheets
Curriculum and Textbooks vary widely depending on which school or program you want to use. There are so many choices, from secular programs which base their educational foundation on evolutionary theories to Christian programs which base their educational foundations on the bible. Some programs are more popular than others because of their ease of use and cheaper price range. Other programs are more challenging and can be much more costly. We have various guides on the blog to help you pick the best curriculum for you and your family this year:
- Top 5 Most Popular Christian Curriculums
- Parent Picked Curriculums of 2022
- Top 9 Foreign Language Curriculums
- Best Places to Buy Individual Courses
- Top 8 Typing Curriculums for Elementary Schoolers
The Cost of A School Supply List for Homeschoolers
Homeschooling costs more than sending your child to public school because you have to pay for the items on your school supply list plus the curriculum. You can choose from free options and resources over the web if you want to help mitigate the cost but still give your child a good education. However, you can also pay a little more and have the ease of someone else keeping track of your time and grades! If you want all the bells and whistles for your homeschool program, like the online live classes through Outschool, the curriculum that does the record-keeping for you, and the game-based fun added in, expect to pay well over $4000 a year for such a venture. However, it can vary widely by your class and curriculum choices.
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