Cost

My child will be in the 3rd grade next year and I wonder how much it will cost to homeschool her.

Going to school makes her sick everyday. She is also picked on and beat up and nothing is ever done about it.

Thank you.

Diane's Reply:

Teaching the elementary grades from home is relatively inexpensive and simple. The most difficult part is making sure they know their math and can read well. It's very important to master these skills. (Should you have older children, check out these homeschool costs.

For under $10, you can use Ruth Beechick's booklets through 3rd grade. They cover the 3R's (Reading, 'Riting, and 'Rithmetic). I did purchase a Math curriculum (Math-U-See), but you would get along fine using only arithmetic flash cards.

Speaking of flash cards, we also picked up Romalda Spalding's phonics cards. Her book,The Writing Road to Reading is helpful. Or if you prefer, you can just order the flash cards. You can pick from two sizes, both are priced under $23.

In addition to phonics, one of the best ways to learn how to read is to get books from the library. They're free! You could also use them to dictate from. I had the children write the dictation passages in a notebook.

If you're wondering about science, we used the Usborne books a lot. We finally purchased a number of them because we liked them so well. We used the Sonlight catalog for guidance when studying history. We ordered their recommended books from the library.

You're very welcome, thank you for asking! Hope that helps!