This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

This Memorial Day weekend, What’s in the Bible is offering everyone a 30% off coupon code on orders over $30 – and as a bonus, free shipping and handling. We l.o.v.e. all of their videos!

Now is a great time to grab any videos that you may be missing from the What’s in the Bible? collection. If you are just now learning about them, you can also pick up the entire collection.

Use the coupon code MEM30 {apply it on the last page of your checkout} and the 30% discount will be applied to your order. Sale ends May 28, 2013, so be sure to visit What’s in the Bible before then!

This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

The following is a guest post from Jamerrill, author of Free Homeschool Deals. Jamerrill is frugal homeschooling mom and is passionate about sharing deals and helping other families save money while homeschooling.

How to homeschool with a limited budget is a question that I receive often. Homeschool moms are always looking for ways to cut costs and stretch resources.

The year that my husband lost his job mid-year we ended up homeschooling for under $50. We were already on a tight budget before his job loss. I had felt challenged the summer before to not purchase the must-have items on my curriculum want list. I wanted to see just how far I could get without making any big purchases.

The main resources we used that year were the Bible, library card, internet, paper, and our cheap printer. I even learned how to refill our printer ink cartridges that year.

Since that time we’ve continued to homeschool for free and extremely frugal. This has led to my site, FreeHomeschoolDeals.com, which daily shares the best homeschool freebies, deals, and resources to help families afford the homeschool life. Below are some of my best tips for homeschooling on a limited budget. You can also receive a free copy of my eBook, Homeschooling for Free and Frugal.

Wait on Buying Curriculum

Go ahead and circle up all of your favorite curriculum catalogs. Then on a sheet of paper make two columns. Under one column write a list of everything you want. Then under the other column write a list of your needs.

There is a difference between your wants vs. needs. Are there any items that you have to have for your children? When really assessing your list, what items do you think look like a lot of fun, but may not be what you really need?

Read Curriculum Reviews

Of the items that you feel you will definitely need for your children a good place to start is by looking for curriculum reviews online. Google the name of the curriculum that you’re looking for and the word “review.” As an example “All About Spelling Review.” You may find reviews like Jolanthe’s All About Spelling review.

Read reviews from other homeschool moms to learn from their experience. Also, read curriculum review sites, like the Curriculum Choice. The Curriculum Choice offers a variety of reviews and many types of curriculum. The Happy Housewife has a growing page of homeschool curriculum reviews from preschool through high school.

Try Before You Buy

Another smart idea is to ask your homeschool friends if they have the curriculum that you’re looking for. If they do, you could possibly borrow it for a week. Try it out and make sure it’s a good fit.

Use Resources You Have

If I only used all the resources on my bookshelves and home we’d have a full homeschool year. You can always take a challenge to use what you have already. You may discover treasure tucked away on your bookshelves!

Websites to Help You Save on Homeschool:

eBay – I have bought two curriculum packages that I felt I simply must have off of eBay. I have also bought lots of Newberry Award winning books and books from reading packages. Search for the curriculum that is on your list on eBay before you look to buy it new. Many times families use curriculum for a short season and then list it for resell.

• Homeschool Buyers Co-op offers curriculum at deep discounts. It’s a community that is free to join.
• Currclick.com offers deals on digital curriculum and online classes.
• CurriculumShare.com is a site where you can list curriculum that you’d like to give away, and you can get free homeschool curriculum there too.
• Homeschool Creations hosts an annual Curriculum Clean-out where you could possibly get your favorite curriculum for free. This is a good way to clean off your shelves as well.
• Homeschool Classifieds on this site you can find listings of homeschool curriculum for sale.
• Yellow House Book Rental this site is run by a homeschooling mother who gathers curriculum and offers it for rental or inexpensive purchase. Here’s a post with more information about Homeschool book rental.
• Educents is a new daily deal site that was created and owned by homeschool siblings and graduates. They are just getting started and grow and continue offering discount curriculum.

Websites to help you homeschool for free and frugal

Some families homeschool exclusively by piecing together curriculum resources online. There are many families who also supplement their favorite curriculum from these sites. These are just the tip of the iceberg of helpful resource sites. Please share your favorite sites in the comments!

•  HomeschoolShare.com is a site that offers free lapbooks and free unit studies. It’s a gold mine of homeschool treasure!
• MoneySavingMom.com offers many educational deals and freebies throughout the week. Every Friday she features a HUGE list of free homeschool curriculum and resources.
• Homeschool Freebie of the Day features one item, most days, that is a special homeschool freebie.
• Bible Based Homeschooling {on a budget} offers several homeschool freebies each week that are Bible based. She also shares how her family homeschools using the Bible as their main text.
• Gricefully Homeschooling shares a weekly homeschool Freebie Friday. Jen picks a theme and finds freebies based on this theme. She also hosts a link-up where you can share any great freebies that you find too!
• HomeschoolGiveaways.com hosts a weekly giveaway of homeschool curriculum. Entering giveaways for curriculum is a great way to win your favorite curriculum.
• Lapbook Lessons offers free homeschool lapbooks and a community forum that you can join for answers to lapbooking questions.
• NotebookingPages.com offers a free members area with many free samples and resources.

Free Online Homeschool Curriculum

If you are looking for free curriculum online, be sure to visit the following sites to find out more of what they offer:

• All in One Homeschool
• Ambleside Online
• Khan Academy
• CK-12
• Old Fashioned Education
• HippoCampus.org

Homeschool families are some of the most resourceful people that I’ve ever met! Please share your tips for homeschooling on a limited budget in the comments.

__________________________________________________________________

Jamerrill is a Christian frugal homeschooling mom of six children who has been homeschooling for the last ten years. Throughout their homeschooling years, her family has had to homeschool for free or extremely frugal, which inspired her free eBook Homeschooling for Free and Frugal.

Visit her on her site FreeHomeschoolDeals.com or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest for the latest deals.

__________________________________________________________________

This post is a part of the Homeschool Basics series. Be sure to read the other posts if you are just joining in.

This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

The emails have been coming in asking when the next Curriculum Clean-Out will be, so pull out your calendars, start looking at your bookshelves, and get ready for the 2013 Spring Curriculum Clean Out!! My giveaway pile is growing and I can’t wait to share with you all!

From June 3rd until June 8th, 2013 I’ll be hosting a curriculum ‘giveaway’ of sorts here. Everyone loves to win things and giveaways are fun ~ so lets do it all together! With the end of the school year in sight {and kudos to you if you have already finished up}, you may have come across materials on your shelves that you would like to pass along and share with another family.

This isn’t a sale, but a way to bless another family with an item {or items} that could use a new home. You can give away something on your blog and/or you can visit others giveaways and enter to win some great stuff! You do not need to host a giveaway in order to take advantage of the others that are hosting giveaways.

To find out more, you can visit the Curriculum Clean-Out Details post to better understand how it will work.  The giveaway linky will not open until Monday, June 3rd.

Feel free to grab the html for the 125 x 125 button below and start spreading the news to your friends!

<a href="http://www.homeschoolcreations.net/curriculum-clean-out-details-and-information/" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.homeschoolcreations.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Curriculum-Clean-Out-Button-2-copy1.png" title="Homeschool Creations" /></a>

This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

Being offline this past week has been very nice. It’s been non-stop for the most part and there are some exhausted kiddos {and adults}, but everyone is having lots of fun.

A highlight of our little boy’s week? A first time visit to a full-fledged LEGO store. Being able to play with LEGO bricks and race cars with others was so much fun!

There was also the whole Star Wars attraction that made many children happy. Repeatedly.

We may only be in Florida, but seeing small snippets of different world cultures {through Epcot} has been fun as well.

And although I had every intention of visiting your blogs this past week…time slipped away from me! I am very certain there were some fabulous links last week {and there will be as many this week}, so please be sure to visit a few of the others linking up this week and leave them a comment.

Have a FABULOUS weekend!!

Ready to Link Up?

Share what you are doing with your kids! Please link your exact blog post to the Mr. Linky below and link back here too! Grab a button for your post below and be sure to take a minute to visit the person who linked up before you. You can read more in the updated guidelines for Preschool and Kindergarten Community. By linking up, you are granting permission for me to share your wonderful ideas and pictures with others in periodic show-and-tell posts.

Be specific in your ‘link title’. Leave either your blog name or theme and provide an age range for your activities. Something a little like this:

Police Officer Theme {ages 4-5}

Were you featured?

<a href="http://www.homeschoolcreations.net/category/Preschool%20Corner" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.homeschoolcreations.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Featured-on-Preschool-and-Kindergarten-Community.png" title="I was featured at the Preschool and Kindergarten Community at Homeschool Creations" /></a>

This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

One thing that our church heavily emphasizes is serving others. Through various programs during the year, families and individuals are encouraged to give of their abilities and time and focus on others – instead of ourselves. My husband and I strongly feel that it is important for our children to learn and understand the importance of putting others before ourselves.

As a member of the Adventures in Odyssey blog team, Focus on the Family is providing giveaway copies of various products for my readers in addition to a free audio series for our family to enjoy. We are participating in the Summer of Service because we firmly believe in serving others – and would do it anyway.

With our school year wrapping up and a bit more free time on our hands, our family is excited to join in with Adventures in Odyssey from Focus on the Family for their Summer of Service – and you can too! Over the next few months, I’ll be sharing how our family is participating in the A.C.T.S. project with Adventures in Odyssey and also holding a few fun giveaways for you all as well {woot!}.

Discover the FUN in serving others!

For over 25 years, Adventures in Odyssey, the audio series from Focus on the Family, has been encouraging kids in their faith. With characters such as Whit, Connie, and Eugene, kids all over the world have been drawn into adventure after adventure – through audio, books, video and more.

The Summer of Service is an endeavor of Adventures in Odyssey to remind kids that “When you serve, everybody wins.” They are teaming up with Christian bookstores around the nation, inviting kids to be a part of the Summer of Service. Not sure how to serve? Bake cookies for a new neighbor, visit an elderly person, help with yard work – the possibilities are endless – and serving can be fun!

The A.C.T.S. {A Call to Service} Challenge and Contest

Adventures in Odyssey is planning a summer full of fun and service. In addition to weekly service ideas and podcasts for the family to enjoy, they are calling on children all across the country to commit to serving their families and communities this summer. AND, they are also looking for TWO children to be Adventures in Odyssey Ambassadors.

During the summer, children participating in A Call to Service {A.C.T.S} can pick up a service log at participating bookstores {or download one online at whitsend.org}. Then collect Adventures in Odyssey character stickers for the hours that have been logged in service. At the end of the summer, children can put together a video clip that tells how they spent their summer serving and why they would like to be the next Adventures in Odyssey Ambassador.

One hundred winners will receive the brand new AIO Album, and {after online voting} two grand prize winners (one boy and one girl) will get to travel on an exciting Good-Goers Mission Based Adventure trip to another country with a parent! The out-of-country destination will be announced on a live podcast May 22—hosted by AIO actors Katie Leigh (Connie) and Chris Anthony (Chris)—which you can watch at whitsend.org/acts. You don’t want to miss it! Read the official rule here.

How amazing is that??

Make Plans to Join a Summer of Service

Want to join in with those all over the country that are planning to a summer of service? Maybe you aren’t sure where to begin. Here are a few resources from Focus on the Family to get you started:

• Download a flyer packed with Weekly Service ideas
• Listen to a FREE podcast on the Business of Busyness
• Join in the live webcast and A.C.T.S. launch party on May 22nd at 5:30pm ET

As I mentioned earlier, our family is definitely planning on participating. We’re making a list of things that we can do together to serve others and would LOVE to have your family join in as well. In the months of June and July, I’ll be sharing our projects and hosting a fun giveaway each month as well.

Will you make plans to join us in the Summer of Service? Grab a copy of the Weekly Service ideas, print it off, and get the ideas flowing as a family.

 

Has your family worked on service projects together? What ones have been memorable for you?

How are you hoping to serve others this summer? Leave a comment and share your ideas below!

This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

This week has been a whirlwind! We said goodbye to our family from Holland and then furiously finished packing to head to Florida to have a little lot of Disney fun. As I sit here typing, the kids are all completely zonked out in their beds, exhausted after a full day of surprises, fireworks, and smiles galore.

Fireworks at Epcot

And we are definitely having fun!

The best part? Seeing the AMAZEMENT on our kids faces and Disney through their eyes.

Tell me this face isn’t fun to watch! :)

We still have several days of fun ahead of us and are so very excited to have this time together to relax!

Fun Ideas from Readers

Here are a few fun ideas from readers to highlight this week As always, I appreciate you all sharing your ideas. Be sure to stop by and visit these families and leave a comment!

Natural Beach Living shares their fun Letter O unit where they made an ocean sensory box. It involves fizzing and food coloring – so it’s guaranteed fun!

If you are working on the letter X, be sure to check out this CUTE hand x-ray made out of q-tips. Nestpirations put together this fun activity after looking at x-rays online

Ready to Link Up?

Share what you are doing with your kids! Please link your exact blog post to the Mr. Linky below and link back here too! Grab a button for your post below and be sure to take a minute to visit the person who linked up before you. You can read more in the updated guidelines for Preschool and Kindergarten Community. By linking up, you are granting permission for me to share your wonderful ideas and pictures with others in periodic show-and-tell posts.

Be specific in your ‘link title’. Leave either your blog name or theme and provide an age range for your activities. Something a little like this:

Police Officer Theme {ages 4-5}

Were you featured?

<a href="http://www.homeschoolcreations.net/category/Preschool%20Corner" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.homeschoolcreations.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Featured-on-Preschool-and-Kindergarten-Community.png" title="I was featured at the Preschool and Kindergarten Community at Homeschool Creations" /></a>