Hi Everyone,

I am seriously considering homeschooling my kids this year and I am lost.  My daughter is entering 2nd grade and my son is entering 4th grade.

Our school district provides homeschoolers with the text books, but no workbooks or teachers books.  I was pricing whole kits on the internet and was shocked to see they are 100's of dollars. 

So I was wondering, am I able to use the student books the school district gives me and go out and buy just the workbooks or are they required to be from the same manufacturer?  I tried going to the manuf. website but I am not able to buy the workbooks without being a cerifed teacher.  What about teachers guide's can i get them too?

Please anyone that has the time and is willing to guide me in the right direction I would really appreciate it.

Thanks

Dani,

I would be happy to talk to you and give you some help. I awill even try to help you with contacts in your State. I am in California. Please feel free to Pm me and I will be happy to send you my contact info.

LAdystyx

What state are you in?

you can go to  HSLDA and click on your state for the laws.  I know here you can use whatever you want.  You can get most of your books or workbooks only through all sorts of resources. 

Here on PBS  is one.  <--cheapest.  

RainbowResource.com is another.    I ordered from them this year.

Homeschoolingbooks.com 

Check them out and see what you need.

If you're looking for the least expensive way to homeschool, how about FREE?  If you are in a state that has a K12 Virtual Academy, they will supply all your books (teacher's and student's), and most of your other supplies, including a computer and printer.  We have been schooling with the California Virtual Academy for 5 years, and we have only had to purchase pencils, notebooks, paper, ink for the printer, and a couple of binders each year.

I think this is a complete list of participating states, but check k12.com to see if your state is one that has a K12 Virtual Academy. 

Do you have to use the school's texts? Another thing...you don't NEED to use workbooks or teacher's editions. You can find everything you need on any subject for free online, with a little digging. For science, what would teach more: a kitchen experiment, or a worksheet? If you really feel the need to teach through worksheets at first, you can find worksheets on just about any topic free for your use online. Books that are no longer copyrighted can be found free online as well. Homeschooling doesn't have to be expensive. It can be if you buy boxed curriculum. Good luck in your new journey!

There are many used curriculum web sites.  Just do a web search and find what you want, whether it is to go with the texts that are supplied or choose whatever you want to use.  I have most of our curriculum for next year through PBS.  You just have to watch for what you need.

If you are wanting to use what the school will give, you can buy the extras like workbooks and manuals  thru eBay or sites like follett book sales that buy and sell school texts.  If you are wanting less expensive than 100s of dollars, amblesideonline.com is an almost free curiculum available online.  And there are some others. 

Depending on the age of your children, and the subject, sometimes you will want the teacher manuals.  For some subjects and series, much of the teaching information and how to dos are there.

I suggest homeschoolreviews.com for more information.  Many there are on tight budgets and have found creative ways of obtaining curriculum inexpensively.