freebies Archives

Giveaways

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Refresh your home & homeschool this year with the Organize It! Planner for April.

How do you plan parties? Maybe you are an expert, or perhaps you are just starting to host events. This month’s planner will focus on the details of planning the perfect party for you and your guests. Use this reference to efficiently organize the different aspects of your party regardless of the size or event. We’ve planned everything from weddings (we hand-made guest favors and name tags and decorations) as well as hosted low-key events like family night. Any homeschool mom with kids will have more than one birthday party to plan, even if you are having the event somewhere else.

Download Today and get organized!

Sign Up Here:

Get convenient links to all the latest homeschool podcasts each week- PLUS new printables every month! A free gift from the author, Felice Gerwitz, Ultimate Homeschool Radio owner and podcaster at Vintage Homeschool Moms!

Disclosure Statement regarding affiliates and partnerships.

Making Wise Choices with Free Homeschool Materials (and Giveaway)

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

August 6, 2018 by Gina Glenn 2 Comments

Free homeschool materials are so popular right now. I don’t see this trend going away. It’s too easy to google and find all kinds of free resources. But, let’s be wise when it comes to these freebies.

Making Wise Choices with Free Homeschool Materials

When you start your homeschool curriculum search, it doesn’t take long to realize you’ll be spending some money. However, most homeschool families are also single-income families. This can make it appealing to school your children completely on the freebies you find online. I want to challenge you to start with a strong homeschool mission statement or philosophy of education before you start down the freebie-only road. Make sure the free resources align with the overall goal you’ve sent for your homeschool.

Developing a Mission Statement for Your Homeschool

This doesn’t have to be complicated. Start with a simple list of the things that are important to you. Answering these questions can be a good start:

Is faith an integral part of your homeschooling? {Check out this podcast: Faith and Homeschooling}
Are academics your primary concern? {Check out these podcasts: Academics}
Do you tag team your homeschool efforts? {Check out this podcast: When Dad is the Teacher)
Are you a work-at-home mom homeschooling? {Check out this podcast: How to Balance Working from Home and Homeschooling}

Simple Mission Statement

Answering these basic questions can help you create a simple mission statement that can guide your purchases or choices of free homeschooling curriculum. A simple mission statement might be something like this, “Our homeschooling model is based upon our Christian faith and desire to establish that Faith as the foundation upon which all curriculum choices are made. Academics are a top concern, as it’s important to our family that our children be able to reason and communicate not just their faith, but all things. We will work together as parents to ensure we stay committed to these basic ideals.”

Methods of Homeschooling

Once you’ve developed a basic mission statement, you can begin to look at the different methods of homeschooling. Knowing HOW you plan to education your kids is as important as WHY you’ll educate them at home.

Here are some helpful podcasts that can assist you in determine your method of homeschooling:

Methods of Homeschooling – Homeschool Mom’s Quiz by Felice Gerwitz / Vintage Homeschool Moms
Homeschool Methods by Brook and Israel Wayne / Family Renewal
Educational Methods Overview by FPEA

Understanding the Value of Free Curriculum

For most homeschooling moms, free curriculum is a supplement to their main curriculum. It might even be something we fall back on when times are tough. Looking at how curriculum is developed and the role of free curriculum can also help you make wise choices.

Give a listen to Is Free Curriculum Really Free? by Felice Gerwitz to get a better understanding of the pro’s and con’s of free curriculum.

Felice Gerwitz has been a curriculum writer and developer for over 25 years and knows the painstaking hours that go into the development of curriculum. She’s spoken on the importance of using your homeschool mission and method to make your homeschool as successful as can possibly be.

She joins her voice to that of Carol Topp & Cindy West in their episode, 5 Warnings Against Frugal Homeschooling.

Her desire to provide quality, affordable homeschool materials gave birth to MediaAngelsMembership.com where you can homeschool your entire family starting at just $15 per month.

Make a Wise Decision

Knowing that for most of us, we’re homeschooling with eternity in mind. Choosing the very best in homeschooling materials and methods are something we take seriously. Free homeschool material has a place in the education of your children, but I challenge you today to think about how far you go with frugality. If you choose a free homeschool curriculum, look for one, such as Ambleside Online or Easy Peasy which offers a more cohesive approach.

You can make use of homeschool curriculum swaps, resale or homeschool consignment stores, eBay, or Amazon. Check out these resources:

PS. Here are some additional resources you can try to save money on other areas to better afford homeschool materials

Money Saving Mom has a plethora of resources to help you save money across the board.
Resources on earning extra money as a stay-at-homeschool mom: Making Money Blogging, Making Money From Home, 8 Steps to Starting a Successful Blog, and How to Choose the Right Work at Home Opportunity for You.

To Help You on Your Homeschooling Journey

We’re all moms here (and dads!) and we know what it’s like for money to be tight. To kick of your back to homeschool, Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network is participating with our blogging friends to bring you the following giveaway! … (be sure and see our privacy and giveaway policy).

Another (home) school year is upon us!

Some of you may have already started your year, or some of you might school all year long, or some of you might be making those final curriculum decisions before your new year starts. Whatever boat you are in, I’m sure you could use a little extra money for homeschool curriculum or resources. Am I right?
I’ve gotten together with some fellow homeschool bloggers and we are pooling our money together to bless two homeschool families with a gift card to spend on their homeschools. How does $250 sound in helping you buy curriculum, books, games, puzzles, or whatever educational supplies you might need? Two people will win a $250 gift card to Timberdoodle!!

We know homeschooling can put financial strain on families – whether it’s from living on one-income or buying curriculum for multiple children – the financial aspect of it can be stressful. Our hope is that we can bless a couple of homeschool families (although we wish we could bless many more) so they can buy the curriculum and supplies they need.

Enter to Win

To enter for your chance to win, simply use the Rafflecopter form below to enter. Now I know that is quite a few entries for you, but each of these bloggers generously chipped in their own money to bring you this giveaway, so I hope you will take the time to do all of the entries. And hey, the more entries you do, the better your odds are of winning!

Giveaway ends Aug. 15, 2018 at 11:59pm ET. Must be at least 18 years of age. Must be a resident of U.S. or Canada to enter. Selected winners will have 48 hours to respond to email notification to claim their prizes or another winner will be drawn. By entering this giveaway, you agree to be added to the email lists of the participating bloggers. Please be sure to read the Terms & Conditions upon entering the giveaway.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: freebies, frugal, giveaway, homeschool, homeschooling, Timberdoodle, wisdom

Get a Month’s Worth of Freebies in a Day

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

May 9, 2018 by Gina Glenn Leave a Comment

Get a month’s worth of freebies in a single day? It’s true. If you’re curious how this can be, Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network is teaming up with over 30 other bloggers as part of Build Your Bundle Instagram Freebie Loop!

That’s like getting an entire month’s worth of freebies in a single day. Of course, you can take your time going through the Instagram loop as long as you finish by the end of the promotion. In other words, get your freebies downloaded right away! 😉 This Freebie Loop will close May 14^th at midnight.

Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network has ongoing freebies and giveaways for our subscribers.

Like all the fun things in life, we have to have some rules so we don’t get carried away.

When you hop over to the Instagram account (you must have one to participate) you’ll look for the image below . Read through the “how to” in order to get the most out of the loop! If you’re new to Instagram, know that when you see @ and then a name, that’s the Instagram handle.

NOTE: When working through the loop on Instagram, to find the next blogger in the loop look for the tag 1. on their image and/or 2. in the description on the post. Have fun!

Instructions

All of the following information is found on the actual post for Instagram on our Instagram account.

It’s here for your easy-peasy way to see how it works! The actual promotion is on Instagram, not this blog post.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

@BuildYourBundle is incredibly excited to bring you this BYB Instagram Freebie Loop! You’ll find loads of amazing products from some of your favorite (and best) homeschool publishers! There are over 30 freebies to be found in this loop! WOOT! Don’t delay, these freebies are only available for a limited time!

To access ALL these amazing freebies, follow the directions below:
________

Like this image and click follow above if you aren’t already.
________

2: Go to my profile and click through the link to access my freebie!
________

Come back to this image and tap on the image to find the next person in the loop. Tap on their name to go to their profile.
________
Find this same image on their Instagram page.
________
Repeat steps 1-4 on every photo/profile until you make it back to the profile you started with!
________

When you make it back to the person you started with, you’ve completed the loop.

This Freebie Loop will close May 14^th at midnight. Enjoy your freebies!!
_______

DISCLAIMER: This freebie loop is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or affiliated with Instagram, Inc. By entering, entrants confirm that they are at least 13+ years of age, release Instagram of all responsibility, and agree to Instagram’s terms of use.
________
#byb2018 #freebie #homeschoolfreebies #homeschoolrocks #homeschoollife #homeschoolfun #homeschoolcurriculum #buildyourbundle #homeschooling #homeschool

PPS.

If you don’t have an Instagram account and don’t want one, that’s okay, you can still 1. grab a freebie here by joining the Homeschool Radio Family

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Shop the Build Your Bundle sale (below).

PPS. You can pin this for later, too! You know- in case you get tired finger from clicking through to all the awesome freebies!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: freebies, instagram

Do you have homeschool curriculum overwhelm?

A Production of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

May 7, 2018 by Gina Glenn Leave a Comment

Disclosure & Affiliate Policy

Seriously. Do you have homeschool curriculum overwhelm? I know that sounds like a crazy question. But, how many hours do you spend looking for the perfect curriculum? How much money do you spend on curriculum that you end up never using? How often do your choices end up in tantrums or tears? Maybe even your own!

My Story with Homeschool Curriculum

My oldest child had attended a private Christian school, classical in nature. He would come home in the evenings with homework that consisted of repetitious parroting. The idea was learning took place by rote memorization. It made sense at the time, but I did feel strongly that we could do just as well at home without the private school price tag.

I received a copy of World Magazine in the mail and I ran across an ad for the Noah Plan. The idea behind it of applying Scripture as our main source for reasoning spoke to my heart. I ordered the Plan. When it came I sat on the floor surrounded by a giant dictionary and big red books. And I cried! I was overwhelmed!

I’m sure you can relate. I spent a lot of money, a lot of time, and a lot of tears on something I’d never seen or handled before. Though in my case it worked out, for many years–so, it turned into a happy ending. But, it would’ve been great to have had a full-size sample of the program before I put down so much money.

Options for Curriculum Shopping

So, you might be wondering what are your options concerning curriculum shopping? If you have “overwhelm,” join the crowd, but it doesn’t have to be that way. What’s the remedy?

Know your educational philosophy
Have a plan

If you don’t visit a homeschool convention where you can see, touch, and ask questions, you can find yourself a little shy about spending a significant amount of money on a product.

There are online samples from many vendors and curriculum providers, but sometimes a sample isn’t enough to really try out the curriculum. Sally might love the sample because it’s new and different but may end up not liking it after a couple of weeks.

You can visit Amazon, eBay, and used or consignment bookstores to try to get some curriculum on the cheap. There are even some great Facebook groups that specialize in freebies.

If you decide to buy or sell online or in a group, keep in mind the following:

price-comparison shop among eBay and Amazon
ask for pictures
check the edition
know the condition
ask if it’s marketed up on has writing inside
ask if they have permission to sell it (some things have a copyright that prohibits resale)

Maximizing Savings and Eliminating Trial and Error in Curriculum Shopping

While completely free homeschool curriculum is great and can save you money while you’re trying something out, you sometimes want more than the freebie version.

A complete, free, and sequential homeschool curriculum is hard to find. There are a couple of popular ones out there, like Ambleside and Easy Peasy and they are pretty awesome. But, what if you’ve even tried that? You might be looking for multiple grade levels and some variety. And the last thing you want is the feeling of “overwhelmed.”

Some additional sources of free curriculum visit:

Pinterest
Facebook groups
Google
Free printables
Homeschool websites dedicated to freebies

Stop Searching for Freebies and Start Planning Your Homeschool Year – minus the “overwhelm”

If you’re ready to stop searching for freebies and start planning your homeschool year, you’ll want to check out the Build Your Bundle sale. It’s a once-per-year sale that combines high-quality curriculum into super affordable bundles. No samples! No “freebies” – all bonafide curriculum from top curriculum providers are crazy limited-time pricing.

If you want to maximize your savings during the Build Your Bundle sale, here’s how to do it. I’m going to show you how to get $5000 worth of curriculum for $370.

You’ll need 7 different transactions. The check out is super easy. Know that these are all digital products. You’ll need to follow the download directions.

Price for all bundles using the Buy 2, Get 1 free deal is $370.

Here’s the breakdown:

Order #1 –

Charlotte Mason Bundle $49.00
Elementary Bundle #1 $39.00
Elementary Bundle #2 FREE

Order #2-

Elementary Bundle #3 $39.00
Upper Grades Bundle #1 $39.00
Upper Grades Bundle #2 FREE

Order #3-

Character Bundle $29.00
Early Learning Bundle #1 $29.00
Early Learning Bundle #2 FREE

Order #4-

Early Learning Bundle #3 $29.00
Parenting Bundle $29.00
Fine Arts Bundle FREE

Order #5-

Homeschool Helps Bundle #1 $19.00
Homeschool Helps Bundle #2 $19.00
Unit Studies Bundle FREE

Order #6

Homemaking Bundle $15.00
Special Needs Bundle $15.00
Brother & Sister Bundle FREE

Order #7 (remaining Bundles)

Mystery Bundle $10.00
Thematic Units Bundle $10.00

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

You may not have children in all the ranges the Bundles cover, and you may not have an interest in each product in the Bundle, but let’s look at each of the Bundles together. You’ll soon discover that they have such tremendous value you can pick and choose among products in each Bundle, save some product for another time, whatever your heart desires. 🙂

Early Learning Bundle #1

$225.89 $29.00

This Early Learning Bundle is full of preschool and early learning resources you will love using with your little ones.

Inside you’ll find a fun math unit, sight word practice, a full reading curriculum, Bible curriculum, a craft pack, a phonics, and penmanship curriculum, a life skills pack from Skill Trek, and much more.

Early Learning Bundle #2

$228.30 $29.00

The Early Learning Bundle #2 contains so many resources for your little ones at 87% off!

Sight Word Early Readers
Preschool Basic Skills Bundle
Phonics & Penmanship Curriculum
2 Complete Reading Curricula
A full homeschool program targeting students in K3-K5
Raising Lil’ Rock Stars Through the Bible A to Z – a full preschool curriculum
A math resource
And more!

Early Learning Bundle #3

$207.65 $29.00

If you have an early learner and you are looking for curriculum, this bundle is for you. Take a look at what’s included:

Animal Play – a program for 2-3-year-olds that uses colorful books, songs, games, and activities about animals to introduce the alphabet, numbers, shapes & colors.
Fruit for Tender Hearts – a homeschool program targeting students in K3-K5.
Kindergarten Complete All-Inclusive Set (over $140 value alone!)
Other supplemental resources for teaching early learners

Elementary Bundle #1

$360.10 $39.00

This bundle for elementary students is so full of awesomeness! Inside you will find The Mystery of History, Writing Through Ancient History, a complete handwriting curriculum, Bible activity book and American history resources.

You will also get your hands on science resources, such as Ellen McHenry’s NEW geology curriculum, and the Learning About Science Collection. Math, spelling, and a full first-grade curriculum valued over $160 round out this bundle and make it a must-have at just $39!

Elementary Bundle #2

$357.47 $39.00

Our Elementary Bundles are always super popular and full of great products and this year is no exception!

Inside you will find the best-selling audiobook for The Mystery of History and a folder book to go along with it from Bright Ideas Press. You will get your hands on a full vocabulary curriculum, science resources, a full year geography curriculum, and a life skills curriculum for elementary students from Skill Trek.

Also included are grammar resources, a cursive handwriting curriculum, a devotional study for making wise choices, a complete first-grade curriculum valued at over $160 and more – all for just $39!

Elementary Bundle #3

$349.16 $39.00

The Elementary Bundle #3 is overflowing with language arts resources! Looking for a reading curriculum? Look no further. You will get 2 complete reading curriculum levels from Homeschool Complete in this bundle, along with the full Word Family Readers curriculum and other language arts products for spelling and grammar.

Your students will enjoy learning about habitats, animals, scientists, the solar system, and weather with the fun science curriculum found in this bundle.

If geography is your thing, you will love the research guide to the 50 states that’s included! And our very own Truth Seekers Mysteries with Study Guides (valued at 53.94) and Media Angels books are a Cathy Duffy Top Curriculum pick.

There is so much more to be found in this fun bundle that is priced low at just $39 – 89% off!

Charlotte Mason Bundle

$348.81 $49.00

We hope you are as excited as we are with the products contained in the Charlotte Mason Inspired Bundle!

Some of the products found in this bundle include:

The Mystery of History Volume III Audiobook & Folderbook
Primary Unit Program from Train up a Child Publishing (valued at $95 alone!)
Wayfarers: Revolution from Barefoot Meandering
BiblioPlan’s Early Modern: Remember the Days Audiobook
Writing Through Medieval History
Charlotte Mason Planners
High-quality copywork
A course on Shakespeare
And More!

Upper Grades Bundle #1

$352.76 $39.00

The Upper Grades Bundle #1 includes a popular worldview book from Master Books, math resources, art history curriculum and a Bible activity book.

You will also find A Wrinkle in Time Online Book Club and Design Your Own Literature-based High School Courses from Train up a Child Publishing.

There are so many awesome resources included in this bundle for just $39, along with The College Prep Writing Curriculum: Write to Achieve! that is normally priced and $167.97!

Upper Grades Bundle #2

$342.74 $39.00

This bundle is geared toward middle school and high schoolers and contains 2 math resources, language arts, writing curriculum, and history resources.

You will also find a Bible curriculum, a devotional on making wise choices, a course on Shakespeare for 7th-12th Grades, life skills curriculum from Skill Trek, and more!

Essay Styles for High School from Train up a Child Publishing is regularly priced at over $40! Grab this bundle for just $39 and save 89%!

Unit Studies Bundle

$172.83 $19.00

The Unit Studies Bundle is full of resources you will use for years to come in your homeschool, and it’s 89% off!

Take a look at some of the features of this bundle:

Country study notebooking pages for almost 200 countries
United States study
BiblioPlan’s geography unit
History & government resources
Science resources
Artist study
Holiday unit studies
And more!

Character (Building) Bundle

$223.82 $29.00

Our Character Bundle is always a best-seller and this year it is full of high-quality Biblical resources that you can put to good use in your home.

You will find resources for:

Growing as a Proverbs 31 woman
Building a Godly marriage
Missionary studies for the whole family
Children’s Bible activities
Child training tools
Scripture reading plans
Prayer Selections
Faith Journaling Pages
Hymn Study Pages
And MUCH MORE!

Don’t miss out on this faith-building bundle that is 87% off!

Thematic Units Bundle

$207.88 $10.00

The Thematic Units Bundle contains 21 individual products for all sorts of unit study fun. The wide variety of resources in this bundle includes something for everyone.

Your children will enjoy:

Watching a movie and writing a report
Nine themed writing prompts (with 180 total writing prompts)
Practicing fractions using Legos®
Writing a book report with the Book Report Pack

In addition, you get the tools to do a country study, teach how to compare and contrast, as well as teach your children about holidays with fun lapbooks and unit studies.

Learn about famous scientists, celebrate Black History Month, and make learning fun with the language arts resources included – all for just $10…95% off!

Special Needs Bundle

$180.00 $15.00

Help equip your special needs children to excel to the best of their abilities. This Special Needs Bundle, valued at $180 includes a wealth of resources for helping your child with behavior and social skills and working memory skills.

Also included are resources for strengthening the midline and auditory and visual processing.

You cannot beat this price for just $15!

Homeschool Helps Bundle #1

$259.83 $19.00

This homeschool helps bundle is marked 93% off the total retail value and contains resources that will help you get re-focused on what’s really important.

Learn about different homeschooling methods, get questions answered, discover ideas on how to re-vamp your homeschool, find encouragement, and more! Also included are charts, graphs, templates, organizers, and homeschool planners.

Homeschool Helps Bundle #2

$272.10 $19.00

This homeschool helps bundle is a STEAL at 93% off! Chock-full of tools to help you whip your homeschool into shape – 8 ebooks and 5 e-courses:

Homeschool Planners
Organization and Scheduling Helps
Convention Planner & Journal
Encouragement for your Homeschool Journey
And More!

With 3 products valued over $50 each, can you afford NOT to get this bundle for just $19?

Mystery Bundle

$210.32 $10.00

This is the 3rd year we have offered a Mystery Bundle and it is better than ever before! Do you remember getting grab bags from the Dime Store when you were a kid? It was so much fun digging into the brown paper bag to find out what awaited you. The Mystery Bundle is just like that, but full of homeschooling resources!

This bundle is, well….a mystery, so we cannot tell you what’s in it – but for just $10 bucks here is a sneak peek into the contents:

Two history resources
Geography bundle
Themed unit study
A FULL reading curriculum
Copywork
Language arts supplements
Math products
2 Homemaking resources

This bundle is geared more for elementary students with some resources suitable for early learners as well. There are no upper grades materials in this bundle.

Priced at 95% off, you will get over $200 in products for just $10 – it’s totally worth the mystery!

Brother & Sister Bundle

$154.70 $10.00

This is a fun bundle with products for both boys & girls. Help your children learn how to get along better with the Let’s All Get Along Bible study for siblings. Teach them life skills with Skill Trek (one for boys & one for girls!)

With fun unit studies, paper dolls, cookbooks, and more – your kids will be so delighted with this bundle, priced at just $10 – 94% off!

Parenting Bundle

$264.78 $29.00

The Parenting Bundle contains a wealth of resources to arm you with the tools you need for success in your parenting and child training.

Some of the features of this bundle include:

Parent/child Bible study on how to choose good friends and be a good friend
Learn how to remove daily chaos with the routine approach
Develop a parenting plan that takes your childs unique needs into account
Use family vision boards to strengthen the family culture
How to deal with a difficult child
Train your kids to be leaders and not followers
And much more!

Homemaking Bundle

$274.74 $15.00

The Homemaking Bundle not only contains homemaking goodies but also work-from-home resources.

Get access to organizers, calendars, chore charts, record keeping, office organization tips, and more. Skill Trek’s homemaking set includes info on meal planning, storing leftovers, budgeting, and more. Still trying to figure out how to get your body back in shape? The Homeschool Mom Fitness Program is perfect for you.

Interested in learning more about working from home? Have you tossed around the idea of starting a blog? Yes! Homeschool moms can earn money working from home. Learn how with these helpful resources.

Get re-charged, encouraged, and motivated to be the best homemaker you can be – all for just $15!

The Takeaway

With a plan, a budget, and a philosophy of education that reflects your own family you can conquer homeschool overwhelm. A try before you buy approach to curriculum shopping, like the Build Your Bundle sale is a great way to start.

PS. Here is the FAQ for how the Build Your Bundle works. Their awesome Customer Support can be found here.