Homeschool Back to School
It’s that time again. Back to School shopping for Homeschool! In this blog post we will give some tips on where to shop, how to shop and what to buy for your homeschool this school year.
Here is what this blog post will cover:
- Deciding what you plan to teach
- Planning what activities to have
- Where to get your supplies
- Strategies on saving money
Lesson Planning: What you plan to teach
Before you start shopping for supplies it is important to plan. Based on your child’s age and ability, what do you plan to teach?
Most parents choose a curriculum or virtual homeschool that can keep them organized each day. I brainstorm first then plan my lessons from scratch.
A pre-set curriculum does not currently work for me because I feel my children are still young enough for me to manage the basics. I use a lot of Outschool to help with lessons as well as Teachers Pay Teachers.
Classroom format is not for everyone who homeschools but with my children because I feel that it gives a certain level of order to our lessons for the school year. They get dressed and come to class in the dining room.
Now that the children are getting older I am choosing to teach them separately on each day for their main lesson plan. We will still have some group lessons and activities.
If you want to learn how to homeschool in North Carolina you can read my blog post. I blog about how to get started and give you links to paperwork.
Planning
You may choose to keep your child on course with their peers in public and/or private school. To follow what is being taught in the public school year, your first action should be to get the curriculum from the school. This can be done in person or online. If you can’t find what you need, basically just call a local school for information.
If you have your own goals for education like I do brainstorm.
For my 11 year old my goal is to either introduce or continue for the year:
Piano lessons
Accounting
Drone Technology
History/Biographies
Grammar/Vocabulary
Russian
Science
Homeschool Activities
Back to School Shopping for Homeschool is not just about buying books and pencils. It’s also about setting up a plan of field trips and things we may need to learn in other environments.
I purchased a membership to the Botanical Garden. For our Homeschool Activities I want to have a few lessons that we can do as a group and also get us out of the house.
The winters in NC are not very harsh typically so I try to stay active outdoors all year long.
In the fall and winter there are tons of local Harvest, Halloween, Farms and Indoor pool amusement parks. Take a look in your area for free and low cost events to add on as well.
The library is a big part of my life. I always make sure I check their calendar!
A great idea is to get a membership to a local Botanical Garden, museum or fun park. There are going to be days where you just cannot teach or everyone needs a break.
Having a membership to the Botanical Garden for this school year also encourages a hands on study of Botany.
Field trips and spontaneous, “Let’s do our lesson at the Botanical Garden” days help big time with motivation. Never underestimate how much children enjoy lunch and a lesson in a different environment. Read about dairy free lunch ideas over on 80mphmom.com.
If you live in a big city like Atlanta, GA some of these activities can be expensive. When we visited Georgia we turned the visit to the Georgia Aquarium into a homeschool lesson. For me it was too expensive not to. I wanted to make those dollars work for me.
The Georgia Aquarium was a fantastic experience but you can get the most bang for your buck by reading and interacting with all of the signage.
Now the fun part, Where to get your supplies?
Back to School Shopping for Homeschool
Depending on where you live some of these will be a better value than others.
If Target is across town and it will only save you 5 cents per item take that into account. Gas is still costly. Read about how to save money on gas.
In no particular order here are my top places to shop:
Walgreens
CVS
Walmart
Target
Local Teacher Supply Stores
Dollar Store
Office Max
Barnes and Noble
Michaels
Aliexpress
Not all of these are fabulous deals but this is what we will talk about next. How do I not break the bank? Is the dollar store the holy grail of savings? Not always!
Did you notice from my list how random those places are?
Certain stores have certain things at great prices and provide great deals!!
I always start with OfficeMax or Walmart. Time and time again they have offered the best deals on supplies. You can’t beat a .14 cent eraser! Most of their deals will start under a dollar so that should be your first stop.
After that you want to explore your points at CVS and Walgreens. These are only stops I suggest you make if you are a couponer or have been in their points program.
CVS and Walgreens often have deals on points gathered from shopping with them all year.
You may be able to snag a free set of pens. They have a small stationery section. The points you may have will get you something free or actually give you points by purchasing. Back to School is a big sales event for retailers. Look to see what deals they are offering weekly.
Teacher Discounts!
Target has a points program and offers deals through their circle app so Target Back to School shopping is always a great value. Read about insider tips on how to use the Target Circle app!
Target is now offering teacher discounts to Homeschoolers! This is the first year that Target is welcoming Homeschool Back to School shoppers in a big way. Register and get ready for the savings.
Office Max also offers teacher discounts.
Be sure to check from my list who offers teacher discounts to homeschoolers.
Bookstore Deals
One of my best deals is my Barnes and Noble card. I have saved all year on everything in Barnes and Noble. If you have a Starbucks inside of yours that is included! You will have to pay a fee up front but if you have more than 2 children it is a great value!
Other great deals online
To take advantage of Aliexpress you have to be willing to wait a month. Shopping here is a great way to fill your treasure box or get that super cute Kawaii type stationery. Most items are available on Amazon if you need it faster but waiting can save you as much as $5 per item.
The last bit of advice is to use Affirm! If you have many children to shop for, don’t burn all of your cash up front. Walmart allows you to purchase the supplies you need and pay it off slowly.
For Back to School they have been offering 0%apr. Be sure to make your list before shopping.
Getting what you need is key. You also want to be sure that you don’t overspend just because you will not pay for everything at the time of the transaction.
Last but not least, look for donations! A church or non profit will always offer for Back to School! Get on Facebook and check local papers for events that give out school supplies.
Leave a comment if you enjoyed this post or have some deals to share with us. I also welcome small business owners to leave their links!
Tiffany says
I’m a homeschool mom and the price of supplies has really made a huge jump. Thank you for the discounts and coupons! Looking for donations can be a big help.