These past couple of days have included a lot of organizing around our house. I am sure that it has been that way around your house too.
There is a reason afterall why all of the sales flyers have nothing but organizational supplies on sale.
Well, those and workout gear, right?
Anyway, one of the things that I have been organizing has been our classroom. It hasn't been that bad really. I did have this one pile in a corner though that has been sneering at me for months. It knew it was better than me. Driving. Me. Crazy.
So I tackled it. Well most of it. And as I was organizing it and filing and putting things with other things and doodads with whose-a-whats-its, I came face to face with the reality of our homeschooling...
We have a ton of stuff. And most of it I haven't paid for at all.
Amazing right?
I am a really good thief..
Just kidding.
The truth of the matter is that we are blessed. Knock you naked blessed by God, totally undeserving, blessed folks. Off the top of my head here are some of things we have been blessed with by whom:
Our neighbor Peggy one afternoon brought over a sack of art supplies, school supplies, beads...all kinds of stuff for art projects.
Our neighbors Randy and Diane gifted us with a Ginormous box of supplies they used when they had an inhome daycare. Those are mainly what the one eyed, one horned pile in the corner consisted of. She gave me so many amazing things! Art supplies, books of ideas, project sheets with instructions, letter sheets for Cal, wall hangings, the works. It's all so amazing! And while I don't think I am using it all as I should be, it has all been such a blessing as there is for example, a volcano project that we are getting ready to use with our science studies.
Our cousin Lisa. I cannot explain to you all how much I love this woman and her heart. She gives to our family what her children are done with. This summer she invited me over to look at some books she was going to sell in a garage sale but then decided to give us a crack at first. I could not believe what "some books" meant. Boxes and boxes of books. And of what? Tons of childrens literature and historical books, a lot of what we would be studying this year. A lot of the books and educational games you see came from their family. Lisa was a teacher before her babies came and she has such a good eye for things.
Garage Sales- this summer I was able to hit up some amazing garage sales early in the morning because my husband faithfully watched the children. A lot of our math games I was able to snag for some crazy price like $1.00 because I stalked the papers for teachers having garage sales.
Goodwill-Emma is a model for Goodwill and with that I've been able to talk to some of the big whiggs and figure out the Goodwill system. You won't find me at Goodwill often, but I do know which Goodwill keeps there stuff at that one store and that one store gets a ton of old school books. I'm talking sets of Boxcar Children books that have never even been cracked open. Yes I'll buy those for 25 cents apiece, thank you.
My Aunt Jan-My Aunt never fails to always give the coolest gifts. One year she gave Emma a cash register and it has fake money and all of the food and signs for a grocery store. We use that in homeschool to learn about money and to break up the monotony. This Christmas she gave Emma a book set where you can write a book and then end up having it published and sent to us! I am so excited for this because Emma has been really interested in the book writing process and has talked about writing a story...this will be perfect for us!
My Grandma- I'm pretty sure the old lady was dead set against us homeschooling. Too Granola for her, I'm sure. But she has seemed to have a change of heart with the way our kids are really learning. Anyway, she's always calling me with some books she has for me or something she wants to give me or look at. She has given me a lot of children's literature. And as you all know, I am totally old school, so reading books from the 60's with the kids is such fun for me! She also has given me stuff from her pastor's wife that she's passed on to me because 1) she's awesome and 2) because she knows we homeschool. It helps to get the word out!
The rest of Nick's extended family has also given me so much here and there. I am so truly blessed by them. His Uncle has returned from a garage sale with art curriculum from a school, never opened. His cousin Tracee has given us science kits and chairs and art supplies when we dropped in to say hi.
Nick's cousin Jodee has given us scads of worksheets and books and so much stuff that we use on a daily basis.
All in all what this has created for us is a virtual smorgishborg of materials and I could not be happier. We have so many things to use and so much to look at and work with. And it's all because of the power of prayer, and these amazing people who have freely given. If you were mentioned, we thank you from the bottoms of our hearts. And if you've given us stuff and I've forgotten you, thank you and sorry!!!
I just wanted to share this with you to show you that God will provide! And you don't have to spend a lot of money to homeschool. Just pray and trust God and know that He will provide. I can't wait to see how He shows up in 2013...whatever ways it is you can be sure I will be shouting from the rooftops how amazing He is!
