Homeschooling parents are often looking for inexpensive ways to supplement their children’s learning experience.  Two resources I’ve found particularly helpful in our family include the library and Netflix video rental.

Using Free Books in Homeschooling Situations

Homeschoolers might be surprised at the amount of resources and learning materials available via the library.  We live in a very small community, so our county library is quite tiny and only has about 12 rows of books (total–for fiction and non-fiction alike).  However, through that tiny hub, I am able to access any book in the state library system via Inter-Library Loan.

Familiarize Yourself With the Inter-Library Loan System

Using the Inter-Library Loan system, I am able to get my hands on just about any book I choose. Often, I will bring a “wish list” of book titles, authoer nmes and ISBN numbers I gleaned from the internet and present it to my librarian.  Within the next two weeks, book after book arrives from libraries across the state.  The checkout times are very generous, usually much longer than the standard checkout times for the in-house books.

Be sure to find out what the rules and limitations are for your particularly library.  Some books are only available for a fee.  Often, that fee will be waived for teachers and educators, so be sure to inquire about the rules for use in an educational setting. Sometimes there is a limit on the number of inter-library loan books that can be requested at one time.  Ask your librarian for help!  I’ve even acquired full-sized textbooks this way when I wanted to compare a couple of potential books before making a purchase of the one I’d ultimately want to use.

Educational Programs

I recently took my daughter to a quilts-through-history seminar, which we later used to talk about decades on our history timeline.  We’ve also been to insect adventure activities, story hours, sewing demonstrations and many, many more wonderful educational programs through the library.  Sometimes they are geared towards adults, but my children still learn something.  Other times they are designed specifically for children.  Either way, these free learning opportunities give your children a chance to meet someone outside the family–in a supervised environment–who is an expert in her or her area of knowledge!

Don’t be afraid to approach the teacher afterwards and ask about additional recommended resources, for more information on a certin topic or when he or she will be speaking again.  Sometimes those contacts may lead to other learning opportunities for your family.  By taking advantage of the resources available at your community library, you will find that your children’s learning opportunities will be enriches, without breaking your pocketbook.

Angela England lives in rural Oklahoma with her husband and soon to be four children, where she works as a professional blogger in addition to homeschooling, doing childbirth work and massage therapy. England is the founder of The Untrained Housewife – a social site for homemakers, mothers and homeschoolers to exchange back-to-the-basic tips and tricks.