So I was rambling on trying to get to the point that our epiphany of Boatschooling revolved around handwriting. Something that over time has burdened me to the point I actually hate to write. Sometime around my mid twenties the time it takes to even write my signature compared to the time it takes me to think about it and why do I actually have to write it down are not uniform lengths of time. I actually get bored while writing. Allowing time for the hand to keep up with the brain. If I'm in a hurry I even slur words together on paper trying to complete that latter parts of sentences before I am finished with the beginning. All this leaving us in a precarious part of history. Not since the invention of the printing press has such a revolution happened. Our only question is... how many Monks do we need just in case the system goes down?
Boo Boo Hill overlooking Exuma sound
Saving the boat kitty while trying to cruise on a budget is of utmost importance. Below is a listing of sources and ideas we have to keep the kitty purring.
First we have chosen to stay with Teaching Textbooks Math. Teaching Textbooks as a company has been wonderful about reissuing product keys for Homeschool resale. Actually TT Pre-Algebra for the upcoming year. He will soon be completing TTmath7. During his first two years of Boatschool The Fisher King will have completed TT5-7. I had hoped he would make if partially through the pre-algebra but I haven't pushed. Our source for this item has always be eBay! If you play the eBay game well you can actually come out ahead financially on this. Even after the fees from eBay and Paypal. We are possibly going to be around $30 ahead depending on the sale price of TTmath7 next month. Hint: Do not buy during the back to school period!
Second we will once again use Saxon Grammar. We have no positives or negatives about the course. Indifference is the winner here. Compare the online costs from retailers and eBay before you make a decision where to spend the money. Our biggest complaint is that in the marine environmental the newsprint books are destined to swell and become unsaleable. They are treated as disposable so we just write in the student book and keep it as a record.
Third brings us to used text books. This is our disclaimer on used textbooks "You don't want to send your kids to public school but you want to use a public textbook? You know it was out of date when it was published right? You know it was published 10+ years ago right? You know none of the previous questions mater if you are in grade 8 or less, right? Why? The reason being in the next 4 years everything you learn will be out of date other than the basics anyway. So why not use a text book? They cover the whole year in a 3 pound package" You can buy textbooks on eBay for cheap! Way cheap! So cheap we don't even resale them because the time it takes to box it, label it, go to the post office and ship it out weighs the couple bucks we make after eBay and Paypal fees. Take them to Goodwill.
Fourth is the on board library. You can take two routes here. The two hundred and fifty
pound trunk with 250 books in the valuable storage compartment or the eReader and hard drive with 30,000 books and weighs 2.5 pounds. If your budget allows we vote iPad with a Lifeproof case here but the other eReaders work almost as good. Make sure you get a waterproof case. The Fisher Kings early Pandigital is a simple mp3 player and eReader with terrible WIFI capabilities that is not capable of playing decent video (see "Fifth" and "Seventh" below)! You can go to Project Gutenberg or other online sources for FREE classical literature. Barnes and Nobel gives you FREE Fridays that offer other authors. File sharing opens up other doors also.
Fifth brings us to Time Displacement Videos. Sites like the History Channel allow watching select episodes while you have a good WIFI connection. Sites like HULU let you watch the shows for a couple bucks. Sites like Netflix allow you to down load for later and are only a few bucks a month. Then there are file sharing sites that allow you to pack it all up on a hard drive and watch it at your convenience when you are at anchor in a beautiful bay.
Sixth gets you into the fury of the wide eyed crazed shopper. The back to school, no tax weekend. Buy all your misc supplies at this time if you are brave and strong. Check all the fliers for the price on laptops if you need one also. Even some clothing qualifies. If you have storage and zip lock bags stuff them full. Paper and pencils are at least a mile walk all across the keys and a farther sail in the Bahamas. When your artist is inspired by the top of Boo Boo Hill and it's view you would hate not to have the heavy art paper and the memories be riddled with lines from the notebook.
Seventh gets them a laptop. They really do need a laptop. It keeps them off the main boat computer and/or your laptop while giving them a sense of freedom. We have gone through 5 laptops on the boat so we hate this thought! While we love TTmath it makes us keep a windows based computer available. There isn't another application that we have found that fits the bill for us. With a lap top the can access all the programs written for windows and it's bittersweet glory. They can read all the Gutenberg books in multiple formats, watch all the relevant time shift videos in formats other than mp4, all while multitasking backups and downloads. With programs creating virtual DVD's the netbook was the ultimate Boatschool device. With the explosion of tablets in the market the netbook has been the casualty. We recently tried to find a new one for an affordable price but even the used ones on eBay were more than I paid two years ago. We would love a donation to the boat if you have a netbook you have outgrown or replace with a tablet. When offered a full size economy laptop as the Boatschool computer the Fisher King stood his ground wanting the smaller netbook.
Eighth brings us to a grand day out. Play "El Tourista" for a day! We recently took a day trip across town, way across town to the Renaissance Fair. Just check for discounted and free educational destinations. An example would be the "Donate blood for free entry" option at the Renaissance Fair. Volunteer at (insert name of place) instead of paying the $18.95 to get in. Never turn down a free fishing trip. Seeing a shark or ray and learning about tides first hand can not be replaced by a book. A Field trip is what you make of it. A picnic is a picnic unless it is an exploration into the millions of years of evolution.
Ninth takes you out on a limb, meeting new people in local homeschool groups. With continuous relocation and travel always just a moment away this may prove difficult for the cruising life style. Google does wonders providing you know the correct key words. Online dating of these groups will prove necessary in avoiding the ...(deleted the pessimistic rant on offering children to strangers on Sundays).
Tenth are the basics. If you are always frugal you have more for the critical issues. Designer pasta gets you a pretty plate but 3 designer pasta dishes cost you an entry into the next field trip. After all rice and beans goes well with fresh caught fish.
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