We homeschool our four kids (aged 6-13) and computers were a real hurdle for us. How do we make sure everyone gets enough time, but not too much time? How do we keep an eye on them? (both solved here) How do we corral all the stuff that one inevitably collects as a computer user? (err, not solved yet)
For several years our kids got our old machines, which meant they were slow but more than adequate. Sure, they complained but we reminded them that there are many homeschool families that share one machine or don’t even have one at all.
I’ve always worked online so I’ve never had to share a machine with anyone. I had the first laptop of my very own in 1997, but I do realize that we are very much not the norm.
Last year we had a windfall, and my husband spent some time on TigerDirect and Craigslist scoping out the best deals. We ended up getting an inexpensive computer for each kid. We now have two mac minis and two desktop PCs, all with flat screen monitors that we bought used on Craigslist for $50 total (yes, $50 for all 4 monitors).
The chairs are from Ikea as are the two tables that are butted up against each other. The tabletops were $20 each and the legs were $4 each. The chairs cost us $25 each. The whole setup was less than $1k, and obviously most of the cost is in the computers themselves.
While I know this isn’t a normal setup, it’s much more convenient this way. They can all chat and play computer games together, and during their computer times I often see the older ones helping the younger ones (great). Of course, sitting this closely also causes arguments at times (not great).
I do find that my son is constantly sending me emails and chat messages when he’s supposed to be studying, so sometimes I have to gently remind him to stay on task, but overall this has been a perfect solution for us. We have a mini computer lab in our house!
Now I know many of you will think this is outrageous, but it works for us.
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