Now that the Canadian recession is official, it is time to tighten our belts and scrimp where we can. However, when it comes to the education of our children, its really hard to justify budget cuts.

We all want whats best for our kids. Contrary to popular belief however, this does not require a 6 figure income. The following are some tips for educating your kids without breaking the bank.

Respect the three R's Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

The amount of paper product the average school uses every year is astounding. Luckily at home we can be a little more attentive to conservation than the average classroom. By avoiding excessive paper use, you can save hundreds of dollars a year. Make sure your student is using both front and back of the paper and avoid double spacing.

Be sure to use scrap paper for side notes, doodling, and various arts and crafts. Try to reuse as much material as possible. Also save your child's work to be used as notes and guides for the next child.

When doing arts and crafts, avoid the use of expensive glues and construction paper. Instead, break out the siccors, paper clips and the recycle box. One project that is fun for kids, is creating 2D clothes out of pop bottles. They get to dress their 2D dolls however they like, and the clothes last a very long time.

These methods will not only save you goads of money, but teach your child the value of conservation.

Don't be afraid to talk

Literacy is important, this is for certain. However, not all school is books and papers. Use everyday experience to provide lessons for your child. I have 1 hour per day set aside for our eldest, that we call PAK time. PAK, or "practical application of knowledge" is used to discuss and explore in detail many of the things we learn from books but everyday things. Quite often this involves walking through the woods and exploring the different properties of trees and grass etc. This will only cost you time, and acts as a very effective learning medium, while building a bond between you and your child.

The Internet is your friend

Instead of buying costly text books and reference manuals, invest some time in saving your favorite wiki's to your hard drive. This way you can visit them offline and you will always have the information you need at your finger tips. If your child is not already proficient at computer use, teach them. Our 4 year old is already a whiz at navigating the desktop to find all his favorite cognitive games. Setting parental controls is easy and failing all else, sit with your child and explore what the net has to offer with them.

If you need to print off material from the web, make sure you are using inksaver settings on your printer.  There is no need for professional quality prints for school work. Save the ink and be able to print more content. 

Remember, its not about the fancy school gear, its about the education itself. Focus on knowledge and comprehension, they will serve your child better than Sponge-bob pencils and Hannah Montana notebooks.

Scott