A really good time to buy curriculum is at homeschool conferences, which are typically held in the spring. If you buy curriculum at conferences, you save money by not paying shipping. Also, you can hold the item in your hands and look through it thoroughly, rather than just reading a blurb about it in a cataglogue or online.
Because it’s spring, and the conferences are at hand, I thought I should share some things I have learned over the years:
Even better than buying curriculum at homeschool conferences and not paying for shipping, is buying used curriculum in good condition. Some homeschool groups have used curriculum sales at this time of year before the conferences, which is handy. Of course, just as when you go to a thrift store, you won’t necessarily find what you want, but it’s a good place to start. You can also look at homeschool sites online, there are some on Facebook, where people advertise their used curriculum.
But how do you even know what curriculum to choose? Start by looking at catalogues, whether a hard copy or online – I will share some links that you can begin with at the end of this post. But honestly, you can’t really tell how suitable a curriculum is for you and your child(ren) from a catalogue – everything listed sounds wonderful, but not everything is wonderful for your particular family.
There are several things to consider when choosing a curriculum. Each of you reading this is unique, with your own strengths and weaknesses, as are your children. So what is a good fit for one family isn’t necessarily a good fit for another.
Things to consider:
- Is there a lot of teacher preparation required? Some curricula are made so that there is no preparation time, you just open the books and go. Others require a bit of preparation time, maybe ten minutes, and others require a lot of extensive training with DVDs that the teaching parent needs to watch ahead of time, plus other preparation. This is something to examine – how much preparation time does this book/curriculum require and will that work for you?
- Are a lot of other materials required? Will you have to purchase all kinds of things from all kinds of places?
- Are you teaching or is someone on a video doing the teaching?
- Is there a lot of workbook time? (Some kids love doing workbooks; others hate it.)
- Are there a lot of projects involved? How extensive are these projects? Are they things that your children will enjoy?
- For older students: how much of your involvement will this require? Will your students be able to do their work independently?
- Does this curriculum involve the computer? When your child is using the computer, I encourage you to supervise, supervise, supervise. (So take into account the fact that you should be sitting beside the child the whole time they are on the computer.) Why must you supervise? If they are using a computer that has access to the Internet, distractions are a tiny click away. Some of the distractions aren’t particularly harmful, but many are. And your children don’t have to go looking for these harmful sites – some of the most harmful ones (for example the billion-dollar porn industry) come looking for them. So vigilance is required if the curriculum necessitates the computer.
- If your friend has curriculum they have recommended or that you are interested in, examine it as thoroughly as you can. If you are able to borrow it for a week and try it out, you will have a better idea of whether it will be the right fit for you.
Back to the homeschool conference with their curriculum fairs. It’s good to go knowing what you plan to buy, but if you don’t, take the earliest opportunity you have to look around at the various curricula, and if you see something that looks appealing, have a good long look at it, leave it, and come back two or three different times throughout the day to look at it some more. Then if you still think it’s the one for you, buy it.
If you do end up buying something and it doesn’t work for you, talk to someone who has used it successfully and see if perhaps they have some insight that can make it work for you. But don’t be a slave to it, even if you did spend money on it. Perhaps you can sell it to someone else, but do disclose why it didn’t work for you. I mistakenly bought a curriculum once that was way too labour intensive for me, and when I tried to sell it, I told interested people that I found out it involved a lot of preparation time, and I didn’t have that kind of time.
If your children are young, I encourage a “less is more” approach. Ruth Beechick has a book called, “The Three R’s,” and from that one inexpensive book, you can teach your children the basics of reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic. You don’t really need the Rolls-Royce of curricula.
Homeschooling is an adventure full of all sorts of wonderful possibilities! Working with your children will build your ever-growing relationship with them. Be sensitive to their needs, and don’t let whatever curriculum you use become your master. It is a servant, and you can choose to skip things, do less than it says, do more than it says – it is just a tool.
I hope this post will help you in choosing good tools for you and your family’s homeschooling journey.
