Now that there are so many home school curricula out there, there are just as many places to buy them too. You can buy it from the author or major retailers, or you can purchase your home school curriculum to use through various sources. Once you have a list of what you want to buy for your home school, you can use the list below to find the books and resources at the best price.
1. Internet – The world is your oyster on the Internet. You don’t have to drive across the state to find a good deal at a home school fair or garage sale. eBay seems to be the most popular place to buy home school books, although it’s not the cheapest place. I’ve bought home textbooks from bookstores and then sold them on eBay for much more than my purchase price. Homeschool classifieds are another good place to buy homeschool curriculum online. It’s a well organized site with good prices.
2. Library – I used to buy some books from the library, but I usually didn’t find exactly what I wanted there. Today, many libraries use a resource system where they can get almost any book they want from another library. I do all this online. I order the book through my library’s internet system and have it shipped directly to my local library. Then my library calls me and tells me that the book is there. I can manage my account online and see when my books are due and even renew online. This system has also helped my daughter do a lot of research on making her own spa products. She orders the books from everywhere and has a huge amount of information to use in her research.
3. Goodwill/Thrift Stores/Flea Markets – If you enjoy browsing used books, you can find great deals at these stores. They may have resources you can use, but I found homeschooling curriculums in these places as well.
4. Retired Teachers – Many elementary school teachers who are retiring hold a flea market or place an ad in the classifieds section of the newspaper selling their teaching materials and books. They often also have paper, art supplies, pens, and markers for any home school to use at any time.
5. Selling Used Home School Curriculum – Depending on where you live, you can find some great deals from other homeschoolers looking to sell the books they no longer use. With the sale happening year after year, you can choose your favorite sale and add it to your calendar each year. This way you have the opportunity to look at many types of books. I know I thought about buying a curriculum, and then after looking at it at a home school book fair, I realized it wasn’t for us. I enjoy being able to look at many different syllabuses that other people have used. When I see the same unused books over and over again, I can tell that not many homeschoolers were happy with the books.
6. Retailers – Of course you can buy directly from the author or developer of a curriculum. I would think you could get more support for the product if you buy this way. They should be ready to answer any questions or provide assistance from someone who bought directly from them at retail price.
Sometimes the maze of the home school curriculum can be overwhelming, but if you make a list of each child, the subjects they need to study, and the books under each subject, you can at least work your way through that list. Knowing your child’s learning style and your favorite style of homeschooling can help you make a more informed decision about what curriculum or books to buy.
Thanks to Heidi Johnson | #Homeschool #Curriculum #Places
