Curriculum Buying Tips

Here are some helpful tips before purchasing curriculum for your children:

First and foremost I recommend testing your child to find out their learning type. You can test them yourself using any of the online tests that I have linked to the side column. Knowing their learning type will help you a lot with the type of curriculum you use as well as the way you teach them.

Review ALL curriculum that you are interested in.

Know what you are getting before you get it and shop around for the deals!

L@@k for Deals Everywhere...
  *  Garage Sales
  *  Ebay
  *  Half Price Book Stores
  *  Clearance Racks everywhere
  *  Good Will
  * School Sales
  * Homeschool Swap sites

Dont be afraid to do a bargain hunt or negotiate sales with sellers.   Buying curriculum does not have to be expensive.

If your ordering online:

• Search for Wholesalers. You will save more buying from a wholesaler vs going directly to the retailer. However in some instances it may be worth going to the retailer. Some exception but 9 x's out of 10 you will find a better deal with a wholesaler then retailer.
• Also pay close attention to SHIPPING charges. I usually try to find the cheapest shipping possible. FREE is always the best.

You can find some wholesalers and retailers in the Curriculum drop boxes that I have added on the left side by scrolling down.

When are the best times to buy curriculum?
The best times I have found to be great buying times are as noted:
 

• End of the school year sales -  [April, May, Early June]
• Winter season - [Nov, Dec, Jan] Most places are trying to get rid of Winter Stock to make room for New items so they have seasonal specials.
• Late Summer Sales [Mid July, August, September] as most people are preparing for school and even most schools are just beginning to get back to school.

Most of these times are Clearance Blow Out Sales to make way for new material!

If you buy online - WATCH YOUR SHIPPING CHARGES!

Dont Forget - Most places offer Home educated discounts. Dont be afraid to ask if stores are participants. Some of the following HomeEducating Discount participants are as noted: [some vary by state]

JoAnn Fabrics         Half Price Book Stores          Barnes and Noble Stores      Office Depot

To view a list of other stores and online sites that offer discounts click the following link:
http://www.homeschoolingonashoestring.com/educatordiscount.html

With each new school year, I recommend evaluating or assessing your child[ren] as they prepare to move in to a new school year. Their learning pattern may change up and some curriculum may not suite your child which tends to happen to many families who have used a certain curriculum for a period of time. The child tends to grow out of the curriculum style or their learning style has changed up a little.

*** If you are withdrawing your child[ren] from a public school system, I recommend assessing your child before starting your school year at home. When we withdrew our daughter I assessed her a week after withdrawing her and then again in spring to determine before we schooled her what she needed more work in and what curriculum would suit her best. In early spring when we tested her again we saw some of her progress for the year.***

 I am honestly glad we tested our daughter. After testing her we learned by the results and from speaking with the school system that the schools teaching is at least a half a year to at most a year off from the grade the children are in. This seems to be the case in most states today.  [Example: If your child is in 4th grade they are learning and recapping more 3rd grade material then they will learn 4th grade material. They spend the whole first half of the year recapping the previous year for the ISTEP [state standardized tests]. Once they complete the Istep testing, then they would begin some of the material for the 4th grade year and this goes on all the way through high school.

Neither my husband or I knew about this, so it added more work to our plate that we didnt expect to have. We pulled our daughter out of school at the end of her 4th grade year, she was passed in to 5th grade. We not only had to teach our daughter the 5th grade but we also had to buy some 4th grade material to teach her as well. So be advised, testing is a good thing to do before you begin your schooling.

If you have any questions please feel free to ask at any time.

Please read my post on : Why is Curriculum So Expensive?
http://homeizcool101.blogspot.com/2011/08/why-is-curriculum-so-expensive.html


Happy schooling to you