Now that there is so much home school curriculum available, there are equally as many places to purchase it also. You can purchase it from the author or major retailer or you can purchase your home school curriculum used through various sources. Once you have a list of what you want to purchase 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 open to you on the internet. You don’t have to drive all over your state to find a good deal at a home school fair or garage sale. eBay seems to be the most popular place to purchase home school books, although it is not the cheapest place. I have purchased home school books at book sales and then sold them for much more than my purchase price on eBay. Homeschool classifieds is another good place to purchase home school curriculum online. It is a well organized site with good prices.
2. Library – I used to get some books at the library but didn’t usually find exactly what I wanted there. Now many libraries are using a resource system where they can get almost any book you want from another library. I do this all online. I order the book from my library’s internet system and have them send it directly to my local library. Then my library calls me and lets me know the book is in. 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 lots of research on making her own spa products. She orders the books from all over the place and has a huge host of information to use in her research.
3. Goodwill/Thrift Stores/Garage Sales – If you enjoy browsing over used books you can find some great deals at these stores. They might have resources you can use, but I have also found home school curriculum in these places.
4. Retired Teachers – Many times elementary teachers that retire will have a garage sale or put an advertisement in the classified section of the newspaper selling off their classroom resources and books. Many times they have paper, art supplies, pens and markers too that any home school can use at any time.
5. Used home school Curriculum Sales – Depending on where you live you can find some great deals from other homeschoolers that want to sell off the books they are no longer using. If the sale happens year after year you can pick your favorite sale and put it on your calendar each year. This way you get a chance to look over many types of books. I know I have thought about purchasing a curriculum and then after looking at it at a home school book fair realized that it wasn’t for us. I enjoy being able to look at many different curriculums that other people have used. If I keep seeing the same unused books over and over again I can tell that not many homeschoolers where happy with the books.
6. Retailers – Obviously you can purchase directly from the author or developer of a curriculum. I would think that you could get more support for the product if you purchase this way. They should be willing to answer any questions or give any support from someone who purchased directly from them at the retail cost.
Sometimes the maze of 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 then you can at least work off that list. If you know your child’s learning style and your favorite style of home schooling that will help you make a more informed decision about what curriculum or books you need to purchase.
