Homeschool buying season is one of my most favorite times of the year! I absolutely love shopping for new curriculum and don’t even get me started on school supplies and books. Yes, I’m that homeschool mom. I don’t even need to be buying curriculum, I am happy to just “window” shop curriculum too.
Questions to Ask Before Buying Curriculum
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Does it match your child’s learning style? If it doesn’t meet with their learning style, it is not going to work.
Does it match your teaching style? Just like the curriculum needs to be a fit for your child, you need it to fit for you as well. You need to be comfortable enough with the curriculum to teach it.
Does it share your values? Is it secular or have a religious view? Choosing a religious curriculum when you are a secular homeschooler isn’t going to work.
Have you used this curriculum or similar before? Have you tried a literature based curriculum before and know that having that much reading? Will it work for you?
Are you hoping to teach multiple ages with the same curriculum/level? There are some great curriculum that are perfect for teaching multiples ages compared to other which are very specific to one age.
Have you read reviews or talked to someone who has used it before? I don’t rely solely on what a curriculum site says, I like to ask other homeschoolers what they like or don’t like.
Are you looking for instructor-led or independent? Online courses? Don’t change what you need to fit a curriculum you see.
Is this curriculum something that you want to re-use again with younger children? If it is, this might change how much you are willing to spend on it.
Is it in your budget? I always think about the price of a curriculum, before even looking at it any closer at it. You don’t need the shiny new curriculum just because it’s new, or because someone else really likes it. There are free resouces out there that you can use.
Using digital curriculum can help bring it curriculum into your budget range.
If the curriculum doesn’t fit in the end, will it be okay if you set it aside? This is a big question to consider. I will not spend money on something big or a full curriculum without knowing for sure that it will work for us.
I have to keep myself in check because I tend to get a bit carried away, with books in particular. Don’t let yourself get caught up in the curriculum frenzy.
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