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.
- 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.
