Reasonable Resources – 3 ways to find what you need to start Homeschooling at a great price!

Oh, goodness! When I think of all the homeschooling resources I purchased over the years that did not get used, I seriously blush!

Have you been there too? Are you on the hunt for resources? If you are just starting out your homeschool journey, you may not know what I am talking about but please read on. I have some tips that will save you a lot of trouble and money!

Too many times, I spend hours and hours looking at options for a given class or curriculum for my kids.

I look at all the pros and cons. I balance the choices against the learning style of the kids in question.

I am really glad I never keep track of how long it takes me-if I did I think it would be a depressing number to look at!

Just think of all the things I could get done instead of reading through curriculum samples! I could clean out the basement, or dust the living room, or finally pack away those baby toys that are sitting in bins in the hallway. . .

Well, maybe reading through curriculum options is a lot more fun than any of those options, but I know there are a lot of better things we could find to do with ourselves than researching curriculum, right?

I have a few suggestions to share with you today that can help.

First, find a great place to purchase curriculum for your homeschool.

I love Rainbow Resource Center. They have a fantastic free catalog the size of a New York phone book that doesn’t just list the products, they explain it in an almost mini-review format. It so easy to compare products and make a good decision after you browse through the catalog. Their prices are fantastic because they want to make homeschooling as affordable as they can. And they have a very encouraging blog called  Our Homeschool Forum with great articles to read written by blogging homeschool moms.

Second, find someone who can give you guidance on what subjects you can teach your child.

This is a great time-saver and a good way to avoid that, “Oh-no-did-I-forget-to-teach-Johnny-grammar?!” worry that wakes you at 3 in the morning.

Maybe you have never had one of those moments. But if you end up waking up tomorrow at 3am worried that you forgot to teach your child something remember this: Don’t wake your husband to tell him about it.

If he is anything like mine, he will have no idea how to make you feel better and instead will offer annoyingly practical advice that is usually not at all encouraging.

So how do you avoid the late-night worry?

I found short, inexpensive books like the series from Laurie Bluedorn called Teaching the Trivium: Christian Homeschooling in a Classical Style. This is a fantastic book that gives you all the detail you need. Laurie has made one section free for you to try called Ten Things to Do with Your Child Before Age Ten . Laurie’s books are great because they fit for Classical/Charlotte Mason/Eclectic homeschoolers, but there are plenty of others out there.

So be encouraged, homeschool mom.

Third, read about your options in trade magazines and review sites.

You can get a ton of great advice from magazines and all the ones I am listing here are free.

• Memoria Press made their catalog into a magazine called The Classical Teacher that includes articles about classical homeschooling.
• Roman Roads Media publishes a stunning magazine called Digressio, every year that is well worth reading.
• The HSLDA publishes The Home School Court Report magazine for all to read free on their website, and ships it out quarterly to members.
• And finally, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine is available to purchase in print twice a year, and available free in digital format 4-5 times a year (sometimes they publish an annual or a supplement that focuses on a specific topic). This is a huge, beautiful magazine filled with articles written by experts and seasoned well-known homeschooling personalities.

I collect all these magazines in a special shelf in my room and go through them on days when I need a little encouragement and inspiration.

There are so many great resources out there for homeschooling and you and your children will find your way on this wonderful journey together, sharing joy and watching your children every step of the way.

Come back tomorrow and get some tips on places to find really great, free advice. We all need encouragement from time to time, no matter how long we have been homeschooling. And advice soothes so many worries!

Now, please click on through the link below and you can read loads of great posts from other moms of the Homeschool Review Crew as we come together for the 5 Days of . . . Blog Hop!