From Cindy Rushton's Desk(TOP!)!

How to Avoid "Over-buying" Curricula by Terri Johnson

Have you ever been so wooed by a product description that you have
purchased it right on the spot?  Or so convinced by friends or
cyber-buddies that your children's education will not be complete
unless you use a certain curriculum?  Perhaps you have felt so
intimidated about teaching a certain subject that you have purchased
everything available on the topic to be sure that you cover it
adequately and not leave holes in your children's education.

Whatever the reason, many well-meaning homeschooling parents over-buy
when it comes to curriculum.  This is certainly not an unforgivable
sin – in fact, I am the first one to say that we should not skimp when
it comes to providing the atmosphere and resources for our kids'
learning.  But let us discuss some ways we can control the financial
outflow during this season of buying.

Here are five ways that you can avoid over-buying and successfully
plan for a bountiful year of learning:


    1. MAKE YOUR PLAN – Take some time to map out your upcoming school
year.  What subjects would you like to cover?  How does each of your
children learn best?  How much time will you have to devote to
schooling each day?  What subjects will your children need you by
their side and which ones can they study independently?  These are big
questions.  Take one child at a time and map out some goals.  Take
into consideration his/her age and preferred learning style.  Take
stock of his progress in each subject area.  Will you need to
emphasize a particular subject more now because of overlooking it in
past years?  Are there subjects that he is truly motivated in and can
pursue more independently, thereby freeing up your time as teacher?

Make for yourself a rough plan and schedule for your family and then
move onto step #2.

    2. TAKE INVENTORY – Scan your bookshelves and dig through those
cabinets to find your educational resources.  Pull out those unused
math books, grammar and spelling workbooks, literature guides, etc.
Make three stacks – 1. Will Never Use, 2. Might Use Someday, and 3.
Will Use This Year.  Take a look at stack number 2 again and ask
yourself, "When will I use this?", "Who would I use this with?", and
"What am I waiting for?"  If you truly feel like you have a good sense
that you will actually use the resource sometime in the near future
(year or two) then put it away until next year.  If you just cannot
nail yourself down on when you would use it or what the circumstances
would be for you to use it, put this book or curriculum with stack
number 1.

    3. CLEAR IT OUT – Take your books and curricula in stack number 1
and get rid of them.  The best thing you can do with used educational
resources is put them up for sale.  Someone out there is looking for
what you already have and are not using.  There are many online places
that you can sell your school books – eBay, VegSource, Well-Trained
Mind Sale and Swap board, and many, many more.  Place a reasonable
price to it, then add another couple bucks to the price and sell it
"postage paid".  This means that you as the seller will take care of
the shipping costs (this just seems simpler to me and the buyer feels
like she is getting a good deal).  Media mail is the cheapest way to
send books and other media products – CDs, video's, curriculum in
binders, etc.

    4. BUY THE BASICS FIRST – Now take stock again of what you have and
what you now need.  Buy your basic subjects first – math, grammar,
spelling, history, science.  You may even find some of what you are
looking for on those used swap boards while you are listing your items
to sell.  If you have time, wait until these arrive before purchasing
anything more at this point.

    5. FILL IN THE GAPS - Once you receive your basic materials, read
through them.  Take notes of what else you are going to need to fill
out the program.  Does the math program that you chose require that
you purchase manipulatives?  Does the grammar book contain writing
exercises and does it meet your requirements for a good writing
program, or will you need something more?  Does the history curriculum
contain geography lessons?  Will you need notebooks, composition books
or planners for each child?  Finally, decide how much time and energy
you will have to devote to the extras, such as hands-on projects,
foreign language study, logic, music, art and look for materials that
will fit the bill.


Follow these five steps and you will bring spending under control.
Educating our children is not cheap these days and does require some
financial outlay, but we do not have to buy everything out there to
ensure that our children receive the best education possible.  Your
commitment to raising your children well, training them to be
contributors to the family, and spending time with them – over the
books or playing in the backyard – is what will bring about
educational success.  There is no perfect curriculum just waiting to
be discovered – it is you that will make the difference in your
children's lives.

Blessings to you on your educational journey,

Terri Johnson
Knowledge Quest, Inc.

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GET TO KNOW TERRI BETTER!

Tune into our Mom-to-Mom Radio Show!

Yep! I interviewed Terri last week. The interview is INCREDIBLE! Not
only do you get to know the story behind Knowledge Quest Maps, but you
can also hear how she balances it all! The question of the year!

Also, you can listen in while I ask her TONS of questions about how to
jumpstart a successful business. PRICELESS INFO! OH!

And...she tells us about her NEWEST book on that theme!

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