Homeschool convention and curriculum fair season is here that means 3 things; curriculum, curriculum and curriculum!

Wanna here a confession?

Even though I’ve homeschooled since the beginning (my oldest is 10 years), I’ve never been to a homeschool convention. I’ve been scared to go! Yep. It’s true. I’m already a book junkie and I’ve amassed a more than decent collection of homeschool books and supplies over the years. I just don’t know if I could deal with the overwhelm of so much curriculum in one place!!!

Conventions, I’ve heard, are awesome events and next year I just might brave it, with some back-up. 🙂

Whether you’ve been to a convention, curriculum fair or not, I have a really nice list of curriculum for you, which comes highly recommended, from some of my veteran homeschool mom friends, each of them an average of 20 years homeschooling. So, you know they know their stuff! The 50+ Top Curriculum Picks list includes their top picks and some of my own faves ♥ as well. You’re sure to find some gems in there. Happy curriculum shopping.

 

**Download the COMPLETE PDF LIST**

Math

• Abeka Math Speed Drills
• Calculadders ♥
• Saxon 5/4
• Saxon 8/7
• Math-U-See Geometry
• Teaching Textbooks ♥
• 180 Days of Math  ♥

Language Arts

• A Reason for Handwriting
• Read and Think Skill Sheets
• Easy Grammar
• Illustrated Word Smart
• Bob Jones Writing and Grammar
• The Great Editing Adventure Series
• Phonics Pathways
• At Her Majesty’s Request
• Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons
• Funnix Beginning Reading & Funnix 2 (Audio CD version of the above)  ♥
• Phonics Road to Spelling and Reading  ♥
• Words to Die For: Verses that Shaped the Lives of 30 People…
• Teaching With Movies
• English from the Roots Up
• Rummy Roots
• Vocabulary.com
• GA Henty Books  ♥
• Winterfeather Saga ♥
• The Little Brown Handbook
• The Three Rs  ♥

Science

• Apologia General Science  ♥ (it has a little bit of biology, chemistry & physics)
• Apologia Series (K-6)  ♥
• Apologia Jr. Notebooking Journal
• A Closer Look at the Evidence (science & education devotional)
• Bob Jones Science

Notes: We’ve used Apologia for years and have found it to be very thorough. I often pair the textbook with their Journalling Notebook and/or Field Trip Journal. I’ve even heard from veteran homeschool moms that the General Science is so thorough that your students may be on par with their future college level classes. Consider having your students CLEP if you use Apologia in High School.

Also, while many families love Apologia, it can be little dry for others because it’s “bookish”. For this reason, some families like using BJU Science.

Social Studies

• Exploring America
• Streams of Civilization

Life Skills

• Driving While Black
• The Dangerous Book for Boys  ♥

Foreign Languages

• Learnables
• Fluencia

Music/Art

• Miller Paper for Journaling
• Art Hub for Kids
• Student Logbook
• Homeschool Piano
• G-Major Music Theory

Misc/Special Needs

• Latched Clipboard
• Therapy Shoppe ♥
• Learning Ally  ♥
• All About Learning Press
• Encyclopedia of Bible Truths

High Schoolers

• MOOCS Online Classes
• iTunes University
• Learn This: Stuff You Need to Know…Before… High School
• Coursea Online Classes
• CLEP InstantCert
• CLEP REA
• Barrons

Software

• Homeschool Tracker ♥
• DIVE
• Homeschool Planet

Planners

• The Ultimate Homeschool Planner  ♥ (I tried using others, this is my favorite thus far)
• The Ultimate Homeshool Planner (Student)
• The Homeschool Daily Planner for Curriculum

Website Resources

• Khan Academy  ♥
• Lynda (if your library participates – it’s free with your card)
• Rosetta Stone (if your library participates – it’s free with your card)

Where to Buy

For reference, I provided links you can click on to see what the curriculum looks like however, you can buy from your variety of curriculum sellers to get the best deal. Buying direct from the curriculum publishers, especially if you call them, can have its benefits. Conventions or curriculum fairs are great too. Here are some places I’ve bought curriculum over the years.

• Amazon
• Rainbow Resource
• Homeschool Buyers Co-op
• Christian Book Distributors
• Homeschool Classifieds (buy & sell)

Happy Curriculum Shopping

There you have it, the experts share what they’ve enjoyed using for their families over the years. However, one thing we all found to be true. Not every curriculum works for every family, so choose prayerfully and don’t be afraid to change gears if something isn’t working, especially when (not if) you find yourself in a slump. Lol.

Conventions and curriculum fairs are great places to get deals and get touchy, feely with the curriculum so you have an idea of what you’re buying.

I plan on adding a few of the expert’s top picks to my curriculum budget this year. Us homeschool mamas love the thrill (and smell) of new curriculum!! Yum….ah, the learning possibilities!

 

**Download the COMPLETE PDF LIST**

 

Apologia Buying Tip: If you or your spouse/family member are a veteran, retired or active service member you can get 40% off their curriculum. It cannot be accessed online, make a phone call to the publisher.

Have you been to a homeschool convention? If not, why? If so, share your experience.

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Wendy, xoxo