or think about it 3 or 4 times!
Avoiding curriculum mistakes saves your family money. I've had to learn this particular skill the hard way. Early in our family's homeschooling career, I heard a few praises of a different math curriculum. I decided that we needed this new math curriculum, and I found it used on a curriculum sale board.
I was so thrilled when both levels of it arrived and I began looking it over. It was very different from what we'd been using. I went to a different homeschool website, and was asking about it there, looking for others who had used it. I found someone who loved it, and I found someone else who HAD loved it, until she tried to move from it to something different at the higher math levels and found her children couldn't transition smoothly. She had to re-teach things in order to make the transition. Well, that scared me, especially when others started sharing similar stories. I sold that curriculum so fast! I'm not sure if I even owned it for two weeks.
Since then, and after a couple similar experiences, my husband has been very reluctant to buy something new. So, I started making a list. When I hear about a curriculum I think I'd like to try, I put it on the list. Then I think about it, research it, and wait. My friend may love the curriculum now, but will she still love it in a year? Many times I've found that after a few months, or a year, I no longer want that particular curriculum.
So my advice is: Make a list, and sit on it awhile. Think about it, and think about it again. Watch, listen, and wait. Evaluate whether it fits your family's goals, beliefs, learning styles, and teaching style. It may save you from similar curriculum mistakes, and it will save you money, as well.
April E. (ElCloud Homeschool) is a Homeschool Mom of 6. She has homeschooled for over 7 years, and enjoys sharing the things she's learned in her homeschool journey with others.
