Choosing a curriculum for the upcoming school year can be a bit of a task. Perhaps you like one curriculum, but also like another. It’s possible to mix and match curriculum for homeschooling, you just need to know how! And yes, it is possible to use different curricula and provide a solid education. These tips will also allow you a bit more freedom as you get ready to start your new year.
Borrow curriculum from someone to see if you like it
Purchasing a homeschool curriculum is a big deal. Which is why borrowing it from someone is a great idea. Borrowing curriculum allows you to comb through each page to see if you like what is being taught. Homeschool curriculum isn’t cheap. You don’t want to drop a pretty penny on homeschool curriculum you can’t reuse or resell. (Don’t worry though, reselling curriculum is easy enough, and yes, people really do buy used books!)
Buy Used or Off Season Curriculum
Buying brand new curriculum can be hard on anyone’s finances. One of the best things you can do is purchase the part of the curriculum you want used. You can easily find books from various curriculums on Amazon and eBay. You just have to know what you’re looking for, so you can easily find it. Research what you are looking for, the many rabbit holes can very quickly lead you astray if you are on a budget for used material.
Many companies, homeschool companies included, struggle around the first part of the year to sell their products. It is midyear and most people don’t often consider buying something new during the year (even if it is needed). Most parents grab some for Christmas presents so this time of year is a tad more difficult on some companies. Sales are usually sloooooow this time of year.
Which means, it is the PERFECT opportunity for a fantastic midyear sale! And even better for parents that are looking to save a few (sometimes hundred) bucks. Be on the lookout for BIG sales that will show up in the beginning of the year – usually January and February – for LAST SEASON physical products as well as a lot of online products.
Test it out for a while
If your friend isn’t in a hurry to get their curriculum back, test it out for a while. Truly, the best way to find out if you like something is to test it out. If you don’t have a close friend that can let you borrow curriculum, head to your library. You may be surprised as to what you can find at your local library. If they don’t have it on hand, if they have enough requests they can usually order a book. It’s worth a shot! I got an entire set of (really old, but free) World Book Encyclopedias one time from my local library simply because I asked.
Check out reviews before you buy something
Mixing and matching curriculum may take a little bit more work. However, while you’re at it, you might as well check our reviews before you buy something. There are some amazing reviewers of homeschool products that you can see their hands-on results as well as their written accounts of how well the product worked.
Do part book and part online
The beautiful thing about today’s homeschooling world is that you can have the best of both worlds. You can use book curriculum but supplement with online curriculum. It’s great! What you can’t find in a book, you can always find online. One of my favorite online sites is perfect for ALL types of classes and fits most family budgets.
Do curriculum for part of the year
A lot of people mix and match curriculum in various ways. You can start out the year with one curriculum and change it out mid-year or your second semester. Mid-year can be a great ‘starting point’ for switching out curriculums. There is no right or wrong way in how you decide to mix and match curriculums.
If you’re looking to mix and match curriculum for homeschooling, try to follow these tips! Trying before you buy is always the best way. Getting your hands on several different curriculums to test them out is the ultimate way to narrow down what you want to use for which subject.
As a veteran homeschool mama, I can attest to doing each of these tips. Have questions? Do not hesitate to shoot me a message, I am always happy to help!
In His Grace,
Callie
Hi Kelly,
Congratulations on making the decision to homeschool! There are so many options available to you (thank goodness for technology and dedicated people!) – if you are looking for Christian worldview there are numerous companies. Abeka full physical curriculum sets as well as online. Compass Classroom has online and physical curriculum, Generations has social studies, Biblical studies, etc. SchoolhouseTeachers is mostly online and they have EVERYTHING you could ever want or need for every grade level and with a Biblical worldview.
If you are looking for non-specific worldview, you can check out Aleks for math, I used this for years. Or CTC Math or iXL for all grade levels of math. I have used both of these as well over the years.
For reading, you can find lots of information at Reading Eggs, I have never used it but have heard good things about this program. All About Learning Press has reading and spelling, both are very good.
Happy to share more, but these are the ones right off the top of my head. Feel free to email me at contact@mamascoffeeshop.info if you want to chat more or reach out to me on Facebook.
I hope this was helpful! Callie
Hi, I completely new to the homeschool world. Honestly clue where to begin. My oldest will be in 6th grade and youngest will be in 2nd grade when we decide to pull them from public school and travel full time. I like the idea of a more strict math and reading/ language and more flexible social studies, science. I’m not sure how to go about looking for those circumstances. Any advice? Thanks for your time!
I would purchase curriculum for my 5 girls I’m still homeschooling
I would add one sub-topic to the topic buy curriculum used. And that is, whenever possible buy in off season. 2 years ago I was purchasing in May-July. The next year I purchased in February for a fraction of the price.
I would purchase some curriculum for my 10 year old. He’s outgrown a lot of what we have.