This is a sponsored post and I am proud to be partnering with Great Homeschool Conventions this year because I LOVE their convention philosophy.
Convention season is just around the corner. I like to plan early so I have time to mull over my choices, but especially my choices for my favorite subjects like history and geography.
Today, I am focusing on giving you a few things that I look for in a history program. Instead of listing them in importance to me, I just listed them so you can decide which ones are important to you and which ones can take a backseat this next year.
Homeschool History Cheat Sheet
Too, I have prepared a cheat sheet for you by helping to separate the history vendors into different approaches. This saves valuable time at a convention because you can spend time with the vendors that fit your approach.
You can download the Vendor Cheat Sheet here.
1.) Time Period Covered Quandary. Before I purchase, I have to have an idea of what time period I want to focus on. Do I want to cover history chronologically beginning with the ancients or do I want to hone in on one particular time period? Look at my post here 8 Ways to Teach Homeschool History Other Than Chronologically if you are undecided. For example if you want to cover one time period then look at the companies like My Father’s World or Knowledge Box Central.
2.) Children’s Abilities Quandary. Instead of focusing on your children’s age which may be different than their ability, look for history curriculum that will either quench their thirst for history or scale it back into bite size pieces. Be sure you are looking at levels above and below your child’s level to be sure you are making a good fit.
3.) History & Bible Together. I am always up for covering more than one subject at a time, but I always like choosing my own Bible reference material too. Some history curriculum is lighter on Bible content, others not. You decide what works for you this year. For example, Story of the World at Rainbow Resource would be lighter on Bible content whereas Mystery Of History has more Bible coverage. The most important thing to me is that I cover Bible along with history.
4.) Hands-on/Hands-off Learner. If your child is not interested in crafts and wants to pick up and read and be done with it, then look at some of the text book providers or classical approach providers like Classical Conversations or Bob Jones. If you’re like me and you would prefer that your children didn’t want to do any hands-on things, but that won’t ever happen (just kidding, I love doing these with my boys and NO I am not a crafty person, I just know it works) then look at the unit study approach and some of the books in the Variety category. Look at BooksBloom, Great Hall Productions and Usborne books that can be used for hands-on ideas and for living books or audios.
5.) Business Matters. Look over copyright usage for multiple children or how you are suppose to use it for your personal use. Can you copy the material? Can you use it with more than one child? Determine the actual price for you.
For example, though a history program that covers several time periods may be more expensive, it may allow usage for multiple children.
Do your math to compare apples to apples.
Look at this sample: If the cost of the history program is $80.00, then divide that by 3 (or number of children you have) = $26.66.
Then, if it can be used for multiple years, then divide that number again by the number of years. If it’s a 4 year program, then it’s $6.66 per year per child.
Wow, what a deal, what a steal now. Use both your business mind-set and teacher mind-set when you are shopping.
Shopping for homeschool history and supplements at a homeschool convention is one of my very favorite luvs and one of the best parts about being a home educator. I love the smell of all the new books in the convention and the frenzy of shopping at each vendor’s booth. Even at big conventions I always run into somebody I know too and visiting with each other is such a huge part of the fellowship felt when you go in person.
What about you? What is your favorite part about shopping for curriculum?
Have you decided which convention/s you are going to? Remember to register with Great Homeschool Conventions! Click on the graphic above to register.
I have some more posts on how to choose curriculum and some more free printable checklists to add to your arsenal. Check it out below!
Free Checklists.
Master the Subjects Form – 5 Days Of The Benefits & Challenges of Teaching Mixed Ages Together – Day 4: Embrace Homeschooling Multiple Grades
Teacher’s Manual Checklist – {How To Series} How to Determine if a Teacher’s Manual is Treasure or Trash? + {printable checklist}
Hugs and love ya,
This is also a blog hop. This blog hop is organized by iHomeschool Network, a collaboration of outstanding homeschool bloggers who connect with each other and with family-friendly companies in mutual beneficial projects. Visit us on Pinterest, Twitter and Google Plus. And of course, click the image below to visit all the other blog articles from the homeschool moms of the iHomeschool Network.
This is fantastic! Do you also have this for other subjects?
Hey Staci,
Not yet!! But I do plan to do that this year.
Not sure how many of your readers are teaching Canadian history – its lots of fun and in so many ways integrated with early US history. But for those who are, Donna Ward at Northwoods Press (https://www.donnaward.net/ ) has an excellent program for grades 1-8. Northwoods Press is regularly at Canadian HS conventions.