Over the years I have tried and failed with a lot of curriculum. I have found several I love, some I really dislike and some that I'm sure are great - for other people.
But the one thing I have found that I use every year, time and time again is the resource that I pull out about this time each year: My Rainbow Resource Catalog.
Their website it great, but the catalog is my best homeschooling friend. If you have never had their catalog or used their site, you must check it out. Not only are they a great resource for purchasing materials usually at a good price, but their catalog actually reviews products. As you read through the 1200+ pages of informational reviews, you will discover not just a line item telling what the product is, but a blurb telling the good or unique points of that particular curriculum. They even are sure to point out in a science curriculum if evolution is taught. They do a thorough job of not just explaining what the curriculum covers, but also in giving you information that will help you decide if it is best for your learner.
Each year I pull out my catalog, begin making my list, edit my list, and spend hours plotting and planning for the next year. I meet with friends, eat, talk over what has worked (and not), eat, look at their materials, eat and edit my list again. The nerd in me loves this time of year. My children start getting that look "What is she going to come up with this time?"
Spring. Homeschool Convention. New year planning. Could it get any better than this? I don't think so.
Check out The Homeschool Classroom for other favorite homeschool resources.
What is your favorite Homeschooling Resource? Do you have any "new year" planning traditions that help you prepare for the next year?
** Rainbow Resource Center, Inc is in no way sponsoring this post. I receive no payment, monetary or otherwise, from Rainbow Resource Center, Inc and am not connected with them as an employee or affiliate. The view expressed are purely my own.
I LOVE Rainbow Resource!!!!! I must say though, I have cut back my orders in the past couple of years and have been doing a lot of Amazon as I go along. So fun to sit and peruse that big old catalog!
ReplyDeleteI have received the catalog a couple of times, but I have to admit that I was overwhelmed at the size of it and never even went through it. Maybe next time I have one, I'll check it out!
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking up to the writing prompt! :)
Angie, thank you for pointing that out. I did forget to mention that it is overwhelming at first. I use it mostly to look up a specific item I have heard about. I occasionally will open to "Science" or whatever subject and skim through when I am looking for something new to strike my fancy. It is way too much to try to use start to finish! It is like a dictionary or encyclopedia, you never want to read the whole thing, but when you need info it is a great place to look!
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