One of the most frequently asked questions I get when people tell me they are considering homeschooling is “Where do you buy curriculum?” or “What curriculum do you use?” And I get it. I was rather unaware of what was available when I first started.
Thankfully the world of homeschool curriculum has improved greatly in the time since my husband was homeschooled. My mother-in-law had to get quite creative when sourcing curriculum in the 80’s. Now, there are so many choices, it can make your head spin.
One of the best things to do is to go to a homeschool convention. The curriculum/exhibition hall is a great place to explore the many options available. If you don’t want to wait until convention season or the thought of a crowd makes you anxious, fret not. There are many other places to find curriculum.
Typical Sources for Homeschool Curriculum
What I consider a typical source are direct from the publisher or places that specialized in homeschool curriculum (or have a section dedicated to the niche).
Publisher Direct Sources
These are places you would buy a single subject or maybe a couple subjects as you piece your own curriculum together. This is no where near an exhaustive list. There are so many different curriculums, it literally makes my head spin sometimes. Ok, so not literally, but you get the point.
This is just a sampling of the ones I know of and some my fellow homeschool blogging friends shared with me to help round things out.
- A Reason For
- All About Learning Press
- Answers in Genesis
- Apologia
- Bright Ideas Press
- Classical Academic Press
- Handwriting Without Tears
- Institute for Excellence in Writing
- Math-U-See
- Singapore Math
- Saxon Math
- Simply Charlotte Mason
- Teaching Textbooks
- Veritas Press
- Write With World
- Write Shop
Box Curriculum Sources
These sources sell “complete” curriculums. Some cover every single subject and some may leave off one or two for you to place your students at their own level. Typically those are meant to teach multiple grade levels for subjects like history and then leave out math so your students can work individually as needed.
Homeschool Specialty Stores
Other Sources With Homeschool Selections
Unusual Sources for Homeschool Curriculum
Not all of my homeschool curriculum comes from your typical homeschool sources. I have found curriculum at the following places, too:
- Ollie’s – I’ve sort of fallen in love with this discount chain. We have two relatively close to us and I like to stop in when I can. I usually check out their book selection (which is huge) and then look for organic snacks. In the book section, I have found math workbooks, puzzle books, and books for literature.
- Goodwill – I am not in these very often, but love when it happens to fall on half-price books or toys days. I have found lots of books for history, literature, and even science. My favorite find though was probably the set of games that I picked up to go with some history lessons.
- Dollar Tree – This is a great place to find homeschool supplies and even curriculum. I have found workbooks, books, and items for sensory bins.
- Costco – I’ve been in love with Costco for a long time. There is almost always workbooks on their book tables. I have also picked up nice maps and saw nice globes there this back-to-school season.
- Half-Priced Books – My favorite location even has a homeschool section now (and it seems to grow each time I am in). My favorite though is the clearance section. I always start there because sometimes I will find a copy of a book that is still on the regular shelves for half off, marked down to $2 simply because it had been there too long.
- Yard Sales – This one is kind of rare for me, but I have seen homeschool curriculum at yard sales.
Keep your eyes open and you never know where you will come across homeschool curriculum. You might just save a bunch of money, too!
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