by A. Kyles

Created on: July 21, 2008

When it comes to choosing your child's homeschool books, it can be frustrating. There are so many options and not enough time to check them all out. Sure, you can listen to your friends but, are their books tailored to your child's needs? Every book out there has differences and it's important to take a look at what each offers.

One way you can check out the books is through a book display. I know of two personally. A Beka Books (www.abeka.com) offers several displays throughout the summer. They have books from every grade level and you are welcome to stay as long as you like to browse. Most of the time, they offer free shipping on any books ordered. I had a two week turn-around from the time I placed the order till I was receiving the books. Bob Jones Press offers books on every grade level as well. They offer displays as well. You can find out more information at their website, www.bjupress.com.

If your city, or one nearby, has a bookstore than they may carry textbooks. Gullions Christian Book Supply offers several different publishers material. They can be found at www.gullions.com. They carry Christian Liberty Press (what they don't have can be ordered), Bob Jones Pres, Saxon, Alpha and Omega, Rod and Staff and Sonlight among others. They do carry used A Beka books. Gullions is the same price as the catalog prices from the company. The only advantage, is you save shipping and handling.

I personally use a lot of Christian Liberty Press books (www.ebiz.netopia.com/clpress). They use a lot of religion-based books. For example, their history books for first grade starts with creation and goes through present times. You learn alot about where important religious figures fit into history yet you don't learn a lot about the pilgrims, exploration and so on. Their Kindergarten book is excellent yet the first grade is not. They spend over half the book reviewing Kindergarten work and then introducing new concepts. If your child doesn't accel in math than this type of book is perfect and that's something else to consider.

Another great way to find textbooks is through your local homeschool group, if you belong to one. Many parents will trade books or sell them cheap. Many homeschool groups will get together with others and hold a used curriculum sale. This gives you an opportunity to see the books and find great deals.

Ebay also has listings for homeschool material. The only draw back to buying this way is, you don't know if the books are in the condition that is stated. You may recieve your books only to find they are written in and completely unusable. I would be leery of ordering this way but many people do.

When searching for books, keep an eye out for what would be interesting for your child, what meets your needs and is it going to cover everything you want. You also want to look at which books may contain tests with them. I have found it easier to use the tests that is made for the material rather than creating them myself. However, if you choose a more cost efficient method, you can create your own tests using the student's book. You may also be interested in purchasing the Teacher's Manual. I have found, though, that you do not always need the TM, some subjects are common sense. This can save you anywhere from $20 to $45 a book.

Please, please, please take the time and don't rush into making the final decision when it comes to choosing your child's books. This is the core of their education and you don't want to cheat them.

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