Tis the season for curriculum fairs. There are several coming up in the next few weeks and for those of you who have not gone before, we have a few words of advice for helping you navigate curriculum fairs.
The best piece of advice I can give you is wait. Try to not take your wallet out until you have visited all of the vendors. Remember, these people are professional salesmen and they all believe that their product is the best. I’m not saying that it isn’t, but there are going to be hundreds of booths and lots of different curriculum that is catered to different types of learning styles. Talk to all of the vendors before making a purchase so that you can make an informed choice for what will work best for your child.
Take advantage of the free seminars. Print out a schedule of speakers and make sure that you have the opportunity to hear the speakers that are talking about areas of interest to you or areas where you may be struggling. The great thing about these seminars is that you tend to walk away with lots of ideas and renewed sense of purpose. You’ll be glad that you took the time to sit in on a few seminars so make that a priority.
Be prepared to be overwhelmed. You may spend the first few hours walking around with your head in a tailspin. Don’t worry, it happens to all of us! Step out, go sit in your car and take a breather. It can be very overwhelming especially to those who have never been to a curriculum fair. You won’t be the only one with the “deer in the headlights” look!
Try to shop alone. This has to be the hardest aspect of visiting a curriculum sale when you are currently homeschooling, because your kids are always with you. But curriculum fairs are adult time and you are going to have a hard time focusing when little man and baby girl get bored walking the halls with nothing for them to do. Attend a convention that offers activities for kids as well as adults, swap child care with a friend, enlist the help of grandparents, but do what it takes to make this shopping time “you time”.
You can learn so much from spending the day (or two) at the curriculum fair. You’ll get energized about the next school year, learn a few tips and tricks to help you and most importantly you’ll be learning more ways to help your child succeed in his/her schooling.
Check out the Nashville Homeschool Convention by Teach Them Diligently for the whole family held each Spring at the Gaylord Opryland Resort.
