Spectacular and Innovative Guide to Finding Homeschool and After School Curriculum

This article is suited for homeschooling and afterschooling in the interest of putting a creative spin on curriculum. Where you can get your learning materials is as varied as what you can use as curriculum. Prices range from free to expensive and in between.

A public library card provides homeschoolers with a steady supply of books from fiction to non fiction on a variety of subjects. In addition to science, history and literature you can also check out educational and entertaining videos as well as audio and read along books.Some libraries allow students to check out the Hooked On Phonics program. You'll also likely find creative ways to study math such as Hershey's Multiplication to explain the multiplication concept and purpose. Arts and crafts books with detailed instructions for making, sewing and creating anything your heart imagines are available at the local library. This is a valuable resource for your weekly homeschool or weekend/summer needs and the children will enjoy making the visit. Kids appreciate the library, because they know the library provides a child friendly environment with a special area to welcome the little ones with colorful decor,a few educational toys and munchkin sized seating. Allow them to browse at their own will while you pick up a few books you especially would like to include in your lessons for the week. Make regular trips a habit so you'll return your books on time to show your thanks to the librarians.

For young children the library will often plan story times and summer reading programs for all ages. My husband recently took our children to a birthday party for the library cat.

They've also heard Santa read aloud during the Christmas season one year and breakfast with Santa at the library. We also attend book sales which benefit the library. Teenagers and adults may enjoy joining a book club and many libraries host one. To find out what your public library offers in the way of events and such just pay them a visit for a free newsletter which you'll find at the check out desk. Happy Reading!

Bookstores such as Half Price Books, Borders and Barnes N Noble sell educational books, workbooks, flash cards, games and learning toys for people of all ages. It's wise to go in with a budget in mind. Explain the budget to your children and other family members who go in with you. You can usually find Hooked on Phonics at major booksellers if they have a large and innovative children's department. This is another great place to take kids during the school week, because of the child friendly environment. Enjoy your trip to the bookstore and may you find many pages of treasures.

Some bookstores carry homeschool curriculum in a box or you can search on-line. Should you decide to create your own curriculum for your child search for information on age appropriate studies for each stage of your child's intellectual development.

The Dollar Tree offers a variety of teacher and student supplies including basic school supplies such as pencils, rulers, school glue, paper, notebooks, journals and composition books. They also sell flash cards for math facts and vocabulary in addition to workbooks for phonics and mathematics. You'll find educational posters, reward stickers, certificates for a job well done and adorable borders for your classroom. Arts and crafts supplies are also sold at the Dollar Tree along the lines of popsicle sticks, buttons, beads, wooden birdhouses to paint and a few simple craft kits. Just try not to get too carried away. You can always come back. Also, Big Lots offer puzzles, craft kits and other creative materials.

Sometimes you'll be more surprised by where you can find educational materials than where you can't find them. Send off for free educational materials offered by the government and other organizations. Some organizations will send you free coloring sheets and other fun stuff for the kids with a theme relating to the topic of social awareness and safety they represent. We've received coloring sheets , stickers and workbooks. Kids love to receive mail and free, fun stuff.

Once they took turns taking a fire safety quiz on line and each child earned a certificate for knowledge of fire safety. The certificates are still hanging on their walls.

The moral of this article? Get creative in your search for educational materials, keep your eyes open and you never know what you just might discover. Want to assemble dinosaur bones anyone? We've done that too. Of course, the kit didn't come with real dinosaur bones. Kids excavate the rock until it breaks open and then assemble. Fun!

The most satisfying curriculum is probably going to be multi faceted with a combination of learning materials from videos, books and worksheets to hands on activities such as science experiments and field trips.