Saturday, September 27, 2008

How To Get Your Child's Homeschool Curriculum For FREE!

Homeschooling can be one of the most rewarding, fulfilling, and expensive endeavors that a parent can attempt.  Here are 5 ways that you can get quality homeschool curriculum for your child.  The first two are shameless plugs for my Usborne business. :-)  The last 3 are other resources that you will find helpful.

1. Host an Usborne Books Online Party!

Usborne is quickly becoming one of the most trusted names in homeschool books.  To see a list of homeschool titles, click here.  As an Usborne Consultant, I can provide your with the opportunity to receive FREE books by hosting an e-show.  It is easy and a lot of fun.  


2.  Become an Usborne Consultant Yourself

Why not make an extra $400-$800+ a month while earning free books for your kids?  Work around your schedule - it only takes about 8 hours a week to make a great part time income.  there has never been a better time to join Usborne!  Learn more about joining my team here.

3.  Network with other homeschooling families and trade curriculum

Trading curriculum is probably the oldest method for homeschooling on a budget.  If you don't know many other homeschooling families, try one of these ideas:
  • Join your local homeschool support group.  Do a search online for a group in your area.
  • Find other homeschool families online.  There are several homeschool networking groups online where you can meet other families that are eager to swap curriculum with you.
  • Check out one of the many websites devoted to curriculum swapping.  A simple google search should give you a good start.
4.  Visit your local used bookstore

We have several used bookstores here in Texas that sell homeschool books and curricula.  You can also sell your used materials for cash or store credit.  This a a great resource to get free or discounted curriculum by selling your old materials.  You can potentially trade out your books every year depending on how much of a selection your local used bookstore has.  You can also check out used bookstores online if you are searching for specific titles.

5.  Borrow resources from your library

Your local library probably has a lot of resources for homeschooling your child.  Most public libraries also have an Interlibrary Loan program that will allow you to request materials from other libraries across the country and have them shipped to your library for pick up.

I hope that this article gives you a few good ideas on homeschooling on a budget.  Feel free to contact me anytime to find out more about how to get award winning free homeschool books of your choice or to learn how to get loads of free books by joining my team.


Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Internet-Linked Book Sets


I LOVE these books!  I am so excited to begin showing these to schools.  I just received the Internet-Linked Book Set that includes "Mummies & Pyramids" and "Astronomy".  Just skimming through the pages will quickly show you how different these books are.  There is soooo much information on every page that it draws you in to want to know what is going on.  The pictures especially make kids want to learn more.  And these books give loads of facts that your child won't find in regular textbooks. 

This is a great buy for a homeschool family.  Both teacher and child are guaranteed to learn a lot!

The best part is that every page prompts the reader to go to a link on the internet to learn more about the particular subject that you are reading about on that page.  This is a safe way for your child to surf the internet because all links are reviewed and approved.  Several links also include pictures and charts that can be used in school reports.

In this day and age we need to teach our kids how to safely search the internet for the information that they need.  What a fun tool!

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Popular Usborne Homeschool Titles

This is less of a post and more of a resource - Here are some popular homeschool titles that Usborne carries: (contact me for a complete list or purchase any title here)

Internet linked Encyclopedia of Music
First Book of the Piano
Medieval World
Understanding your Brain
Astronomy and Space
Birds- Internet Linked
Sharks - Internet Linked
Complete book of the Microscope
Illustrated Dictionary of Chemistry
10 Days to Multiplication Mastery
Internet Linked Encyclopedia
Build Your Own Website
History of the Twentieth Century
Living in Castle Times
Who were the First North Americans
Life on Earth
Science with Water
Electricity
First Book of the Recorder
Make This Model Town
Make This Model Roman Villa
Knights and Castles
Stars and Planet
Book of Kings and Queens
Flip Flap Body Book
First 1000 Words
Living Long Ago
Children's Enclyclopedia
First Book of Nature
What Makes You Ill?
Why Do People Eat?
Science Activities
Usborne Book of World History
Peoples of the World
Children's Book of Art
Rocks and Fossils
Encyclopedia of World History Internet Linked
Baby Animals
Things that Fly
Where Food Comes From
At the Zoo
Horse's and Ponies Spotter's Guide
On the Farm
Geography Encyclopedia
Sun, Moon, and Planets
Big Bug Search
Trucks
Atlas of World History
Inventors
Essential Biology
How Machines Work
How to Draw People
Photography



Monday, September 15, 2008

TOUCHY-FEELY BOARD BOOKS


One of the very first Usborne books that I read to my daughter Malaya is from the series that I sell at least one book from at every show - The Touchy-Feely Board Book Series.  This series is for very young children and was designed to develop sensory and language awareness.  Even my 6 month old enjoys interacting with these books by petting the furry dog or feeling the bumpy dinosaur.  The pages are thick enough for her to turn herself and I don't mind letting her put the book in her mouth afterwards (her after-story tradition right now) because the books are very sturdy.