Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Preparing for a new year of homeschooling

What to do about all the old curriculum materials... That's the big topic this week in my homeschool supply closet!

Here are some options for getting rid of old books and homeschool materials to prepare for the new year:

1: Send a message about items for sale to your local homeschool email list

I'm a member of a local Yahoo Group and our group allows us to sell homeschool materials to fellow subscribers. I always post "For Sale" and the item name in the subject line, then post a description in the body. I disclose the condition of the books, that the items are from a non-smoking home and include my email address, so no one accidentally hits the "reply all" button. This can be a great way to make friends with other homeschool families. Several times I have met new homeschool moms who I can encourage, and seasoned homeschool moms who have great ideas to share!

2: Use the Amazon Trade-In Program

You won't always get top dollar for books this way, but it sure is easy! They also pay in my favorite currency: Amazon gift cards. Amazon will pay shipping costs. and you can print the label from home. It's definitely worth looking at what they'll offer for your items, especially older or more obscure titles. Click on this link and enter the exact title of the book you're curious about, and they'll give you an estimate of what it's worth in their Trade-In Program.



3: Post high-value items on EBay

Items that have held a lot of their value, like IEW and Math-U-See, can be good to sell on EBay. The best way to see if your item is worth going to the trouble of posting is to search for similar items. What are they selling for?

4: Bless another homeschool family

If you ask around at church, a homeschool group, or on your local homeschool email group, you're sure to find someone who would love free materials.

5: Attend a curriculum swap

I've only been to one curriculum swap, and some moms got together at a playground and swapped teacher guides, reference books and more at a picnic table while the kids played.