{This post is one in a series called, “Top 10 Fears”, in which I speak to the most common fears parents express about homeschooling the high school years. To see all of the topics, or start at the beginning, click HERE.}
Top Fear #3:
Not knowing where to get the books
This might be a no-brainer to some people, but to others this is a very real concern. This confusion and lack of knowledge can be a real deal-breaker for some people, causing them to give up on the idea of homeschooling high school altogether.
Let me start by reminding my readers that homeschooling isn’t just about books. Though books are crucial for homeschoolers, and should be easily accessible (in large quantities!) throughout the homeschool years, I remind you there are many ways to learn that do not involve books at all.
Nevertheless, I want you to know there are many, many sources of quality books, textbooks and curriculum to use when homeschooling. Many of these places are easily found online, and lots of them can be found in most cities and towns, too.
Here’s a short list of places to find books — turns out, they’re not nearly that difficult to find at all:
- Online homeschool book stores, such as Rainbow Resources, Homeschool Supercenter, or ROCK Solid, Inc. Search for more, as there are hundreds
- Online book retailers, like Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, and all the rest
- Publisher web sites, such as Pearson, McGraw-Hill and Harcourt.
- Homeschool product sites, from the makers of Institute for Excellence in Writing, Common Sense Press, and Moving Beyond the Page plus all the places on these lists
- Libraries for borrowing books, and sometimes for buying used books, too
- Garage sales
- Homeschool conventions where many vendors gather all in one place
- New or used book sales like home shopping parties (think Usborne), public school book sales, curriculum sales held by homeschool groups, and used book sales held at churches or local organizations
- Warehouse sales, like the ones sponsored by Scholastic Books throughout the year
- Online swap boards like Vegsource, Homeschool Classifieds, plus all those “Swip Swap” groups that can be found on Facebook
- Friends, teachers and other homeschoolers who have books to loan or donate
- Ebay or other auction sites
- Amazon used or half price books on Half
- Book depositories, like the ones where schools bring their outdated copies and books no longer in print
The great news is that books can be found most everywhere. Perhaps the harder task is trying to resist buying too many!
Other articles of interest:
Where do homeschoolers get supplies?
Dr. Marie-Claire Moreau is a college professor who traded in her tenure to become a homeschool mom 20+ years ago. The founder of many homeschool groups and organizations, she works to advance home education, and is an outspoken supporter of education reform coast to coast. Her book, Suddenly Homeschooling: A Quick Start Guide to Legally Homeschool in Two Weeks, is industry-acclaimed as it illustrates how homeschooling can rescue children and families from the system, and how anyone can begin homeschooling within a limited time-frame, or with no educational background whatsoever. A liaison for regional school-to-home organizations and a homeschool leader in Florida, Marie-Claire also mentors homeschool families nationwide. A conference speaker, she has appeared at FPEA, H.E.R.I., Home Education Council of America, and many other events. She currently writes for audiences at Quick Start Homeschool, which she founded in 2010, and as a guest writer on other sites as often as she can. Her articles have appeared in CONNECT magazine, on Homefires, at Circle of Moms, and she has contributed to hundreds of other blogs nationwide. Dr. Moreau can be reached at contactmarieclaire@gmail.com.
