Kids always love to discover new homeschool curriculum fairs in their area. Here are some tips for a successful navigation and preparation of  a proper home school vendor fair.

First thing when planning a home school curriculum fair, is the making of a list of the needs for each of your children. That includes supplies for subjects like art studies and science,  games and books that suit for this mission. It’s good to look through catalogs or websites of the different types of vendors that will be on the fair. Make a list of specific products that you may want to view during this trip. Make some notes of the cheapest prices you can find for those vendors & products, as well as questions that may arise when you meat with them, don’t forget to attach this list to your bag before you leave. It’s important to work with your partner, husband or wife, in setting a limit for the budget you are willing to spend at the conference, leaving a reasonable amount for unexpected finds that may and always arise.

In the question of how to navigate a homeschool vendor fair, One must be prepared. Read the conference  guidelines & rules. Some home school curriculum fairs are good with the whole family coming together. But some encourage the parents leaving their children at home, also from the aspect of simple space limitations, many book fairs do not allow strollers. It’s good and important to wear a good pear of strong and comfortable walking shoes and also carry a tote bag, back pack or some other rolling luggage carrier, if it’s possible. Also is important to bring a pen and a notepad, together with a simple calculator and of course to bring water and snacks.

Important to review the site map together with the making of notes of the locations of vendors who supply the products you put on your list. Visit your pre listed ones at first, and only then you can try to make your way to other ones.

Also don’t forget to bring a sheet of return address labels that you can use remember all the mailing lists you have signed in to as part of the preparations. Some of these vendors from the list will be sending you catalogs or coupons and information about their “post conference adviser’s”. Pay attention to how you are behaving. Important to wait in patient when a salesperson is in the middle of helping to another customer, and take under consideration the length of time you spend when your turn is up & others are waiting like you just did a minute ago. What you give is what you get.

It is of a costume, and a good one I must say, to reward a good sales person when they provide a good customer service for us,  by purchasing directly from his or her stand. When your thinking and trying to get to a decisions about on which of the products to purchase, it’s best to first take into account the company’s return policies and as for the costumer service and levels of support. In general, it’s good to observe and make the actual purchase only on the last day of the fair, if there is one. Pleas Do not fall in to the “attractive event specials and bonces”, this manipulations can all wait to a later date. But do try to keep all the catalogs of the vendors & providers that sell the products you were really interested in, and so by this you’ll be able to contact them on a later date, when it’s a better time for you.

Don’t forget to always bring back home, a little something for the kids, just so they know you have been thinking of them. this is very important.

Let me add some extra notes as for what is  a curriculum fair & why is it important. A curriculum fair is usually a convention for and of home school family’s to get together and displayed their products & get to present their workshops. Usually its a multi-day (often over the whole weekend) events. The added value of these events is in what we get back with to our homeschool, and not without mentioning the personal value. One gets to see and touch new products of “others” and get inspired of new education methods on what and how is the best ways teach our children. This is one of the basic home schooling requirements, to get better every day.

A curriculum fair is a place to connect with other homeschool student and get to check new homeschool reviews & homeschool textbooks and homeschooling supplies and basically feeling together.Home school conventions and fairs the the best time for some to recommit, refocus and reconnect to their demanding home schooling lifestyle, to get re motivated and to get new energy’s to refresh and continue together. The Main issue with a homeschool curriculum fair is the finances issue and inconveniences that may arise of it. Most of the people really need to take a vacation (of fair) every year or 6 month, How to adjust and fit this into our the budget is the big question. When taking into account the transportation and child care arrangements together with the hotel or motel and living expenses such as food and tickets fees, registration to some places and so on, not without mentioning the actual curriculum coast taking under consideration that we are not working and getting paid for these days of work…can be heavy on some family’s.

This is making us as home educators, always have to stay on the creative side of things, and improvise smoothly.

To read more about this, click here