Free or Paid is the big debate in homeschooling communities. There are some homeschool teachers who insist that no single paid resource can handle all the needs of a homeschooling family, so it makes more sense to use the free resources available online and pick and choose what you need. On the other hand, there are those parents who have used specific paid material with great success in their homeschool classrooms. They advocate that if you find the one with just the right fit for your homeschooling family, you don’t need to look any farther. You save time and effort by sticking with that resource, even if you have to pay for it.
If you are just starting out as a homeschooling family, you may be testing the waters to see if this is something you really want to take on full time. In this case it may not make sense to invest in paid versions of study material and resources available for homeschool students. There are a number of free online resources dedicated to helping parents and students in the homeschool classroom. Some of these websites have great material that you can use as well. Unfortunately, many of the the sites, despite having good resources are often difficult to navigate through. The material may not be obviously available, the website may not be well maintained, information may be be organized properly and you may be blasted by advertisements with every click you make on the website.
This can be quite off putting for someone whose most precious resource is time. So if you are unwilling to waste time when you need to plan every single lesson for every single subject, it may be a good idea to idea to do some research and find a good homeschool curriculum that can be used for your children. Its doesn’t have to be a perfect fit, but if it can do majority of the job for you, you will definitely feel the difference in the homeschool classroom as you free up your own research and preparation time. Plus you can always add to what they have provided if you feel the need.
