Reading homeschool curriculum reviews gives you an opportunity to learn from the experiences of others before spending money on homeschool curriculum. Here are some places you can find reviews of popular home school products.

There are several types of homeschool reviews. Many homeschool catalogs like, Sonlight, Timberdoodle, Rainbow Resource and Christian Book Distributors contain detailed descriptions of products in their catalogs. These descriptions can come in handy when making decisions about what type of products to buy.

You can also find reviews written by single authors who share their opinions about the pros and cons of products that publishers have given them to review. When reading these opinions, remember that while these individuals have looked at the product, they may or may not have actually used the product with their children.

In my opinion, the most helpful home school curriculum reviews are written by parents who have actually used the product in their home schools. These parents are writing from their own experience with the curriculum, and are often very honest about their likes and dislikes about the program.

My favorite source of these type of reviews is Successful Homeschooling's Homeschool Curriculum Reviews. You can win free books by telling other homeschoolers about your favorite curriculum in the website's monthly homeschool curriculum review contest.

When reading reviews, remember these are just the opinions of other families. A product that works well in one home may work horribly in another. Consider your family's lifestyle and your child's learning style when choosing products. Here are some other tips for choosing a homeschool curriculum.

Homeschool forums, message boards or Yahoo groups are great places to find product reviews and receive advice from other homeschoolers.

Some forums are designed to cater to individuals who use a particular curriculum. Homeschoolers on these forums have experience using the product. In addition to helping you decide whether or not the program will be a good fit for your family, these individuals will be able to help you choose the correct level for your child and give you tips for using the curriculum.

Other message boards cater to those who use a particular homeschool method. Members of these forums will be able to tell you about a variety of products that suit that style of homeschooling, and help you weigh the pros and cons of each program.

Many forums are not specific to a particular product or homeschooling method. On these message boards, you'll learn about a wider variety of products. You may also receive more honest information on these forums than you would in product-specific forums where members may be hesitant to post negative feedback or suggest other products.

Here is some information about participating in homeschool forums, along with a list of my favorite message boards.