Every library sale is a treasure hunt

The way you know that something is your passion is when you are excited about the materials or ingredients used in that work.

A true chef has certain knives, pots and implements that are important because they help him carry out his magic. A dressmaker is thrilled by certain fabrics and threads, even if she is not at the moment sewing a garment that requires them.

For me, good books and teaching materials are like that. I am always on the lookout for a really interesting book that will be helpful in our studies. At a yard sale, library sale or thrift store, I can be seen perusing the stock, looking for hidden treasure.

It’s wonderful that someone lets me pay a dollar for a perfectly useful book I can proudly carry home and fill our bookshelves with: world atlases; books on physics, chemistry, anatomy and art. I have history books; grammar texts; and books on astronomy, space travel and home repair.

So when my children ask a question, no matter how random, I usually have some book that helps us find the answers.

Home-schoolers are always seeking useful materials. When I am in a store or at a business conference and I see something that could be used for our studies, I pick it up, whether pens or notebooks, tapes, rulers or maps. I squirrel it all away and bring it home for future purposes.

Other people’s discarded magazines can be a huge source of learning for a home-schooling family. My father subscribes to Scientific American, and occasionally, he will send us a box full of old issues.

My son and I pore over these for articles on the brain, computer advances and medical breakthroughs. Our textbooks are not as recent as these magazines, and the illustrations and articles are often more in-depth than the books, too.

Other magazines worth grabbing: National Geographic, from virtually any time period; Popular Science; Discover; and, yes, even the oft-criticized Reader’s Digest.

In all of these, visual depictions of the subject matter are much stronger than in most textbooks. Also, a magazine article can go into a lot more depth than the textbook, which tends to hit the basic points of an issue only, due to the larger scope of the book.

Another plus: Journalistic writing tends to be more exciting and picturesque than academic writing. Young readers respond better to the active voice than the passive voice, and a typical magazine article is tailored to grab the reader’s attention.

Other types of material I collect: art supplies, scientific equipment and measurement tools. These fall into the category of “This may come in handy one day.”

Just because you are not using a microscope in your current studies doesn’t mean you can’t use it a year from now. That old set of pastels you got for 50 cents could produce some exciting artwork in your child’s hands, and the old barometer or compass might become important in your family’s exploration of weather one day.

Of course, it’s not helpful to buy broken or unworkable items. I have to be ruthless when it comes to something that “just needs a repair,” because experience teaches me that I will never get it repaired and that it will just gather dust in my attic.

However, there’s something magical about having all those wonderful books sitting on my shelves, inviting curiosity, and having some cool equipment there stirring up questions and observations.

Just as a master of any field keeps the tools of his trade close at hand and in good condition, we parent educators need to maintain helpful resources in anticipation of future needs.

Look for good quality and lasting value when weighing your choices. Even if it’s a 20-year-old book, if it covers the subject in a thorough and interesting way, grab it.

With only a few exceptions, most academic material changes very little from decade to decade. This is very true for math, earth sciences, languages, history and nonpolitical geography.

If something has been taught for several centuries, it’s pretty safe to say that it’s not going to change radically enough to spend a lot of money on a brand-new textbook.

Happy hunting.

Kate Tsubata, a home-schooling mother of three, is a freelance writer living in Maryland.