Curriculum Fairs

I am so excited to be going to our city's curriculum fair this weekend! It's one of my favorite times of year -- like Christmas in July. Even if I don't have much to buy, such as this year, I still love going to the fair, seeing all those new books, and being around all those homeschoolers -- people from all walks of live who have taken on the challenge and joy of overseeing their children's education.

A while back, I posted some tips that I've picked up from my own experience. In addition to those, I'd like to add:

* Wear comfortable shoes. This is definitely one of those days when comfort should come before fashion. This is a "tennis shoes with Capri pants" kind of day. ;-) (Okay, I confess that this is not the only day when I wear tennis shoes with my Capris.)

* Make sure your cell phone is charged. You want to be sure that your spouse, your sitter and your friends can reach you, if needed. It's also handy to have if you're shopping with someone, in case you get separated.

* Bring some sort of cart on wheels, if you're planning to do the bulk of your curriculum-shopping at the fair, so that you don't have to lug everything around all day.

* I like to take a break from curriculum-shopping (usually in the evening) to do my school-supply shopping. As much as I've grown to dislike Wal-mart, they have some awesome deals on school supplies this time of year. It's a great time to stock up...especially when you're already in the school mindset.

* Your curriculum-shopping break might also be the perfect time to stop by an office supply or copier store to get the binding cut from books that you'll be using frequently and have them three-hole punched. I do this with with my Story of the World activity book, Christian Kids Explore series science books, and other large books of this nature. It makes them much easier to use and improves the shelf life.

Those are the tips that I can think of off the top of my head, along with the ones that I posted previously. Can you think of anything to add?