Curriculum fairs

Have you ever visited a curriculum fair?  Did you like it?  I wrote an article today for my new freelance position as the Baltimore Homeschool Examiner at Examiner.com about the MACHE curriculum fair next week at the Frederick Fairgrounds and wondered what goes on there.  I've been homeschooling for eleven years and have never been to one.  For the most part I am an ecclectic educator, writing my own curriculum using materials from the internet, the library and the thrift store, but I also use texts from Houghton Mifflen, Harcourt and A Beka.  Saxon Math is a staple, as well.  My main issue with curriculum fairs is that I'm afraid I will be overwhelmed with the choices available.  I would most certainly want everything I see!  On the other hand, Dakota is so young, only in kindergarten, and if there are awesome resources available, I would love to know about them.  Last year I discovered Moving Beyond the Page and begged my husband to let me buy it.  He gave in and, while I think it is an awesome curriculum and incredibly well put together, I found that I do things myself naturally that are exactly what they are doing in their lesson plans.  Do I want to look at the material from 75+ vendors and decide that I MUST have something new when I'm completely happy with what I'm already doing? 

Next week I will think about going to the fair.  It's reasonably priced, besides the gas it will take to get there, not too far away (45 minutes), I could use my experience to write an article and it would be a night out if I take my friend  However, my guess is that I will not attend, just because I don't want that many choices.  I don't like temptation and I know myself too well to think I would be able to look and not buy.  I think I'll just take $10 to the thrift store and go through the books there.  I'll be happy with my loot and I won't have any regrets later about what might have been.

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