Blog: Home School Curriculum Advice

Choosing a curriculum can be a very ominous and overwhelming decision. There are so many choices. Besides that, which one is right for my children? And how do I know whether to order from a catalog or online? These questions are not easy to answer, I hope I can give you some ways to sort this all out. The advice that I give to first time homeschool parents to help them through this process of choosing curriculum is to go with a full - line curriculum, one that is published from the same publisher, rather than choosing curriculum from various publishers, as I have become accustomed to do. Getting a full - line curriculum helps to take a lot of the sweat out of this big decision. Most new homeschool parents lack the first hand knowledge of what is out there, what is good and what works for their children. Having all that is needed in one package gives one the confidence needed for starting out.. By the end of the year, after using their curriculum, they will then be able to evaluate whether or not they want to go with the same package or venture out into a different kind of curriculum or a different publisher. I have to admit, that my curriculum decisions, were made by trial and error. It is important that new homeschool parents get connected with their local support group. One of the most common things discussed is one another's curriculum recommendations and why they like it or dislike it. But that still doesn't answer the question as to whether or not any particular curriculum is right for your child. You will never know unless you actually try it with your child to get that first hand experience. But it is good information to hear what other people have to say. Some things may strike a chord and perhaps it might just work well with your children. Other information will give you red flags because it just doesn't sound like the right thing for your family for one reason or another. As people email me with questions about curriculum recommendations, I usually go with what I have used personally, or have read in reviews. I can't tell a person for certain, whether or not, what I recommend is the exact right thing for them, but I hope I can give them some things to consider as they make this important decision. Another criteria to consider is the child's learning styles. Whether the parent realizes this or not, when they pull their child out of public school because the child is not doing well, it is because they are not being taught the way the child can learn best. For those parents, it's important to get a curriculum that can match the child's learning style as close as possible. One of the beauties of homeschooling is to be able to tailor the curriculum for the child's learning needs. For example, I am currently homeschooling my youngest daughter, who has just turned 6. According to the public schools, she should be only in kindergarten because of her late birthday. But since I did kindergarten with her last year, I have put her right into 1st grade curriculum. She is doing well, but I am considering her young age and attention span. So when her spelling book says to write her weekly list of words everyday 2 times a day, I just have her go through them orally instead, with me overseeing . I don't want to overload her and cause her to feel burnt out with school at this time. I really want her to enjoy the learning process. So we try to accomplish what the book wants, without a lot of tedious writing for now. I am sure my methods will change, as she grows older. My expectations of her standards of excellence rise, as she matures. You don't have to go by the book (pardon the pun), doing everything according to the curriculum, but you can make changes according to the child's needs. Many times I will skip a concept if I know my child already knows it well. It is pointless to take the time to go through a lesson they already know. Many times I will do a quick review, just to make sure she still understands the concept and then move on. Not to belabor my point about getting the right curriculum, I was talking with my sister - in - law about the possibility of her homeschooling her two girls. She is apprehensive about starting, because she is afraid she won't be able to do it. Math is very intimidating to her. I told her that getting a good curriculum that has everything spelled out for them and with teacher's keys is really important. This was new information to her since she doesn't know anything about what is available. Some parents need hands on curriculum with plenty of interesting projects to do, so doing extra preparation doesn't bother them. Some need a balance of both, a well planned out curriculum and some hands on curriculum thrown in to keep things interesting. But it is not just the child's curriculum needs that need consideration; it is also the parents teaching needs that are just as important. My child may want hands on curriculum. But if this is too burdensome for me to fulfill, I may see the need to expose my child to a different type of curriculum that meets my teaching abilities better and also expand my child's learning style. This has to be weighed out very carefully. Maybe a balance of them both could be a consideration to make both child and parent satisfied. I know this is a lot to think about, especially if you are new to homeschooling, but try not to think about everything at once. Just take one idea at a time. I hope this helps and brings encouragement to your homeschool endeavors.

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