We are truly in a golden age of homeschooling! The rise in homeschooling’s popularity has caused there to be an exponential rise in available homeschool curriculum. There is something available for every kind of learner. In fact, there are so many options available that choosing the right curriculum can be overwhelming!
1. Before You Start Looking At Homeschool Curriculum...
Before you begin a search for the perfect curriculum, you might want to determine what kind of homeschooler you are. Below is an infographic that shows some of the types of homeschool educational methods out there.
Understanding what kind of educational approach you want to take with your kids will help you to determine what kind of curriculum you should target. It will also help you to determine if you need curriculum at all. This step is also important because it is easy to get carried away with all the wonderful material available.
Once you identify what educational approach coincides with your family, it becomes easier to evaluate curriculum. Here are some additional questions you may want to ask yourself as you wade through all the wonderful options!
Homeschool.com has an online quiz to help you determine what your educational style is! Click the link below to take the quiz!
2. How much technology do I want to incorporate into my homeschool?
This question is a big deal. Some homeschool families prefer to use software/computer-based curriculum or online classes for the majority of their child(ren)’s education. They as the parent primarily oversee the completion of their child’s work, but the heavy lifting of teaching, grading, and/or correcting is done by an online teacher or the software.
Other homeschoolers are use both online classes or digital-based curriculum for some classes, and the traditional textbook and workbook for other classes.
Still other homeschoolers use technology as a supplemental resource to enhance what their kids are learning. And some homeschoolers use very little to no technology.
Technology is definitely a part of our homeschool. One of my educational goals for my kids is to become self-learners–able to teach/educate themselves. That takes a certain amount of discipline and academic maturity. My oldest, who is in high school has reached a place academically, where she is able to teach herself, identify areas of weakness through self-assessment, and ask for help. I am working with her to learn how to utilize many resources, including myself, textbooks, online teachers, and resources. She has reached a place where at least half of her classes are online.
My middle school child is half-way there, but still needs some teacher-led lessons. Some of her classes will be computer-based, but then there are some classes like math, where I still teach her. She then goes and works independently and we check her work after.
My littles are elementary age and all of their classes are taught by me. They are textbook-based and I have to hold their hands. However, I use a number of educational apps and online resources to reinforce what is taught.
When my littles were preschool and kindergarten age, I didn’t purchase a formal curriculum. Instead, I used resources like Teachers Pay Teachers, etc. to educate them.
I have used my family as an example of the range of possibilities you have when it comes to utilizing technology.
3. Do I Really Need Curriculum?
As I said above, I didn’t use a formal curriculum when my kids were preschool and kindergarten age. There were so many free and cheap resources online and so many hands-on ideas available on Pinterest, that I just didn’t see the point.
But, you also don’t have to always use a formal curriculum for the upper grades either. Reading/Literature is an excellent example. There are free grade/age level-based booklists available online that provide not only classic books but modern books for you to choose from. Additionally, there are a ton of free study guides, essay questions, Youtube videos, and project ideas to create your own curriculum for Literature.
My friend and I started a Book Club this year with our middle and high schoolers. I can’t begin to describe just how amazing the conversations, literary analysis, and skill-building has been. Our kids broadened their critical thinking skills as well as their ability to communicate complex ideas both verbally and in writing. They’ve also gained a deeper understanding of history and how history influences our current zeitgeist.
We were able to accomplish all of this with free study guides and online resources! The only things we paid for were the books! Often the most meaningful learning experiences take place without a textbook and a set curriculum!
Once you’ve determined your chosen educational method, how much technology you want to utilize in your homeschool, and what areas you need curriculum in, you are ready to undertake the task of choosing homeschool curriculum.
Check out my next blog post to get some tips on choosing the right homeschool curriculum for your kids.
