This week I will be sharing with you our 5 days of Homeschooling Essentials.
In case you missed it, here is Day 1.
You can put together your own curriculum by piecing together your favorite choices from each subject. You can buy boxed curriculum that has everything for every subject already put together for you. Finally, you can do a little of both which is what we do in our homeschool.
I am the type that NEEDS a plan! (hint planning will be tomorrow's essential) I like to be told what to do and have it all planned out for me BUT I also like the flexibility to easily change the plan if I want to.
So, that is why we are huge fans of My Father's World. The plan is there and laid out but you can add to or subtract from easily. For instance, an art plan is included but I don't really care for it so I've taken that out and implemented our own art plan. They have suggestions for language arts, science, math, etc but you have the choice of choosing something else you love in those subjects if you wish.
Choosing the right curriculum for your family can be difficult. We have gone through many trying to find the one that fits and are still finding our way in some areas.
Here are some areas for consideration when choosing your homeschool curriculum:
- What is your family's purpose - do you have a biblical worldview or a secular worldview?
- Do you like schedules and function by checklist or are you more of a go with the flow personality?
- What is your budget? There are some free homeschool curriculum choices out there. Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool is one that comes to mind.
- Do you want to mimic the school system or have more flexibility in your homeschool?
- How many children do you have and what kind of time do you have to teach them all? Can you combine subjects to save time?
- What is your homeschool law? Are there specific instructions on hours per day? days per year? subjects that have to be taught?
Last, I would like to leave you with a few of the most popular Homeschool Methods. Deciding your method can help you to choose the right curriculum for your family.
- Charlotte Mason
- Classical Education
- The Principle Approach
- Traditional
- Unit Studies
Focus on the family has a great article on each of these methods and other ideas to help you choose your homeschool curriculum here. They also have a great breakdown of homeschool curriculum choices per method here.
If you like to see reviews of homeschool curriculum used by real homeschooling families, you can always check out the Schoolhouse Review Crew curriculum reviews.
Don't forget to check out what my fellow crew members' Homeschooling Essentials are too! Here are just a few to get you started. Click on the banner below to see them all!
Marcy @ Ben and Me
Lisa @ Golden Grasses
Tess @ Circling Through This Life
Victoria @ Homemaking with Heart
Kayla @ The Arrowood Zoo
Joelle @ Homeschooling for His Glory
Deanna @ His Treasure Seekers
Beth @ Ozark Ramblings
Rebecca @ Raventhreads
Sometimes I have a love hate relationship with curriculum but eventually find what works! Great post!
ReplyDeleteI understand that statement completely!!
ReplyDeleteHey Melissa, thanks for this great post! I remember you and I exchanging emails last year about using MoH; did you end up still using it along with MFW? What's new in your school?
ReplyDeleteNo, I actually blessed another local family with our MOH just this past year as it just seemed to be sitting on our bookshelf. MFW is using Story of the World so I'm trying that one out and so far it's ok with the other suggestions added in.
DeleteI look at MFW every year and consider it, but ultimately I end up piecing everything together on my own,
ReplyDelete