Planning Your Homeschool Curriculum (Curriculum Reviews) Updated Often
Planning your homeschool curriculum is probably the most stressful part of homeschooling for most parents. If that’s you – you’re not alone. There are SO many options, it’s easy to find yourself a little overwhelmed. When you combine the fact that you might be teaching multiple children at multiple ages/levels, it’s easy to see why.
You can choose something pre-made for the entire year, something designed for various ages of kids or completely or you can freestyle based on what works for your children and family.
THE GOAL OF HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM
The goal of your homeschool curriculum should always be to meet your child where they are. That’s probably the best part of the whole thing. You can have a child that is technically in first grade, doing second grade math and finishing out kindergarten language arts. You can have a child that loves science that spends most of their day researching their favorite topics and deep diving into something they are passionate about. OR you can grab the pre-made bundles for your children’s school age and go with it. There is no right or wrong way. You can do school at the kitchen table, curled up on a poofy beanbag, at a picnic table a the campground, in the halls of the library, museum, zoo, back yard under the tree laying on a blanket, somewhere in the mud.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HOMESCHOOL METHODS
You’ll probably notice that I mentioned some things in the last paragraph that seems different from what you might have expected. When you’re in a public school mindset where kids sit at the desk all day and stay inside most of the day, you’re going to understand why so many assume that homeschoolers are awkward kids with no social skills. It’s easy to envision them sitting in a room by themselves or with their siblings. But in reality, homeschool kids are OUT THERE. We’re at the museums when public school kids are in school. We’re at meet ups, the library, running around the yard or even traveling the country.
With that said, there are many methods to the homeschool madness. You can find the method that works best for your kids and your lifestyle.
Here’s a few of the types of methods you’re going to see….
Traditional Homeschooling
Unschooling
Roadschooling
Charlotte Mason
Secular
Naturalist
Farm School
WHAT IS A STUDY UNIT
Before we dig into homeschool curriculums, I want to call your attention to something a little different. Most of us look for curriculum that we can pull out of the package and teach, but over the years we have come to love study units. Because we’re homeschooling and homeschooling allows us to really dig deep into our kiddos interests, explore possible career paths and even learn based around current experiences (fall, vacation at the beach, frog life cycle, etc.)
This is an example of us pulling together a solar system unit. We loved this so much we ended up with telescopes, posters on the wall and a two month deep dive into all things astronomy.
There are so many amazing curriculums out there for parents to use for homeschooling. We have listed some of our favorites, along with a note about them, their style and other things we felt we needed to mention.
WHERE TO FIND CURRICULUM
Curriculum is everywhere these days. You can find something that fits your needs, no matter what you’re looking for. You can find all-in-one curriculums as well as study units.
It’s important to know that at one time the homeschool space was dominated by large corporations creating curriculum. Over the last few years, smaller companies have started to fill the gaps parents were finding. You can now find amazing resources on company websites, Etsy, Teacher Pay Teachers and even Amazon. We have a mix of both listed as resources below. We’ve highlighted our favorites with a * for younger kiddos and ** for older.
MATH
Masterbooks* – This curriculum follows a story line. It is faith-based.
Wild Learning – Wild Math – Nature-based, secular. I have not used Wild Math personally, but I know that many pair it with Blossom & Root because of nature-themed learning. You can find it here.
Saxon** –
Right Start –
Singapore –
Life of Fred
HISTORY
The Good and The Beautiful – Faith-Based
Gather Round – Faith-Based
Blossom and Root– Secular, Nature-Based
Notgrass
Mystery of History
Story of The World
LANGUAGE ARTS
The Good and The Beautiful – Faith-Based
READING
Explode the Code
Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Lessons – One of the most popular tools for teaching children to read. This book is the most recommended among homeschool moms. Find it here.
SCIENCE
Wander Free Academy
The Good and The Beautiful – Faith-Based
Blossom and Root– Secular, Nature-Based
*Currently my favorite for littles.
**Currently my favorite for older kids.
SOME OF THE LINKS IN THIS POST ARE AFFILIATE LINKS. THIS MEANS THAT I GET A SMALL PAYMENT FOR REFERRING YOU TO THEM IF YOU PURCHASE. THIS DOES NOT INCREASE THE AMOUNT YOU PAY FOR YOUR CURRICULUM.
