Curriculum Choices

Curriculum. 

Why are there so many to choose from? 

Sometimes, I just wish there were two curriculum options and that one was obviously terrible so I would be left with one good option.  Well, where would the fun be in that?  Those who have ever considered homeschooling and looked into choosing a curriculum have probably had the same problems I have had.  There are so many to choose from.  Which one do I choose? 

The final decision for curriculum choices needs to reflect several aspects of a homeschooling family.  Some of these aspects are fairly obvious, others you may not have considered before.

• Motivation

What motivated you to choose home education for your family?  Your curriculum choices should reflect your family's reasons for educating at home.  If you think the public education system isn't giving a quality education, then your homeschooling should provide an education superior to the best of a public education.  If you don't want negative influences in your chidlren's lives, your curriculum and activities should fill your child with Godly instruction and Godly influences.  If you want your children to have lots of one-on-one or hands-on instruction, make sure you are choosing a curriculum that will provide that for your family.  Whatever your personal motivation for choosing home education, be sure your curriculum reflects that.

• Teaching Style

What is the teacher's style of teaching?  Most of the time, we as mothers are the homeschool teachers; however, I have known fathers who were gifted teachers and excelled in some subjects that their wives struggled to teach.  If that is the case, don't be afraid to let him teach.  If you enjoy homeschooling but have no music talent, artistic ability, etc . . . use the opportunities available to you for your child to learn outside the home too. 

When considering curriculum, ask yourself, "What kind of teacher am I?"  Some curriculum such as Saxon, BJU Press, Abeka, Hartcourt, Calvert, etc . . . are very structured and planned out while other curriculums such as Sonlight and others allow for a less structured format.  Video and internet based instruction requires a lot less planning and preparation and just moderate monitoring of the students.  Each teacher should establish how she plans to teach the curriculum before considering which one to purchase.

• Learning Style

What is your child's learning style?  If your child is very young, you may not have a clear picture of his learning style yet.  Still, you do know him better than anyone else does.  You know his likes and dislikes, his strength and weaknesses.  So, be honest about your child.  Pretending your child is perfect and will make an equally perfect student won't help him or you in the education and child-rearing process.  Assess your children's strengths and weaknesses and look for curriculum that will address those needs.  This also means that you may need more than one curriculum for your family.  Each child is different and they may benefit from different curriculum.  Curriculum choices should accentuate the positive and strengthen weak areas.  Excelling in some areas should inspire the child to work harder in the difficult ones.  What curriculum will best teach your child.

• Family Dynamic

Family dynamic plays an enormous role in how we plan our curriculum although, it seems to be overlooked oftentimes.  My oldest son, Joshua, loves school and excells at reading, science, and math.  He was reading at 4 years old and was ready to start school and really learn.  Our family dynamic at that time, simply couldn't handle a structured homeschool program (or an unstructured one for that matter.)  The twins, Bethany and Brittany, were newborns and Joy, who was 3 years old, and Hudson, who was just over a year old, were all in diapers.  Homeschooling while trying to nurse two newborns and keep up with diaper changes for four children just wasn't going to happen.  Having five children who were all four years old or under was our family dynamic and homeschooling had to be put on hold.

What is your family dynamic like?  How can your curriculum choices fit into your family dynamic?  Do you have older children who could help teach the younger ones?  Do you have children who are close together and could be taught together?  Do you have a crazy schedule that needs to be considered?  Each homeschooling family is different and we all choose to educate our children at home for different reasons.  These things must enter the equation when choosing a curriculum.

• Space & Budget

How much space do I have for my educational needs and what is my budget?  There are too many options to choose from when looking at curriculum and they are just like anything else we buy, they range from reasonably priced to outrageous.  Some curriculums require very little outside materials; you purchase the curriculum and everything you need to teach is included.  Other curriculums require lots of manipulatives and extra books and teaching aids.  These extra materials are fun, but if they aren't something you can budget for, they may not be the right choice for your family.  Also, you should consider where you plan to do your homeschooling and how spread out the curriculum will need to be.  Some families prefer video or internet based options because they are confined to one specific space. 

Wow, that ended up being much longer than I anticipated.  I do apologize.  I have some preparations to do today so that I'll be ready for Monday morning.  Later, I'll be posting about what curriculum we use and why I chose it and how it works for us.

Again, if you have a suggestion for a post or for naming the blog, leave a comment for me.  Thanks.