Choosing curriculum for the homeschool year can be daunting. There are so many options and promises of each being THE perfect choice.
Wait one minute, let's back up, first things first. Let's take a deep look into home life.
Does your family get up early in the morning? Or are you late sleepers? Are you super organized about your day? Or do you wake up and think 'it feels like a field trip day'? Do you love to be out in nature or sitting at the table reading? Arts and crafts or writing stories? Do enjoy hiking, boating, camping, long road trips? Or is your family homebodies? Do both parents work? As a parent do you prefer working side by side doing your own thing? Or would you enjoy teaching your child step by step?
Why does any of this matter?
Homeschooling is a lifestyle not a life sentence. By taking the time to assess your family's learning style and natural flow you can then pick curriculum that meets the needs and compliments the lifestyle you already live.
Ok now let's talk about learning styles. Your children will likely all learn differently, but that doesn't mean you can't have non negotiable studies for them. My non negotiable is a vocabulary curriculum call Wordly Wise that allow the kids to do to their best ability and interest. The goal is exposure to intelligent vocabulary.
Hands on learners will benefit from a math program that uses manipulatives and a language arts program like Winston Grammar or Montessori Language arts.
Auditory learners will do better with History of the World recording, audio books and video math lessons.
Visual learners may also benefit from manipulatives and programs like Winston Grammar as well as charts and graphics explaining concepts.
Now that you have defined and recognized learning styles and needs of your family let's talk about homeschooling styles.
School at Home. Many online programs are just this school at home. Parents have less say in schedule, curriculum and teaching methods. It is doing school at home.
Traditional Homeschooling. This can look so many different ways, but usually consists of reading, writing and arithmetic taught in a one room schoolhouse fashion. It is also farm chores, homemaking skills, and arts and crafts.
Unschooling. I've done this with one child, he turned out amazing!! This kind of schooling happens as part of life and is mostly child directed. I would have books, workbooks available and occasionally we would pull them out, but the majority of the time this child could be found researching, creating and building. When he got older there were metals being melting, fires, smoke bombs (from scratch) and tack welders being built (we bought him his first welding machine after that when he was about 13).
Classical Homeschooling. This would include reading classics, studying history focusing on the founding forefathers, writing stories, etc.
Most families will use a mixture of any of these to teach their children.
You should have gathered enough information at this point to define your family's educational philosophy.
Our family philosophy is to teach our children to love learning and to teach them foundational skills that will allow them to learn anything they want. If a child can read they can learn anything, if they can do basic math they can understand and manage their finances and life skills, if they can write they can communicate.
Once you have defined your styles in teaching, learning and lifestyle curriculum will be much easier to choose and use.
Homeschooling should not be daunting, it is meant to be joyful.
