We have so many choices to make when choosing homeschool curriculum.
(And if you have recently abandoned the ideal of public school and made the decision to homeschool, that feels like enough deciding for one year, right?!?)
I’ve homeschooled ALL ages and also ALL the way through graduation, so I have some experience with choosing curriculum. Some were excellent choices, while others simply gathered dust on the shelf because they didn’t work for us.
Please allow me to offer three simple criteria when choosing ANY piece of homeschool curriculum. (A curriculum litmus test of sorts.)
This will let you spend LESS time shopping and MORE time implementing and reaping the rewards of a beautiful curriculum.
These suggestions are born out of experience.
If I had a huge homeschool do-over, this is how I would choose curriculum.
(*These suggestions are for larger pieces of curriculum. Of course we played games, took field trips, and so many other things as part of our “curriculum” - but with this post I am referring to materials in which you make a considerable time and monetary investment.)
Consistency
Will the curriculum you have chosen be something you can use for the entire year? Does it have a schedule that works for you, or can you tweak it to fit your homeschool?
One of the very best choices I made for our homeschool was to use First Language Lessons. This curriculum had short, effective lessons that my children could do daily with me. It was ACHIEVABLE.
The lessons were scripted and easy for me to use - even if I hadn’t prepared the night before!
Be honest with yourself when choosing a curriculum. Try a sample lesson with your children and test the waters. Is this something you can do consistently and well?
Beauty
Giving our children beauty is one of the biggest benefits of homeschooling. The world is our oyster.
God has given us infinite opportunities to observe, learn about, and create things of beauty. Why use a curriculum that doesn’t have that aesthetic appeal? And, why use a curriculum that doesn’t point our children to beauty?
Again - an example: Our morning time was always sacred. I loved to have a basket full of beauty for us to feast on first thing in the morning. It just set the tone for our day.
I knew I wanted the kids to learn about art - and I did, too. We used 13 Paintings Children Should Know (and other books in this series) because they were just BEAUTIFUL. My children STILL can recognize and tell you about the works of art we studied in those books.
You can even look for beauty in your math curriculum. I love the way Shormann Math points to the creator in each lesson. The children learn Bible verses and see how math is perfect because math is a thing of God.
Truth
This speaks to our world view. In a world that is increasingly hostile to our Christian beliefs, it is VITAL we choose materials for our children that point to God and reinforce our world view.
Science is an area to be easily led astray. We have always used Apologia Science, as well as beautiful living books. My son took Experience Astronomy - a course taught by Luke Gilkerson, which had a solid grounding in Biblical truth.
Five in a Row, which helped us create so many precious memories with stories, is grounded in a Christian worldview, so I knew the stories chosen would speak TRUTH to my children.
I hope this helps you simplify your decision making just a bit.
I KNOW there are so many choices. Don’t waste a lot of time in search of the PERFECT curriculum, because you will never find it. But I do believe that if you look for consistency, beauty, and truth in the curriculum, you will have a greater chance of hitting a home run.
