(This is the sixth post in a series of planning post, and the fifth post on planning for our homeschool.)

I can remember the first year that I was homeschooling that choosing curriculum seemed like a daunting task.  How in the world with all those options was I suppose to find the curriculum that would be the perfect fit for my kid.  The golden curriculum that would make everything easier.  And if I didn't find that magical curriculum what if what I bought was a total waste of money, or what if they didn't learn anything at all, or what if it actually made they more confused and made things worse.  Since that time I have figured out that there is no golden curriculum, the leprechauns probably keep it with the rest of the gold at the end of the rainbow, as a tantalizing trick.


These days my favorite part of planning a new school year is deciding on curriculum.  There are several things I look into before choosing curriculum.  I'll tell you a little about how I first began researching curriculum and then I'll give you an overview of my process today.  I have mentioned before, but it bears repeating that I feel like the best resource to start researching curriculum is with Cathy Duffy's books or website.  I started out with her book and learned alot about learning styles to help me narrow down curriculum.  While there is no golden curriculum, I think you will find that there are some that work better for different types of learners and different teachers and different family dynamics.  Now days though I check out anything new I'm thinking about trying on her website.  She isn't affiliated with any of the curriculum companies, she's just giving a well researched and thought out opinion on the products.

I am on several facebook homeschool groups and frequently get ideas about curriculum from there.  When something isn't working well for us I can throw out a question or search old post, and generally find some suggestions either for adjusting what I have, or for something that might be a better fit.  I also regularly read a number of homeschool blogs.  One that I have spent a lot of time reading in the last year is Homeschooling with Dyslexia.  A homeschooling mom of 8, 7 of who have dyslexia, has had tons of ideas and experience with curriculum that I can learn from to use with Britt.  A huge component in homeschooling is being willing to continually learn yourself.  In fact, this probably deserves it's own blog topic, but I never want to become complacent or feel like I know everything there is to know with the kids.  If one of my goals is to encourage lifelong learning, and a love for learning, then I need to model that.  This year, I made a list with some of her suggestions, to check out for different subjects.

So assuming you have thought about your priorities and interest for your upcoming homeschool year.  And assuming you have made some goals for your children, you are ready to dive into curriculum choices.  If you're priority this year for history is world history, and if like me you believe in a chronological approach to history; then when you hear about this AMAZING new history program for American history and the causes leading up to the Civil War, you are just going to make yourself a note for a later date, because it's not on your plan for this year.  Not to say that you might not make some changes.  I started out this year thinking we might do state history for the states we have lived, but changed my mind.  You just don't want to start buying curriculum willy-nilly and end up with 4 types of history that aren't complementary and you can't possibly all use in a year and no math when that was a priority, and have blown through your homeschooling budget.


When I am looking for homeschooling curriculum I'm looking for several different things.  First, I'm looking for things that meet the goals I set for the year.  I'll take math for example.  This year I have a goal for Britt and Ruth to learn multiplication, so a program that focuses on fractions isn't something I'm going to keep on my shortlist for this year.  So even though Math Mammoth is a top ranked program it didn't make the short list.  Next, I find something that lines up with my beliefs about schooling.  In math, I am not a fan of spiral learning, where you continually cycle through material.  I'm a fan of mastery, where a student has to really learn it.  I do like some occasional review though to be sure that the concepts remain in their mind.  So, for example another popular math program, Saxon, doesn't meet that criteria and it doesn't make the short list.  Next, I am looking at things that match up with the kids learning style.  Britt in particular is a very kinetic learner, things he can manipulate with his hands, so I want a math curriculum that works with manipulatives, even in higher grades.  That knocks out another favorite math curriculum Singapore Math.  This year I considered making a change to our math curriculum and had it narrowed down to Math U See the math we have used for the last several years and Teaching Textbooks.  I liked that teaching Textbooks, would let Britt be more independent in his math, that it read the problems aloud and would walk him through how to solve something if he got it wrong.  However, I ultimately decided that it was rigorous  enough and I didn't think it did a good enough job teaching the underlying concepts. I want the kids to do more than just learn the math facts, but have an understanding of mathematical reasoning.  I didn't find the one golden math program, I just narrowed down the field of great choices based on what I want in my child's education.


When I am selecting curriculum for the new year, I also look for things I think will engage the kids.  It doesn't matter how great of a history program I think it is if they are going to be bored to tears.  I have some fantastic history books on my shelves, but they aren't going to be interactive enough for the kids yet.  I need to find a program that really engages them, that works their imagination.  Something that they can get excited about.  I firmly believe the reason that most people hate history is because they were subjected to social studies in drab boring books all through grade school.  In areas like history and science I really like to ask the kids what they are interested in learning about and work those interest into our school.  Britt's first year of school he was obsessed with dinosaurs.  We checked out every book the library had on dinosaurs, for 6 months we read about dinosaurs every day.  By the time Britt turned 5, he could tell you about 30 or 40 different kinds of dinosaurs.  He made his own dinosaur book, dictating things he learned, with us recording their family and finding a picture for each one for him to color.  After that he was interested in the stars and space, so we spent 4 months learning everything about the planets.  I even learned about a number of dwarf planets that I didn't know existed.  That year at the homeschool convention, someone was selling a computer based program about astronomy, and he passed the test for their 4th grade program.  Kids learn and retain things that they are interested in, so use that to your advantage as much as possible.

Next we come to the final consideration that I have when purchasing homeschool curriculum - my budget.  After I've researched everything, and come up with my list, I start hunting for bargain prices.  Math is usually our most expensive subject.  But that is one of the areas in our budget that I'm willing to spend more money on. Science and history are areas that I'm more likely to build my own program out of library books.  There are components that I decide I can do without in a given year, or that I might put off buying.  I've put off buying a timeline that I want to use throughout our homeschooling years with history, for the last two years, but I'm springing for it this year.  There are tons of free or low cost options out there, but most of them are going to require more work on your part.  Now that we are up to 3 students, and I have a baby in the house, I don't want quite as much prep work, so I'm willing to pay a little more in order to have it better planned out.  Some people like a boxed curriculum or online options like FL Flex for this reason, I still like to retain more of the control over our choices, and for me the kids don't fit in neat grade level boxes.


I have a list of what I need to have up front, and what I won't get to right away.  For example, this year I plan to cover the Ancient Greeks and Romans for history.  Since I'm starting with Greece, I can wait to order the other material later in the school year.  Unfortunately for most people a budget is going to be a reality in getting curriculum.  I also prioritize my list, so I know what things I want to buy first.  And there are times, that I will go back to my second curriculum option instead of my first curriculum because it's a cheaper alternative.  There are also times that I go shopping for curriculum in my cabinet of handme downs, or find cheap or free options at used curriculum sales, or on the free table at homeschool gatherings.  This year is already shaping up to be my most expensive year yet, if we make it through everything I have planned, so Gary will probably require me to do some editing to my list.

A final note, on my very favorite thing to do though when I have a list of possible programs, is go to a Homeschool Convention.  There is nothing like being able to actually flip through books and materials, and to talk to the vendors.  Our first year I debated between Right Start Math and Math U See.  I talked with both of the booths, and after talking with Mr. Steve Deme the man who created Math U See, I felt it was the best fit for us.  The kids remember meeting him, and they watch his videos with their lessons.  They frequently tell people that Mr. Steve is their math teacher, not me.  When you are able to met the families and individuals who have crafted curriculum, you can learn alot about their educational philosophy and passion in creating a product, and if it will fit what you are looking for.