Choosing Your Home School Curriculum
With much of your decisions out of the way, now is the time to purchase your materials.
Articles within this series
- Overview
- Reasons for Home-Schooling
- Getting Started Home Schooling
- Easing the Home Schooling Load
- Choosing Your Home School Curriculum
- Next Steps / Related Information
Choose Curriculum Materials
Find out what subjects are usually taught at your child’s grade level. List the subjects you have decided to teach in their order of importance to you. Curriculum review manuals are helpful in bringing awareness to what is available in each subject area.
Become acquainted with a variety of curricula and approaches. This can be done by reading mail order catalogs, by asking friends what they are using or by attending a curriculum fair in your area.
When you do choose the curriculum methods and materials you will use for your home school, purchase them and your basic school supplies. However, keep these guidelines in mind:
- Everyone likes best what she is currently using, so take advice with a grain of salt.
- Don't fret over making the wrong decision. You will grow in confidence to make appropriate choices as you school.
- Consider home education as a long-term marathon rather than a short-term sprint. Be in this for the long haul!
- You can decide what is best for your children. Relish the opportunity to be responsible instead of overwhelmed!
- If the material isn't working, put it aside. If you do not like it, neither will your child. You are a "home" before you are a "school." Take a deep breath and do those things that bring you together as a family.
Create a Learning Atmosphere
Decide where you will physically "do" school in your home. Do you have the luxury of a separate schoolroom? Will you be working at the kitchen or dining room table? Will you read together on the sofas in the family room?
You may, but you do not have to, duplicate a conventional school setting with individual desks and bells and flags. You have the opportunity to define school as you individualize it to your family, particularly if your children have not attended another educational setting.
Decide how you will organize and store books, papers, pencils, globes, etc. Designate work and storage places for each child and for you as the parent-teacher.
Establish structure
Determine a general schedule for the year. Decide the number of days you choose to teach or the number of days of instruction that are required by your state law. Count out the days you need (usually 170-180 days), using a pencil, on a calendar. Try one of the following patterns:
- Thirty-six 5-day weeks: This is a good choice if your children are already used to such a schedule from conventional school.
- Forty-five 4-day weeks: This is a good choice if you have preschool children. One day per week may be left free for doctor appointments, catching up on the laundry, and snuggling with toddlers.
- A year-round schedule: This is for families who want to take scheduled breaks throughout the year instead of one 2-month vacation in the summer. Your pattern could be three months of school, one month off, three times a year; OR nine weeks of school, one week off, four times a year. Year-round schools have the flexibility to work around family trips and vacations.
Determine a weekly and a daily schedule. Plan the subjects that you will work on daily or two times per week. For each day, plan a specific order of subjects (or time blocks) for devotions, academics, chores, reading aloud together or silent reading time, clean-up, snacks and meals, and library time.
Decide how to handle interruptions to your schedule.
- Get an answering machine and use it to screen all telephone calls during school hours.
- Sickness, either yours or the children’s: school can still continue around Mom’s bed, if she desires, or children sick with a minor cold can still do a certain amount of work; just lighten the load that day.
- Ministry opportunities: if a church family needs a meal taken over or Grandma needs some help with chores, decide to work together to accomplish what needs to be done and reschedule the schoolwork.
- Handling housework and laundry: relax your expectations. Your house will be lived in twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week with a number of children and adults being creative! Teach your children how to help you with these two tasks as soon as they are old enough. Simplify meal planning as much as possible.
Plan to include your babies and toddlers in your school activities as much as possible. They are part of your home school, not obstacles to getting school done. You will be amazed at how much the younger ones will learn by just listening and being around your older children!