Are you Looking for the Perfect,
Homeschool Curriculum for Your Family?

Homeschool Curriculum- probably the two most important words for your homeschool adventure- and maybe the most dreaded. There is SO much to choose from, you can easily become overwhelmed. But, be encouraged- add some patience- and you CAN figure it out.

Cyber-school, Charlotte Mason, ABeka, Unschool, Complete Curriculum-in-a-box- AGH! Your brain is spinning! WHAT homeschool curriculum is the best? Maybe you're like me- every curriculum out there promises to be the answer to education, so I tend to purchase them all, then go broke and crazy while I beg my children to finish them.

What have we learned? It does NOT matter how perfect, wonderful, and complete the curriculum is. If it doesn't fit with your family, it's not helping to create a happy homeschooling environment. If you aren't getting the results you're looking for with the homeschool curriculum you are using, put it away, give it away, or make a best friend with EBay- and MOVE ON!

Here are our personal reviews.

Some things to keep in mind when setting out to pick your homeschool curriculum:

First- you don't have to do it all. Think about YOUR family- not what everyone else is using.

What does your family value? What are your educational needs and goals? Are you looking for a fast-paced, fact-loaded study, or, is your family more relaxed while incorporating learning into day-to-day activities? Will your child be taking standardized testing at the end of the year? Sometimes standardized tests will require mastery of objectives in basic subjects you may not normally teach that particular year. Will you have to put together a year-end portfolio? These options should be taken into consideration when choosing your path.

Every child learns differently. Some learn visually, some through language, and others are hands-on. There is probably something to fit any child's individual learning style. The mission of your homeschooling path, should you choose to accept it: find what works for your children and hopefully find a style that's fun for them and they enjoy.

Also keep in mind what works for you, the parent. Do you enjoy making daily lesson plans or would you rather 'go with the flow' studying what interests your child that day? Do you need to free up time to spend with other children? You may prefer to have the lesson plans already finished for you with a checklist to be completed at the end of the day. That happens to be my style- give me the list so I can cross off the finished items and we're done. :) I wish I were a Charlotte Mason Mom- I love her style and concepts, but I tried them over and over and they just don't work for our lifestyle.

The key in finding your curriculum is to stop working against you and your family's style of learning. If the curriculum you choose goes against your goals and your child's learning style, it will probably make your healthy homeschool environment miserable. Choosing something just because it works for someone else will NOT bring peace to your family. It may even make you give up altogether and miss out on the blessings of homeschooling. RELAX and ENJOY the journey of finding which homeschool curriculum will work for you. The beauty of homeschooling is being able to cater to your family's individual educational needs.

It's more important to create a loving, fun-learning atmosphere than to stress out over making the perfect choice. I don't think there is a right or wrong homeschool curriclum. If there is peace in your family, the academics will come.

A good way to see what might work for you is to read the homeschool curriculum's reviews. See what other parents have to say about their experiences. Try it for a year- a benefit of homeschooling is not being locked in to one style. You can change if you need to later. If you're curious what has worked for us- these are some homeschool curriculum reviews for items we've personally tried.

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