Picking a curriculum

During our tenure as a homeschooling family we have used several different curriculums. Sometimes I felt a little like Goldilocks trying to find the best chair, the perfect porridge, or the softest place to rest. 

We took the kids out of school mid term so initially starting out we chose to stick with what they were already using. We became huge fans of Saxon math, and Abeka grammar. We still use these today. 

When it comes to choosing curriculum it really is a personal choice. Do you want a computer based curriculum that has all the assignments and tests on line, do you want a workbook based curriculum that the student can work though themselves, or do you want full involvement with a guided curriculum that gives a teachers guide that breaks it down so you can provide your children with the most well rounded education possible. 

On Facebook right now is a thing going around about numbers and how many things you don't know about me. Here's one you may not know about me. I am a little bit of a control freak (shocker, I know). I found over the years that the curriculum that gave me all I could ever want to know and more about history, science, and electives was the curriculum for me. I loved the extra material; it gave me inspiration to make sure that I approached each subject from all different angles. This may go back to my fear that people would think that my kids had a sub-standard education so I had to overcompensate. Bob Jones Press met all my type A, first-born, and short-lady syndrome needs. We used them for almost all other subjects. 

I do have to admit though one of my favorite things to do was develop my own curriculum. I would use a random subject that I thought the kids would be interested in or an idea from a parent’s magazine, book or something I had seen on the History Channel and research the mess out of it. I probably spent hundreds of hours in the library and Internet finding books, pictures, videos, and worksheets. I usually used these as our summer curriculum. I really did enjoy this most of all; it made me feel a little like a mad scientist and gave my AOADD (Adult On-set Attention Deficit Disorder) a place to work itself out.

Looking back I think I will miss this most of all…sigh.