Choosing a Homeschool Curriculum

One of the key questions for homeschoolers is : "What home school curriculum should I use?"

This can be a daunting question since there are so many curriculums available, both for sale and for free.

Rather than specify a particular curriculum - which may or may not fit in with your particular needs, we'll look at the tools and questions you need to ask in order to make a good choice.

Firstly, to choose home school curriculum that will suit your family, you need to work out what your goals are for your family. Goals help you to set out the plan for your family, working within your family's value system, and take into consideration your children's needs and special interests.

When you have decided where your family is headed, it will be easier to make a decision about what sort of home school curriculum you need and also what you do not need.

Here are some important things to consider when choosing curriculum:

Firstly, not every subject needs a curriculum. Often subjects can be taught simply by reading and discussing and writing. Homeschoolers can also be plagued by the idea that when it comes in a box or is created by an "educational expert", it will teach the subject better than themselves. Don't be fooled - things can be taught far simpler than what you think. We do not need to teach each subject for 12 or more years - adding snippets of learning a year at a time. Remember, we are homeschoolers and have the flexibility of our own choices - how and when we teach.

Secondly, remember the Curriculum should be there to serve us, not rule us. Make sure whatever you buy that you remember who is in control. Often curriculum is written with many learning styles and optional activities included. These do not all need to be done and home school parents need to be able to pick and choose what will suit their family and not be driven by the home school curriculum itself.

Cost is a factor which needs considering. How many children will this curriculum teach and what other alternatives are there?

Time. How teacher friendly is this curriulum? How much time will it take for you to prepare before you actually teach the material?

Independent learning. For some families, curriculum which encourages independent learning is a positive consideration so that other children can be attended to and so that the skills of independence are taught.

Is the material consumable or can it be used by a number of children? Can you make it re-useable by using plastic overlays with whiteboard markers or asking your child to work in a workbook, rather than in the book itself?

What sort of learning style does the curriculum use? Is this important to you?

Answering these questions and issues will make it easy to choose a curriculum.