Curriculum: Where to start?
For those who are feeling the need to school from home this year, this is for you. For those who have been doing this ten years, like myself and would love to know what we do each week, this is for you. For those who love your school, but are interested in looking into some things to help fill the gaps, this is for you.
You may also be interested in my recent post TIPS TO SURVIVE SCHOOLING FROM HOME.
Now back to curriculum …
While I have great respect for the families who Homeschooled with far less resources decades ago, there is almost an equal burden for those choosing to school from home in this current age. With greater choices comes the potentially greater burden of too many choices. Those of us who struggle with the fear of missing out know what I mean. We can constantly compare and attribute one way of schooling or one methodology of schooling as superior and live in the mindset that we aren’t doing enough.
In reality, you have to decide what is best for your children in any given year and run with it.
Let me first say I am not an expert at homeschooling. No one is. While having homeschooled at least one child each year for 9 years (going on 10 this fall), I have also put two children in public school for several years. It was a beautiful season for all of us and we deeply miss our community there. Each had pros and cons, as with all things, and I love that we have experienced several different rhythms. All of that to say, it is a journey, and I believe your personal mental and physical health, your children’s needs, and your family’s priorities all play a part in making the decision that’s right for you.
The same is true in choosing curriculum.
For us this is what our picture looks like today, but know it evolves year to year, and it will continue to change. Therein lies the beauty of what schooling from home is all about.
There are several homeschooling philosophies that you can read about HERE and then some are a hybrid or combination of any given one. Even before deciding on curriculum, you may find it beneficial to read one of these outstanding resources pictured below. Each of these books, in addition to the Bible, worked together to form our family’s vision for home, values, and education, as well as our definition of success.
We, as a family, have always gravitated more towards a classical approach primarily, with a Charlotte Mason influence. Here’s what that looks like for my family this year.
* PLEASE NOTE: There are many curriculums that we don’t use that are fantastic. There is also a way to buy a complete curriculum like Sonlight or My Father’s World, where it gives you all the books , a daily schedule, and everything you need for lesson plans by grade.
Veritas Press and Memoria Press are two classical Christian curriculums that we utilize for some subjects. They offer online and self-paced classes. A few others to consider: The Good and the Beautiful and The Peaceful Press. Ambleside Online has incredible free curriculum that you can access. I love their book lists. Year 0 is Kindergarten. Year 1 is 1st Grade.
These are all through a Biblical worldview.
Here is what we are using this year.
Pre-K 4:
Three days a week we focus on handwriting, letters/phonics and math. We spend about 15 min each subject and then he is off to play with Magna-Tiles, Play-Doh, Legos, etc. One day a week is spent in his co-op class learning with peers at Classical Conversations. A few activities we rotate through are:
Handwriting Without Tears - handwriting and letter study.
Saxon Math K - I have used this as my Pre-K 4 math material since my oldest was born. I enjoy the manipulatives and we go through the workbook together.
Before Five in a Row - Use as a guide to go through some picture books and draw out discussion.
Montessori actvities - In reading several books, I have kept a few that we incorporate each month into our routine.
Math with popsicle sticks - You may laugh, but the best math is sometimes not a curriculum at all. I love popsicle sticks to introduce the value of numbers and tens. I will have him order numbers to 10 or 20 and then count out how many sticks go under each number. As you get into the larger numbers, bundle together groups of 10 and that helps identify the tens from the ones. I ask which is greater and which is less than, etc. Can be carried into Kindergarten and beyond.
Sandpaper letters for tracing - I have used these every day with every child. First they trace then they write.
Learning new skills - Learning to put away dishes, unload dishwasher, folding washcloths, button a shirt, etc.
Clothes pins - I use for color matching (you can buy colored clothes pins HERE), counting and gross motor skills.
Dried pinto beans - I use in a large aluminum tin as a sensory activity usually before dinner, or in times I need to keep him busy while I work with someone else. They can pour beans from measuring cups into other containers. You will be amazed how much time they enjoy this, but be sure they are at an age that they won’t eat them.
Kindergarten:
This Fall, my baby will be officially in “Kindergarten”. What does that mean at home? It means, we will focus on three main areas: Math, Phonics/Reading and Writing. Right now my plan is:
Reading - Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons - I have taught 3 of the 4 kids to read with this book and they are around a 2nd grade reading level when they finish. Just remember, all children learn to read at different ages. It’s OK. Allow them to go at their own pace. It will click one day, I promise.
Get Ready for the Code - This is a great bridge between letters and phonics for pre-Reading activities.
Saxon Math 1 - I have used this through Kindergarten with all of my kids and the repetitive nature follows a classical approach.
3rd Grade:
Singapore Math - I switch to Singapore math in 1st grade now because I have grown to love the way it teaches mental math and continue with it through 6/7th grade.
Grammar: First Language Lessons by a Well Trained Mind - it’s a bit repetitive but gives a thorough introduction to poetry, narration, and the 8 parts of speech.
Literature / Reading Comprehension - this year we are going to use the Book List and Student Workbooks from Memoria Press. It incorporates writing, vocab and comprehension.
All About Reading - I love the readers that come along with this as well as the literary principles introduced throughout the stages.
Spelling Workout - this year we are trying a new curriculum recommended by Memoria Press. I like that it includes workbook sheets for them to use and apply. In the past we have used All About Spelling - Level 3 - a great multi-sensory approach to spelling.
Cursive - I introduce cursive in 2nd grade and we use the Classical Conversations books that tie in nicely to our history statements. Memoria Press has some. Handwriting Without Tears has a cursive book as well.
Explode the Code - has great workbooks for phonics.
5th Grade:
Math - We use The Potter School for Advanced Math 5 (Singapore Math)
Spanish - We use The Potter School for Elementary Spanish..
Grammar - We use the Classical Conversations Essentials guide and Fix It Grammar from IEW.
Writing - IEW is fantastic! We do it as apart of a co-op class.
Spelling Workout - this year we are trying a new curriculum recommended by Memoria Press. I like that it includes workbook sheets for them to use and apply. In the past we have used All About Spelling - Level 3 - a great multi-sensory approach to spelling.
All About Reading - Level 5. They have great readers and it keeps us focused a little longer with him in addition to other books he reads for leisure.
Cursive - Again, we use the Classical Conversations books that correspond with our history.
Logic - This year I want to start with focusing on Critical Thinking, so we will do some Mind Benders and Scratch Your Brain books for logic.
All Elementary Aged Kids:
This is what we do together with all three of my elementary aged kids. This stage in the classical trivium is referred to as the Grammar Stage. They love soaking up information, so we want to ensure it is quality and meaningful. I love that I can cover all of these with them at the same time.
Classical Conversations - This is the core curriculum and our community day where each child has their own class/tutor, and we focus on pegs of learning in the following subjects; including, History, English, Timeline, Geography, Math, Science, Science Experiments, Music / Tin Whistle, Fine Art, Orchestra + Composers, Latin. This community is essential for us in this season.
Story of the World - History to tie in with our Classical Conversations cycle. They have CDs and activity pages sold separately that are great for narration, crafts, maps, and color sheets. I just let the kids listen to the story while they do an activity and then we discuss.
Apologia Science - This year we are focused on Astronomy to coincide with our Classical Conversations learning cycle.
Read-Alouds - I create a booklist , by age, derived from Real-Aloud Revival; Ambleside Online; Classical Conversations, Memoria Press and Veritas Press.
Keyboarding - We use Typesy and they love it. This is still done individually.
8th Grade:
This is a continuation of growing more independent in her learning, and so my daughter is enrolled in more classes where I am not the primary teacher, where she is learning to initiate her own learning and where she manages her own work schedule week to week. However, this year, I am going to be teaching her Challenge B class of seven students. You can pray.
Classical Conversations - Challenge B class - She meets once a week and comes to class with her work completed and ready for dialectic discussions on each of the following subjects: Math, History, Literature, Debate, Science, Logic, Latin, Composition. It is intense and beautiful.
The Potter School - She takes Spanish, Science, English LIt 2 and Honors Geometry online here and we have been so pleased with the quality and structure of these classes. It is live, they have group work, they have a teacher instructing, homework assignments due, etc. It is a wonderful opportunity to learn Computer and online etiquette and technical skills as well.
Spelling - We are going to go through this list: The Most Commonly Confused and Misspelled Words.
Morning Time:
Each morning we come together as a family for one hour and it is here that we have our family devotion. Our morning time includes:
Bible: Long Story Short - a family bible devotion; A Child’s Story Bible- I often read out of this to the kids and they love it, Illustrated
Hymn Study or Worship Time - Then Sings My Soul - discusses various hymns and the stories of the people that wrote them.
Memory Work - We go over our Classical Conversations memory work and use the App to help. Currently we are in Cycle 2: Middle Ages.
Loop Time - We alternate with Poetry (various sources) and Character Study (The Book of Virtues and The Children’s Book of Virtues)
Some mornings our memory work may be done in the car, and some mornings our devotion time is over breakfast, but we try to use this as an anchor to our days.
Unit Studies:
Every December we depart from the majority of the above curriculum (except Math), and replace it with reading Christmas books, going through Advent devotions, baking, and handicrafts for the holidays.
Every summer, we focus on nature study and observations outdoors.
In the spring, I like to focus the kids on insects and birds in our yard. We read about them, sketch them and discuss them. We learn about wildflowers and gardening.
Each fall, we read seasonal books, go to the local state fair, focus on farm life and what fruit is produced during harvest time. I could go on and on, but you get the point.
If we travel somewhere, it’s fun to read about the culture and learn about the people before you go!
On a specific holiday, like St. Patrick’s Day, we will read about Ireland, the history of the holiday. We may make some Irish Soda Bread, you get the picture.
Do you see how schooling from home can look a million different ways? That’s because you and your family culture are unique! As the kids get older, they will need to have more time with books, but don’t lose sight on the importance of being outdoors, reading life-giving books (my 8th grader still loves picture book Read-alouds), and engaging in fruitful discussion as a family! That is my favorite part.