How to Decide Which Homeschool Curriculum is Right For You:

To say that I was intimidated by the thought of taking on my children’s education is an understatement. While I certainly felt called and convicted to homeschool my kids, logistically I had no idea what that would look like day to day. 

We are first generation homeschoolers. I didn’t know any homeschooling families growing up so I had no mentors to speak of (nor did my husband)  and I had yet to discover our thriving local homeschool community. 

As one does, I started to research homeschool curriculums first. It was suggested that I purchase Cathy Duffy’s book, 102 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum.

I liked the book. The questionnaires were thought provoking and the charts were especially helpful. It was a great tool for assessing which curriculums met our preferences in regards to educational approach, learning style, prep time, and ease of use.

There is often so much anxiety in the beginning of our homeschool journeys over which curriculum to use. It can really feel like a make or break decision, as if all future homeschool success or failure is dependent upon your choice of curriculum. I want to assure you this is NOT the case, but it can certainly feel that way. 

Homeschool Curriculum is a Great Tool and Helps to Build Confidence:

Obviously using a homeschool curriculum that you and your children enjoy is important. Curriculum is a great tool and can be tremendously helpful in the early years of homeschooling when you feel you need a bit more support, or you just prefer to have things planned out for you. 

This preference is not exclusive to newer homeschoolers, I just found that for me personally,  having a ready made curriculum helped us to ease into homeschooling and build my confidence when we first began. 

More seasoned homeschoolers might use curriculum as a jumping off point, some create their own, some homeschoolers don’t use any curriculum at all. 

I wanted my children to be comfortable and confident learners so I selected a curriculum that would help me to feel comfortable and confident so that I could set the proper tone in our homeschool, and it has worked really well thus far. 

The children are coming along beautifully and we are all really happy.  I’ve actually yet to change curriculums.  I still use the same Math and Language Arts programs that we have used since the very beginning. 

When the time comes for families to start selecting their resources for the coming year and everyone has FOMO (fear of missing out) over the newest curriculum, I have yet to really experience that. As the old adage goes “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Homeschool Curriculum: Some of our Favorites

For those who are curious about which curriculum we use, we LOVE The Good and the Beautiful. We have found it to be an abundant, enriching, well rounded, and aesthetically pleasing curriculum. 

The Good and the Beautiful is an “open and go” curriculum which has been so convenient; no gathering of additional materials or books needed, it is all provided for us; which I love. 

I highly recommend The Good and The Beautiful. They are an amazing company, with fantastic customer support and you can actually download their K-8 Language Arts and their K-6 Math curriculums for free, which is such a tremendous blessing!

If you are interested in the other curriculums we use, in addition to The Good and The Beautiful (which we use for Handwriting, Math, Language Arts, and Science.) We also use Beautiful Feet Books for Early American History; this is a literature based curriculum that we all really enjoy. Look out for my post on living books and literature based learning soon!

For additional Science curriculum, we have used Exploring Nature with Children by Raising Little Shoots. We have also used Science curriculum from Simply Charlotte Mason as well as several studies from Under the Home, which offers a variety of FREE Charlotte Mason inspired curriculum for grades K-5.

Homeschool Curriculum: Is is Necessary?

I want to be clear in that while a curriculum can be incredibly helpful, it is not necessary. Curriculum as I said before is a tool, and can be great for giving us some guidance, support, and a confidence boost but our children do not need curriculum to learn. 

Children are innate learners. They are quite literally learning all of the time. Children are constantly observing and experimenting. We know the value of play, and the myriad of skills that are developed through play.

We know the value of time spent outdoors, in regards to the honing of observational skills. 

We know the value of conversation with our children. We know the value of sharing stories and family history, of cooking and baking together, of creating art and music, of habit training and character building, of instilling a love of learning, supporting their natural curiosity, and of sharing lived experiences alongside our loved ones in our home and out in the world. 

All of these experiences are a relevant part of your child’s home education, and they are no less valid than the skills they learn in their curriculum or workbooks, some might say they are of greater value; I certainly fall into the latter camp.

Creating Balance in Your Homeschool Using Curriculum and Creativity:

We cannot possibly teach our children everything. Every child’s education will inevitably have gaps,  be they homeschooled or in school. The best we can do is to research and select resources that appeal to our children’s style of learning and our preferred pedagogy, taking into account our family dynamic and our needs as homeschool parents so that we can thrive alongside our children. Most importantly we must take pause to recognize the worthy education that is taking place all of the time and trust that we are capable of guiding them along their way.

For our family, this has been key in achieving a wonderful balance wherein everyone is happy, engaged, and thriving… most days. 

Interest Led Learning is Fun, Engaging, Immersive, and Effective:

In addition to our curriculum we also do quite a bit of interest led learning. Interest led learning is exactly as it sounds, we follow our children’s interest to study a specific subject. For example, if my children want to know about birds, we will check out books from the library, play Bird Bingo, watch videos about birds/listen to bird calls, go bird watching, and visit our local Audubon Center or Bird Sanctuary.  I try to tie in a piece of art work related to the topic we are studying, along with a poem, and a craft or project. We have made bird feeders. We have made birds’ nest and eggs out of air dry clay. We have hatched baby chicks in a DIY incubator.  I also like to tie in a piece of music, usually classical or folk. 

I genuinely enjoy putting these little enrichment studies together for my children ( more on this in another post.) They are simple and fun and have also really helped to build my confidence as a homeschool parent. 

While having a curriculum is super useful, it’s nice to know that I am able to gather resources and teach my children effectively on my own. 

It’s also a great opportunity to use our creativity and allow the children some authority over what they are learning and how they are learning it.

Charlotte Mason said, “What a child digs for becomes his own possession.” 

Homeschool Curriculum and Other Helpful Resources Should Serve Us: We Do Not Serve Them.

My hope is to embolden my children to follow their interest and learn the skills needed to find information for themselves. I want to instill in them the belief that they are fully capable of educating themselves and that there are innumerable ways to be successful in their education. I am here to offer support, gather resources, and to journey alongside them.

I don’t wish to send the message that the only way to learn is via textbooks and lectures written and/or given by someone else; essentially outsourcing the entirety of their education while remaining physically in the home. 

I desire a homegrown education for my children, one that is unique to us. An education that is alignment with our goals, beliefs, and values. A living education that nourishes our minds, our hearts, and our souls. 

We may use curriculum in support of these goals, but we will also use our own ingenuity and ensure whichever resources we select are serving us and not the other way around.

I can’t tell you how redeeming learning alongside my children this way has been. Making that paradigm shift away from what I thought education had to look like in order to be valid has been so liberating.

As we go along, I look forward to finding more engaging and creative ways to teach and to learn. I look forward to my children really owning their education and watching them thrive. 

You are Capable of Giving your Children an Amazing Education at Home:

The blessings of choosing this homeschool life have already been so abundant. I am certain, this will continue to be the case so long as we work to maintain balance, seek out support where it’s needed, stay curious, stay in relationship, pray, and lean into our innate abilities.  

I want to speak into you mamas. I want to assure you that YOU are capable of providing your children with a bountiful and lovely education while maintaining a thriving relationship. The data regarding home education is vey reassuring, should you need that reassurance. 

Homeschooled children preform very well academically, socially,  emotionally and otherwise. So please do not for a moment believe that you are not equipped to give your children a more than adequate education. 

You absolutely are capable and you can do so in a way that works for your family by leaning into your interest, learning style, the natural rhythms of your home and trusting in the Lord’s sovereignty and provision. He selected YOU to nurture, steward, and disciple these precious souls.

Proverbs 22:6 says. “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” 

 This is a charge to us Mamas. We are called to train these children in the way they should go and we CAN do it because He has called us to do so.

Children Are Always Learning and We Are Always Teaching:

If you feel you need to use curriculum, go for it but please don’t discount the fact that the creator of the universe ordained YOU and not some outside source to do this work. Trust in YOUR innate abilities to teach your children. Children are innate learners and mothers are innate teachers. 

From the moment you pointed out the moon in the sky for the first time to the precious baby in your arms, you were homeschooling them. When you sounded out the word “ma-ma” or read a fairy tale to them you were teaching them Language Arts, when you played “No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed” you were teaching Math, when you baked muffins together and planted a garden, you were teaching Science,  and when you prayed over them and read scripture to them you were training their character. 

I know you are probably thinking “well sure, that’s the easy stuff, what about Calculus?” One day at a time friend. The key to homeschooling success is not that we know everything all at once. The key is our willingness to learn beside our children and gather the resources and support they need to thrive.

Research curriculum, seek out a variety of helpful resources, build community, find mentorship, lean into your creative abilities and natural giftings, seek the Lord, trust the process, be joyful, and rest in the knowing that you CAN do this!

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