How to Choose the Right Homeschool Curriculum for You

You should plan on taking a week to investigate curriculum for your children. There are so many different varieties and you want to find one that fits your child's needs.

Hands on approach: This works well with children who have special needs or children who learn a little slower than others. The style is called Montessori. Instead of reading a textbook to learn about plant parts students are given a plant and shown the parts. The children can then touch the plants in the right part when asked about each one. All subjects work this way including Math. Instead of looking at a textbook children are given play money or a real clock that they can work on with the teacher.

Online schools: There are schools you can sign up with that teach solely over the Internet. All of your child's work will be done there. The same goes for computer curriculum such as "Switched on Schoolhouse". This works well for students who are independent and ahead. Reports of student progress are emailed to parents. I would also recommend using this type of curriculum if you are very busy and can't devout a full morning to teaching your children, but you don't want them in public schools.

Textbook curriculum: You must decide if you want a public school textbook or if you want a Christian curriculum. A Christian curriculum is more popular and easier to find. You can also mix and match textbooks which you can not do with a hands on approach or an on line school. I personally use Bob Jones University Math and History for my daughter, but use Lifepac's Science, Bible, and Language Arts curriculum sets. My sister uses A Beka books for her kids and supplements with online printables.

Make up your own: For individuals who live in liberal homeschooling states, you can create your own curriculum. This is easy to do. Go to your library or research online all of the concepts taught for your child's grade. Then find free printables online to use as lessons. You can also get science experiments, art projects, and unit studies. The Internet is full of sites who can give you an entire curriculum totally free.

You are going to need to do some research before deciding on which curriculum to choose. If you want a textbook curriculum you can visit a homeschooling fair and check out some used books or you can join some homeschooling forums to get advice and details from someone who is using the curriculum you are interested in. Homeschooling forums are also a great place to find mom's who use online schools. They can tell you if they feel the programs are successful with their children or not. As for the Montessori school, this method is widely practiced among Day Care centers. Make arrangements to visit one and check out the method first hand.

Christian Book Distributors has a great catalog for homeschooling that you may want to check out.

Here are a few reviews that I wrote to get you started:

Lifepac Homeschool Curriculum Kits: A Review

Math 4 for Christian Schools: A Review

Learn some tips to purchasing your curriculum on eBay here.