What About Curriculum and Books

What Curriculum Should I use and Where Do I Get it?

As a former curriculum addict (yes, there is such a thing and there should be a twelve-step program for it) I have bought, used, thrown out, shelved, sold and loved so many different products produced for educating children. Because I learned a few things in my sinister past of hefty credit card bills and being on a first name basis with the UPS driver, today I no longer drool over every new course that comes along. I learned that what works for others may not work for me. What someone else loves, may make me feel like a failure. What I love, others may detest (and their lack of success with it might make them feel like a failure). You have to learn what works for you, your family, your temperament, your stage in life (can you say toddlers?), your needs, your focus, your special God given interests and talents and WHY. You must evaluate why each course did not work for you. Don’t feel bad that it didn’t work, just spend some time contemplating your specific personality, family and style then consider why that specific course was not a fit for you. It’s okay to be the only one on God’s beautiful earth that didn’t like it. You are special, you are different, your children are different as well. Your children have a special purpose in life and God created them with unique characteristics that may or may not fit with the typical child’s mold.

However, after having said all of that, I would like to begin a list of different options for the different subjects that I have found fruitful in our specific, unique, particular homeschool. They may or may not fit with your family style. They have fit with ours. Keep checking back as I am adding to this list as I remember and discover what worked and works for our family.

Early Phonics

Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons

Later Phonics

Saxon Phonics 1

Grammar

Copywork

Shurley Grammar (for girls)

Winston Grammar (for boys)

Spelling

Copywork

Phonetic Zoo (for auditory learners)

Spelling Solutions (for visual or kinestic learners)

Handwriting

Copywork and Dictation

Handwriting Without Tears

D’Nealean

Writing

Copywork and Dictation in the beginning

Institute for Excellence in Writing for all ages

Write@home online writing school for middle school or older

Put That in Writing for high school

Math Facts

Calculadders

Math Facts in a Flash

Times Tales

Math

Math U See

Singapore

Teaching Textbooks

Video Text Algebra

Bob Jones University Press (helps with standardized testing scores in elementary)

Science

Apologia

Geography

YWAM missionary stories for each country

A Child’s Geography of the World

History

Mystery of History

Diana Waring’s History Alive

Tapestry of Grace

Truthquest History

Story of the World – Volumes 2 – 4