"How do I Choose a Homeschool Curriculum?"
The most important aspect of choosing a homeschool curriculum is to understand your educational philosophy.
Crafting your educational philosophy is the foundation of our home and homeschool. Any books, resources, or curricula you curate will be built upon this initial foundation.
We must prayerfully consider:
-What is a child?
-What is education?
-How then shall we learn?
This foundation will guide your choices and shape how you approach lessons, your schedule, and the overall atmosphere of your home.
In Our Home
Because we prioritize the principles of a Charlotte Mason education in our home, I typically select books and resources that are aligned with this approach, or I may adapt a resource to be a better fit for our home.
Things I consider when curating a curriculum:
-Does this align with our educational philosophy or can it be adapted?
-Does this meet the needs of our family and individual children?
-Is this a living book or resource? Does it spark living ideas?
-Does it align with our budget? The most expensive option is not always best, and free is not always best.
-Does this support my role as a mother/educator? Resources that are “open and go” may be helpful and necessary for a season, but some resources take a lot of time, effort, and energy for the parent. However: hard doesn’t mean bad.
Worth the Investment
Friends, it is absolutely worth the investment in our homeschool. Giving ourselves to the hard work of creating our educational philosophy, researching books and resources, growing personally and professionally, and investing in the education of our children is worth it.
Yes, it is more work upfront to read, research, and pray through your understanding of education. However, this provides stability and confidence as we select or create our curriculum.
While our educational philosophy may grow and change as we ourselves grow and change, we still begin with a solid footing.
Our Choices
In our home, we do a curriculum consultation with A Delectable Education (ADE). This has been the best fit for our family in this season. After a phone conversation with ADE, they then provide my full curriculum including which resources they recommend and complete book lists. They go through each subject very thoroughly. They also help me see where to combine my children for subjects and where to keep them separate.
Note: ADE provides a full curriculum with suggested resources and books by subject. I then purchase any needed books, resources, or additional materials on my own. They also have additional training videos and resources for sale that are not included in the consultation, but can be purchased separately if needed. Their podcast is a free resource with an incredible amount of information and resource suggestions as well.
What I appreciate about my ADE curriculum:
-It aligns with the principles and practices of a Charlotte Mason education.
-It helps me know where to combine my children for subjects.
-All children are on the same history cycle. ADE follows a four-year history cycle, beginning with American history. In later years, additional history streams are added in.
-After Form I, many subjects are connected to the history cycle, such as literature, artist study, composer study, and poetry.
My curriculum still requires a lot of work on my part. I gather materials, forecast the lessons, pre-read any necessary books, and prepare for each subject.This additional work is a good thing- it is worth my time to invest in my childrens' education and to ensure I am properly equipped as a mother and educator.
