How To Choose A Homeschool Curriculum

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Are you overwhelmed with all the homeschool curriculum choices available?

Are you struggling with making the all important decision of choosing your homeschool curriculum?  Are you new to homeschooling and don't know where to begin?  I undertand.  There are thousands of homeschool curriculums, supplements, and programs out there.

Eleven years ago, when my first son was born, we had pretty much decided we would homeschool.  I found Practical Homeschooling Magazine in Barnes and Noble and was excited (and overwhelmed!) by all the choices.  I spent the next five years ordering samples and reading everything I could....because I wanted to do it right.  My kids education was so important to me, just like yours is to you.

What I've learned over the years is to relax a bit and to be more flexible.  If something's not working well, don't be afraid of switching things around or of wasting money.  Sometimes no matter how much a resource might seem like a good fit, you'll still feel like Cinderella's step sister.  If possible order/print any sample material and try them out.

The important thing is to have fun, enjoy your kids, and learn much in the process.

May God richly bless your family and your homeschool.

 

Maureen Kellis :-) 

 

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What to Consider When Choosing a Homeschool Curriculum 

Choosing the right curriculum can be difficult. There are alot of things to consider. Be informed, be willing to try, and most of all be flexible. Both teacher and pupil need to enjoy this journey.
  • Your child's learning style
  • Your teaching style
  • Your budget
  • Ages, stages, and number of children
  • Your home enviroment
  • Your opinion on the use of technology in your homeschool
  • Whether or not sending your children to school may be in the future. If sending them to school is a possibility, you'll want to stick with the language arts and math curriculum that the school is using. This way there will be a seamless transition.

Free Weekly Homeschool Curriculum Download 

I found this website a short while back. CurrClick offers homeschool curriculum available for immediate download. Many publishers are represented. It's great if you need something and can't wait for UPS. Downloading curriculum is is super convenient for printing out worksheets and projects, saving you a trip to the copy shop. Every week CurrClick gives away a free curriculum download.

Download Your Free Homeschool Curriculum Now!

Great Homeschool Websites 

Here are some of mine and my friends' favorite homeschooling websites. Enjoy!
HomeschoolMailer.com
My website for those wanting information on beginning a great homeschool experience. Join my free mebership/newsletter and get our FREE report.
The Teaching Home
Publisher of a homeschool magazine. Back issues available online.
NATHHAN
National Challenged Homeschoolers Associated Network. Homeschool site for parents of children with special needs.
Practical Homeschooling
These publishers offer a print magazine and just a ton of resources online. Great homeschooling forum as well.
Homeschool Free Stuff
Great site to get some neat freebies. We've gotten several educational cd-roms through their website/newsletter.
Christian Book Distributors
Great resource for discounted books. Over 18,000 books,educational games, and videos. Wishlist and gift registry, too.
Cosmeo.com
Excellent video resource for grades 2-12. Membership is just under $10/month. Run by Discovery Channel and is about half the price of Discovery's United Streaming. Not quite as many videos as United Streaming, but does include a subscription to Nutshell Math. Nutshell Math has whiteboard lesons for grades 3-12. We use this daily.
School Express-Free Worksheets
There are two options on this site- free and paid membership. With the free option, there are over 9,000 free worksheets available. Paid membership is under $30, and includes more than 500 eworkbooks and themematic units.
Tips for Homeschool Field Trips
We often (weekly) take field trips and try to engage in as much hands on as possible. My lens on some quick trips for field trips.

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Totally Awesome Learning Sites For Your Kids 

Here are some sites that my kids and I absolutely love.
Learn to Read FREE -Online Videos!
Here's my new favorite homeschool website. My K4 and K5 boys are using the program as a supplement and love it. They get their home school computer lessons like their big brothers (SOS-math).
Time For Learning
Video instruction in Math and Language Arts and other subjects. From pre-school to eigth grade. Nice forum for members where you can exchange ideas and get support.
United Streaming
Offers video curriculum including teachers guides and worksheets. Many videos from The Discovery Channel. This is awesome! We've been using this as a supplement for 3 years. Especially important for visual learners. I love this website/service!
PlayMusic.org
This interactive site is published by the American Orchestra Symphony League. Includes the sounds of the orchestra and games that expose kids to classical music.
How Stuff Works
Award winning site. For older elementary and teens. Really interesting.
Sanford Artedventures
Excellent site for those that want to create art, study art, or teach art. I used many lessons from here when I taught art at my son's Christian school.

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Great Homeschool Resources 

The Way They Learn

Amazon Price: $9.22 (as of 11/27/2009) Buy Now

The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling (3rd Edition)

My very favorite book on homeschooling. Mrs. Bell is a former school teacher and offers great insight about discovering your child's learning style and how to fit that in with your natural teaching style. Mine is falling apart! Resource CD included.

Amazon Price: (as of 11/27/2009) Buy Now

So You're Thinking About Homeschooling: Fifteen Families Show How You Can Do It

Great book explaining all the many methods of home schooling. Each is told as a story/interview with a different homeschool family.

Amazon Price: (as of 11/27/2009) Buy Now

Mark Kistler's Draw Squad

Looking for a great drawing program for 3-8th graders? This is a fabulous program. Thirty weekly lessons, with plenty of practice for your budding artist. We've started this this year and are loving it.

Amazon Price: $15.60 (as of 11/27/2009) Buy Now

Wisdom: An Internet-Linked Unit Study

I love the Heart of Wisdom materials. We are starting this book this spring.

Amazon Price: $22.00 (as of 11/27/2009) Buy Now

My Travel to Learn Blog 

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by mmkellis

Maureen Kellis is a mom to four boys. She is currrently home schooling all four sons.

Ms. Kellis believes that the purpose of a homeschool, besid... (more)

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