I know that it is only March, but I would like to school all year and I need a plan. Now, that I am homeschooling two officially, I have to figure out which curriculum will work best for us. This is especially difficult with the age difference between Kyla (11) and Ryann (5). Yes, I want to include the younger set- Tara (3) and Caitlyn (19 months) as well.
I have a few criteria that must be met when choosing curriculum.
- Worldview – any curriculum I choose must have a Christian worldview that teaches the Bible as fact. Steve and I believe this and it is our desire to pass this on to our children.
- Cost – I know this really should not be so high on my list, but it is. I don’t think a home education has to be expensive. There are a few free curricula on-line that I am researching.
- Flexibility – it would not be any fun to do school at home. I like that we are relaxed and can take days or weeks off without warning.
- Simplicity – organizing is not really my forte, I get caught up in the details and loose focus very easily. I need a curriculum that is easy to prepare, with simple teacher/parent instructions.
So, I am drawn to the Charlotte Mason style of Ambleside Online, but the simplicity of An Old Fashioned Education is equally appealing. While both are offered free online, all of the texts for OFE are online for free, whereas AO’s booklist is only partially found online.
Oh, neither of these offers a math program I like, actually, they offer the same one from across the pond that I was not comfortable with (free or not). We have chosen Math-U-See and can find no reason to change. I thought I should mention that.
I suppose that I could pull together my own curriculum from internet and library resources, or even give unit studies a try, but I don’t think I am up to that during this season of homeschooling.
My biggest struggle is getting organized. If I start now, I can maybe be ready for our Summer lessons.
We will be spending a lot of time on Nature Study in the garden, with walks and stories outside. Astronomy is Daddy’s favorite subject, so we will spend a lot of time outside at night too.
2 comments:
Have you heard of "My Father's World"? http://www.mfwbooks.com/ They claim to combime Charlotte Mason philosophy with unit studies and classical education. Saw it at a convention last summer. My sister started it with her 6 and 4 year olds last fall.
Amy, does she like it? I have heard really good things about it. I did look at it once, I guess I need to go back and look. The thing is that I have so many books now and feel like I should use what is on hand, not that I mind buying more books.
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