Curricula Recommendations

I am often asked to give curricula recommendations, so I figured I'd share them in an easily referenced blog post. The following are mainly core programs. I will update this with the Bible curriculum we used. I will also share more of the supplementary programs I used in a different post

When considering the best curricula for my children, I wanted programs that would:

1. Provide materials with a solid core, assuring me that there would be no gaps in learning.

2. Be complementary to my spiritual principles.

3. Allow me to be flexible so I can incorporate everyday life lessons to enhance learning (cooking, cleaning, etc.) 

4. Incorporate, or at least be able to address, multiple learning styles and levels.

5. Allow me to integrate supplementary materials.

Pre K/Kindergarten - My goal here was to create a love for learning, incorporating lots of play while learning the basics. I was also big on exposure to a variety of skills, experiences, and ideas. I also didn't want to reinvent the wheel. I was led to the Calvert Homeschool program mainly because it was so comprehensive. It was super helpful that Calvert also maintained all of the records for you that the state needed.

There's so much I could say, but I will highlight that developing a love for reading was among the top of the list of goals for this stage. After much research into the best programs to teach reading, it was greatly satisfying to be able to teach my girls by age four to read with the program: Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. 

Third Grade - With a shift to abstract thinking during this time, I wanted a program that would help the child do that successfully. I continued to use Calvert with all of my girls through 8th grade (and my youngest through 4th, when we moved to Virginia). At the point my oldest was ready to go into 9th grade, we could no longer use Calvert because it stopped at 8th, so we had to explore other options. (A few years later, they expanded to 12th grade.) In addition to joining a homeschool academy which offered a great variety of classes including the lab sciences, journalism, and speech, I discovered and utilized other programs like Saxon for math. I was also using Saxon Math for my youngest in 3rd grade and would recommend it. Calvert structured their program so you'd have the option to switch out the math program. One of the things I really liked about Calvert is that it didn't require so much screen time. I also liked that the instructional materials begin to address the student directly, encouraging independence and ownership of one's learning experience. During this time, we also tried a program called Griggs International Academy, but decided against continuing with it.

Sixth Grade - We were still using Calvert but continued to sub out to use Saxon Math. We also used Switched-on-Schoolhouse for Geography, U.S. History and French. I also really liked their keyboarding course. We also used for a short period of time Alpha Omega and Sonlight.

High School - If Apologia science had courses for grades 8 and under, I would've considered using them for 6th-8th grades, in addition to using it in high school.

Tell Me More was great for learning a second language.

Duolingo was and is a great app on which to learn and practice a new language.

Saxon continued to be a great option for high school math.

Bob Jones University was decent for Literature.

Wordsmith for English/Comp.

Personal Finance.

Switched-on-Schoolhouse for French, Spanish, and U.S. History

Supplementary 

I also used Pathfinder honors that their classes weren't doing as a great supplement to our lessons, which of course gave the children the extra benefit of earning additional honors. At least when my children were in the Pathfinder Club, this site included the questions and answers for each honor which was a very helpful "grading" tool.

Music lessons were a huge aspect of the girls' education, as well. University and local community orchestras were excellent places to share their talents, besides church services and nursing homes, etc.

If you 'd like to go into greater depth in terms of planning for each grade, this book may be helpful: Home Learning Year by Year, Revised and Updated to Design a Creative Comprehensive Homeschool Curriculum.

All for now! Share your favorite homeschool programs in the comments. Would love to hear about them!