I have never regretted my decision to homeschool. I am so thankful for a wonderful opportunity to teach and train my children in a loving environment. If you are new to homeschooling or if you have just made the decision to start, it can be a little overwhelming. Of course, you must pick a curriculum, but there are so many out there to choose from......what is a momma to do? I am in my sixth year of homeschooling and I will share with you what I think are some great choices for the early years. I will also share with you some great websites that will actually help in making curriculum choices.
When I first started, I was terrified of failing to teach my child how to read and write, but it did not take me long to realize that no one would put in more time, have more patience, or love this child as much as I do. I did not start with a formal curriculum until each child was 6 years old. I wanted them to enjoy being little while they could and I knew that many things would be easier for them to understand with more maturity. I started with Bob Jones Math and Phonics for Kindergarten and only added handwriting to this for 1st grade. Starting out, I needed the structure of this curriculum to tell me what to do and when to do it. By grade 2, I had new ideas! I was much more eclectic and pulled from several different sources. Now, with a few years under my belt, I use my Bible, a math curriculum, and my library card. I would consider myself very relaxed, I love the idea of interest led learning, and enjoy discussing books with the kids that we have read aloud. They do read on their own as well, we also do some copywork, and on a really good day we do nature studies and even watch episodes of Drive thru History.
The best advice that I could give to a new homeschooler is to do your best to get out of a "classroom" mindset. You do not have to do math from 9:00 to 9:20, spelling from 10:00 to 10:15, and you do not have to do 4000 worksheets on what you've just learned! Your child will tell you if they don't understand, then you just go over the material as many times as you need to until they get it. I would also suggest lots of hands-on activities. Go outside and put mentos in a bottle of coke, find things in nature that are unique and then look them up on the computer, build a fort, ride bikes together for PE. The possibilities are endless!
When mine were younger we loved "Five in a Row". It gives you the names of books that you can find at your local Library. You read the chosen book five days in a row(hence the name of the curriculum) and then it gives you several activities to choose from for each day. My kids loved this! I also highly recommend Bob Jones, especially for the early grades. It is very colorful and fun, it is also very effective. I would also suggest that you read, read, read to your little one! Read great classic literature like The Tale of Peter Rabbit(by Beatrix Potter) and When We were Young and other Winnie the Pooh classics(by A.A. Milne). Think of it as an adventure, not a job!
When looking at curriculum choices, there are a couple of websites that have parent reviews. These are a great resource to find out how others liked/disliked a curriculum before you spend money on it! Also, talk to other homeschoolers that you know, go to a curriculum fair in your area, these are great ways to learn more about all the wonderful teaching aides that are at your fingertips.
1) http://www.cathyduffyreviews.com/
2) http://homeschoolreviews.com/
I love my job.......I mean, my adventure!
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