Homeschool Curriculum...

March is coming to an end, and for me that means that I need to start thinking about what curriculum has worked and what hasn't. I need every year to be better then the previous one. I've been homeschooling for about 7 years now and I feel like I've tried so many different things, looking for that perfect fit. When I first started I felt lost in all the choices. I was so afraid of leaving something out, or of short changing my children. The truth is...that there is no perfect "mold", or in this case curriculum. Upon much trial and error I've come to a place where I feel that I'm happy with the way my children are learning. However, there is always room for improvement and my quest is always an ongoing one. In the meantime, I would like to share what has worked for me. My children love using the computer, so a computer based program was an obvious choice for me. I researched for quite a while until I came upon "SOS" Switched On Schoolhouse http://bit.ly/SOSbyAOP. This is a Christian based curriculum that covers all the core curriculum as well as some electives. I purchased the History/Geography, Language Arts/Spelling as well as the Science. This program is extremely flexible and gives you total control. I look forward to each school year knowing that all the lessons are preset for me and I can pick and choose what I would want to omit if necessary. SOS has made my homeschooling life much more manageable as well as fruitful.

http://www.mathusee.com/%20 has been a godsend for our math needs. My daughter struggled greatly with math when we participated in an online public school program. A "cyber" school of sorts. There was never enough instruction and the teachers did little to clarify the issues. I was very disappointed, and soon found myself searching for a better way. In my research, I found MUS and I've never looked back. Both my daughter(5Th grade), and son (1st grade) are learning quite easily. The program is workbook based, although there is an instructional DVD that helps immensely. It has made fractions a joy! Did I just say that about fractions? Yes! If you can believe that, you need to get MUS for your struggling child. No more tears over math, what a concept. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!

Well, I hope that my two cents has helped in your search for homeschool curriculum. I'd love to hear of any others that are working for you and your families.