by Lisa Weber

Created on: March 21, 2010

Most homeschoolers tend to be “curriculum junkies.”  There really is an amazing amount of really good products out there for people to choose from which makes the task of choosing “the right” curriculum for your children quite daunting.  Many homeschoolers are familiar with the big name publishers like Abeka, Sonlight, Calvert, and

Singapore Math, but there are many others that you may want to check out like Veritas Press, Oakmeadow, Classical Writing, and Life of Fred.  If you don’t want to go with the pre-packaged setup, then you will need to put together your own strategy piece-meal by picking up different books for each subject, all perhaps, from different publishers.  The process can be very confusing and a bit overwhelming, so here are a few tips to get you on your way to finding the right curriculum for you and your family.

*Familiarize yourself with the curriculum available – Before you buy anything, you should know what is out there.  A great place to start is a web forum like HomeschoolReviews.com or the Well Trained Mind Homeschooling Forums where literally hundreds of homeschooling parents from newbies all the way up to the 20 year veterans come from every state as well as countries all over the world to discuss everything good, bad, or controversial about any and all curriculum packages, books, and methods available.  Lurk on the forums, search the archives, or join in and ask a question.  Once you get an idea of what you might be interested in, go to the publisher’s website where you can find samples of the curriculum, and forums where they will answer any questions you may have and find out the insider info from people who are currently using the curriculum.   

*Assess the learning style of your child – Take a moment and really try to assess what your child is all about.  Is he an independent that can take direction and stay on task or does he need constant prodding and encouragement to get through a short assignment?  Would your child retain more from reading about something rather than hearing a short lecture on a subject?   Does your child lose interest easily with worksheets, but would sit do anything for hours as long as it is on a computer screen?  Before you choose to invest in a curriculum, you should have a decent grasp on these things because there are so many choices out there and you don’t want to pay for

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