Choosing Curriculum That Works For You
Episode 4
Curriculum!! ahhhhhhhh …. Choosing a curriculum is probably one of, if not the biggest fear of new homeschoolers. In this podcast, we walk you through choosing curriculum that works for your family. Tips and advice on selecting the right homeschool curriculum. Move past the fear of selecting curriculum with help from FPEA.
We have compiled a list of good curriculum resources below for you to explore. Not every curriculum works for every family or every student. What might work for some students, won’t be a good fit for other students.
Concerning homeschool curriculum, the good news is there are many choices and sources. The challenge is there are hundreds and hundreds of materials from which to choose. Florida does not require any specific curricula or even specific credits for high school; you are free to select the materials and the courses best suited for your children. It is important to know why you have chosen to homeschool and to be somewhat familiar with the different educational philosophies — traditional, unit studies, classical, Charlotte Mason, unschooling, etc. The approach you take usually drives curriculum choices. Attending an FPEA-sponsored homeschool orientation will help you understand the factors to consider in making informed choices. It is also advisable to consider the learning style and the successful/unsuccessful education experiences of each individual child. Some curricula are better suited to a specific learning style or a particular subject.
The Guide to Homeschooling in Florida includes a full directory of “tried and true” home education teaching materials. Please contact those companies to access their catalogs so you can begin to search for the materials that interest you. Long-time favorite catalog companies are R.O.C.K. Solid (www.rocksolidinc.com), Timberdoodle (www.timberdoodle.com), CBD (www.christianbook.com) and Sonlight (www.sonlight.com). The best catalog companies are owned by homeschool parents, have great descriptions of their products, and offer a wide selection of some of the best materials. In the Orlando area, A.C.C.E.S. (www.acces-inc.com) offers a variety of homeschool curricula and has a public warehouse where you can preview them.
Most libraries and bookstores have homeschool magazines that contain reviews of different teaching materials and encouraging articles. Your library may also carry 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum by Cathy Duffy, a highly recommended resource. If you choose to homeschool with a particular philosophy (classical, unit studies, traditional, etc.), specific books recommend curricula based on it. In addition, many local libraries host FPEA-sponsored homeschool orientations.
Some good curriculum resources
BJU Press/HomeWorks by Precept
Fun-Schooling with The Thinking Tree
GeoMatters
Good Steward Books, LLC
Institute for Excellence in Writing
La Clase Divertida( The FUN Class!)
Lamplighter Publishing
RightStart Mathematics by Activities for Learning,
Rod & Staff by Bible Way Books
Rosetta Stone Homeschool
ShillerLearning: Montessori at Home
Simply Charlotte Mason
Sonlight Curriculum
Souns for Literacy
Join us this September in Sanibel Island for both fun and learning. Make a staycation of of this FPEA STEM Conference. Sanibel is a beautiful area with lots to explore.
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Hi. I’m not sure how this list of curriculum was put together. Time4Learning is one of the most rigorous, easy to use, and popular curriculum in the US and Florida. They’ve been an exhibitor at FPEA for a decade. Time4Learning.com should definitely be on this list.
Actually, you’ve been a network sponsor in the past – reach out if you’d like to sponsor again!
Hi John,
To answer your question as to how the curriculum list was put together, I’d say it may have been an oversight.
Sections of this article were updated from the original article written on Sept. 22, 2011 for new homeschoolers in Florida.
Apparently, the curriculum companies section was not updated. I know R.O.C.K. Solid is no longer the company it was back in 2011.
FPEA is pretty good about promoting homeschooling companies, especially in their convention magazine.
Hope this helps.