Where do other homeschoolers find good curricula?

Question

I've been looking at a couple of websites for supplies for homeschooling - I'm thinking of trying it this fall. What do other parents use? How do you separate good products from bad ones, before you make the purchase?

Answer 1

We use Sonlight and we love it.  Here's their link:

http://www.sonlight.com/

It's especially good if you are a family of literature lovers.  It's fairly expensive, but we've found it to be well worth it.  All of the legwork is done for you and even the schedules are included.

Answer 2

We buy as cheap as we can god But we ALWAYS get new books! You can buy used but it risks you getting a bad book , writing in the book etc. So I reccomend buying from one of these two sights!

http://www.cbd.com

or

http://www.rainbowresource.com

These are cheaper books but same great quality!

Hope this helps and have a wonderful day!

Answer 3

All of these are good sites, but without knowing anything about your child I can't recommend one curriculum over another:

http://www.timberdoodle.com

http://www.rainbowresource.com

http://www.teachingtextbooks.com

http://www.learningthings.com

http://www.glencoe.com/catalog

http://www.abeka.com

http://www.aop.com

http://www.highschoolscience.com

http://www.hometrainingtools.com

Answer 4

The "good and the bad" decision is usually very easy.  The number one thing I have to do is to match the curriculum/product to my child's learning style.  Second, I have to match it to my teaching style.  Third, I rely on opinions and input from people I know and the larger HS'ing community as a whole.  Price is generally not a factor.

I've used K12 for over 5 years, but I'm slowly going more eclectic as my son "ages out" of K12 (I don't want to use their high school.)  Here's what's on the plan for this coming "school year" (we school year-round).

*K12's English A (lit., comp., vocab., grammar)

*K12's American History Since 1865

*K12's American Art A (correlates w/ history)

*K12's Music Appreciation

*Teaching Textbooks' Geometry (using TT Alg. I now)

*Power-Glide middle school Spanish

*Apologia Exploring Creation with Biology

*Science Roots (correlates to Bio)

*Jump In! (Composition)

*A UK GSCE Geography book

*A UK GSCE Physical Education book

*Evolution:  The Grand Experiement (Creation Science)

*Cosmeo.com

*ExploreLearning.com

*HS Co-op for math contests, bio lab, PE, and others

*Various materials for bible, Olympics, & presidential elections

I order from:

http://homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/ (free to join - great buys!)

http://www.rainbowresource.com

http://www.cbd.com

http://www.libraryanded.com

http://www.paperbackswap.com

http://www.swapacd.com

http://www.prufrock.com/

http://www.carolina.com

http://sciencekit.com

http://www.teachinglearning.com/

...and the publishers themselves

EDITED TO ADD:  You *do not* have to join HSLDA.  Here is more info about them:

http://hsislegal.com/

Answer 5

A good way to find quality curriculums for your homeschooling is to talk to other homeschoolers. Ask them what worked for them, what didn't, and why. Find out if there is an "umbrella school" near you for homeschoolers. An umbrella school is a central office for a group of homeschoolers. The parents teach their children at home, and send the grades in to the school. Not only does this provide a network of other homeschoolers, but it also gives you credibility.

And a word of advice: Register with the HSLDA (Home School Legal Defence Association). Home schooling is legal, and the HSLDA will defend your rights to homeschool, even in court, if anyone tries to cause trouble for you.

Answer 6

I used the Abeka curriculum.

www.abeka.com

Answer 7

Here is a website that will probably help you. It has lots of choices for curriculums with reviews etc.

http://homeschoolingtogether.com

Answer 8

We used Abeka and thought it could have had more workpages in some subjects. We also used bits and pieces from others. I hear Sonlight is good but very expensive, with all the story books they want you to use. Try teacher aid stores, sometimes the best is what you make up yourself. I also hear Bob Jones is a bit in depth , but Lifepacks are easy to use. By the way I am getting rid of all my homeschool supplies, kids are in private school and really liking it.

Answer 9

I find curriculum choices all over the place - Rainbow Resource is one of my faves.  Your state homeschool convention is probably the best bet for checking out various curricula, that way you get to look through and really see what it's all about before you buy.

I use the following (10yo 5th/6th grade boy):

-TRISMS (history, historical geography, lit/poetry analysis)

-IEW (writing)

-Shurley English (language arts)

-VideoText Algebra (math - Math U See and Teaching Textbooks are also excellent)

-Apologia (lab science)

-Latin for Children (Latin)

-The library (lots!!!)

I tie everything together with lapbooks http://www.handsofachild.com/shop/Defaul... and notebooks, and a lot of what we do is also tied into Boy Scout badges.

I separate good products from bad using the following as a basic criteria:

-Is it something that will hold my son's attention or will it make school a chore?

-Does it allow him to work according to his interests and learning style, or does it require a "one size fits all" type of answer?

-Will it be challenging for him, or does it spoon-feed the material and expect him to just regurgitate?

-Is it well-laid out, or am I going to have to spend hours researching and planning in order to teach it?

-If it's a subject that is not my strong point (read:math), is it taught by a teacher on DVD or CDRom that will explain the material in a way that breaks it down for my son?  Or is it something that I will have to struggle through in order to try to explain it?

I have found that a truly high-quality product is worth the extra $20 or so; if it explains things in a way that is engaging and makes sense to my son, I am more than willing to fork out what little cash we have.  If it's something that is just going to require him to fill in the blanks and be done, to me it's not worth it - I want him to really work with the information and concepts, to be able to understand and apply them when needed.

It takes a bit of trial and error; I would recommend getting with some homeschool moms in your area (there should be at least one local homeschool group) and finding out what has worked for them.  Go the the 365-371's at your local library and read up on homeschooling and homeschool curriculum.  

Don't just get the first thing that sounds good or fits your budget - think about how your child learns (visually, auditorally, or moving and touching/ kinesthetically) and what their ability level is.  Is it going to hold their attention?  Are they going to learn from it, or just be required to fill in the blanks?

Also, be willing to change curriculums if you find out halfway through the year that in spite of your research, your child isn't learning as much as they could.  Homeschooling begins with some trial and error, it's to be expected.  The curriculum choices I listed above are all high-quality and adaptable to a wide range of kids, and I'm sure other parents on here will give you good suggestions as well.

Hope that helps - and good luck!  Remember, when all is said and done, to have fun with it.  Curriculum is a tool - it's a road guide, not the destination :)_