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boxedcurriculum

Best High School Homeschool Curriculum Packages (Accredited and Not Accredited)

April 15, 2022 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

With the explosion of homeschooling, more families need access to high school homeschool curriculum packages. Check out my how to homeschool high school page for awesome tips.

If a student chooses to do a boxed or all-in-one homeschool program, there is still enough room in lesson planning to make it uniquely yours.

Best High School Homeschool Curriculum Packages (Accredited and Not Accredited)

Let’s face it, life can throw you a curve ball like it did me and I needed the help of laid out plans for my teen.

Besides, using a high school curriculum package doesn’t mean you have to use it exactly the way it’s laid out. That is unless you are using an accredited school.

First, let’s sort out this mystery about the term accredited.

High School Homeschool Curriculum Packages

Back in the day when I coached families whose student wanted to go to the military they had to have a diploma from an accredited school.

That has now changed.

Accredited has NOTHING to do with curriculum. The term accredited applies to a school which voluntarily decided to meet learning standards with certain agencies.

However, if you choose an accredited high school, your teen has to complete and have graded by the school certain parts of the courses.

This is the only way for the school to maintain their accredited status.

Accredited is a way that some parents know that a certain standard is being maintained.

Whether it’s teaching to excellence, credentialed teachers, or higher critical thinking ability, some families are of the opinion that accreditation is a higher standard.

More Homeschool High School Teen Elective Resources

  • 14 Fun and (maybe Frugal) Homeschool High School Electives
  • A to Z List: Middle and High School Homeschool Electives
  • Best High School Homeschool Curriculum Packages (Accredited and Not Accredited)
  • A Homeschool Beginner’s Guide to Figuring Grades and Saving Time
  • 25 Great Homeschool High School Science Curriculum

It’s up to you to determine if that standard is high or as high as a private school which is not accredited.

In my 25 years of homeschooling, I’ve seen accredited schools which have too much busy work for my standard.

More Creative Solutions for High School Posts

  • Creative Solution for Homeschool High School When Life Happens
  • How to Make A Homeschool High School Transcript & Middle School (Free Editable Form)
  • Free Editable High School Diploma Template Day 9 of 10 Days Of a Homeschool Graduation

The same can be said about a parent who has busy work for a teen that is not using an accredited school. A parent may feel that more is best and try to push a kid to be an overachiever.

Accredited and Not Accredited High Schools

On the other hand, I’ve also seen families who do not use accredited schools and their children entered college on full scholarships. As well, teens can enter 4 year universities without accreditation.

Homeschoolers who use accredited schools normally have particular reasons.

  • Because record keeping is done, you may need to show records to an ex-spouse.
  • Some families want to maintain certain standards between schools.
  • In addition, some homeschoolers have had problems getting into technical schools because they didn’t use an accredited school. Although, it’s not required, some technical schools are not informed and want diplomas only from an accredited school. Your best bet is to ask ahead of time if your teen pursues this track.
  • Also, some teens want the accountability with teachers, grading, and deadlines.

Next, let’s dive right into homeschool high school curriculum packages.

High School Curriculum Packages By Schools Not Accredited

The list below are high school packages from companies or a school which is not accredited.

A few more things to know is that with online or print curriculum companies you remain the teacher to guide your students. With accredited schools you use their teachers and adjust to the school’s schedule.

Granted, online schools have added in more flexibility, but again the pace is set to the online accredited school.

  • Sonlight
  • Easy Peasy All In One Easy Peasy All In One is an online curriculum and not a school so it’s not accredited.
  • Moving Beyond the Page Moving Beyond the Page is a curriculum and not a school so it can’t be accredited.
  • Rod and Staff. Rod and Staff has high school curriculum packages and is not a school.
  • Memoria Press.
  • Study.Com Study.Com is an online curriculum.
  • WinterPromise
  • MasterBooks. Master books is not a school but a curriculum provider so it’s not accredited.
  • My Father’s World. My Father’s World is a curriculum provider and not a school.
  • Time4Learning. Time4Learning is an online curriculum and not a school.
  • Discovery K12. Discover K12 is online curriculum and not a school.

In addition, some homeschool companies have set up an online school which is accredited so that they could offer their curriculum through it.

Option for Either Accredited or Not Accredited

Look below at some of the companies who have set up online schools so that their curriculum can be used in the accredited schools. You have choices when you visit the sites.

Your teen can do an independent type of study using their packages.

Or choose a company’s online schools which are accredited.

  • A Beka.
  • Christian Light Education.
  • Veritas Press.
  • AOP. Note Alpha Omega Academy is the online school.
  • Christian Liberty Press.

Accredited High Schools

Then, below are online accredited high schools. There are packages where your child makes a choice for electives.

Each school is different when they offer high school curriculum packages. Some allow you to choose a language arts portion and math portion; other schools have guidelines for what they consider the essentials.

  • A.C.E. (Accelerated Christian Education)
  • Oak Meadow.
  • Penn Foster
  • Seton
  • The KeyStone School
  • Liberty University Online Academy
  • Citizens High School
  • Acellus
  • Connections Academy
  • Northgate Academy
  • American High School
  • Wilson Hill Academy
  • Excel High School

Too, I know some families including myself used an online school when tragedy hit my family. Even so I added in my own subjects too. It was a way for us to pursue what my teen’s goals were at the time, but to have guidance as well.

Best High School Homeschool Curriculum Packages (Accredited and Not Accredited)

Look at the total credits to graduate when selecting a school; choose a school with lower number of credits to graduate if you want to add in your own credits.

This will keep it a doable load for you and your teen.

As you can see there are many paths in high school. Exploring options is key to fulfilling what a successful high school homeschool curriculum package looks like for each of your grads.

You love these other tips and resources:

  • BEST Digital Homeschool Curriculum – Big Ol’ List
  • Big Ol’ List of All-In-One Homeschool Curriculum (a.k.a Boxed)
  • 10 Affordable and Complete Homeschool Kindergarten Curriculum
  • Which One is Really the Best Homeschool Writing Curriculum (a comparison)
  • Homeschooling High School: Curriculum, Credits, and Courses
  • When a Homeschooled Sophomore Struggles
  • How to Build High School Curriculum Directly From Amazon
  • 35 Simple But Powerful American History Homeschool Resources K to 12
  • The Big List of Unit Study Hands-on (and Hands-off) Curriculum
  • First Grade Homeschool Curriculum for History and Geography

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Choose Curriculum, Graduate a Homeschooler, Homeschool Teens _ From Teen to Graduation, Homeschooling Tagged With: boxedcurriculum, curriculum, high school, high school literature, homeschoolcurriculum, newhomeschooler. curriculum

BEST Curriculum by Homeschoolers for Homeschoolers

August 1, 2018 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Homeschooling today is different than it was when I started. Today, it seems all types of educational companies are wanting to make a buck off of homeschoolers. Don’t get me wrong. I love all the choices, but when it comes to teaching our kids at home some homeschool curriculum is superior to others. One area of curriculum that I’m thrilled to see an explosion in is curriculum by homeschoolers for homeschoolers.

3 Reasons to Love Curriculum by Homeschoolers For Homeschoolers

If you don’t already appreciate why that is important, look at these three reasons why you’ll love curriculum by homeschoolers.

I love all the choices, but when it comes to teaching our kids at home some homeschool curriculum is superior to others. One area of curriculum that I'm thrilled to see an explosion in is curriculum by homeschoolers for homeschoolers. CLICK HERE!Then, you’ll love the round up of homeschool curriculum which makes our job of teaching at home a delight.

One/ Curriculum written by a homeschooler assumes we don’t have a teacher’s background in a subject. You have to love that part.

When I started teaching my first son at home, I remember that the math book which was written for a public school was hard for me to understand.

Like most of you, I’m fairly capable of teaching any subject or at least tackling it if I knew a bit of the background information.

Curriculum written by homeschoolers can take more time to explain the foundation or background of a subject. Giving me a foundation or direction as to what I’m teaching educates me too alongside my kids. It gives me the bigger picture of what I’m aiming for when I teach.

Two/Curriculum written by a homeschooler understands our need to teach multiple ages of children at one time.

I always respect copyright on curriculum; I follow the direction of whether or not I can use it to teach more than one child. Most curriculum I’ve used understands our need to have a teaching tip for a grade up or below the level of the just purchased curriculum. This is a great time-savings tip when teaching our kids together.

Public school curriculum is set out to teach a classroom and the tips are to use for teaching the masses.

Three/Curriculum written by a homeschooler is normally priced better.

Budget is something we have to talk about. I’m not always about free because it’s true you get what you pay for. Again, though, curriculum written by a homeschooler understands our need to stretch our curriculum budget. They try to give us not only great options for purchasing, but deliver it in different formats to save costs.

Curriculum that is unique and hard to find suited for our purpose at home is easier with all the unique finds we have available today.

My reasons for loving special and unique curriculum by homeschoolers could be more expansive, but I wanted to give you a few treasures I’ve enjoyed through the years.

Look at a few of the homeschooling families I’ve come to treasure because of how much they have helped to give my kids an excellent education.

Homeschool Curriculum from the Pak Homeschooling Family

I remember the first time I saw something created by Amy Pak because I absolutely knew her way of teaching history, hands-on and engaging fit my idea of how I thought history should be taught.

Not only have I used their beautiful curriculum with my kids, but I’ve used it in a co-op setting.

After all, hands-on history is so much more fun when you have somebody to make a mess with.

Look here at Amazing Hands-on History Activities for 14 Ancient Empires (free notebook cover too) to see how we had fun with the Great Empires Activity Study,

You’ll love ALL of their hands-on projects and will have a hard time choosing which ones to do this year and which ones to do next year.

Homeschool Curriculum from the Bauer Homeschooling Family

I’ve used a lot of resources by Susan Wise Bauer because they’re timely, rigorous, and easy to use. Did I mention she is a lovely person in person too?

The Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Teaching Reading, Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind, Writing with Ease and Writing with Skill are just a few of the really helpful and rigorous language arts program.

From elementary to high school, you’ll love how the Bauer family at Peacehill Press lays out their curriculum in a friendly way for the homeschool educator.

Look at her curriculum here on my elementary age language arts Amazon board here, my middle school language arts Amazon board here, and my high school language arts Amazon board here.

Homeschool Curriculum from the Berg Homeschooling Family

Also, from the Russel and Rea Berg homeschool family, you’ll fall in love with all of their products.

I’ve used many of them for years. Be sure you start early collecting their products because I feel at times there are not enough years to homeschool to use them all. I’ve sure tried.

Beautiful feet books is about combining living history with history, geography, or even science to make it meaningful. Look at a few of their beautiful products that you’ll go crazy over.

BEST Curriculum by Homeschoolers

You’ll want to browse all of them from K to High School.

Medieval History Adv. Int. & Jr. High Pack

Early American History Primary

History of Science.

Geography through Literature

Homeschool Curriculum From the Kautzer Homeschooling Family

I remember the first time I used WriteShop, I thought I was in cupcake heaven. Oh, maybe saying that was corny, but I felt like that teaching writing. It was as easy as baking cupcakes.

Many years, we used WriteShop because of all the teacher empowerment tips they give along with planning ideas. I attribute WriteShop with my first son’s love for writing.

WriteShopAdventure Builder StoryBuilders

Homeschool Curriculum From the Hogan Homeschooling Family

The Hogan family has created many helpful programs like their science programs and geography programs. You’ll want to look over the curriculum which just like the others is created to open and easily use.

I love their curriculum because I could get several of it in digital format so that as my sons got older they could keep it on their device.Geography BundleThen, I’ve really been excited about these next two homeschool families because they have filled a void I’ve had for a while when it comes to making literature studies interactive and finding electives.

Homeschool Curriculum From the McVey Homeschooling Family

Literary Adventures for Kids helps parents and students to dig deeper, go on rabbit trails, and add a little adventure all while enjoying great literature.

Facebook and Twitter

And I especially love the high school help.
Poetry and a Movie PIN

Oh I’m not finished yet.

Don’t you love knowing that there is curriculum written by homeschool families with an expert background in just about every subject?

Talking about every subject, we don’t want to leave out enrichment.

Homeschoool Curriculum From the Mayo Homeschooling Family

Anything Gena puts her hand to for enrichment only adds beauty to your homeschool.

You’ll love all of her programs. Below are just a few of them.

Be sure to look over all the courses.

https://learn.musicinourhomeschool.com/courses?affcode=50562_c5avrhro

A lot of easy formatted books like ebooks for science have been a life saver for me too both when we moved overseas and just when I was limited on storage. You’ll love some of these easy science finds too.

Did I mention it’s usually affordable when it’s in a digital format?

Homeschool Curriculum From the Goodwin Homeschooling Family

Not having a science background, I appreciate these families who have a strong science background. They make it easy for me to teach.

Not only do they appreciate I’m a homeschool mom who wants to be involved, but I like things easy for me too.

Hands-On Science Bundle

Homeschool Curriculum From the West Homeschooling Family

I’ve used Cindy’s science living books for multiple ages to save my mind. Easily downloadable and with activities for any season, you’re ready to go with minimal preparation.Look at a few links of how I used her curriculum:

Hands-On Nature Study: Bird Color Bar Graphing Activity, Hands-On Nature Study: Make a Fun Bird Nesting Bag, and Easy and Fun Nature Study: Beautiful Birds.

I love all the choices, but when it comes to teaching our kids at home some homeschool curriculum is superior to others. One area of curriculum that I'm thrilled to see an explosion in is curriculum by homeschoolers for homeschoolers. CLICK HERE!

Too, I want you to know that I believe in supporting families that support our homeschool lifestyle and always look to them first when choosing curriculum.

Not only is their homeschool curriculum easy to use, but it’s superior at times. Now you know the secret of how to easily homeschool.

You’ll love these other resources:

  • How to Build Middle School Curriculum Directly From Amazon
  • Digital Homeschool Curriculum – Big Ol’ List 
  • Big Ol’ List of All-In-One Homeschool Curriculum (a.k.a Boxed)

Hugs and love ya,

 

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Choose Curriculum Tagged With: boxedcurriculum, composition, curriculum, earthscience, grammar, history, homeschool grammar, homeschoolcurriculum, language arts, life science, multiple children, science, sciencecurriculum, teachingmultiplechildren

Big Ol’ List of All-In-One Homeschool Curriculum (a.k.a Boxed)

June 14, 2018 | 4 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

There are many reasons to use an all-in-one homeschool curriculum and the best reason is that all the planning is done for you. Also, look at my page The Dynamics of How to Homeschool Easily and Smarter for more ideas.

Whether you’re new, feel like you don’t have time to lesson plan, or just need a teaching break, you’ll want to know these boxed curriculum providers or all-in-one homeschool curriculum providers.

Big Ol' List of All-In-One Homeschool Curriculum (a.k.a Boxed)

First things first.

There is a lot of confusion that swirls around the definition of what is an all-in-one curriculum. It is the same as a boxed curriculum.

That may not tell you anything either because you may think that means it comes in a box. It may or may not.

What Is an All-In-One Homeschool Curriculum

Look at my easy definition below so you sound like a seasoned veteran when you curriculum shop.

An all-in-one homeschool curriculum or boxed curriculum means that all of your core subjects like the 3 Rs and content subjects like science and history are included in the program.

The Definition of an All-In-One or Boxed Homeschool Curriculum

It means just what it says in that all of your basic subjects are covered. In addition, most all-in-one providers have teacher’s manuals or teacher notes along with suggested schedules on how to cover the material.

Like a boxed cake mix, the curriculum comes with everything you need to begin homeschooling for a school year. Normally, you need very little extra supplies to start.

The curriculum may consist of part physical books, part online, part dvd, or all physical book or all on line.

A lot of the options with this approach can be considered public school at home or workbook approach.

However, all-in-one curriculum providers have really changed since I’ve started and some take another homeschool approach like Charlotte Mason or even a unit study type of approach.

Because accredited has nothing to do with the rigor of the curriculum, you’ll want to be sure to read Accreditation Removing the Shroud of Mystery.

Advantages of All-In-One or Boxed Curriculum

Additionally, it’s important to understand the advantages of an all-in-one to see if it’s a good fit.

  • It’s all laid out which means the lesson planning is done. Some new homeschoolers are not comfortable with their freedom to homeschool and feel better having a pattern to follow.
  • Contrary to popular belief, they can save you money in the long run because you learn what you like or don’t like about teaching. You don’t spend years switching curriculum because you took the time to learn how to teach.
  • Not having to worry about lesson planning frees up your time to hone in on the weaknesses of your children that may need to be addressed this year.
  • Most companies provide you with a schedule on how to fit it all in for the day. It can be a great guide for time management and you can avoid the stress of over planning.
  • If you live in a state that has stricter homeschooling laws, an all-in-one curriculum can help you to comply with the laws of you state.

There are some disadvantages to any curriculum, but I’ll save those for another time because I want you to see the plethora of choices. I’ll add a few notes as I go along too.

Choosing Curriculum When You’re New

And if I have a savings for one or two below, I’ll let you know too.

And remember these are curriculum providers NOT schools!

Workbook Approach You Know in Public School

*Unless noted all of these are a traditional or workbook approach.
* Also, don’t be uniformed because curriculum is not accredited, only schools. Be sure you read my post about accreditation above if you need to understand the difference.

A Beka.

  • Christian
  • PK to 12
  • Accredited or Independent Study
  • Print-based and computer-based

A.C.E. (Accelerated Christian Education).

  • Christian
  • K to 12
  • Accredited
  • Colorful printed packs enhanced with CDs, DVD and computer software

Also look at my video What Is An All In One Homeschool Curriculum a k a Boxed Curriculum

Acellus.

  • Faith-free i.e. Secular
  • K to 12
  • Computer based online
  • Note: Homeschoolers have a love hate relationship with them. Some lessons are short and to the point, others seem overly easy or unnecessarily complicated. There are glitches at time and scheduling seems to be a problem. Overall, homeschoolers like the flexibility of homeschooling when they want to just login and go.

Alpha Omega LifePac., Switched-on Schoolhouse.
Alpha Omega Horizons.
Alpha Omega Weaver.

(Note: You save 10% by buying it from the Homeschool Buyer’s Co-op). Four different programs with different approaches and purposes from the same publisher.

  • Christian
  • K to 12
  • Accredited
  • Note: Weaver is a unit study approach and not a workbook-based approach.
  • Print-based, computer-based, and online homeschooling curriculum.

Bob Jones Press.

  • Christian
  • K3 to 12
  • Accredited
  • Print-based and video-based

Easy Peasy All In One.

  • Christian
  • PK to 12
  • Note: This is completely FREE and I will suggest it at times for new or struggling homeschoolers to start with this to see what will work and not work for you as the investment is only your time and whatever you choose to print.
  • Note: Easy Peasy All in One is a Charlotte Mason approach with a gentle workbook based approach.
  • Computer-based online.

Designed by Lee Giles beginning 2011 as she put assignments down for her children and saved them for the younger ones. It has grown in popularity over the years.

BookShark.

  • Faith-free i.e. Secular
  • K to 12
  • Print-based and some items computer- based
  • Note: BookShark is a literature-based approach.

Calvert Education.

  • Faith-free i.e. Secular
  • PK to 12
  • Accredited
  • Print-based or digital-only format with e-textbooks.

Christian Light Education.

  • Christian
  • K to 12
  • Print-based

Christian Liberty Press.

  • Christian
  • PK to 12
  • Accredited
  • Print-based

MasterBooks.

  • Christian
  • PK to 12
  • Print-based (committed to putting ink on paper) or pdf downloads for about 90% of the products
  • mix and match bundles

Moving Beyond the Page

  • Faith-free i.e. Secular
  • PK to 12
  • Print-based or computer-interface and you print lessons.
  • Note: Moving Beyond the Page is a literature-based unit study approach with a twist of classical, Montessori and unschooling approaches.
  • mix and match bundles

My Father’s World.

  • Christian

  • PK to 12
  • Print-based
  • Note: My Father’s World is a Charlotte Mason approach with a unit study twist.
All About Spelling

Oak Meadow.

  • Faith-free i.e. Secular
  • PK to 12
  • Print-based
  • Accredited
  • Note: Oak Meadows incorporates nature-based learning and a Waldorf influenced approach.

Rod and Staff.

  • Christian
  • 1 to 10. (Their belief affects grade level meaning they feel most concepts should be learned by tenth grade.)
  • Print-based

Sonlight.

  • Christian
  • PK to 12
  • Print-based
  • Note: Sonlight is literature-based with a Charlotte Mason approach.
  • mix and match bundles

The Good and the Beautiful.

  • Non-denominational Christian
  • PK to 12
  • Print-based
  • Note: Follows a Charlotte Mason approach.

Time4Learning.

  • Faith-free i.e. Secular
  • PK to 12
  • Computer-based online

Timberdoodle.

  • Faith-free i.e. Secular AND Christian options
  • PK to 12
  • print-based
  • mix and match bundles

Veritas Press.

  • Christian
  • K to 12
  • Print-based and online courses
  • Note: Veritas Press is literature-based with a Classic approach.

WinterPromise.

  • Christian
  • K to 12
  • Print-based and pdf. option
  • Note: WinterPromise is literature-based with a Charlotte Mason and unit study approach.

Homeschool Providers Worthy of Mention

Big Ol' List of All-In-One Homeschool Curriculum (a.k.a Boxed)

Add a subject or two to make them complete.

These curriculum providers below are also popular because of their flexibility and excellent literature quality.

They require maybe one or two subjects to make them complete. I’m putting them here so you can have them as an option.

Beautiful Feet Literature.

  • Christian
  • K to 12
  • Print-based and downloadable pdf.
  • Note: Beautiful Feet is literature-based with a unit study focus on history.
  • Need to purchase: Math program and depending on your child you may need to purchase a composition, grammar, and spelling program.

Build Your Library.

  • Faith-free i.e. Secular
  • PK to 10. TBA 11, 12
  • Downloadable teachers guide, you buy your own literature
  • Note: Literature-based with a Charlotte Mason and eclectic approach.
  • Need to purchase: Math program and depending on your child’s need you may need to purchase separate spelling and grammar programs.

Torch Light.

  • Faith-free i.e. Secular
  • K and 1 only available now
  • Downloadable teachers guide, you buy your own literature
  • Note: Literature-based with a Charlotte Mason and eclectic approach.
  • Need to purchase: Math program and depending on your child’s need you may need to purchase separate spelling and grammar programs.

You’ll also love these other tips:

  • BEST Digital Homeschool Curriculum – Big Ol’ List
  • 10 Affordable and Complete Homeschool Kindergarten Curriculum
  • Best High School Homeschool Curriculum Packages (Accredited and Not Accredited)
  • Which One is Really the Best Homeschool Writing Curriculum (a comparison)
  • 8 Components of a Boxed Curriculum 
  • How to Use a Boxed Curriculum without Giving Up Your Homeschool Approach 
  • The Big List of Unit Study Hands-on (and Hands-off) Curriculum
Big Ol' List of All-In-One Homeschool Curriculum (a.k.a Boxed). There are many reasons to use an all-in-one homeschool curriculum and the best reason is that all the planning is done for you. CLICK here to grab this list!
Big Ol' List of All-In-One Homeschool Curriculum (a.k.a Boxed). There are many reasons to use an all-in-one homeschool curriculum and the best reason is that all the planning is done for you. CLICK here to grab this list!

4 CommentsFiled Under: Choose Curriculum, Kick Off Your Homeschool Year, Plan For & School Year Around, Teach Homeschool History, Teach Homeschool Language Arts, Teach Homeschool Math, Teach Homeschool Science, Teach/Which Subjects to Teach/Cover EVERYTHING Tagged With: boxedcurriculum, curriculum, homeschool curriculum, new homeschooler homeschool curriculum

You’ve Pitched the Homeschool Curriculum – Now What?

October 19, 2016 | 4 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

You've Pitched the Homeschool Curriculum - Now What? What if you make the same costly mistakes? Check out these super helpful tips and reminders.

Falling in and out of love with homeschool curriculum is a rite of passage for us. But after pitching my curriculum, many years  I wished I would have done something differently besides just purchase more homeschool curriculum.

And of course, any solution has to be easy because by the time you hit a road block, another time zapping and energy draining fix just adds unwanted stress.

Look at these 3 things to do and to not do when you’ve pitched the homeschool curriculum.

One// – Do not use that low time of feeling frustrated to make another mistake, like quitting homeschool or worse yet, joining a confining homeschool co-op.

A co-op may be the solution, but until you identify the problem, something else added to what you’re doing can be taxing.

Two// – Do embrace your teaching personality and style.

We can’t deny who we are. And when we try to fit our style of school into another homeschool teacher’s school, our children could be disappointed.

Before I started homeschooling, I read a lot about not just learning styles for my kids, but about my personality, which is my teaching style. Two of the best books that helped me the most to understand my personality, which helped me to pinpoint my aggravation with curriculum are Discover Your Child’s Learning Style and 102 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum.

Though Discover Your Child’s Learning Style was written with understanding your child’s learning style, you can also take the personality test alongside your child. The results are eye-opening because some of the things you may have been doing unintentionally because you learn best in a certain way can actually be irritating your children.

And the curriculum you chose may or may not be based on the way you need to teach.

For example, I know that one of my strengths is organization, but it can easily go from organizing to onerous if I don’t rein in my personality.

On the one hand, many homeschoolers told me that I would never use a homeschool room, I did. And I used it for a long time.

On the other hand, because I know I have a tendency to be more severe than I like to be, I started doing lapbooks and unit studies with my boys because I didn’t want to make learning comfortable for me.

This may sound opposite of what I’m telling you, but in the beginning I found unit studies that were laid out so that it would fit my personality style of being organized and routine-oriented.

Gradually, as I gained more experience, I created my own unit studies. This was the balance to my personality that wanted to be demanding. I gave my planning, organized itchy self an important task to do like planning my children’s education.

The point is you can’t abandon your personality. And your dynamic personality should come through with any curriculum you choose to bring into your homeschool.

List three things you like and don’t like about the curriculum you pitched and then do the same for your children. As you take the learning style test in the book, a picture will emerge.

I would love to know what you found out if you do the personality test in Discover Your Child’s Learning Style .

Relax Without Regret

Three// – Do rest, step back and relax.

Relaxing is not something a lot of homeschoolers do well. Dare I say we probably downright stink at it? I admit, I do too. Stepping back helps you to look at the bigger picture.

Being a can’t see the forest for the trees person, I have to always pull up and back away from my school when everything seems like a hurdle.

Another reason we don’t have the art of relaxing down is because like me, you also probably have many ideas or projects that you want to accomplish. That comes from a love of learning and teaching.

Some homeschoolers feel they need a certain type of curriculum for guidance, but a curriculum could be sucking the breath of creativity out of your day.

I know, I have heard people say they are not creative, but that’s just not true.

There are many ways to be creative, whether it’s art, history, science, crafts, cooking or the art of conversation.

Instead of purchasing another homeschool curriculum so quickly, take time to rest, discover your strengths and not jump into another stressful situation. You don’t know, you might not need to buy anymore homeschool curriculum.

What has been your experience?

Also, I have a whole lot to say about how to choose homeschool curriculum. Look at these other tips:

45 Ways to Define Homeschool Curriculum – Is Your Definition Holding You Back, Mixing It Up: How to Combine Homeschool Approaches (Without Losing Your Mind) and 10 Signs. Know When to Walk Away from “Perfect” Curriculum.

Hugs and love ya,

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4 CommentsFiled Under: Choose Curriculum Tagged With: boxedcurriculum, curriculum, homeschool, homeschool challenges, homeschoolcurriculum

3 Reasons to NOT Avoid the Homeschool Middle Ground

August 6, 2016 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

3 Reasons to NOT Avoid the Homeschool Middle Ground @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Fighting mini battles while we homeschool becomes part of our homeschool lifestyle. And it’s true that for many issues involving education, homeschoolers don’t wade in lukewarm waters nor take the middle of the ground approach. Being firmly decisive is key to surviving the harsh amount of negativity that is thrown our way.

Standing Firm on Homeschool Middle Ground

However, many things in homeschooling are more successful when you can step back and straddle the middle road. Sometimes taking an all or nothing approach can be counter productive, even extreme at times.

Look at these 3 reasons to NOT avoid the homeschool middle ground.

ONE/  When you do a unit study with multiple ages of children.

You can set your homeschool day up for failure when you use a learning resource that is too high above your oldest child’s head or one that is too young below it.

It’s a common mistake; choosing a unit study resource that is the grade level of your oldest child.

The secret to individualizing a delightful unit study topic is to  choose the middle grade between the ages of your children.

Seasoned homeschool veterans know that it’s easier to scale down activities for younger grades. Use the example of a plant unit study.

Younger students can color, label and dissect a plant. Older students or high school students can use the same unit study, but expand the activities on it to a high school level.

For example, older students can include plant history, learn about the local plants in your area and even spend some time in an apprenticeship learning from local professionals about herbs or plants. Ideas to use for an older student spring from the middle of the grade resource that you are currently using.

Not all ideas are so easy to round up for an older learner, but they are more useful than a resource used for your youngest learner.

TWO/ When you mix and match homeschool curriculum.

It’s easy to use the same curriculum provider with all of your children. Why would you do that though?

Each child is as unique as each homeschool family or should be.

Take the middle ground, avoid the extreme by choosing just one homeschool curriculum and use pieces and parts of a boxed curriculum, unit study and another curriculum to create a study that is unique for each child.

If you’re using just one type of curriculum, then one or more of your children may not be benefiting from it as much as another child. Mixing and matching homeschool curriculum will ensure a better fit for all of your children.

THREE/ When you begin homeschooling high school.

I did it too when I started homeschooling high school and that is to right away in 9th grade take a sock it to him attitude when planning.

High school is not about controlling your teen through his high school years, but it’s about working alongside each other. It is a give and take.

You give because your teen is a different person than you and your husband and he has goals and inspirations now that he too wants to meet. But it’s a take also because you don’t want to give up all your goals or plans for your teen’s future and some things will be must-haves in high school.

What I’m saying is that you choose the middle ground in high school when you help a teen keep balanced in all subjects until he decides his goals.

Some adults don’t even know what they won’t do, so don’t put a lot of pressure on a teen. Take the middle road by keeping subjects balanced until a mommy track, college track or job track is decided.

Also, grab some other tips from my other articles Homeschool Confession – My Homeschool Mistakes, Go Ahead and Make a Mistake: Homeschool Without Fear and Homeschooling – Beginnings are Usually Scary, Endings are Usually Sad, but It’s What’s In the Middle that Counts!.

Don’t give up the fight in touting the decisive ways we need to take a stand when it comes to homeschooling, but just know that the middle ground can not only be productive, but necessary many times in your journey.

What else do you take the middle ground on while homeschooling?

Hugs and love ya,

Signature T

Don’t forget to follow BOTH of my Pinterest accounts for more AWESOME pins.

Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.


Visit Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s profile on Pinterest.

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Leave a CommentFiled Under: Avoid the Homeschool Blues, Be an Exceptional Homeschool Teacher, Begin Homeschooling, Choose Curriculum, Homeschool Simply, Teach Unit Studies Tagged With: boxedcurriculum, curriculum, homeschoolapproach, homeschoolcurriculum, homeschoolmultiplechildren, new homeschooler homeschool curriculum, teachingmultiplechildren, unit studies

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