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10 Signs to Know When to Walk Away from “Perfect” Curriculum

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today, I’m sharing 10 signs to know when to walk away from the perfect curriculum. Also, look at my page The Best Homeschool Curriculum by Grade Level for more tips.

The perfect homeschool curriculum is music to our ears or at least we think so.

Well, it was “perfect” homeschool curriculum at the time.

However, times change.

And having two homeschooled graduates, you think I would learn from my quest for the perfect homeschool curriculum.

Admittedly, I can be hard-headed, but I learned a few things as I knocked my head on the wall. (ouch, don’t do that)

10 Signs to Know When to Pitch the “Perfect” Curriculum

Sharing 10 tips to know when to walk away from the “perfect” homeschool curriculum hopefully you’ll not do some of these same things.

1. When your child out grows the curriculum.

You may think well duh, my children are getting older and they will outgrow it. No, I am not talking about that.

What I mean is that whatever made you decide to use the curriculum at that time and then suddenly the circumstance is not there, curriculum can turn from sweet to sour.

I have one son that went from wanting the full picture each day in his curriculum to a checklist.

The curriculum outgrew its usefulness and now becomes a burden. Time to move on.

2. When your child’s learning style changed.

Most kids are wiggly willies (meaning girls too) until about the age of 6 or 7 years old.

Along about 8 to 10 years of age, a child’s true learning style emerges. Normally, this learning style will be the one that will be with them longer or maybe even their whole life.

This happens at anytime and kids don’t wait to the first day of school to present their new learning style. But, you can start seeing frustration now in a curriculum that seemed to have worked before.

This happened to me with another one of my son and it was in the middle of a school year.

The textbook method to math no longer worked because his auditory learning style started to be dominant.

So in the middle of the year, I was on the prowl for a math curriculum that suited his auditory learning style.

 3. When you have to change your homeschool approach.

Saying that you’ll use the same homeschool approach your whole journey is a rookie mistake. I know, I did it.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to stick to a homeschool approach because it works for your family, but the problem is that life gets in the way.

Changing my homeschool approach because either I was pregnant, sick, or had to take care of aging parents are all things I’ve had to focus on.

Curriculum then becomes a burden when I don’t have time to plan it. Switching to a boxed curriculum was a welcomed relief.

It was easier to see this coming unlike some of the other signs.

Check out my tips at my article, Taking a Hit Doesn’t Mean to Quit– Homeschooling Through Crisis.

4. When most of your days are filled with tears. (yours and your kids)

I thought this would be another one of those duh things that you think that most homeschool educators know, but I have tell you about helping a homeschooler one year.

I won’t forget her because no matter what her boys said about not understanding the method and curriculum she chose, it was going to be her way. They were going to use it.

She had great kids and their tears flowed because the curriculum just didn’t click with the kids.

However, because the curriculum fit her learning style, she wasn’t giving it up at any cost.

It was a pretty ugly standoff and ambitious homeschooling has a way of biting back.

Look at my article, Homeschooling for the Love of Learning – Does It Really Work?

5. When your curriculum makes you feel like you’re behind.

Pitch it. That is all there is to it.

When a curriculum takes over your life, your day, and your kids because it no longer is a tool but a taskmaster it’s time to walk away from it.

It really is very simple and uncomplicated though you may read a lot of curriculum tips that try to make you feel like its you or your kid’s fault. It is not.

Unless your child has learning disabilities, he is just where he should be.

Let me say that again. He is where he is suppose to be and not where the boxed curriculum touts that he should be.

Also, check out the tips in 102 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum.

6. When you didn’t ask specific questions before you bought it.

It’s okay for one of your homeschooling friends to be over the moon excited about a curriculum. However, that doesn’t mean it will work for you because she has tremendous success.

Your kids are different and unique and so are you.

I have purchased curriculum based on suggestions before asking specific questions.

Questions like how long does it take you to get through the curriculum, how much teacher prep does it require, do you have to buy anything supplemental and can I use it with multiple ages are some very specific questions to initiate conversation.

7. When your curriculum doesn’t reflect your family’s values or goals.

When you start to homeschool, it seems like there are lot of things you are just suppose to know right from the beginning.

And knowing exactly the goals and values for your family is one of those things you need to know, but I also learned that goals and visions change and grow.

Do You Need to Unlearn these Homeschool Curriculum Habits

Whether you want to move toward more faith-based homeschooling or want to move toward a more secular approach, don’t wait to switch curriculum.

When a curriculum is not working, it sets your homeschool back.

Move forward by letting go of the weight of a curriculum that is not working.

8. When your teaching style has changed.

As you grow in your homeschool experience, there will be some subjects that you feel more comfortable teaching than others.

Some curriculum gives more detailed back ground information about a subjects than others do or they may not give enough background information. Your teaching needs changed and may be different than the present curriculum you are using.

What was a homeschool help at one time can become a hindrance.

Your teaching style will change, so don’t delay switching curriculum to breathe life into your teaching journey.

Also, I love trying out curriculum for free on a limited bases because it gives me a chance to see if it will work for me. You’ll love being able to do that with the Homeschool Buyers Coop. Although they have a lot of free curriculum during the summer to try out, they have many freebies throughout the year.

9. When you over buy one type and now need separate curriculum.

You are not alone. I think we all over buy at one time or the other.

But, what I am honing in on is that you may want to buy curriculum from different approaches.

For example, I have one son that likes textbooks and another son that wilts when one is pulled out.

Instead of buying or using the same curriculum across the board for all my children, I bought separate products that use a variety of homeschool approaches for each of my boys.

10. When you seem to be leaving more out than you’re covering.

This was the final straw for me when I left more curriculum out than I was actually using.

I knew that I had to change my curriculum. Becoming weighed down with curriculum caused stress instead of easing it.

There may be a lot of things you regret by the time you finish homeschooling, but switching to a homeschool curriculum that better suits your present needs won’t be one of them.

More Homeschool Curriculum Tips

10 Signs to Know When to Walk Away from the Perfect Homeschool Curriculum

Where to Begin When Putting Together My Own Homeschool Curriculum?

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Your questions are awesome.  Where to begin when putting together my own homeschool curriculum is another dynamic reader question I have to share with you because sometimes the core curriculum is not real clear.

Look at Nicolle’s question:

I am a single mom of an incredible 6 (going on 7) year old boy.  A hands on entrepreneur with overhead still working on the business and so I am a working mom and my son comes to work with me.  though it may be difficult I work towards doing things I believe in in my heart, after long consideration.  I am very creative; however we are just making more friends and have no family where we are (my sons daddy is here p/t).  With that said and with found support in other (stay at home) home-school moms I took the leap and am just beginning to home-school my son.  I am overwhelmed though still with how to create an initial solid foundation to build a ‘core curriculum’ for him and us.  I’ve been told my style is more eclectic, unit studies, with a twist of Charlotte mason living language.  I was referred to take your course which I will.  I’ve worked on new work etc scheduling…but despite being told it’s easier to buy a curriculum (a bit expensive for me and all I want is the written curriculum and not all the books as I can attain them in a different way and which to choose?!)  I’d like to start working on my own…Where do I begin knowing the curriculum I put together (as you said in your video) will not ‘leave my child’ behind so to say??? 

Singleness can have a huge advantage when you are on the curriculum hunt.  You have time to research curriculum because you don’t have a husband’s demands to meet.  Singleness does have its freedom.

Too, using the creative and entrepreneur part of your personality are strengths and can save you money in long run.

Entrepreneurs rock and are willing to take chances and risks that others are not willing to take. This is where you can think of hands-on ideas on the spur of the moment and where you will seize teachable moments.

The side of your personality that probably needs support is with the details and maybe curbing the desire to “jump” to something different when you need to stay on course.
This is where part laid-out curriculum comes in. You are on the right track.  Just remember though that laid-out does not always mean expensive.

You can use laid-out curriculum without buying a whole boxed curriculum. Just buy each part that you need.

When looking at costs, there are a couple of ways at looking at this.
One way is that when you buy something laid-out, you don’t have the guesswork of whether you are covering the basics or not.

Another way of looking at it that I have seen is that many, many, many homeschoolers think they are saving money only to spend or waste thousands of hours trying out new curriculum in their hunt to find a perfect fit.

What price are you putting on your time to hunt for the “perfect” resource?
Understand that anything you purchase will not be perfect ever.

However, getting something that will help you to stay on task, will allow freedom for you to add your creativity and tweaking or deleting activities that make no sense to you is a great start.

I do believe you can find a balance too. One more advantage you have is that your son is very young.  Just starting out you don’t need very much at this age.

The core curriculum are basically your 3 R’s, which are reading, writing and arithmetic.

The 3 R’s vary slightly at each age, but here is the very short list of essentials for his age:

Phonics

Handwriting

Math

Reading

If you spend your hard earned dollars on these things first, then you are covering the essentials.

These are the subjects he needs to do everyday. They don’t have to be done necessarily by a worksheet either.  Again, you can add your flair to these subjects.  At this age, he needs more hands-on as well.

For example, a day of teaching might go like this: phonics may be about creating an art collage of the sounds he is working on, handwriting practice might consist of playing with slime dough after he writes a sentence or two, math could be a read aloud from a living book about math or doing a candy graph and reading could be him listening on line to a read aloud.

Using the laid out guides, you will know what he needs to learn each day and can enhance it with more hands-on learning.

With your tendency toward creativity you can add in science and history from library books and free resources.

Too, you will want to spend money on items for arts and crafts because at this age it is not just play, but it is about learning.

Used curriculum is not always cheaper. It’s worth looking at all your options.

You do not have to buy a boxed curriculum, but you can buy each of these pieces separate and still make a good fit for your son because they are still laid out.

Choose a Homeschool Phonics Program

Look at some of the choices for phonic programs that I like:

Alpha Omega has Horizons, A Beka has a solid phonics program, All About Spelling which is a reading program too, Explode the Code and Sing, Spell, Read and Write.

Choose a Homeschool Handwriting Program

A Reason for Writing and I like workbooks by Zaner-Bloser.

Too, add in plenty of copywork and dictation starting off with like one sentence to copy and expand to longer ones.

You don’t need to teach formal composition until later grades, which could be another long topic here on my blog.

For now, at this age you are teaching the mechanics of how to write.

Most children don’t have control over their fine motor skills until about halfway through first grade. That is when I started teaching cursive to each of my sons.

Choose a Homeschool Math Program

Math is a fun subject too. There are a lot of wonderful programs to choose from as well.

Besides something rigorous which is a given, I prefer bright colored pages for this age too.

Horizon Math is advanced, Singapore is right there too and so is Math U See.
Each one has a different approach.

Choose a Homeschool Reading Program

If he is not reading yet, then you want some phonics readers that enhance your phonics lessons. I used Pathway readers because they were rigorous and inexpensive.

Too, when I taught my oldest son to read, I went to the local teacher supply store and bought an inexpensive set of phonics readers. It focused on one sound in each book and then I added in way more free stuff I found on line and hands-on art to focus on that sound for three or four days and then added in another book.

If he is reading, then you want to look for living books, which means they are not textbooks. You can also save a lot of money by making regular trips to the library to get books on his reading level.

Keep in mind if you use a program like Sing, Spell, Read and Write or All About Spelling which is called All About Reading, readers will be included.

I also loved Christian Light Readers too. They are inexpensive and beautifully written.  It does not hurt to have phonics readers and easy books for beginning readers a plenty.

Though I see this long scrolling list of subjects that new homeschoolers have for their children, the core curriculum or basics are the bones or framework of an excellent education.

Stay the course by doing them each day in every grade, adding in spice along the way by varying your teaching methods and curriculum and you will have a great beginning.

You might also want to look at these posts:

8 Components of a Boxed Curriculum
How to Use a Boxed Curriculum without Giving Up Your Homeschool Approach
How To Choose Curriculum Other Than the Looks Good Method
Stop Switching Your Curriculum, Switch Your Course of Study 

Hugs and love ya,

Signature T

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Visit Tina Robertson’s profile on Pinterest.


Visit Tinas Dynamic Homeschool ‘s profile on Pinterest.

How to Use a Boxed Curriculum without Giving Up Your Homeschool Approach

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Don’t give up your much loved homeschool approach when using boxed curriculum.

Today, in how to use a boxed curriculum without giving up your homeschool approach, I will be sharing some boxed curriculum providers and giving you a tip or two on how to pair one with your homeschool approach.

From Overwhelmed to Confident

Also, I will be listing the next 3 features of a boxed curriculum.

In my post 8 Components of a Boxed Curriculum I shared the first 5 features of a boxed curriculum:

  • understanding whether a curriculum has a religious or secular worldview
  • determining if a teacher’s manual is a treasure trove or glorified check list
  • planning your school year with 120 or 160 days in mind
  • deciding whether you need an accountability service or reporting service and
  • understanding that all curriculum required to complete a grade level like workbooks, student work text and readers come in the box.

Look at these next 3 parts of a boxed curriculum.

Testing and Answer Guides/Sheets.  In addition, most curriculum providers have an option for testing along with answers sheets to the tests.

Most boxed providers can give you some local places in your area which tests your child.

If you do not live in a place that has stringent laws requiring testing, then I encourage you to not bring extra stress by having to report the testing scores.

Simply use the tests that come in your boxed curriculum for your own peace of mind.

I used the tests provided in our boxed curriculum for review and for my own purposes.  It also gave my kids some familiarity with test taking which is very helpful in the older grades.

 Student Evaluation or Assessment Help.  One mistake made when using boxed curriculum is assuming that your child is ready for a grade level when in fact he he may be ahead or a bit behind.

A provider should have some way of you assessing your child’s level and then you should be able to get feedback on it.

I can’t encourage you enough to take time using informal testing methods to find a better fit for the grade your child should be in.

A huge mistake made by seasoned veterans and new bees alike is thinking they are back tracking if they have to repeat a grade.

No matter how many homeschoolers I counseled on this, many still push and shove ahead to the next grade level, which their child may not be ready for only to be met with tears and a brick wall several months into the curriculum.

Homeschooling is about being masters of their material and that is hard to do when they don’t have time to simmer on a grade level that a child needs to be on. Homeschool scholars are made by being immersed in a subject or skill and not by skipping ahead of it.

Extras.  Some boxed curriculum providers also have on line classes where your child “meets” with other students of similar age and the classes try to make you feel like part of a school or group.

They may encourage your child to become involved online with any contests or communities they may be promoting.

Depending on the level of commitment or your time, you need to determine ahead if you want your child to be involved in any extra curricular activities a curriculum provider offers, if any.

Take a look at some of these common homeschool providers. Also, where possible, I added a tip or two for helping you to find a better fit for your homeschool approach.

Though most boxed curriculum providers would be categorized as a textbook approach, there are some differences worth considering.

*Note: Technically, a boxed curriculum contains ALL subjects, however, there are some curriculum providers that provide everything except math, so I included a few of them.

Boxed Curriculum Providers

A Beka  A Beka would fit nicely with the strong language arts approach to a classical method of approach.  With strong emphasis on writing and reading, this would fit nicely with those wanting to build a strong language arts foundation in the early grades.
A.C.E {Lighthouse Christian Academy}
Alpha Omega {Switched on Schoolhouse, Life Pacs, Monarch, Horizons}Takes a Biblical worldview and is a solid textbook approach.
Bob Jones or BJU Press.  Taking a Biblical worldview, Bob Jones has a more rounded out text book approach, but all subjects have a Bible based theme throughout.

Calvert  Though Calvert uses basal readers for teaching reading, some of their books written by head master Virgil Hillyer, I would categorize more like living books.
Charlotte Mason and the classical approach both encourage reading and using living books.  A Child’s History of the World continues to be a much loved book in our home.  Note: the book starts off with a bit of evolution, which we skipped, but continues on a middle school level for a great read and a broad covering about world history for budding history buffs.
Recently, I read A Child’s Geography of the World, which is outdated with facts, but is still a great read. These books were written about the 1930’s.
Christian Light Education
Covenant Home Curriculum
K12  Takes a more secular approach, but has a more straight forward textbook approach with rigorous standards.

Memoria Press  Memoria Press takes a classical approach to homeschooling and their boxed curriculum is no different.
The most significant feature of the classical approach is using history of the ancients to teach. So Memoria Press uses books like Famous Man of Rome and D’Aulaires’ Greek Myths to name just a few to start building a basic foundation in history.
Also incorporated are some Charlotte Mason techniques like copywork and memorization.
My Father’s World {but does not have math}  My Father’s World combines both the classical approach by using history as some of it’s stepping stones along with a Charlotte Mason approach.  From the classical approach, it utilizes a chronological approach to history.
Also there is a hands-on approach in many of the grade levels and a focus on science and arts, which is encouraged by a Charlotte Mason approach.
Moving Beyond the Page{but does not have math}  Moving Beyond the Page uses a unit study approach to covering all the subjects except math.
Having the combined layout of structure along with using the basic concept of a unit study, which is tying all the school subjects around a main theme is another option for your family.
Oak Meadow

Seton Seton uses a strong language arts focus in their boxed curriculum and they are a Catholic provider.
Sonlight  Sonlight uses living books which is both a feature of the Charlotte Mason approach and classical approach along with a strong emphasis on Bible.
Trail Guide to Learning<{but does not have math}  Trail Guide to Learning uses living books in their boxed curriculum and takes on more of a Charlotte Mason approach with a classical bent because of using their history focused guides.
Veritas Press   Like Memoria Press, Veritas Press has a strong classical approach to homeschooling with an emphasis on history.

Whether you are new to homeschooling and trying to learn the ropes or if you are overwhelmed with the season in your life right now, knowing the 8 components of a boxed curriculum can help you to avoid the busy work that can accompany a boxed curriculum and find one that can help you make headway.

Hugs and love ya,

2012Tinasignature 8 Components of a Boxed Curriculum

Check out Cathy’s Duffy’s 101 Top Picks For Homeschool Curriculum.

 

8 Components of a Boxed Curriculum

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

From my 31 day boot camp for new homeschoolers, here is my definition:

BOXED CURRICULUM

A curriculum provider who provides all subjects laid out in step by step order usually accompanied by a scripted teacher’s manual. Teacher’s manual, a student book and a work text are normally included. Tests and sometimes grading services are offered. Some providers, like Calvert sends all supplies, crayons and paper too. It may arrive in an actual box or not.

A boxed curriculum has saved my sanity more than one time during my journey.  They are not just for new homeschoolers.

Knowing the 8 components of a boxed curriculum can make it a very useful tool when you need it.

8 Components of a Boxed Curriculum
Sad to say, instead of trying to understand how to use a boxed curriculum, which can navigate you through rough times, some homeschoolers just give up homeschooling.

Maybe we are worried about what those other homeschoolers will think because we are not wanting to be a lesson planning momma.

Homeschool Insanity IS . . .

Heaping more homeschool torture, loosely translated here meaning having to lesson plan when stressed out, moving, having a baby, being sick, helping out with finances or anything else that life throws our way, IS insanity.

Understanding the components of a boxed curriculum will help you to choose one that fits your family, lift the stress of homeschooling and otherwise keep your feet plodding along in homeschool.

  • Religious or Secular Bent.  Most boxed curriculum providers openly advertise whether they are faith based or secular.

Over the years, I have seen many advantages and considerations using both of these. I love secular curriculum because I always like to add my own Bible content and history view.

The caveat with secular curriculum, especially books that you get from public school is to watch that they don’t go against Bible principals.  I have had excellent results with Calvert because they try to stay as neutral as possible.
Too, with religious curriculum, I love the fact that even in language arts, my children can still learn Bible tidbits.  The same caveat with religious curriculum exists if you don’t hold to their same beliefs.

Find one that is easily tweaked for you needs and understanding what their bent is will help you to choose better.

  • Teacher Manuals or Glorified Check List? Another element of a boxed curriculum is the teacher’s manual.

Right off, I want to tell you that I am extremely picky in how I dole out the title, teacher’s manual.

When you are new to homeschooling, stressed or otherwise have not used a solid teacher’s manual, you may think they are all created equal.  They are not.

This is an area of the boxed curriculum that I want you also to be very picky in choosing.  This component of a boxed curriculum goes to the very reason you are using one and if you don’t choose a boxed curriculum that has a helpful teacher’s manual, your choice could be more hindrance than help.

Some boxed curriculum providers proclaim proudly that they have a teacher’s manual, when in truth it is a glorified check list.

A checklist means they have lined out all the subjects for your child to do day by day and that is pretty well it. Can you say not very helpful at all?

My standard for a teacher’s manual is way higher and it includes these elements:

rod and staff teacher material on the sidebar

1. It should not only provide the assignments laid out for you, but should give background information about what you are going to teach.

The whole incentive for using a boxed curriculum is to save you time.  Having to research background information for the lesson you are going to teach because you got a checklist is defeating.

2. It should give you examples of proper responses from your child or samples from other students’ work so that you know what to expect from your child or how to gauge progress.

If you are struggling with teaching a child or if you are new to teaching, you want some help in this area to be sure you are on track and the manual should have tips on how to gauge progress.

vocabulary from classical roots schedule

3. It should provide a sample of a student schedule.  Otherwise how do you know when to get it all done.

4. The objectives should be clearly stated.

What are you going to teach for the day? What are your children trying to learn for the day?  If they don’t know, how are you suppose to know?

5. The other must-have for me in a teacher’s manual is an area that lists what I need for that day.

This is very valuable in planning when you know what supplies you need ahead of time.  Some even have what you need for assignments way far out and this too help eases lesson preparation.

alternative teaching tips and faq

6. It can also expand on alternative ways of teaching in case your child encounters problems with the assignment.

7. Some even provide extra teaching tips and helps, and they should.

When you know those elements to a worthwhile teacher’s manuals, it can be a treasure trove.

  • Day to Day Lesson Plans. {120 to 160 days}.  Another key element of a boxed curriculum is that it has day to day lesson plans laid out.

The year will consist normally of anywhere from 120 to 160 days of lesson plans.

Having the lesson plans laid out can ease the stress of planning, give you an ending and beginning date to start and can also give your child a clear list of what is expected for the day so that he can work independently of you if he is old enough.

  • Accountability or Reporting Service.  A lot of boxed curriculum providers are accredited providers and they also provide some kind of reporting service for you.

This may or may not be important to you in the area that you live in.  Personally, accredited can be over rated because most people are confused about the meaning of the term accredited.

Schools are accredited, not curriculum. These are two completely different issues.

I don’t want to make your eyes pop out with too many details because I can go into what accredited means later.

The point I want you to take away today is that accredited does not equate with superior curriculum.  It just means a school has met the requirements to be accredited.

The reporting service is where I made the mistake when I used a boxed curriculum because I thought I had to get the teacher reporting service to get teacher support.

Instead of relieving the stress when I was pregnant at the time, I brought more stress because I had constant deadlines of turning in work of my then Kindergarten kid to the school.

Crazy I know, but when you haven’t ever taught a child to read, you are looking for all the feedback you can get.

What I failed to ask at the time was if the teachers would be available for questions if I had them.

Ask and be clear when you sign up because most options to have a teacher grade your child’s work is just that optional.  Any kind of reputable boxed curriculum provider should have teaches on hand to answer any questions you have for free.

Too, unless you live in a country or state that requires an accredited school, do not judge the value of the curriculum and education by the so misunderstood term of accreditation.

  • Books, workbooks, student texts, text books and maybe supplies.  Another element that can reduce your time curriculum shopping is knowing that everything you need for one grade comes in your boxed curriculum.

The standard for a boxed curriculum is that every book, workbook and textbook that you need to get started comes together.  Some providers like Calvert even send school supplies.  You simply unwrap and get started.

There is no worrying about missing something or not covering something for that grade level.  Everything your child needs to complete the grade comes in the box.

There are just as many reasons to use a boxed curriculum as there are to not use one.

Convenience, less anxiety and easy of teacher planning are some of the benefits of using a well-laid out boxed curriculum.

In the second part, I will share 3 more benefits of a boxed curriculum and give you a list of boxed providers.

Do you find that using a boxed curriculum has lessened the stress at the time?

Hugs and love ya,

Signature T

Look at these posts too

What If I Choose the Wrong Homeschool Curriculum

How To Choose Curriculum Other than the Looks Good Method

What If I Choose the Wrong Homeschool Curriculum

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

What if I choose the wrong homeschool curriculum is at the top of the list of worries for new and seasoned homeschoolers alike.

However, I think on the flip side of worry is getting a shipment of new homeschool curriculum. It can be one of the most pleasurable moments in homeschooling. Don’t you just love the smell of new books? It just feels like you have it all together now.

But then, worry sets in. Will this be the right curriculum for my child? Will this year meet my expectations? We spend hours reading every catalog and website that we can as we pore over curriculum choices.

Many times we still are not sure if we have the best curriculum. Then we read those emails or posts on groups where one mom used something that is working so “perfectly” for her and her children.

And then we wonder what’s wrong with us. Doubt sets in about the choices we made at the beginning of the year and we have a gnawing pain at the bottom of our stomach.

If you are teetering about making a huge change, there are a few things that I have learned about choosing the wrong curriculum. Look at these 5 tips below that I hope will help you.What If I Choose the Wrong Homeschool Curriculum

(Incidentally, I love ALL the curriculum in this picture above and highly recommend it.  It worked beautifully for me in the years that I needed it.  But, what works one year for me, may not work for you. That is the key to determining if it’s the wrong choice for you.)

1.  There is no PERFECT curriculum.  Some years it is just about trial and error. There will be times when you pick something that is not what you need for that year or does not meet your goals. You will make some mistakes. That is okay because at anytime during the year you can switch.

Before you switch though, be sure it is the curriculum that is not working and not issues of scheduling, discipline or being overwhelmed. We might mistakenly think that the curriculum is the culprit of our day when in fact it could be other issues in our homeschooling. So give new curriculum a fair shake so to speak.

The opposite of that thinking is sticking with a curriculum no matter what. I have tried to stick to a curriculum because I begged my husband that I just had to have it, so I felt guilty in not using it.  What I have learned is that this can have detrimental effects on my kids.

It is not a waste when you switch because this is a lesson well learned in how your child learns best.

I am not encouraging you to not be frugal and make the decisions you and your husband make work, but balance that thinking with the hundreds and hundreds of dollars you would have spent in public school on school supplies not used, countless clothes purchased and otherwise frivolous things like a school fund raiser.

Too, if you keep your curriculum neat and clean you can resale it and recoup some of your husband’s hard earned dollars.

2. Don’t forget to read homeschool curriculum reviews.   iHN, which I am a proud member of reviews homeschool curriculum.  So be sure to check out the reviews because in reviewing curriculum, I try to give an objective summary of each one.

This means that I try to recommend which group of homeschoolers that a particular curriculum will work for and what you may need to consider if you end up using it.

Look here at the homeschool curriculum I have reviewed so far.

It is important to read homeschool reviews that are informative instead of biased.  Why? Because what may not work for you this year may be the “perfect” curriculum for another year or different circumstance.

More importantly, try to determine why or why not a certain curriculum worked for a family and see if you have similar circumstances.

3.  Take advantage of talking 1:1 vendors at curriculum fairs or either on the phone.  They spend thousands of hours tweaking their curriculum to meet our needs and most vendors want you to understand how best to use their curriculum.

Too, companies like Rainbow Resource, which has been around for a long time have staff that is well educated in the differences between curriculum. Use these free resources by asking them questions when you can’t find the answer in your own research.

Just the catalog alone from Rainbow Resource is an education in the differences between curriculum with their mini-reviews or write ups about various curriculum.

4.  Children are pretty hardy. Homeschooling in fear is not a good place to be at.  So don’t fall prey to the idea that we will have huge gaps in learning.

The truth of it is, everybody has gaps in their learning unless we all learned at the same school at the same time with the same teacher and we still would come away with differences in our education.  Our educational background and differences are what makes each of us unique.  Embrace it.

If you use a curriculum and feel you are somewhat behind in what your goals are, just remember children have a great reserve to pick up at a new point in learning and move forward.

I have done this more than I can remember. I made a bad choice with Mr. Senior 2013 in math beginning his middle school years and he got behind.  By high school, he was well ahead. Why? Because having made a better choice with math, he was highly motivated to move ahead because he loved math.

The same thing happened with Mr. Awesome with a spelling program in his elementary years.  One spelling program was not clicking with him, but after I changed he went up two grade levels because he now had a much better fit with the way he learned.

Not seeing tears, but a return of their love of learning was well worth any money I had spent previously. Just remember, your time is well spent investigating another curriculum if the one you are using is not making sense to your child.

sharing homeschool curriculum

(One mom in our group ready to share her homeschool curriculum with the group.)

5. Look to your local homeschool support.  Many times in our local support group, we would plan a park day for the kids, but it would be a curriculum swap or show and tell for us as the moms. Don’t you wish you could just rent curriculum for a week or two to see if it will work for your family?

As long as you respect copyright laws of publishers, you can take the curriculum home and give it a test drive. Many of my favorite programs I first put my hands on at a park day with my group.  Looking it over for a week or two gave me a much better picture if it would work for my family or not.

Curriculum is our blue print to see how we want to build the education of our children, but it is not the final building.  There are always changes and adjustments to any construction job. Sometimes the adjustments are huge, sometimes they are trivial.

Most important though is that when you are enthusiastic about learning and teaching any subject, that is contagious and rubs off on your children.

It is your attitude toward learning that matters more than any curriculum you choose. Your children will adopt the attitudes and examples you set.

Share your enthusiasm and passion for learning and your children will remember their unique educational heritage and not the wrong curriculum you chose.

Check out the other stuff I have to say about choosing curriculum:

Stop Switching Your Curriculum, Switch Your Course of Study

 How to Choose Curriculum Other than the “Looks Good” Method.

The A, B, C’s of Picking Curriculum + {part 1}

The A, B, C’s of Picking Curriculum + {part 2}

SaveHugs and love ya,

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