There are so many wonderful curriculums available for homeschool families. Though the myriad of options can feel a bit overwhelming, it really does sort itself out as you try a few different options. I encourage new(er) homeschool families to talk to a few other homeschool families to ask them about their experience. Consider what is most important to you in a curriculum, the homeschool method you are most drawn to, (see Chapter 4 of Becoming Homeschoolers) and other features that might guide you to choose a curriculum. I encourage you to take some time at each curriculum website, reach out to their customer service department with questions, and request some sample lessons.
Most of us who have tried a number of curriculums will agree that we loved something about all of them. And, none of them are perfect! 😉 With that in mind, at some point you just need to go for it! Your child will learn from any curriculum you commit to, and together you might learn that you prefer something different. That’s ok too!
Below I am sharing the main curriculums that our family has used and loved as well as a couple others that some of my trusted friends have enjoyed. Then at the very bottom find a list of website which also offer curriculum lists, reviews, or other helpful resources to guide you in choosing your family’s curriculum.
SWANSON FAMILY FAVORITES:
SONLIGHT: We used Sonlight for the first few years of my boys’ homeschooling. It is a literature-based curriculum, and I really loved those years with the boys. The neat things about Sonlight is that you can combine kids up to 2 years apart in school to do one “core” curriculum together (covering subjects like history, literature, writing, and science — ) while ordering separate math and language arts. I still order many of their suggested reader books and I think the list of books on their website is excellent!
(As I confessed in Becoming Homeschoolers) reading aloud tends to make me very sleepy so ultimately, we switched to curriculums which offered the boys more independence. However, if you enjoy reading to your kids, I think Sonlight is a wonderful option. (especially in the early years!)
ABEKA ACADEMY. My boys have used Abeka for the bulk of their elementary and middle school classes, and for Bible, history, health, and language arts through high school. We use the Abeka streaming online video lessons, which essentially give homeschool kids a view of an actual classroom, where they watch the teacher lecture and students participate. The teacher addresses the homeschool kids as if they were in the class with the other students. I appreciate that they get to learn from a teacher, but they do all of the writing and seat work in books and workbooks at home. There are regular quizzes and tests as well that I am responsible to monitor and correct (using a teacher guide, thankfully!) Abeka also offers an accredited program where kids send in work and someone else grades it)
Abeka is challenging (definitely “college prep”) and if students watch all videos and do all seat work it can be a long day. (I have allowed kids to skip some lectures or parts of their seat work in various situations.) Abeka has a very conservative, Christian, traditional flavor and we are really grateful for what our boys have gleaned from it. Using Abeka has simplified my days and gives me confidence my boys are getting a good and thorough education.
IEW (The Institute for Excellence in Writing) is the writing curriculum that all of my boys began using in about fourth or fifth grade. We love IEW and give much of the credit for my boys’ love for writing (and success getting into college and even getting college scholarships) to their foundations using IEW! CLICK HERE to find a page with the specific IEW classes that my boys have used and loved.
Also: Listen to founder and director of IEW on my podcast here.
Fix-it Grammar. Levi was finding Abeka grammar overwhelming long and tedious so we decided to try IEW’s “Fix-it grammar” in his later elementary years. He loved it and is continuing to use it through middle school. Fix-it lessons are much shorter than a full Abeka lesson and have a very unique approach to grammar, but it is arguable a solid curriculum. I recommend heading to the IEW website to check it out and see if this may be a good fit for your student(s).
Other curriculums we tried in the Elementary years:
Math-U-See was a helpful math curriculum for one of my sons who seemed to learn best with manipulatives. Math-U-See comes with colorful, place-value blocks that are very effective for tactile learners.
Teaching Textbooks: A lot of kids like using Teaching Textbooks for math and one or two of my boys used it for a year or two with some success. What I recall was that it was good for a season of transition because it was all online and very easy to navigate. We ended up switching back to other curriculums but I don’t think there was anything we seriously disliked about Teaching Textbooks.
DIVE — Math and Science with a Biblical Foundation. My boys have used DIVE for math and science beginning in Middle School. We love this curriculum (it is an online video format with some seat work and some online work.) We are good friends with the founder and teacher, Dr. David Shormann. (His family lives here on our North Shore and we go to church together. :)) Jonah and Josiah have taken classes up through AP Calculus and Physics with DIVE and passed AP tests and also gone on to feel very comfortable in college classes following. I highly recommend DIVE!
CLASSICAL CONVERSATIONS. This is a classically based curriculum done through group meetings. (I have never used CC but a lot of people I know use it and love it!) September’s kids have used this.
Homeschool resource guide (from homeschool.com)