Don't Panic--How to Choose a Curriculum
You've made the decision to homeschool, so what's next? The
following is some friendly, non-legal advise from me to you based on my
experiences and others who also homeschool. If you have something
you would like to add, please send it to me so that I can add it.
Don't Panic--How to Choose a Curriculum
So you've got junior at home now. And then it hits you--what am I
supposed to teach him--how am I going to teach him--I don't know how to
teach him--WHAT HAVE I DONE!?
As I'm always telling my son, the first rule is "don't panic."
Take a deep breath and tell yourself that you can do this. You may
not know how, but you'll figure it out. The following are some
suggestions on how to go about it.
Give yourself some time. Most people realize that they are going
to need some time to review their curriculum options but they often forget
that they need time to figure out what works best for their children.
You may already have some idea about your child's learning style in that
it didn't fit in with the school's teaching style. So now you need
to know what works best or you'll just be setting yourself up for
frustration.
If you've decided to make the change at the end of the school year,
you've got all summer to plan. Don't let it slip away. If you
withdrew your child during the school year, it's especially important for
you to sit down and make a plan, even a schedule for research.
Whatever your plan may be, simply having one will help alleviate your
feelings of panic.
One last note for working mothers who are quitting full time jobs to
homeschool. If at all possible, quit at the beginning of summer
rather than the end. It will easily take you two to three months to
learn to live with your child fulltime. You have both been used to
different schedules and interacting with one another in set circumstances.
Those will radically change with homeschooling--give yourselves time to
adjust.
This is all fine and dandy you may say, but what do I do with junior in
the mean time? Remember, learning about junior or juniors, is part
of this process. Spend this time trying different activities to find
out what is most effective for all involved. Take the kids to the local
museums, check out books and videos from the local library, download
worksheets and unit studies from the internet, read the local paper, and
so on.
There are plenty of resources on how to choose a curriculum so I won't
try to duplicate them here. Just remember, don't panic, and a couple
of weeks without a set curriculum won't prevent them from getting into
Harvard.
Curriculum Resources
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