You can find a Christian homeschool curriculum very easily now for your family or homeschool group. However, that was not always the case. I have been told that not too long ago, curriculum publishers were unwilling to sell their material to families. They feared that the resources would not be used properly and that individuals were incapable of using the materials designed for traditional school use.

Fortunately, those days are gone and most publishers are happy to serve the needs of the rapidly growing homeschool population. They eagerly supply the Christ-centered books, computer software, and even online courses that homeschoolers are looking for.

Benefits

There are several benefits to using a Christian homeschool curriculum when teaching your children, such as:

Bible-based content throughout the resource
Traditional views and values will be emphasized such as respect for the family
Support of your decision to educate your child at home
Careful treatment of delicate issues such as “occult practices” or “alternative lifestyles” that may be discussed in higher grade levels
Additional opportunity to dialogue with your child about Godly principles mentioned in the curriculum

A few of the well-known curriculum publishers include: A Beka, Alpha Omega Publications, Bob Jones University Press, Christian Liberty Press, School of Tomorrow, and Rod & Staff. There are others but most people are familiar with these popular names which are often seen at curriculum fairs and events.

Options

Just because you elect to use Christian materials does not mean that you will be required to “settle.” The popular publishers mentioned above offer complete curriculum packages and plenty of supplemental resources.

There are publishers who provide Christian unit study options, such as Five in a Row or The Weaver Curriculum. Some others focus on a single subject such as art or science as seen in the popular resources How Great Thou Art and Apologia Science for example.

A Final Thought

There are many publishers who offer Christian homeschool curriculum so your job will be to sift through the choices and determine which one is best for your family. Look at their descriptions in catalogs or online carefully to make an informed decision. Ask for samples or download a sample chapter, if available.

Also, check your Christian bookstores to see if they have the curriculum you may be interested in using with your child. Include him or her in the decision-making process if appropriate.

Choose wisely and remember, that no decision is “set in stone.” If your selection does not work for you or your child, sell it, give it away, and move on to something else. Do not become burdened with any curriculum that does not fulfill your needs.

For more information on Christian homeschool curriculum,visit http://www.AllAboutHomeschoolCurriculum.com/christian-home-school-curriculum.html. Claudette Upshur is a retired public school teacher and former administrator for Straight Arrow Private School, a homeschooling program in Oceanside, CA. She has completely home educated four of her ten children from preschool through high school and is currently teaching the others in grades one through ten. Learn more about this mom who enjoys teaching at http://www.AllAboutHomeschoolCurriculum.com, her helpful website designed with you in mind.

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Home schooling allows parents and family members to deliver content that they consider appropriate and important for their kids. Still, there is the reality that many home school students will enter the workforce and compete against students who attended larger institutions with more resources. How can families who have decided to home school add more breath and depth to courses at minimal cost? Below are five suggestions that can help make your home school courses more substantial and engaging.

1. Organize learning trips. To supplement the study of core subjects, organize exploratory trips to teach your kids real-world skills. For middle and high school students, organize trips to the bank. On these trips, have students open accounts, make basic transitions, and enquire about bank services and fees. Banking trips can work well with other math lessons. For elementary school students, organize trips to different food markets. Consider a chain grocery store, the farmers’ market, a kosher market, and a Chinese Deli. These trips can compliment lessons about budgeting, nutrition, or cultural cuisines. As a long-term goal, students can fundraise for out-of-state trips. These trips can be related to things they are studying (e.g. a fieldtrip to New York after a unit on immigration or a road trip through the state, chartered by your kids, after a course about geography and map reading).

2. Enroll in college. Courses at a community college can be an inexpensive way to add to your child’s learning. Consider enrolling your students in a community college for subjects such as literature or language. High-school-age students would especially benefit from such courses. Attending college courses will add texture to the school day. Additionally, attending these courses will offer accelerated study and it will give students exposure to a college environment. If community college is not an option, check within your network of family and friends for college professors. These professionals may be willing to give a lecture on a specific subject or allow your kids to sit in on a course.

3. Use the information superhighway. The Internet offers a host of resources than can make home schooling a breeze. From home school networks to online courses, there are many sites that can make your lessons more interactive and effective. For general home schooling resources, visit The Home School Mom’s website. For language study, consider purchasing a 1-year online subscription to Rosetta Stone. For beginning and intermediate math study, check out the resources on Math.com. For lesson plans and other teaching resources, check out Laura Candler’s website. (Search names to find websites).

4. Explore your community. Keeps abreast of speakers, performances, and exhibits by signing up for newsletters from local colleges, universities, and museums. You can organize a unit of study in preparation for an upcoming exhibit. Conversely, you can use a speaker’s visit or a performance to add levels of understanding to a unit of study you have already begun. PBS and NPR are two other great places to learn about events in your community.

5. Purchase plans. There is no need to re-invent the wheel, or lesson plans for that matter, when you can purchase them over the Internet. Websites such as Teachers Pay Teachers and We are Teachers offer a wide variety of lesson plans and curricula for purchase. These plans are especially useful when you are teaching the basics, such as paragraph writing or long division, or when you are teaching commonly read authors, such as Shakespeare or Toni Morrison.

Home schooling allows families a greater level of control over the content and the chronology of study. At the same time, families who choose to home school have the job of preparing students for a larger world context. To add texture and to give more breath and depth to your home school courses, use the suggestions listed above.

AUTHOR’S BIO

James Guilford has worked in education, as a teacher and a dean, for nearly a decade. He is the author of the young adult novel, THE PENCIL TEST. Guilford’s writing has appeared in The North American Review, Identity Envy, In The Fray, and other publications. Visit the author’s website at http://www.jamesguilford.com to learn more about his writing and his workshops. Purchase THE PENCIL TEST on Amazon ( http://www.amazon.com/Pencil-Test-James-Guilford/dp/1440166439 ) or at other booksellers.

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Curriculum represents a course to study. It varies from one place to other. The standards for curriculum are based on the requirements of academic learning and also on the expectations of the grade level. There is one important point to remember and that is, academic requirements of learning do not speak to any specific method of teaching or style of learning, but simply provides the performance expectations which are set for every grade level.

Guidelines for homeschooling

The performance expectation of Home-school parents and children can be met through any preferred courses. There are some standard guidelines or checklists which offers the common requirements of learning for grade levels. The idea is to identify the common categories of the subject, lists of sub-categories or the topics to be covered. This will help in providing some sort of structure for students and parents to follow.

• Mathematics includes basic math, geometry, algebra, trigonometry, calculus, probability and statistics.

• The topics covered under Language Arts are phonics, letter recognition, reading, writing, spelling, research, composition and others.

• Social Studies encompasses History, sociology, geography and government.

• Health and Safety covers mental health, physical health, fitness, and nutrition, diseases, anatomy and accident prevention.

• Science on a broader level includes biology, botany, geology, chemistry, physics, astronomy and others.

Once the structure and curriculum are decided the next step is to decide on the grades. This is to identify how the student is doing in the allocate subjects. These are again based on the different levels the student will study. For high school, the grades should be between 9-12.

There are also many options to allow high school credit to be given based upon life experiences. This can be helpful because sometimes actual experiences are better than book knowledge. Additional Article – Online Courses Boost Homeschooling

Need additional information about high school issues? Get the free guide, A Parent’s Guide to Teenager Issues in the High School at http://highschoolmediator.com/land/HS_landing_page.html

Dr. Patricia Fioriello has 25 years experience in K-12 education as a teacher, principal, and central office manager. She currently publishes blogs, articles, eGuides and books addressing the critical issues confronting our school’s today. Her writing services include study materials, documents and presentations. Dr. Fioriello also conducts workshops, private online tutoring and consulting for K-12 educators and the community.

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