A COMPLETE LIST OF HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM AND THE STYLES THEY ALIGN WITH
As you navigate the process of starting your brand new homeschool journey and/or year, the time will come to choose a curriculum that best fulfills the needs of your family and your children.
Finding your children’s learning style(s) is one of the most important elements in choosing your curriculum resources.
Are they:
- Visual learners?
- Auditory learners?
- Tactile learners?
- Kinesthetic learners?
Let me help make things a little easier to figure out what you should choose with a learning style quiz, along with a (fairly) complete list of homeschool curriculum, conveniently, also listed by style.
WHAT IS A HOMESCHOOL STYLE?
Do one quick Google search, and you’ll find several specific styles that have been coined by homeschool pioneers, dating back as early as the 1800s. These styles are not something that have to be followed religiously, more so being a simple inspirational guide as you navigate the journey of educating your children at home.
You’ll find styles like Charlotte Mason, Classical Education and Waldorf to Unit Study, Unschooling, and Eclectic – there is truly a style for everyone!
Most homeschool styles are created for particular learning and teaching styles, which makes it easier to pick the best one(s) for your needs. May I also reiterate, that you do NOT have to pick just on style or curricula. You can actually combine several, to fully grasp the uniqueness of the children you’ll be teaching.
The personal style that works best for us, is an eclectic, Charlotte Mason inspired method. It gives me the freedom to go beyond the academics and focus on the whole child – body, mind, and spirit.
You can take this quiz to help you determine each child’s homeschool style .
After you determine their learning style, it’s time to learn about the different styles of Curricula.
Different Types of Homeschool Curricula.
Once you choose a style that you are interested in, you may wondering what curriculum and resources would best compliment those styles.
Keep reading for a great list of suggestions to consider.
*EACH CURRICULUM TYPE LISTED HAS LINKS TO THE CURRICULUM SITE
COMPLETE LIST OF HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM AND THE STYLES THEY ALIGN WITH:
CHARLOTTE MASON
Charlotte Mason’s philosophy of education involves embracing the whole child and focuses on individual progress. Therefore, a curriculum with this method at its roots, will use living books, nature studies, and resources that educate the whole child. You’ll notice two lists for this style because some curriculum is purely aligned, while the others are only Charlotte Mason inspired.
PURELY ALIGNED CURRICULUM
Ambleside online
CHARLOTTE MASON INSPIRED CURRICULUM
Beautiful Feet
ONLINE HOMESCHOOL PROGRAMS
Easy Peasy Online All-in-Homeschool (COMPLETELY FREE)
TRADITIONAL
A traditional style of homeschooling typically gravitates toward using grade-level appropriate curriculum and often mirrors a school-at-home approach. Resources for this style are textbooks, workbooks, and programs that offer familiarity to what most parents are used to from school.
Writing Through History series
CLASSICAL EDUCATION
Classical Education approaches education in three levels – the grammar stage, the logic stage, and the rhetoric stage. Therefore, curriculum for this style will cover the core subjects and have emphasis on learning Latin.
Memoria Press
Memoria Press Classical Christian Education
WALDORF
Waldorf inspired education is typically done in blocks over the course of 3-5 weeks in duration. During this time, children illustrate what they have learned in self-created textbooks, also known as notebooking (or lapbooking).
UNIT STUDY
The unit study method is becoming a popular style among homeschoolers who are looking for innovative ways to teach multiple children spanning across multiple grades. Unit studies give you the ability to learn a variety of concepts all tied to one theme.
Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett
UNSCHOOLING
Although unschooling adopts more of a child-led approach, there is still a facilitating of learning. Resources for this style encourage exploration and more meaningful learning experiences initiated by the child.
NATURE STUDY
Ideally, your child is immersed in nature conducting close observations. It could be a monarch caterpillar inching the stalk of a milkweed plant. Watching as it climbs to the bridge where the leaf stem and plant stalk merge. Your child takes in all that s/he can which comes under all of their senses. They mentally process what they observe and if they should pick up the caterpillar, then they experience their nature observation through kinesthetic learning.
Young children should be allowed to explore in wonderment until their curious minds pose questions. The longer they observe, the more nature provides them with the answer. Often times this is followed by journaling their observations in a nature journal. What answers nature is unable to provide can be answered with a living book or field guide.
Exploring Nature with Children
Nature Worth Observing Companion Journal
While there are several more styles and a ton of other curriculum choices, this list is definitely enough to help get you started.
To keep from getting overwhelmed, start by understanding the learning styles of your children, then, with those in mind, slowly start to navigate through the different curriculum and resource options available for those styles.
DO NOT MAKE ANY HASTY CURRICULUM PURCHASES!!! TAKE YOUR TIME!!!
Remember to opt in to try before you buy, visit a knowledgeable homeschool store (ask about used curriculum), join homeschooling groups; go to a homeschool convention, look for used curriculum in FB groups, ebay, amazon, etc., and don’t hesitate to switch it up in the event something doesn’t work.
That’s one of the incredible advantages to homeschooling!
INCLUDE your children in curriculum choices…
After all, THEY are the ones who are doing the work ~ they should love it as much as you do!!!
This will help them become more excited and connected, as well!!
MOST IMPORTANTLY….
ENJOY THE JOURNEY!!
Thank You for Visiting!!!
Be Sure to Check Out my Homeschooling Page and Come Back to My Blog Often for More Great Homeschooling Content!!
Love,
