Do you have Questions About Curriculum? We all should before we spend a lot of money on products we will never like.
Questions About Curriculum
1. is it worth the money? Our 1st year homeschooling I bought the most expensive reading program for my kindergarten son – who could not read. It was great for the following year but sat on our shelf collecting dust. I should have found a cheaper “intro to reading” program.
2. what have I heard about it? - start reading reviews of the curriculum you might be interested in (don’t just read the ones off company websites google the product and read what everyone has to say – find unbiased reviews). Right now I am seeing a ton of informative reviews on Geography Matters – because of these reviews I contacted the company and we’re going to use it next year. (a post about that decision coming Thursday)
3. what is the focus? are you teaching evolution or creation – it will make a difference in the products you buy much more than your science curriculum. If God is at the heart of your curriculum you will notice much more “character training” than simple black & white facts.
4. what am I paying for, really? some companies have real fancy books but the content falls flat. Am I paying for the glossy finish & name or quality content? What’s In The Bible is wonderfully full of quality content and the price is reasonable – it makes for a great supplement!
5. what does this look like long term? lapbooks are great but do you want to do them all year? manipulatives sound fun but you’ll be constantly picking them up in February when you hate school. Do you have the space for all those readers?
6. do I want to support this company? sadly, some companies are not easy to work with, have horrible return policies or are not interested in your feedback. Other companies like Apologia are wonderfully helpful, easy to contact, quick to answer questions and fun to work with.
7. does it benefit my child’s learning style? Bottom line – it does not matter what YOU like. If your child is not tactile manipulatives will not be “fun” – ever. My oldest son is not auditory and did not enjoy the Classical Conversation’s cds no matter how many times I played them. Yet his little brother loves singing the same songs! The best curriculum for your family is the one that teaches toward student’s learning style.
8. does it require a lot of planning? Different moms like different structure. I like flexibility. I have a great Homeschool Planner, but I still like when the curriculum guides me. Does the curriculum offer flexibility – 2 day schedule, 3 day schedule, or 4 day schedule – curriculum that offers different plans is more appealing like Mystery of History Volume I offered different variations.
9. can other kids use it? I have a big age gap so this isn’t my primary concern. Next year I am teaching 4th grade & preschool/kindergarten. Online products like unit studies I can purchase once and reprint twice. Amanda Bennett Download N Go unit studies were fantastic because I could print out an extra coloring page for little man to doodle along side our lessons.
10. does it have a good affiliate program? I’m a blogger so naturally I like the idea of using a product like All About Spelling. I can share what we’re doing on my blog and earn a little cash at the same time - it pays for the curriculum!
Do you have a list of Questions About Curriculum before you buy? It might help to weed out the confusion!
* this post contains affiliate links*
Excellent list of considerations!! I loved the idea of Classical Conversations, but we just could not keep up with all the memorizing. I also did that ‘boxed set’ curriculum for my oldest and we just could not sustain spending that much money on each student. We also love Apologia!! I hope more folks read your list!
Thanks Kay. We did Classical Conversations for 1/2 a year before my visual son couldn’t stand the singing. He only wanted to go for lunch and playground time. Since my youngest was in daycare (and I had to serve there) it was a waste of our time.
Wow! You got the works! That wasn’t quite in our budget, so we’ll piece it together.
What is the difference between POS and POE? I saw the grades kind of overlapped. Are you starting now or waiting until the new school year?
POE is the first in the series, it is what we are using. POS is the next in the series, and bumps up the age a bit to keep you increasing in difficulty as you move up in time period. (U.S. History).
I thought I replied to this – so sorry, POE is Exploration (Columbus, Pilgrims, etc.) POS is Settlement 100+ years after discovery and moving toward Civil War.
You will really enjoy your year! Great choice!
Really fabulous questions to think through! I just shared your post on the Homeschool Classroom Facebook page. I think it will be very helpful to many people!
thanks Angie !!
I am doing this right now. My son will be going into first grade so it is kind of overwhelming. I am thinking the LifePacs look good for us. This year we just did a modge podge and lots of reading. While that is great I need more structure and I think he does too.
Hoping we find the right fit for both of us.:) Thanks for sharing!