Every school year most homeschool families go through the difficult process of deciding what the best homeschool curriculum is to use for the following year. Shifts in education priorities, successes and trials from the previous year, mature students, and growing teacher confidence and experience can all drive this process.
Many hours can be spent researching and evaluating the curriculum in search of tools that will help you provide a better education for your children. Homeschool programs are many in number, but how do you find the best homeschool curriculum for your family?
What to look for in choosing the best homeschool curriculum for your family
Using subjective reviews is risky because the particular needs of you and your students are likely different from the perspective of the reviewers. Selecting a science curriculum is further complicated because many homeschool parents are less comfortable with the subject matter than say language arts curriculum.
Use these tips as you work to choose the best curriculum for your family.
- Does the curriculum fit your budget?
Finding a curriculum option that fits your budget is important. Finding your budget before you begin will help you eliminate curriculum choices in order to keep it manageable. - What kind of curriculum components will be the best fit for your learners?
Finding your child’s learning style in order to find a great fitting science curriculum (or social studies or math curriculum) will be important. Your child’s learning style will determine if you will want to look for a curriculum that is primarily text, workbook-based, has online content, or is taught with DVDs. If your child doesn’t do well with worksheets, you might want to steer clear of a curriculum that is primarily worksheet-driven. - What kind of teacher are you?
As you consider your child’s learning style, you’ll also want to consider your own teaching style and experience. Homeschooling resources that take into consideration the experience of a home educator will focus on things like; making lesson plans easy to follow and, in many cases, having them already laid out for you. Do you prefer online learning or textbook learning? Do you prefer all of the ‘extras’ like printables to be already included or are you comfortable with rounding those up yourself? Do you want a curriculum that is easy to work at your own pace or one that requires a more rigid schedule? Questions like these and many others should factor into your decision. - Does your worldview factor into the kind of curriculum you want to use?
Many homeschool parents want a Christian homeschool curriculum that supports their Christian worldview. For example, finding a curriculum that supports a creationist vs evolutionist worldview will be an important factor to look at. If you prefer a non-Christian worldview, you might consider looking at Time4Learning.
A comprehensive guide to looking at the best homeschool curriculum
The process of evaluating and choosing a science curriculum can be very time-consuming but we have condensed it to just 30 minutes with our Science Curriculum Selection Guide. This guide (one for grades K-6 and one for middle school and high school grade levels) is based on reviews and objective ratings of 24 criteria from our staff of experienced parents and teachers.
Because the needs of parents and students vary widely, there is no single “best” science curriculum for every situation. However, we have identified the top-rated science curriculum based on six popular categories using the Science Curriculum Selection Guide. If one of these categories fits your situation well, then we recommend the curriculum selected.
In this guide, you can find information on top picks for award-winning curricula, including:
- Science Unlocked by Home Science Tools
- ABeka
- Apologia
- Berean Builders
- Bob Jones
- Christian LIght
- Lifepac
- Real Science 4 Kids
- REAL Science Odyssey
- Switched-On-Schoolhouse
Some of these offer online classes, unit studies, textbook options, and DVD-taught options. Note that the top-rated curriculum differs for elementary and middle/high school. This is due to a number of factors including scope and sequence, approach, publisher’s expertise, or a difference in writers. A curriculum that works well for you in the elementary years may be inadequate to meet your needs as your children advance to middle school or high school. We recommend that you stick with a science curriculum that works well for you through the elementary grades but re-evaluates when your child approaches 7th grade. You may even want to re-evaluate again when your child reaches high school.
Although not included in our curriculum reviews, you might also find it helpful to look at Charlotte Mason curricula (for example My Father’s World or Sonlight) or Classical Learning Curriculum (for example Classical Conversations). If you need a free homeschool curriculum, it’s out there, as well, and a simple Google search can find loads of information.
As a homeschool mom, you have a plethora of homeschooling resources at your fingertips from which to choose the best homeschool curriculum. But don’t let the many options scare you. With our help and the help of your friends, you’ll find the best elementary school, middle school, and high school curriculum available for your family.