DIY Homeschooler

We’ve all been there. The promises of that “perfect” product that will meet our needs — which somehow implies allay our fears. We’re all too ready to grab it. But if you have spent any time at all educating your children at home, you already know that those promises fail pretty quickly. Ready for a solution? Here are 5 tips for making your curriculum choices easier!

Table of Contents

• 1. Educate yourself.
• 2. Determine needs.
• 3. Simplify.
• 4. Set goals.
• 5. Evaluate.

1. Educate yourself.

Curriculum is simply a tool. It is not a solution. It can help you achieve a solution. By educating yourself, you will be better able to apply the correct tool to a situation.

Things to think about:

• What forms the foundation of your educational needs?
• What do you believe is important to focus on?
• What types of things do you want to include each day?
• What type of tutor are you?
• How do you prefer to have things laid out?

Further Reading

• Making the Case for Educating Ourselves
  Why we believe it is so important to educate ourselves.
• Summer School for Mom: Choosing Materials
  We walk you through the process.
• 6 Tips for Making Wise Curriculum Purchases
  Part of educating yourself!
• 11 Tips: Choose Curriculum Without Becoming Overwhelmed!
  More tips in the way of educating yourself.
• Creating an Educational Bucket List
  One way to help keep a solid focus!
• Helps For New Homeschoolers: Find Your Own Way
  If you are new (and/or uncertain) read this.

2. Determine needs.

No generic education. Each child has a different set of skills and a different set of weaknesses. And a different set of interests.

Further Reading

• Bending Education to Fit the Child
  Ways to do it.
• 10 Tips for Providing a Non-Generic Education
  Keeping the needs of each child in mind.

3. Simplify.

There are so many ways to make this task easier. Some thoughts include:

• Combine where appropriate.
• Understand skill vs. content needs.
• Allow projects.
• Go natural.

Further Reading

• Skill Subjects vs. Content Subjects {The Key to Simplifying}
  And the key to curriculum freedom!
• Helps for New Homeschoolers: The Role of Curriculum
  Tips for simplifying.
• 14 Ways to Plan Studies Around an Interest
  One way to simplify!
• Beechick Basics
  Dr. Ruth Beechick had a real knack for cutting through the fluff!

4. Set goals.

So. Now that you know where you are, where do you want to go? What do you want to accomplish?

Further Reading

• Summer School for Mom: Setting Goals
  Tips.

5. Evaluate.

Evaluation can involve more than despair that everything falls short of perfect! Remove the emotional knee-jerk response. Instead, judge evaluations on how well the goals were met. Then, focus on areas that need attention…and praise those successes!

Further Reading

• Evaluating for Excellence by Teresa M. Moon
  Setting goals first…and then evaluating. Highly recommended! Read our entire review.
• Don’t Expect Perfection — At First
  Just a reminder….

It is all too easy to find ourselves fretting over the perceived failures of any curriculum choices we do make, the curriculum choices we have made, and the curriculum choices we will make. By keeping these decisions in their proper context (selecting tools, rather than determining the future fate of our children), we can move forward logically and with confidence!

---

Additional Resources

102 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum by Cathy Duffy
This is our go-to resource when it comes to understanding the way we teach and the materials that will be a best fit for our family. Read our full review.