Which Homeschool Curriculum Do I Choose?

Which homeschool curriculum do I choose? I see this question come up constantly in social media groups. Most homeschooling parents aren’t trained teachers, and they are looking expert guidance. In my experience, parents fall into one of three categories with education: no experience, some experience, and lots of experience. To each group I will make unique suggestions.

Homeschool Curriculum for No Experience

Believe it or not, the minority of homeschooling parents have virtually no experience in education. Yet, these folks may have started during COVID or otherwise feel their child is not being met in mainstream education. They may have also cultural concerns about what’s being taught in public and even some private schools.

Yet, with no experience, these folks need trusted expert teachers to deliver the goods, so to speak. These parents usually either don’t have the time or don’t have the confidence to do it themselves. For that reason, here’s what I would recommend:

• Full online curriculum or in-person homeschool coop. If online, this can be either fully live, prerecorded, or a hybrid of both. If in-person, you will have to look around to see what’s available in your area. A great example of the latter is the Phoenix Community Initiative in Ghent, NY.
• One advantage of connecting with other students online, however, is getting a vast array of worldwide perspectives which is enormously helpful and orienting for youth in these times.
• Extracurricular activities and homeschool meetups such as horseback riding, private music lessons, outdoors clubs, etc. Here in the Hudson Valley of NY, for example, there are numerous groups that meet 1-2 days per week to learn and practice skills like knitting, playing the lyre, and hiking.

Homeschool Curriculum for Some Experience

Most homeschooling parents fall into this category. They may have worked as a kindergarten teacher for a few years, taught math in middle school before having children, or perhaps have taught at the college level. These folks like teaching and feel they can do a good job of it. They may, however, need some guidance and inspiration. For example, they may want to learn how to do a perspective drawing.

My recommendations for folks in this category are:

• The above recommendations, especially using prerecorded classes by expert teachers as guidance for your own teaching.
• A hybrid of online/out-sourced and parent-led teaching. Some parents, for example, are really good with math but not so much with history. In such a case, they may teach the math on their own but outsource the other subjects. Homeschool coops are a possibility to help fill in the gaps, as well as local groups and tutors.
• Alternatively, if these parents want to do all the teaching themselves, I would suggest curricula that give you all the steps ahead of time, for example, Jamie York’s Making Math Meaningful series. His books give you a lesson-by-lesson layout of what to teach. It will take some effort on parents’ part to figure out how to implement it, however. For science, Physics is Fun by Trostli is a great step-by-step guide, as is his Chemistry the Waldorf Way.
• For a fuller curriculum, I would look at Christopherus.

Homeschool Curriculum for Lots of Experience

Well, these people don’t need much help, do they? Not necessarily so, actually! A parent recently lamented to me about how her child won’t take teaching from mom anymore. That happens, especially starting in 6th grade. (You have to love the 12-year change.) Moreover, some parents might have taught extensively, but who amongst us has taught everything? And, who amongst those who has homeschools their children? Not many, either way. Yet, these folks have a lot of confidence, so here’s what I would suggest for the best homeschool curriculum:

• All of the above recommendations, depending on your situation. Sometimes, it can be nice to have a break and just let someone else step in. That’s sort of like when you just don’t feel like cooking tonight, so you take the family out to dinner.
• Since you have experience crafting lesson plans and flows, you can use texts like Charles Kovacs’ extensive collection. As an experienced teacher myself, that guy inspires me constantly.
• You can also go directly to material itself, like D’Aulaires’ Norse Myths. Then, because you’re a mega-nerd like me, you can study the deeper meanings behind what you’re teaching, such as in Ernst Uehli’s Norse Mythology and the Modern Human Being. Another example for chemistry is Rudolf Hauschka’s The Nature of Substance: Spirit and Matter. Such a study not only informs you, but shapes the very nuances with with you teach a subject. At that level, you become a master of what you are teaching.

Other Homeschooling Curriculum Resources

• Make sure you are following some good blogs. Of course, you can subscribe to our blog. Waldorfy is another good one to follow. These can really help with good tips.
• I would also maintain a daily spiritual practice. I cannot stress how strengthening this is for this big task of raising and educating your children.
• If you have time, immerse yourself in education lectures, especially in the Steiner tradition. There are lots of methods out there, and their merits vary. In my 20+ years of working with children and youth and education, in various capacities, I have found no greater road map than the Steiner method.