Preparing to Homeschool: Selecting Curriculum

Articles

Education Freebies by Beverly S. Krueger
It's been said that you can homeschool for free or practically free. For a thorough look, read Homeschool Your Child for Free by Laura Maery Gold and Joan M. Zielinski. The title of their book offered me a challenge to see what I could find that was free on the Internet to use in our homeschooling.

Finding Used Curriculum by Beverly S. Krueger
Anyone who has been to a large curriculum fair will tell you, you may go planning to look at only a few things, but you will leave with a long list of things you’d like to buy if you had the money. What's a homeschool parent to do?

Homeschool Resources - They're All Around Us by Beverly S. Krueger
A short list of readily available, inexpensive substitutes I've discovered over the years.

Homeschooling Scope & Sequence by EHO Staff
Scope and sequence resources to assist you in planning your homeschooling curriculum.Scope and sequence resources to assist you in planning your homeschooling curriculum.

Purchasing 101: Forget the Curriculum; What Else Do I Buy!? by Tammy M. Cardwell
What do I buy? It's a question that both excites and intimidates the new homeschooler. Curriculum purchases are hard enough, but what about everything else? What will you really need in your homeschool?

Curriculum Helps Department
Our Curriculum Helps Department is available with many more resources at out main EHO site.

Articles

An Unschooling Life Style by Patricia J. Donahue-Krueger
What have your children learned lately? Math? Spelling? Foreign Languages? My children have studied none of those things. No times tables, no spelling lists, not a single Spanish phrase. Yet, the things that they have learned are great in number and vast in importance.

Christian Unschooling... How Can That Be? by Jeanne Musfeldt
How can a Christian unschool? Isn’t that a term coined by John Holt? Doesn’t that make me a humanist?

Confession Time by Tammy M. Cardwell
This has been, perhaps, the hardest piece of writing I’ve ever worked on. I’ve begun it more times than I care to think about. I even wrote one complete article and tossed it because it didn’t say what I felt needed saying. Some would ask why I’ve bothered with it at all, but I’ve seen things in the past month that…well… I’ve confessions to make – not big ones in the overall scheme of things, but big ones in my personal world – and I hope that in making them I can help someone else have an easier homeschooling experience.

How Much Is Too Much? by Patricia J. Donahue-Krueger
Wondering how much is ‘too much’ in terms of planned activities for your homeschooled children? Do you look longingly for at least one blank page in your date book? Do you yearn for one small square on your wall calendar that is totally free from times and meeting places and ‘must do's’? Have you found yourself in that zone of madness where activity equals productivity? Then you are not alone.

Unschooling Against God's Will? by Beverly S. Krueger
An editorial response to a letter to the editor expressing the belief that unschooling is contrary to the Word of God.

Articles

Selecting a Study Guide with Bloom's Taxonomy by Beverly S. Krueger
Using Bloom's Taxonomy to determine the types of questions in a particular guide will allow you to plan that portion of your study to meet specific goals.

Seven Laws of Teaching by Renee Mathis
When I first began, it seemed that my homeschooling efforts centered on the search for "the perfect curriculum." I just knew that if I found the perfect match for my children and their needs that school would just be a breeze. Surprise, surprise - most of you know by now that there is no such thing as the perfect curriculum. And even though most years I was very satisfied with our materials, "real life" seemed to rear its ugly head. I knew there had to be a solution and I decided that the answer was in learning how to become a better teacher.

The Montessori Method by Beverly S. Krueger
Dr. Maria Montessori developed what is now known as the Montessori method of education in the early twentieth century. Montessori believed that learning was a natural process directed by the individual learner. She stated that certain fundamental laws of nature could describe the process of learning that was the natural outflow of an environment ordered to allow children to follow their inclination to learn.

The Value of Testing by Beth Waltman
We home educators have an opportunity to handle test-taking at our own discretion. However, before we throw out tests entirely, we must evaluate whether tests help or hinder in the learning process.

To Test or Not to Test by Beverly S. Krueger and Tammy M. Cardwell
Arguments for and Against Standardized Testing

A Helping Hand Advice Column Questions

Question:
I’ve looked into learning styles and found that I teach entirely different than the way my child learns. Is there any hope?

Articles

Classical Christian Homeschooling - Why Study Greek? by Harvey Bluedorn
We think Greek is a foreign language written in a foreign alphabet. Yet we speak and write Greek every day without realizing it. Our alphabet comes from Greek. Our vocabulary is filled with Greek. Much can be said of the broad understanding of language and culture, which can be gained through studying this language. But let's face it, such thoughts do not move most persons to do so.

Classical Homeschooling Links by EHO Staff
A variety of links to articles, websites and other resources for those interested in classical education and classical homeschooling.

The Trivium and Charlotte Mason by Laurie Bluedorn
Are the Classical Approach and the Charlotte Mason Approach two homeschool approaches so opposite from each other that they cannot be reconciled? Or is it possible to use a combination of these two approaches? Let’s look at each of these approaches separately and see what are the similarities and differences.

Working Towards Using the Socratic Method by Robert L. Holder
The Socratic method is something like woodcarving. Just as a woodcarver removes layers of wood to get at the form of the object he is carving, the Socratic method is used to carve away all suppositions contrary to what is true about a given idea. It’s a way at getting at the positive by focusing on the negative.

Articles

Decision Time by Beverly S. Krueger
It’s decision time for many homeschool families. The curriculum fair has come and gone. Homeschool catalogs have been pored over. Product reviews have been read. Now it’s decision time. Which math program am I going to purchase for my reluctant daughter? Is there anything that will motivate my teenage son to do more than sleep, eat, and play video games?It’s decision time for many homeschool families. The curriculum fair has come and gone. Homeschool catalogs have been pored over. Product reviews have been read. Now it’s decision time.

High School Priorities by Beverly S. Krueger
I’ve been part of high school homeschooling workshops in the past and have found one prevailing mistaken understanding each time. Many homeschoolers believe that their goal in high school homeschooling is to meet the graduation requirements of their local high school. They believe if they don’t meet those requirements their child will be unable to pursue post high school education or employment. If their state requires 22 credits, they believe they must come up with coursework for 22 credits.

Homeschoolers and College Admissions Testing by Beverly S. Krueger
One of the chief non-subjective means that admissions officers use in determining the admissions of homeschooled students to college are their college admissions test scores. The SAT and the ACT tests serve as an unbiased means to prove that your student has the academic chops to make it in college. These tests become more meaningful for the homeschool student because other indicators used by admissions officers don't apply to the them. Learn more about registering and preparing for these tests.

Homeschooling Little Ones by Tamara Eaton
Our first four children were born very closely spaced together, (4 in 4 1/2 years) and we have always homeschooled them all. So I began homeschooling with little ones, and managed to include them from the very start in our activities.

Homeschooling: The Transition to College by Beth Waltman
Have you wondered whether your homeschooled children will ever graduate and successfully attend college?

How Do I Handle High School Homeschooling? by Beverly S. Krueger
Possibilities and resources for high school homeschooling.

Information Resources for Starting the College Selection Process by EHO Staff
A listing of places to find information to help find the college that best suits your needs.

Preparing Your Child for College by Beverly S. Krueger
As parents, we all hope that our children will learn from other's examples rather than make the same mistakes it seems a percentage of college freshmen make every year. The temptations are many, running up enormous phone bills, maxing out the credit card financial institutions are so eager to give college students, or spending too much time enjoying college life and not enough time studying. So many traps to avoid while simultaneously adjusting to a new work load, facing an accelerated learning curve, and being introduced to new ideas, concepts, or beliefs. You hope that you've prepared your child academically to critically weed through the new ideas and maintain his bearing, but as the time draws near to see him walk out your door, you wonder if there are other resources to help him.

Preschool Homeschooling by Beverly S. Krueger
Plunging into homeschooling while your child is still preschool age. What you should do now. What can wait.

Starting out with Older Kids by Beverly S. Krueger
When you take the plunge into homeschooling with older children, fifth grade and above, you are often met with a whole array of problems that those who just flow into homeschooling in the early years never encounter. I’ve heard it said that children’s personalities are pretty much set by the age of ten. After that, it takes a life-changing event to affect a person’s core beliefs. I don’t know whether that’s true or not, but I do know that by age ten most children have definite opinions about many things and are usually more than ready to dig their heels in when a big change not to their liking occurs in their life. Homeschooling is just such a big change.

Teaching Kindergartners by Tamara Eaton
Certainly you may provide the very best "reading readiness" training in the way of reading aloud wonderful books to your son! Answer his questions. Let him learn all he wants to learn, at his own pace, but never push him! I adamantly believe that children this age should not be pushed or pressured into formal academics. Yet, at the same time, neither should we hold back information from them if they are interested!

Homeschool By Age Department
Our Homeschool By Age Department is available with many more resources at out main EHO site.

Articles

Activities -- Helping Your Child Become a Reader by Andrea DeBruin-Parecki, Kathryn Perkinson and Lance Ferderer, with updates for the current edition completed by Fran Lehr and Jean Osborn.
What follows are ideas for language-building activities that you can do with your child to help her build the skills she needs to become a reader. Most public libraries offer free use of books, magazines, videos, computers, and other services. Other things that you might need for these activities are not expensive.

Building Character Through Literature by Lorraine Curry
How to use good literature to reinforce our character building in our children.

Discerning as You Read by Beverly S. Krueger
Early on in their academic careers we teach our children the mechanics of reading and comprehension skills. As they get older, we need to arm our children with another tool of reading, discernment. Some call this critical reading, reading that focuses on determining the bias of the author and whether the piece is based on fact or opinion.

Helping Your Child Learn History by Elaine Wrisley Reed
If you look for the meaning of "history" in the dictionary you may be surprised to find that history is not simply the past itself. The first meaning of history is "tale, story," and the second meaning is "a chronological record of significant past events." The opening of tales for children—"Once upon a time"— captures both the story and time nature of history.

Helping Your Child Learn Science by Nancy Paulu and Margery Martin
Science is not just a collection of facts. Facts are a part of science. We all need to know some basic scientific information: water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit (or 0 degrees Celsius), and the earth moves around the sun. But science is much more.

Loving History: Part I by Tammy Marshall Cardwell
History need not be a boring subject that you and your children merely endure. It can be a fascinating exploration that helps you better understand, and retain information about, the world you live in; you need only take advantage of some of the truly wonderful resources at your disposal.

Science, It Can Be Done by Katherine Headley
Creating your own science program.

Academic Departments
We have academic departments with many additional resources and articles available at out main EHO site for the following academic areas:
Math - 26 + articles and two math unit studies
Science - 27 + articles and 15 science unit studies
Language Arts - 46 + articles and two literature unit studies
Social Studies - 33 + articles and 13 social studies unit studies

Articles

Exhibit Hall Survival Skills by Tammy M. Cardwell
Exhibit hall…book fair…vendor room… Whatever you call it, it's the place to be when you're ready to do your homeschool shopping. The exhibit hall can be the most exciting of places. It can also be the most intimidating and financially dangerous, especially for the new homeschooler. The quality of your exhibit hall experience will be determined in large part by how well you prepare for it, so I've compiled the following list of suggestions in hopes of strengthening your exhibit hall survival skills.

Should Christians Attend Secular Homeschool Conferences? by Beverly S. Krueger
I've heard non-Christians refuse to attend a Christian homeschool conference because too much of the material would be Christian oriented and they wouldn't get their money's worth. I've heard Christians express the idea that attendance at a secular homeschool conference would bring a potential taint into their Christian homes. Both these viewpoints come from the same fundamental belief that that which is other is inherently bad and therefore can have absolutely no value to me.

Vision Revival by Maribeth Spangenberg
I love curriculum fair season! To me it is a revival of the joy and anticipation that I felt when I first ventured into homeschooling twenty years ago. Seeing all the extended vans in the parking lot gives me a sense of love of family and children. Being under the same roof as others of like-mindedness, automatically renews my vision.