After the back-to-school season, we homeschool parents may realize our chosen curriculum isn’t working. What to do? Let me suggest you do not need to make drastic changes. Maybe all you need is a little supplementation. This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support.
Brainquest Workbooks
In this post, I am recommending workbooks or curriculum add-ons which can address this pain point we have all felt at one time or another.
- Spectrum or Brain Quest workbooks for core subjects (math, reading, writing) – Love it or hate it, sometimes a straightforward workbook can take the guesswork out of your teaching day. Get a page done, or two, and feel a bit of momentum. You don’t have to finish it all or even 80% of it by the end of the year. Try it for a few weeks just to get order into the day-to-day operations. Then, go back to your main curriculum or “spine.” See if this structured approach has made a difference.
- The Good and the Beautiful curriculum books – I have several friends who have used this curriculum with success. I think it came about after I started homeschooling for a few years. By then, I had my favorites picked out, so I have never really used this curriculum. However, after looking at it, if I were to start all over again, I would choose this one in a heartbeat. That is why I am adding it to the list.
- Story of the World series by Susan Wise Bauer for history – We loved SOTW! So much so, that we went through it twice. I blogged about it and a lot of my blog readers find me through the Pinterest board on our Story of the World crafts. This curriculum is tried and true for us. As such, I don’t hesitate to add it to the list.
- Handwriting Without Tears workbooks for early learners – Again, not something I used, but I have friends who love it and highly recommend it. Several people have remarked on my children’s good penmanship and alerted me to the fact that their children really struggled to put pen to paper. Don’t you love it when people trust you enough to make themselves vulnerable? These lovely parents used HWT successfully and that is why I am adding it to the list.
- Life of Fred math books – For a fun, narrative-based approach to math, which is light in practice questions, we have supplemented with LOF now and then. My children loved Fred and his adventures. As for me, Fred fulfilled a very important role: he kept our math learning going when we hit a bit of a wall here and there.
All of the above resources align with a classical education approach and, I dare say, even a Charlotte Mason approach. For instance, the Story of the World curriculum will give you a list of living books for each lesson. I used to go to the library and load up with all of them. However, after talking to Susan Wise Bauer personally about it, she laughed and said, “One would be enough.” So take it easy, keep it light and relaxed, and your children will do well.
