Tell a Friend to Visit
Free Tell-a-Friend by Bravenet.com

What curriculum do I use? I use a mix of different programs. The programs listed below are the ones I currently use.

I use Learn to Read in 100 Easy Lessons for beginning reading, we also use Action Reading, and Play N’ Talk. I have many to suit the needs of my children.

For math we use Math-U-See. My boys all like this one and it is such an awesome program. Mine liked it so well that they moved quickly through the books and were able to understand the math and retain what they learned. My “5th grader” (10 yr old) has graduated from Advanced Mathematics to Algebra.

We like Ray's Arithmetic for the higher-level math (Algebra – Calculus). These are available for all levels from beginner on up. They come on cds and you print out the books that you need. Another program I recently found out about is the Eclectic Education Series Grammar Books. I plan on buying these for next year, they cover grammar for all grade levels. If you use the McGuffy Readers this is a great program to use right along with them as they are keyed to the readers.

Ray's Arithmetic and the Eclectic Education Series are textbooks used from 1865-1915 in the old one-room schoolhouses. Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Theodore Roosevelt were only a few of the greats that were educated using these very textbooks.

We also like Times Tales for learning the 6-9 multiplication tables. My kids learned these upper level times tables in less than an hour and we use them on a daily basis. I recommend them to all kids, because they use a visual mnemonic memory system. Your kids will have a hard time forgetting them.

For handwriting I like the Italic Hand Writing Series. I like the ease of this program. It has been easier for my children to learn to write more legibly, and you move from “printing” to “italics” just by adding a few strokes to your letters to make them join. There is no relearning to write loopy letters like in cursive.

For foreign language I like Rosetta Stone. This is an easy program to use, and covers all 4 language skills: listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. There is no other program that I have found that can compare to Rosetta Stone.

For the rest of our curriculum I like Robinson Curriculum. Everything you need for 12 years of schooling with the exception of Math is on 22 cds. All of the reading books, grammar, and spelling are included. It is a self-teaching course. With so many children I found that important because I can only split my 24 hours so many ways. I also have Fast Track Spell Power, by the creator of Action Reading. The two programs go hand in hand and I like to use this program when I want to test my new spellers.

There are many other programs that I have tried and liked, but they did not suit my children. I still recommend them to others who are looking for good programs and some of the children have liked them and others have not. It is as personal choice for everyone.

Keep trying different programs until you find one that you and your child like. I would definitely suggest that you chose one that has little teacher prep time, because it will deter you from using it. Besides, there are too many good programs out there that don’t require a lot of prep time.

Useful Homeschooling Links

Return to Curriculum Home Page