Rocking Chair Pondering

When we first started homeschooling, I was shocked! It’s a whole different universe out there!! There are so many different types of curriculum. It really depends on how you want your homeschool to look and feel. My children are older and I enjoy doing a quick run through of the lesson with them. At this point, they still enjoy that too. Some days, they look at the lesson plan and don’t really need any assistance from me. We tend to do science and history family style and so far that works for us. There are online options that are literally just plug and go, but that’s not really our style, but I know families that seem to really enjoy it.

When asked what type of curriculum we use, I chuckle and say “Frankenstein”. I haven’t committed to go all in on any type of curriculum. So I use a few different types and a variety of other resources. That’s the beauty of home school. For Language Arts and Math – we use The Good and The Beautiful. From what I gather, it seems like folks either love it or hate it. So far, we enjoy it. There has also been some static with this curriculum as the developer is a member of the Mormon Church. As someone of faith, it seems to rise up to its non denominational branding and I am okay with that. We have completed some of the science courses and enjoyed those too. We really like science so we tend to go more in depth than what is covered in the courses. It’s great though if you’re just looking to check the science block with engaging information and experiments. Another cool thing with this option is they offer the Language Arts and Math for free. I choose to print the books out and , of course, there is a cost for that, but it seems to be cheaper than purchasing the books. I’ll provide more info on that a bit later. We’ve also enjoyed their handwriting and typing courses as well. We really enjoyed the Masterbook America’s History 3 Book Series.

In case you’re interested in printing curriculum or just need a good printer, I highly recommend the Epson EcoTank ET 3760. It is a refillable color tank printer/copier/scanner, so basically everything you need! The ink refills are super reasonable and last a long time… like I can print two language art books and two math books and not be totally out of ink. If you notice how different types of paper can feel different, I will also suggest this type of printer paper….it is very smooth to touch and produces very vibrant colors. Cost wise, comes in about two cents per sheet. Now unless you just want hundreds of pages of loose leaf paper laying around, you’re also gonna need a binding machine…. this brand is called Makeasy and it does just that… makes it very easy to make books. It comes with a few small binding rings but you will likely need larger… depending on the size of the book. Here is a 2inch option for up to 400pages. I also like to laminate the cover of the book and other random things that we use. I really like the Scotch Thermal Laminator. The sleeves/pouches are very reasonable. Soooo, some upfront costs to get started, but it has been super helpful over the years.

I am always open to questions and would love to hear about other curriculum options and resources! What is working well for your family? ❤