What to Look for in Curriculum
All curricula benefits from reading enough about it to understand its philosophy and practice before you begin. Don’t be so quick to expect a book to “self-teach.” Invest up front, and then the program may work easily for you and your kids.
Are you hot and heavy in planning/research/shopping mode?
A Few Tips
- Park your kids in front of the TV.
- Make a cup of coffee or similar.
- Read.
Read—in the middle of the day, with full alertness.
What to Look for in Curriculum
- Inspiration: are you energized to try?
- Joy: can you picture being happy while using it?
- Flexibility: can you adapt the program to your family, to various age levels?
- Insight: do you gain a fresh understanding of the concepts through this method?
What to Avoid
- Rigidity: must be done in a certain way, without missing days.
- Tedium: it may “cover” everything, but the pattern becomes dull quickly.
- Designed to reassure adults: not for your child’s personality or enjoyment.
- Intimidating: put that one away.
It’s tempting to focus on content. Content is less important than you think (Google has math worksheets, handwriting pages, grammar definitions, and Wikipedia entries for all of history—for free!)
What you want are matetials that bring learning to life—both for you AND your kids!
This post is originally from Instagram and @juliebravewriter is my account there so come follow along for more conversations like this one!
