I think boxed curriculum can be amazing, in fact I have used one for the past two years and loved it for the most part. I loved the set schedule, I didn’t have to think about what we were going to be doing each day or week, and we probably wouldn’t be homeschooling still without it. But sometimes, it’s time to move on, to try being eclectic and/or creating your own curriculum.
Homeschool Boxed Curriculum Isn’t for You If…
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Using a boxed curriculum can be amazing when you are just starting your homeschool journey. Or, as in our case, you are adding more children into your homeschool routine.
I think that box curriculum has a time and place in your homeschool journey, whether at the beginning, the end or in the middle.
If You Need the Freedom to Explore Boxed Curriculum isn’t for You
By not using curriculum in a box we have the freedom to explore other topics. While our curriculum doesn’t take long, it does seem like we have a harder time fitting in other topics. Such as learning about Black History for instance.
I feel it was important for us to learn about Canadian Black History, so that was something we had to add it where we could. A homeschool in a box curriculum isn’t as likely to cover every subject or topic you want to cover.
If Schedule Changes are Normal for Your Family Boxed Curriculum isn’t for You
Having your day scheduled out for you can be amazing, but if you are more of a fly by the seat of your pants, go where the wind blows type, boxed curriculum may not be for you.
I read a book recently that encourages you to follow your children’s interests and boxed curriculum can stop you a bit from doing that.
If your family is on the go, and learning from experiences is your thing, all-in-one curriculum isn’t the route for you.
Do You Like Changing Things Up?
Do you get antsy using the same thing over and over? I do. I am tired of my binder with our weekly lessons just because I occasionally get bored with the same ol’, same ol’. If you like to try different things through out the school year, you may not want to go a boxed route.
Going to the library and finding great books on topics that your kids are interested is why I choose to homeschool and I’m moving back into that mind set this coming year.
No more books that are scheduled to read taking up space on our shelves that we aren’t completely interested in, instead only books based on interest and what we feel is important to learn about.
Book Curriculum & Books for You
Eclectic Homeschooling
We’re “naturally” eclectic homeschoolers. We like moving from topic to topic in our own time. We like drawing from multiple sources for one topic, or even one subject.
I like picking a choosing our curriculum pieces that I know will work for us. A few of my our favorite curriculum are Wizards and Wands, and Grammar Galaxy. Wizards and Wands does have a language arts component to it, but we love Grammar Galaxy.
Similar posts that you my be interested in:
Thinking about Elementary Curriculum Choices for Your Family
