The two best words to describe our curriculum selection this year are probably “eclectic” and “relaxed.”

(If you’re new to Growing Home (welcome!), you can find some more thoughts about teaching methodologies here, and why we’ve chosen a relaxed approach, here.)

We’re considered eclectic homeschoolers because our curriculum is comprised of a variety of different resources, as opposed to the “boxed” or more traditional approach where one supplier is responsible for covering every subject in a grade.

I’d wager a guess that to one degree or another, every homeschooling parent is “eclectic” at heart, if not in their approach. The beauty of homeschooling is that we get to teach a child, not a curriculum. We are not forced to adopt the one-size-fits-all constraints of government-funded curriculum. We get to cater to our children’s individual strengths and weaknesses by using different sources for different subjects that complement their learning styles and personalities, and our preferences and goals as their parent and teacher.

As with anything, there are pros and cons to this method of teaching, but in our current season of homeschooling, the eclectic approach is working very well for us.

Pros to Eclectic Homeschooling

• It’s individualized. You know your child better than anyone else; you get to pick the curriculum that you think would work best for them. You can even choose it together!
• It’s budget friendly, especially if you’re able to take advantage of something like the Build Your Bundle sale that’s happening this week only (May 16-23). With the 86-96% savings offered in the BYB Sale, you have many other options to choose from if you find a particular resource is not working for your child.
• It’s fun! You get to choose something your child enjoys, or at least, something that can help teach the subject they least prefer in the most enjoyable way.
• It’s flexible. You can choose which subjects are worth having your child spend more time on, and which ones can use a lighter load or be exempt altogether.

Cons to Eclectic Homeschooling

• It’s more time consuming for Mom. Pulling from dozens of different sources to put together a year’s worth of curriculum that covers all the essentials takes a bit more forethought and planning ahead than using a boxed curriculum.
• Record keeping can be a greater challenge. Remembering what they’re all supposed to be doing when, and keeping their books, grades, and projects organized and recorded can be a greater challenge when your selection is more vast.
• You may be tempted to worry about whether you’re covering all the bases. In some ways, a curriculum that has been put together and authorized by “experts” feels so much safer and more legitimate than what my gut instinct tells me.

Side note: I can’t cover all the bases. No one covers all the bases. No teacher in any school can ever teach your child everything they need to know.  “The problem with trying to cover all the bases,” say Andrew Pudewa, a former public school teacher turned homeschool father and home education advocate, “is that your child’s knowledge will be a mile wide and a quarter inch deep. In other words, they’ll know virtually nothing about everything.” Children that have been taught how to learn are much more advantaged than those who are simply told what to learn. This is the feather in the hat of the Eclectic approach.

Where to Find Good, Inexpensive Resources For An Eclectic Homeschool

I’ve put together our curriculum for this year (See below) from a variety of places:

• The OCHEC Homeschool Convention Exhibit Hall (I paid full price for the books I bought here, but enjoyed free shipping on the things I ordered at the Convention)
• New and Used Curriculum Fairs
• Garage Sales
• Thrift Stores
• Discontinued Library Books (I’ve bought several old -and usually, better- historical biographies for $0.25 each of our local library)
• Build Your Bundle Sale  This sale happens once a year for one week only (May 16-23), and is by far the best place to find the best price on the most resources. With over 200 products from 86 publishers and authors (including Cathy Duffy’s Top Picks!) that are conveniently bundle together in their appropriate categories, I can save 86-96% off the regular retail price.

In addition to the savings I receive by purchasing the already steeply discounted bundles at a Buy 2, Get 1 FREE deal, I get all of the resources pictured below for free! I won’t be using all of them, but the history and geography resources in particular will be wonderful supplements to incorporate over the Summer as we take on a more relaxed pace and enjoy the nice weather while we can.

In typical homeschool fashion, we have no children that fit into one grade for all their subjects this year. Our oldest daughter is working on Grade 2, 3, and 4; our next son is in Kindergarten/Grade 1; and our extremely eager 3 year-old who wants to do “real school” like the “big kids” is doing some Pre-K work. The 1 year-old and newborn (expected any day!) provide comedic relief and character building (read: patience training).

Here’s what we’ve chosen for the three oldest (so far):

Child #1 (Grade 2/3/4)

Bible: Various Sources. Since Brad is working from home now (yay!), he’s around to lead family worship after each meal. We read from the beginning of the Old Testament after breakfast, the middle of the Bible after lunch, and a portion from the New Testament after dinner. Bible reading is followed by the singing of the same Psalm for a week until we have it memorized, and Scripture memory work (one verse a week).

We also plan to read through What Does The Bible Have To Say About That? by Kevin Swanson with the kids this year.

Math: Abeka 2 I never thought I’d use Abeka Math because it’s more of a traditional school textbook and it uses the spiral approach instead of mastery which I originally thought I preferred. But, after a year of using a mastery arithmetic program (Math U See), I learned Charity does much better with the spiral approach. She loves her Abeka workbook and since it’s working well for us, we’re sticking with it.

Language Arts: Christian Light, Grade 3 Child #1 learns very much like me, which makes choosing curriculum for her much easier than the others. She’s an avid reader, enjoys English, and works fairly independently so I chose the 10 unit Christian Light Language Arts program to cover spelling, grammar, and creative writing.

Oral Language Exercises: Abeka, Grade 4-6 This is such a neat little book. It takes just a few minutes a day for me to read the 10-sentence oral exercises that sharpen audio perception, communication skills, and inculcate correct language usage. I feel the suggested grade level to be misleading; even our 5 year-old is beginning to hear the difference between a correctly worded sentence and a fragment.

Reading: Christian Light, Grade 3 She’s an avid reader already, so this course is just for fun. Plus, it helps me know that she’s comprehending what she’s reading and can articulate her thoughts on paper.

Handwriting: Some handwriting practice is included in the Language Arts units, but I’m allowing her to skip those sections and work on her cursive by using copyworks (included in BYB’s Charlotte Mason Inspired Bundle – 90% off) and writing letters to Seniors at our church instead.

History: Various sources. In addition to reading biographies of Christian heroes (the goal is for her to read 2 biographies a month followed up by an oral report on the life and work of each saint), the Build Your Bundle Sale is offering us some delightful history resources in their Elementary bundles this year! Take a look:

We plan to make use of Heroes of America: Stories of Bravery and Courage by Amanda Bennett; Native America: Getting To Know The First Native Americans by Homeschool Legacy; A Journey Through The Centuries of America, 17th and 18th Centuries by Nancy Fileccia and Paula Winger; The Big Book of History by Master Books; Prairie Pioneers by Amanda Bennett, and the Mystery of History audio.

Science: 10, 100 Facts Science Books by Miles Kelly I first discovered these books at our provincial homeschooling convention last year. At the time, I just bought one to see how well our kids would enjoy the Usborne-style layout. They drank it up and begged for more! This year, I bought a pack of ten, 100 Facts Books, each one on a different topic to spread over the year, at a rate of about one per month. The books include projects and quizzes, so my intent is to use them in a Unit Study type of format. We’ll be learning about weather, birds, the human body, space, oceans, bugs, mammals, rain forests, plant life, and penguins.

The Elements: Ingredients of the Universe by Ellen Johnston McMurray is another addition to our science selection from Elementary Bundle #1 that I’m really looking forward to using. It’s an introduction to chemistry for young children that includes a teacher’s section, songs, skits, experiments, games, crafts, and activities. I think it’ll be a great hit with all our kids!

Geography: Various sources. Geography is the one subject I don’t really teach, yet it’s a favorite in our house! I wrote more about how we learn about the world without a textbook here.

Music: Zeekok Music Appreciation (Handel, Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Schumann, Chopin). These books were recommended to me by a friend from church, and I instantly fell in love with them after a quick browse through. The biographies of each composer are written specifically for children in story form. An accompanying CD can be bought with each book that includes the audio and sheet music for each piece mentioned, as well as a coloring page for each chapter. It promises to be a great program for all ages and learning styles. Very excited about this one!

Art: Various Sources. Art is the #1 favorite hobby of this child. If she’s bored, she’ll instinctively draw, color, paint, or craft. So far, she’s taught herself. I haven’t done much more than pick up the occasional How-To art book when I stumble across one I think she would enjoy. This year, I plan to be more deliberate about learning art history with her; the Fine Arts Bundle in the BYB Sale is too good to pass up at 90% off!

We plan to use A Child’s First Introduction to Art: What Do You See Volume 1 & 2 by Laurie Bluedorn; Art and the Bible for Children by Joshua Olds and Barry Stebbing; Women Artists Throughout History by Fine Art Pages; and, The Wonderful Art of Drawing Horses by Barry Stebbing.

Child #2 (Kindergarten/Grade 1)

Bible: Same as Child #1

Math: Abeka Arithmetic K5/Arithmetic 1 Since he’s halfway finished his K5 book, he’ll probably make it halfway through Grade 1 this year, too. I’m using the Math U See manipulatives in conjunction with the Abeka workbook. Math facts seems to stick better when he can figure them out kinetically.

Reading: Alpha-phonics. I love this no-nonsense approach to reading. (Full review here).

Handwriting: Manuscript Handwriting Without Tears I love these books. The lessons are very short and simple. I also plan to make use of the ASL & Handwriting sheets in the Early Learning Bundle from the BYB Sale.

History, Geography, Science, Music, Art: Same as Child #1 . I don’t expect him to do any written work for these subjects, but he loves to join us on the couch and listen in. I’m amazed at how much younger children pick up by overhearing their older siblings!

Child #3 (Pre-Kindergarten)

I’m not one to push a heavy load of workbooks on very young children or require them to sit still for long periods of time when they ought to be learning through play and exploration, but this child insists on doing “school” like the big kids! I bought her the About Three preschool series from Rod and Staff in April, and a month later, she’s halfway through them.

Next is Rod and Staff’s ABC Series which our other two have also used and greatly enjoyed. This child loves to cut, paste, and color on anything (especially walls…), so I think it will be right up her alley.

The Early Learning Bundle from the Build Your Bundle Sale offers a pile of other supplementary activities and ideas to keep young children and toddlers productive and busy. At 91% off, I think it’ll prove to be a worthwhile purchase this year!

That’s our Eclectic Homeschool plan for the year in a nutshell! I’d love to know what you’re using this year! Are you taking advantage of the Build Your Bundle Sale?