The Wolfe Pack {Reviews+Resources+Suggestions=Support for the Discerning Homeschool Mom}

providing the discerning homeschool mama with support on her journey

The Most Essential Homeschool Supply

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{This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our Disclosure Policy for details.}

Be sure to read to the bottom where you’ll find an AMAZING GIVEAWAY!

 

I used to spend hours searching the aisles for my own school supplies when I was a kid {you can ask my mom, she’ll tell ya!}

Then I taught in the classroom for a decade.

And now I’ve homeschooled a kid from PreK and into High School.

So, to say that I have used more than my fair share of school supplies would be an understatement.

And, I’ll admit it. I just LOVE school supplies! To this day, I have a hard time passing up the Back-to-School displays every August. But, I have not needed to stop and shop those shelves in a long time for a couple of reasons.

Besides the fact that I have a surplus of homeschool supplies as it is, my High School-aged son requires very little these days {in terms of supplies that is, don’t get me started on the cost of High School books and classes!}

But, truth be told, it has been a few years since my son has needed much more than a pack of paper and these FRIXION ERASABLE RETRACTABLE COLORED PENS.

And I’m thinking that, even if you have a boatload of homeschool students that cover the entire spectrum of ages and skills, these ERASABLE PENS will become the most essential homeschool supply in your house too!

WHY? 

Two simple reasons…

ONE: They’re colorful and fun!

They come in a variety of fun, VIBRANT COLORS but don’t bleed or transfer and are FULLY ERASABLE {see below.} So, you no longer need to sacrifice COLORFUL FUN for the sake of practicality! The seven pack includes what you see in the pictures above and the ten pack adds lime green, orange and a third shade of blue. 

So, whether your High Schooler is editing a research paper, your Middle School kid is doing an Inductive Bible Study or your Kindergartener is working on handwriting, these colorful pens will keep everyone happy!

TWO: They really work!

My son uses these pens exclusively. He hates the sound of pencil scratching and he makes too many mistakes to use normal pens {that don’t erase} so this is seriously all he uses.  He uses them for math problems, editing essays, science notebooking, Inductive Bible Study, spelling tests….every time he needs to write something for school, he uses one of these pens. And, like most typical fourteen-year-old boys, he makes a lot of mistakes and tends to be more than a wee bit messy with his handwriting. So, to say he erases a lot would be no lie.  He erases ALL THE TIME and these pens REALLY WORK! They write clean and clear and they erase just as well! {And, don’t ask me how, but they leave no eraser dust all of the place. They’re kinda magical, really!}

So, there ya have it! FRIXION ERASABLE RETRACTABLE COLORED PENS by Pilot, the essential homeschool supply!

{WARNING: We have tried a handful of knock-off brands but nothing compares to FRIXION. The less expensive knock-offs run out of ink much sooner, rendering the lower price pointless.}

{BONUS: Pilot also makes FRIXION ERASABLE STICK PENS that aren’t retractable. They tend to be a little less expensive but we prefer not needing to keep track of caps all the time. But your family may prefer them!}

{BONUS BONUS: I’m participating in an awesome giveaway from Abby with 4 One More. She has these amazing Inductive Bible Studies that actually teach your kids HOW to STUDY the BIBLE! And she’s giving away TWO Inductive Bible Study Family Bundles to one winner. Your students in grades K-12 can study through the books of James, Jonah, and Nahum using the inductive method. These studies are open & go – no prior knowledge is needed! If you bought a Gospel Grab Bag this spring, you’ll recognize Abby’s amazing resources! The Gospel Grab Bag had a Psalm 1 Inductive Bible Study, which I have been saving to use this fall!}

Abby Banks is a former classroom teacher, now homeschool mom of five and pastor’s wife. Even though she grew up in a Christian home, she was never taught how to read and understand the Bible. After learning how to deep dive into the Word using the Inductive Method, Abby has taught it to kids, teens, and women in various church and homeschool contexts for the last 20 years. a Rafflecopter giveaway

It is your responsibility to read the terms and conditions upon entering. By entering, all entrants understand that they are subject to being added to each of the participating blogger’s email lists.

How to Use Classic Board Games as a Fun Way to Do School Review

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{This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our Disclosure Policy for details.} 

Whether you take a summer break or school year-round, all kids can benefit from these fun ways to review content using classic games you probably have at home right now! Read on for ideas on how to use four different board games to do school review! 

YOU’LL FIND ADDITIONAL SUMMER IDEAS AND ACTIVITIES AT THE END! 

SCRABBLE: This is probably the most obvious and easiest choice to turn into a review game. And there are several ways you can put this CLASSIC BOARD game to extra use!

1} PARTS OF SPEECH SCRABBLE:  Instead of playing regular SCRABBLE, players can only spell specific parts of speech. You can play an entire game of just adjectives or you can change with every round and work on verbs, nouns, and more. It’s a simple change and requires no additional prep work on your part! And it allows for kids of all ages to review parts of speech at their level.

2} SPELLING LIST SCRABBLE: Print off a list of whatever spelling or vocabulary words you used during the year. The rule can be that players can only spell those words, which might be kind of limiting. Or, for an easier time, you could make it that anybody who plays one of those words gets bonus points. And if you have different kids with different lists, this is a really fun and easy way to help everybody review spelling and/or vocabulary at their own individual level. 

3} MATH SCRABBLE: Instead of using letter tiles to spell words, players use number tiles to form math problems. For this, you’ll need to either buy a couple of sets of number tiles {which are surprisingly inexpensive and could also be used for a ton of different math activities,} print off the free tiles found in this pack or deface the SCRABBLE tiles you already have by writing numbers on the backside. But no matter which you do, it’s super easy to turn SCRABBLE into a math game! Everybody draws ten number tiles, the first person creates an equation, if they can, and the next person has to use one of the previously played tiles in his/her equation. And so on and so forth. You can adjust the plan as you go to fit your players. One easy-to-implement adjustment would be  to make the function {+ – x / =} tiles free and swappable. You would just lay out all of the function tiles and players could use them in a new equation or even replace what’s already on the board to make their own equation work. This would even allow kids of different skill levels to play together and work on their math skills!

HEDBANZ: This game has endless possibilities to use for review. Instead of using the cards included in the game, you’ll need to make your own but the effort this takes pays off when you consider the fact that you can fully customize the game to review anything…history, science, geography, foreign language, grammar, literary elements, Bible stories, states & capitals, anything! You can simply use index cards or print the free blank game cards found here to turn the game into anything you need it to be! HEDBANZ uses images and text,  which makes it great for all ages/levels,  but if all of your players can read, you can skip the images and only use text. This will cut down your prep time considerably. And another easy alternative is to use pre-printed flashcards, which are available on dozens of subjects! 

PICTIONARY: This is another game with an infinite number of ways to review school! Just print the blank cards found in this free pack, fill them in with the subject matter and play PICTIONARY as normal!  

JENGA: Again, this one can be fully customized to review literally any subject! And it’s simple! On the end of each block, use a Sharpie to write a number from 1 to 54, assuming your JENGA set has 54 blocks. Make sure you write the same number on both ends of every block so that no matter from which angle you are looking at the stack, you can see numbers. Then make a list of 54 questions that review your desired subject and number them 1-54. Before a player can pull the block he wants, he must answer the corresponding question correctly. If he knows the answer, he can pull the block. If he pulls it successfully, he gets the number of points from the block. If he doesn’t know the answer, he can’t pull the block and misses his turn. OR if he doesn’t know the answer, he still has to pull the block but gets those points deducted from his score. There are so many fun options with JENGA! And, if you want an easy-to-print blank list, you can find one here. 

 

 

CHECK OUT THESE OTHER GAME POSTS

AND CHECK OUT THESE SUMMER IDEAS AND ACTIVITIES FROM MY HOMESCHOOL BLOGGIN’ BUDS!

1. With a few creative ideas and twists, you can make the most of your summer days while still learning! 10 Unusual Ways to Homeschool Over the Summer from In All You Do 2. Summer is the perfect time to try a new Subscription Box or two! And some of these boxes have fantastic coupon codes for first time buyers! STEAM Subscription Boxes for Summer FUN! from Homeschool On the Range 3. This collection of fun summer STEM activities for kids ages 4-19 is a fun way for parents to encourage problem-solving and critical thinking skills while also having fun! Summertime STEM Activities from Hess Un-Academy 4. Want to avoid hearing, “I’m bored!” this summer?!?!?! Grab your printable Summertime Bucket List Checklist and keep those kids inspired all summer long! 40 Boredom Busting Summer Ideas and Activities for Families from Geez, Gwen! 5. Don’t stop all learning for the summer! Here are some educational summer ideas for kids + teens to get you through the next few months. Educational Summer Ideas for Kids from Making Room 4 One More 6. Heading to the beach!?!?! Here is a collection of easy no-prep printables to help your family enjoy learning about seashells together! Fun Seashell Identification Activities for Kids from Homeschooling 4 Him 7. Having the right items in your travel backpack will make the difference between success and failure with your child with autism. Pack The Perfect Backpack for Special Needs Summer Adventures from Our Crazy Adventures In Autismland 8. For a different type of summer experience, check out this post and learn about a summer homeschool schedule in Canada’s subarctic that focuses on foraging, northern gardening, homesteading, and self-reliance skills. Homeschool Schedule: Our Summer Routine from An Off Grid Life 9. Kids have the summer off but Mom has to work from home? Here are 21 ideas to keep them busy so you can work! 21 Fun Summer Homeschool Ideas for Work From Home Moms from Thrive at Home 10. Summer is the perfect time to learn all about plants! Have fun with these 5 ideas! 5 Awesome Ways to Learn Parts of Plants for Kids from Julie Naturally 11. Do your kids need motivation to read over the summer? Watch the pages turn with these fun and creative ideas! 7 Ways to Encourage Summer Reading from Heart and Soul Homeschooling 12. Want to have some fun without breaking the bank?!? Look no further than these ideas for budget-friendly summer fun! Budget-Friendly Summer Fun (for you and the kids!) from Hope In The Chaos 13. Planning on staying home much of the summer? Get this printable Summer Bucket List with 12 fun & mostly free educational activities to do at home. Homeschool Summer Bucket List from Whole Child Homeschool 14. Summer is the perfect time to catch up on practical (but fun) life skills for kids. Find the ultimate list of fun activities for life skills here! Life Skills Mega List for Kids from Stand Up, Reach Out 15. Here’s a simple solution to keep your kids engaged in learning over the summer so those wheels stay greased and the cries of “I’m bored!” stay at bay. Use Morning Time to Beat the Summer Slide! from Everyday Graces Homeschool 16. You’ll find 12 music lessons in the “Summer Music Lessons for Holidays & Special Days” online course–each one only 15 minutes in length and perfect for elementary ages. Each lesson contains the music lesson, videos, a printable, and an online quiz that relates to the special summer holiday. Summer Music Lessons for Holidays & Special Days from Music in Our Homeschool 17. Summer is the perfect time to cool down with a great book with your kids. Take a look at some of these great books to read aloud this summer! Summer Read Alouds for Kids from Simple Living Mama 18. Summer is the perfect time of year to explore the tiny world of bugs and insects! This great list of activities and crafts will help you and your child learn about these fascinating little creatures. Insect & Bug Activities for Kids from My Joy-Filled Life 19. This Summer Activity Pack is stuffed with games, treasure hunts, worksheets and more for reading, writing, math and critical thinking. Summer Slide Activities for All Ages from The Homeschool Cafe 20. Who wants to slave away over a hot stove all summer long? No stove required for these delicious, nutritious, cheap and EASY summer meals! 25 Cheap & Easy Summer Meals for Families from Orison Orchards 21. Looking to get out and about with your large family without sacrificing your family’s savings? Check out these great tips! How to Take Inexpensive Road Trips with a Large Family from With the Huddlestons 22. Stop the dreaded words… I. Am. Bored!… before they even start! Here are 6 summer family activities to keep learning fun. 6 Summer Family Activities to Keep Learning Fun from This Bit of Life

FOREIGN LANGUAGE: Three Out-of-the-Box Options

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{This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our Disclosure Policy for details.} 

Choosing ANY homeschool curriculum can be a very difficult process. There are just so many choices. So. Many. 

But choosing a FOREIGN LANGUAGE curriculum? That has been a special level of difficult.  It has been almost painful. 

I think, that if my son wanted to learn Spanish, with which I am at least a wee bit familiar after taking four years of it in high school,  I might not feel so lost. 

But, no, my kid wants to learn Chinese.

So,  looking for the right program to teach him the Mandarin language has been a rather foreign process for me. 

I mean, how do I even begin to assess whether a program is good or not? It’s NOT like I can read through it and get a feel for it myself. {I cannot read it!}

And, for some reason, FOREIGN LANGUAGE curriculum seems to be one of the more expensive subjects. So, though, I have been willing to shell out primo bucks for science and math, which my kid actually needs for his career goal of being a zoologist, I really didn’t want to spend a ton for this elective. And, I sure as heck didn’t want to spend hundreds on one program only to find it didn’t work for us and then have to buy another one. 

And, probably the biggest challenge for me is the fact that this is one subject with which I cannot help my kid learn. I mean, we all know that homeschool moms can teach almost anything to our kids, and when we find ourselves outmatched by a subject, we can outsource {like I do for math and science at the high school level.} But, again, I’m not sure I want to spend the same type of serious money on him learning Chinese that we invest into live, on-line science classes or the time that we spend with what I like to call my private 1:1 math tutor, Nicole The Math Lady. 

So, even after I have spent countless hours looking at options of how to teach a FOREIGN LANGUAGE, I have yet to decide which route we will take. 

But, I sure have learned a lot about HOW and WHERE students can learn a FOREIGN LANGUAGE! 

Hopefully, what I learned can help YOU make your FOREIGN LANGUAGE choice less difficult. 

Other than the huge selection of boxed curriculum you can find in your homeschool catalogs or on the web,  I found three other options for FOREIGN LANGUAGE instruction. 

Three Out-of-the-Box Options for Teaching a Foreign Language

 

ONE: YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY

This is a phenomenal option that could flat-out be FREE for your family. Obviously, different libraries will offer different options but it’s definitely worth looking into. 

I was pleasantly surprised to find that our local library offers MANGO for free to all card-holders.

MANGO is a self-paced online resource that offers over 70 world languages and dialects through courses crafted using conversational methodology. 

I know other libraries offer similar options including Duolingo and Babbel. We have not used any of these resources but considering it’s FREE, it sure seems like a great option! Even if we use it to simply “test-out” which language he might really want to pursue, it sure seems like a wise consideration. 

So, be sure to check out what your local library has to offer in terms of FOREIGN LANGUAGE instruction. 

 

TWO: DUAL ENROLLMENT

Now, this one won’t be free BUT, if your student plans on attending college like mine, then it could be considered an investment.

{If you are not familiar with the concept of Dual Enrollment, here is a great article that explains it clearly.}

The gist of Dual Enrollment is that your high school homeschooler can take classes at the college level that count as both a current high school class but also as college credit.  It’s an excellent way to take schooling to the next level of rigor, expose your kid to the changes that college courses will bring while still under your roof, and accumulate college credits at a reduced cost. 

Obviously, much depends on which college you are considering for dual enrollment, but while I was perusing the catalog for Columbia College in search of history and literature classes for my son’s 11th Grade year, I ran across several FOREIGN LANGUAGE options. 

I did not look too closely {because I don’t think we’ll be interested in a college-level Chinese class, eeks!} but I did take note of it for future reference. 

So, if you have a college-bound kid who would be interested in taking some serious FOREIGN LANGUAGE classes, Dual Enrollment would be a fantastic option for you to consider!

 

THREE: ONLINE OPTIONS

This option is, in some ways, the most obvious out-of-the-box option. 

I’m sure you have seen ads for Outschool, which offers a bazillion different kinds of classes, including FOREIGN LANGUAGE. 

And, if you are familiar with VIPKID {a popular money-making gig for moms to teach English to Chinese kids,} then you may have heard of their Chinese-English counterpart, Lingo Bus. 

Or, if you are a fan of the Time4Learning app, there is also a Time4Langages add-on you can consider. 

But, there are some other less-obvious online options as well. They might be smaller, but that does not mean they are not high quality. 

For instance, if your student is interested in learning Spanish, Dale and Robin Gamache have a small “mom and pop” online company,  La Clase Divertida, that comes highly recommended. 

Or if your family is interested in learning Hebrew, a great option is Hebrew for Homeschoolers, which is the beautiful creation of a fellow homeschool mom, Ana Willis. 

So, if your student is in need of a FOREIGN LANGUAGE,  consider these

Three Out-of-the-Box Options:

ONE: YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY

TWO: DUAL ENROLLMENT

THREE: ONLINE OPTIONS

Why Good Readers Can Be Bad Spellers

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I’m going to brag on my son for a second. But, don’t worry, it won’t last long because I will also admit an utterly embarrassing fail on my part as his mother. 

My son was reading at four years old. He was sounding out letters and CVC words at three and full on reading short chapter books at four.

There, that’s the bragging part. I told you it would be short. 

To say I was proud of him would be a bit of an  understatement.

To say I took his ability to read so early and mistook it for being an unusually intelligent and amazingly skilled child would be a MAJOR understatement.  

Seriously, as a mom, I was proud. As a certified teacher with a MAEd and  ten years of teaching First Graders to read, I was downright giddy.

And, for reasons I still cannot explain, I transferred that skill to ALL subjects and assumed he’d breeze through school and graduate with a PhD at the age of 12. 

Turns out, he was just a natural reader. He had an interest in letters and all things literacy from very early on. As soon as I noticed this about him, I definitely honed in on his interest with loads of books, games and activities. 

But all I was doing was adding to his own natural interest in and  “gift” for understanding the written word. I really didn’t do much. 

I cannot explain how he learned to read like he did. It just came naturally to him. 

But, guess what did NOT come naturally to him? 

SPELLING! 

Yeah. 

Like I said, when he was reading so easily at such an early age, I assumed all subjects would come easily for him.

{MATH was/is the worst subject….but this is a post about literacy so I’ve saved our looooooooooooooong math journey for another post, The Best Math Program for Kids Who Hate Math.}

But, boy, oh boy, was I wrong. 

He could read, read, read. And he could retain what he read. So, he excelled in several subjects and just soaked up history, Bible, science and literature as easily as he breathed air. 

But spelling?

Oh my gosh. Oh goodness gracious. The kid could not spell to save his life. At all. 

After loads of frustrations and lots of tears from both of us, it finally dawned on me what the issue was. 

I’m not kidding. It took YEARS for me to put this together. Did I mention that I was a certified teacher? Yeah. And I have a Masters in Education? Yup. 

But it took what seemed like forever for me to make the connection as to why a naturally good reader could be a horrible speller. 

But here it is….

Reading is the process of decoding words.

Decoding is just a fancy way of saying “how we apply what we know about letter sounds and  language patterns to figure out what words say.” 

Decoding is how we read. 

A more official definition would be: “Decoding is the ability to apply your knowledge of letter-sound relationships, including knowledge of letter patterns, to correctly pronounce written words. Understanding these relationships gives children the ability to recognize familiar words quickly and to figure out words they haven’t seen before.” 

So, my son could decode easily and,  more or less, instantly while looking at a word. 

What he could not do, apparently, was ENCODE. 

Encoding is the opposite of decoding. 

Encoding is using sounds to build and write words. 

Encoding is how we spell. 

And my son could not ENCODE. 

Why? Because he really had not mastered all of the letter/sound relationships. 

As soon as I saw how easily he could read, I ditched any plans to teach him to read. We just read and read and read. He read on his own. He read to me. We read together. I read to him.

{Side note: don’t EVER stop reading to your kids! They need that for several reasons.}

What we didn’t do was work on letter sounds, chunks, diphthongs, etc.

Why would we? He could read already!

Why would we? Because apparently you need those sounds to be able to spell! 

So, there. That’s my short brag and my embarrassing fail.

Now, let me tell you what we did to teach him to spell. 

We used All About Spelling. 

“Developed for busy parents, teachers, and tutors, All About Spelling is a scripted, open-and-go program that teaches spelling in the most effective way possible.”

We started at the beginning of their program with Level One {even though my son was a Fourth Grader at the time} and worked our way through. 

All About Spelling took us step by step through the individual letter sounds, phonograms, blends, spelling rules, open/closed/ r-controlled syllable types and so much more. 

All About Spelling taught my son how to spell. 

I won’t lie and say he is now an amazing speller because he’s not. 

Spelling simply does not come natural to him. He has to work at it.

But, now that we have been through the seven levels of All About Spelling, he has the knowledge of how to spell correctly, which he does. 

Most of the time anyway. 

If you are at all interested in All About Spelling, check out  this free e-book . It will give you a glimpse into the proven strategies that make All About Reading and All About Spelling so successful!

HOMESCHOOLING in KANSAS: the Basics

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{The term “homeschooling” has been a hotly debated topic for years and is even more so today. This article is not to debate what equates to “homeschooling” but to help define WHAT you want for your kids and HOW to get it.}

If you are in Kansas and thinking about homeschooling your kids this year, there are a few things you need to consider.

But, more importantly, you first need to understand the basics of the process.

Before all of this crazy COVID chaos, it was a lot easier to dissect the different homeschooling concepts but things have gotten rather murky with dozens of terms that seem to mean the same thing:

Distance Learning

On-line Options

Public-school at Home

Charter Crossovers

Hyrbid Schooling

Virtual Classroom

and more…..

But if you find yourself wanting to keep your kids at home for school, no matter which term is being used, you need to understand the basics. And the best way to understand the basics is to ask yourself a series of questions. 

The first question you need to ask yourself is:

Do I want to school at home WITH the help of my LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT?

If you want to keep your local district involved, then that’s where you need to go to get started. There are as many different virtual/distance learning/hybrid plans from the districts as there are districts in the state. So, if that’s what you want, you need to seek them out for help. Only they can help you with the details. 

But if you want to cut ties with the local district and not take part in what they are offering as an alternative to coming into the classroom, the next question you need to ask yourself is:

Do I want to partake in the free PUBLIC SCHOOL AT HOME option that is offered through the STATE OF KANSAS?

This has been available for years and you’ve probably seen it advertised on TV {K12 and Kansas Connections Academy are two I see most frequently.} This is free and available to any kids in the state of Kansas. You can head here or here to check out some options. This route will remove you from your district but keep you in the Kansas State Department of Education’s realm. There are a few “schools” from which you can choose. They provide the curriculum and, at least some, provide laptops for you to complete their curriculum. If that’s the route you want to take, check out those links. They will send you loads of information on how to get started. I personally know some families that have had great success with this route and I can put you in touch with a few if you’d like. Just let me know. 

But, if you said “no” to those two questions above, your final question is this:

Do I want to HOMESCHOOL WITHOUT ANY CONNECTION to the public school system?

If your answer to that is “yes,” then these are the steps you need to take:

STEP ONE: UNDERSTAND that the state of  Kansas does not officially recognize “homeschooling” as an option. No worries, though. They just call us “non-accredited private schools.” It’s totally legal and any competent adult can do it {seriously, that’s how they define who can teach your kids….”competent adult.”} You can find more info from KSDE here and you can read the statues here. 

STEP TWO: REGISTER with the Kansas State Department of Education as a non-accredited private school. It might sound daunting but it’s super duper simple. Go here to get that done.  All you need is your name, your address and the name of your homeschool. That’s all. You don’t even need your kids’ names, ages or grades. When it asks for “custodian,” that’s you. And you only need to do it ONE TIME. You do not need to do this every year. I did it in 2011 and haven’t visited the site since. 

THREE: WITHDRAW your kids from their public schools {assuming they attended previously.} I know this sounds daunting too, but it’s NOT! And don’t let the district bigwigs or local school secretaries freak you out. Just do it. Here is an example of a good withdrawal letter. You do not need to tell them anything else.  You can go here to see what you do and DO NOT need to tell the local school. Just withdraw your kids and move on. You are 100% within your legal rights to educate your kids at home in the state of Kansas {and every state for that matter.} 

FOUR: KNOW the requirements. Thankfully, in Kansas, the requirements are very few. No testing is required. No portfolio submissions needed. No curriculum approval process. No attendance is monitored. You can go here for an easy rundown on the requirements. But, believe me when I say it is very minimal. At the moment, in the state of Kansas, homeschoolers have a lot of freedom and luxury. It may not always be that way, but that’s the situation for now. 

FIVE: CHOOSE your curriculum. This is, by far, the most time-consuming step. And there is no way for anybody to tell you what will be right for your family. There are as many curriculum options as there are WalMarts in the country. Or more. This is where many families get overwhelmed and discouraged. The most important thing to remember is that whatever you choose to do, does NOT need to be forever. You can adjust as many times as you need to throughout the year. 

But, to get started, I would head over here and read about the learning styles of your kids. That will give you a good start and will, in the very least, help you eliminate several types of curricula.

I would also check out these two articles that discuss the various methods of homeschooling: How to Choose the Best Homeschool Teaching Method for Your Family and A Beginner’s Guide to Homeschooling. 

And this article offers a three step approach to deciding on curriculum and could really help you narrow things down. 

Another great resource is anything by Cathy Duffy. I have a couple of her books, which I loan out to potential homeschoolers all the time, but you can get a lot of her info online here {you can also buy her books there.} She has reviewed OODLES of homeschool curricula and does a great job of dividing things into helpful categories. She also outlines whether they are of a Christian, secular or neutral worldview. Using her resources should leave you with at least a few viable resources.

My last suggestion would be to reach out to both local homeschool groups and also national groups {which you can find plenty of online.} But, I would save that step for last. I’d arm myself with a wee bit of knowledge first and “arrive” in those groups with some specific questions. It’s really hard for veteran homeschoolers to answer “what’s the best way to homschool?” Why? Because, really, nobody can answer that but you…which, in truth, is the heart of homeschooling!

YOU GET TO DECIDE WHAT’S BEST FOR YOUR KIDS’ EDUCATION!

We know it takes a lot of time and energy to make the decisions necessary but, believe us, it will be worth it! 

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