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Curriculum

Pick an approach, then pick the books

We never settled on one curriculum. We tried a lot of them, kept what was working while it worked, and moved on when it stopped. Some of these we used for years. Some lasted a month. They are here so the names make sense when you run into them, not because you should buy any particular one.

Classical

Grammar, then logic, then rhetoric stages, with heavy memory work, history in order, and Latin later on. Structured and rigorous.

Loves structure

Charlotte Mason

Short lessons, living books instead of textbooks, narration, nature study, and lots of outdoor time. Gentle but rich.

Book-loving, outdoorsy

Unit Studies

Build a few weeks of learning around one theme and weave every subject through it. My favorite, and there is a whole page on it.

Hands-on, curious

Unschooling & Eclectic

Interest-led, or a custom mix of the above.

Interest-led
What I would tell year-one me: do not buy a full boxed curriculum for every subject before you know your kid. We spent money on things that lasted a month. Start with math and reading, add the rest once you have watched them work for a while.

Math

Gr 1–8

The names you will run into most.

Reading & Phonics

Gr 1–3

All of these teach phonics explicitly, which is the part that matters.

Writing & Language Arts

Gr 2–8

Light early. Structure later, once they are ready to organize ideas.

Science

Gr 1–8

Science does beautifully as a unit study. These are the open-and-go options for a busy week.

History, Geography & Literature

Gr 1–8

Read your way through it. Living books beat a textbook at this age.

All-in-one curricula

Full year

Every subject planned for you. Easier when life is busy, harder to walk away from.

Online platforms & extras

All ages

Not curricula. The sites we opened to fill a gap or print one more thing.

Worth knowing: several of these carry a religious point of view (Apologia, Abeka, BJU Press, and The Good and the Beautiful lean Christian), while others are entirely secular. Neither is better. Just check that a program matches your family before you buy the whole year.
Keep going

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Supplies

The shelf you really need, grouped by where things live in the house.

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Family Favorites

The read-alouds my kids begged one more chapter of, listed youngest to oldest.

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Unit Studies

One topic, every subject. Six worked examples, and a six-step template for building your own.

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The four homeschool approaches, explained simply

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