Sunday, December 20, 2009

Homeschooling on a budget

I have had several non-homeschoolers tell me that I must use a prewritten curriculum, like one offered by Abeka or a program where I mail off Helana's work to be "graded" by a homeschooling program. They find it difficult to fathom that I am creating my own curriculum and keeping my own records. They wonder, can it be legal?

Well, allow me to put their minds at rest once and for all. While some states do require a certain curriculum of sorts and/or an annual achievement test, Kentucky does not. I am glad. I much prefer creating my own schedule and curriculum based upon Helana's individual needs. That is not to say I am winging this blindly. I do have a copy of What Your Kindergartner Should Know which outlines exactly what the kids in public school should and are learning. This way I know I have not left something out. From my conversations with public school parents, so far we have been right on track. Furthermore, I am able to work at a pace that is comfortable for Helana. AND SHE IS LEARNING.

Now, to make the title relevant, I find many of our books myself. For instance, I just returned from the Danville Goodwill and came away with fourteen relevant homeschooling books. They are mostly pertaining to social studies and I am delighted! We also take advantage of our local library and the Internet is packed with useful information and free materials. The core knowledge book steers me in the right direction and I am free to take it from them. It is working wonderfully for us so far; however, I am open to a more predetermined curriculum in the future. We'll see how it goes as Helana's needs change and grow.

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