totally lost on choosing curiculum

[faiths13]

i want to start hs'ing my son for 4th grade, but i am clueless as to how to build a ciriculum. can any give me some guidance please?

[kathymuggle]

Start with your philosophy first and take it from there.

How much time do expect to spend on schoolwork?

What type of learner is he?

How much money do you want to spend?

Do you have the time or desire to pull things together - or do you want it laid out for you? There are pros and cons to both ways, btw!

Advice heard over and over andover again is to not spend oodles of money before you have researched things and know what you want.

[zjande]

It is SO challenging to narrow down which curriculum to use! We've been hschooling for 10 yrs & it's still totally challenging for me to decide on curriculum (although I've only been using official curriculum since my 11 yr old was in 4th grade actually). I'll tell you honestly what's worked best for us- buying one, using it, & then deciding whether it works well for us or not. If not, then I try a different one.

That's been my brilliant, scientific method.

All of Kathy's advice is good, you'll also have to ask yourself if you want secular materials or not.

[onyxravnos]

to add to the list do you have a general 'method' you prefer? as that helps narrow down your search for materials. you of course don't have to use just one or even any but it can help you know what your looking for.
(such as montessori/waldorf/calssical etc)

[kgianforti]

I would also check your state requirements and regulations. I'm in a "strict" state so I have to teach certain subjects at certain grade levels. That can also give you an idea of what subjects to specifically look for when choosing curriculum.

BUT...hopefully you are in an "easy" state!!

[Lillian J]

I would start out as simply as possible and very slowly build. You won't need much at first, and a lot can be found at a library. Both he and you will be needing plenty of decompression/deschooling time, which is not the waste of time it might sound but actually a very good investment of time. This is another thread which also discusses decompression and trusting the process.

And here's a post that has links to resources and ideas on getting started, including a link to info on state laws.

Here's a link to my own favorite source for materials - it will give you an idea about the wide range of interesting things that can inspire enthusiasm in learning - FUN-Books.

The real determiner of what materials or methods of learning will be best will be the way your son relates to various ones rather than how highly they might come recommended by others - every child is so different. So the decompression/deschooling time - just hanging out and relaxing together and individually will begin to show things you may not even be aware of in regard to how he tends to learn about things or about the type of things he's especially drawn to.

Here are 10 top tips contributed to a book I'd highly recommend - The First Year of Homeschooling Your Child: Your Complete Guide to Getting Off to the Right Start, by Linda Dobson - it's the synthesis of the years of experience of the many seasoned homeschoolers who contributed to it. An

Have fun! Lillian