This was by far my biggest concern when I began thinking about informal education.
How do I know what to teach my child?
Do I have to buy a full package from one supplier to ensure I get all the stuff?
Can I use bits from different places?
How do I make sure I dont leave out big gaps of importance?
Is one curriculum geared for specific learner types?
Can I use an international curriculum or should I look at a South African based one?
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Bear in mind I only START schooling on Monday so I am by NO MEANS an expert on choosing a curriculum! In fact I still cant answer some of those questions conclusively. All I am doing is simply sharing my experience and decision- making to date.
The first thing I did was GOOGLE GOOGLE GOOGLE and then GOOGLE some more. Of course you knew that, right?! And I joined the facebook page for Western Cape Homeschoolers. ;-)
I then met with not one, not two, not three but FOUR seasoned homeschoolers. Not strangers but close friends with whom I have a deep, meaningful honest relationships. People who know me, know Lulu and understand our strengths and weaknesses.
They showed me how they are schooling their kids (ranging in age from 8-18) and how they use resources from everywhere - bits of formal curriculums, books from Readers Warehouse, books off Kindle and of course, endless resources online!
For Lulu, in Grade 3 right now, it boils down to this. Keep on top of Maths and Language. And read. Read. Read. And then read some more.
For Maths I have a stock of workbooks I bought from Readers Warehouse that are set in line with the National Curriculum - complete with test schedules. I am also using KONOS Math-U-See Curriculum available from Oikus.
For English I have a range of workbooks, again from Readers Warehouse aswell as a comprehensive grammar workbook with set lessons and worksheets up to Grade 4. (borrowed from a friend) In addition to this I have ordered the Grade 4 LLATL resources, also from KONOS.
For Afrikaans I have yet to find suitable resources but I know where to look - for now I am well able to school her myself by creating lesson plans around topical issues as they have been doing in class.
The online offerings I will be using most often right now are :
I have narrowed it down to these for now but the offerings online are endless. I also have a large stock of iPad apps that will definitely be employed to bring about some variety and mobile learning - I will share these in another post.
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